We are a Church of England parish with a strong tradition of music in worship, where all are very welcome. As an ancient Church in the centre of Durham, St Oswald's is a reservoir of peace for all who enter it.

The Sunday Eucharist is at 11:00am, and we have a play and books corner by the font for any younger worshipper who feels a parent or carer would enjoy it there. Evensong is at 6:00pm on Sundays, either in the chancel, or roughly every other week during term time when the usual hymns expand to a full choral setting, in the body of the church. Midweek Holy Communion is at 10:00am on Wednesdays, and the church is usually open from 9:30am till round about 5:00pm (or dusk, if earlier) on weekdays.

Monday, 8th June 2026 - Ordinary Time: Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Nonjuror, Hymn Writer, 1711 [Lesser Festival]

Exhortation to Fearless Confession

‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:4-7, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition

The Collect of the Day:

O God, from whom all blessings flow, by whose providence we are kept and by whose grace we are directed: assist us, through the example of thy servant Thomas Ken, faithfully to keep thy word, humbly to accept adversity and steadfastly to worship thee; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship

A Poem in Commemoration of Thomas Ken:

All Praise to Thee, in Light Arrayed

All praise to Thee, in light arrayed,
Who light thy dwelling-place hast made;
A boundless ocean of bright beams
From thy all-glorious Godhead streams.

The sun in its meridian height
Is very darkness in thy sight!
Our souls, O lighten and inflame
With thought and love of thy great name!

Shine on us, Lord, new life impart;
Fresh ardours kindle in our heart,
One ray of thine all-quickening light
Breaks through the thickest clouds of night.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Thomas Ken

A Collect for the Right Reverend Rick Simpson who was Installed as Bishop of Durham on Sunday, 7th June 2026 at Durham Cathedral:

Almighty God, the light of the faithful and shepherd of souls, who didst call thy servant Rick to be a bishop in the Church, to feed thy sheep by the word of Christ and to guide them by his godly example: give us grace to abide by the faith of the Church and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship 

A Prayer for all who are Affected by the Outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda:

Heavenly Father,

You are our healer. You restore the sick and comfort people in their suffering.

We bring before you the Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda. Please be with the local authorities and the World Health Organisation as they seek to respond rapidly and effectively. Give them wisdom as they make decisions, provide them with the resources needed for treatment, and help them contain the spread. Protect health workers from the virus and keep them healthy.

For those who are sick, we ask that you would heal them. Give them access to treatment and skilled medical staff. Comfort them in their pain. For those who are suffering the loss of a loved one, be with them in their grief. Make your love known and provide for their daily needs.

We also pray for the church in the regions of DR Congo and Uganda affected by this outbreak. Please give your people opportunities to share Christ’s love as they help the sick and comfort those who are living in fear of being infected.

Lastly, we ask for peace and stability in the region. End political conflict and put people in power that will govern wisely.

Lord God, we ask all this knowing that you can do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.

In Jesus’ name we pray, 

Amen.

The National Council of Churches in Australia (Adapted from Anglican Aid)

A Prayer in Celebration of Diversity:

Almighty God, through your Holy Spirit you created unity in the midst of diversity;
We acknowledge that human diversity is an expression of your manifold love for your creation;
We confess that in our brokenness as human beings we turn diversity into a source of alienation, injustice, oppression, and wounding.
Empower us to recognize and celebrate differences as your great gift to the human family.
Enable us to be the architects of understanding, of respect and love;
Through the Lord, the ground of all unity, we pray.

Amen.

Author Unknown 

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

June 2026 - Jarrow Deanery

A Prayer of St Oswald of Northumbria:

Let us kneel together, and pray the true, the ever living and almighty God to protect us in his mercy from the arrogant savagery of our enemies, for he knows that we fight in a just cause for the preservation of our nation.

Amen. 

(Prayed by King Oswald with his Army on the Battlefield on the Eve of the Battle of Heavenfield, AD634)

Saints of the North