Every weekday we meet in church to worship together. This is a quiet time of reflection and prayer, clergy-led, where everyone can participate in a reading.

A celebration of the Eucharist in the Chancel using Common Worship

Join us every Thursday at 1pm.

Our early service on a Sunday. This Eucharist takes place in the Chancel. With reduced numbers, this service is suitable for those who are particularly concerned about larger gatherings.

Our main service on a Sunday. During term time the service is accompanied by the Choir of the University Church.

For over 25 years, Advent at St Mary's has begun with a joint service with the German Lutheran Congregation. With readings, poetry and hymns in both German and English, and a rich selection of seasonal music sung by the University Church Choir, it is a wonderful way to enter the spirit of waiting and longing that prepares us for the coming of the Christ-child.

The service is followed by refreshments of Glühwein and Stollen, provided by the German Lutheran Congregation.

Forty years ago the historian A.L.Rowse wrote an evocative account of a walk he had just taken one July morning in the direction of Holywell. “Quiet, a blessed stillness, only Sunday sounds – it might be the Victorian age – as I turn in under the shadow of St Cross and glimpse, embowered in its shrubberies, the little sexton’s house and church school, in the Gothic of the 1860’s, something straight of Alice in Wonderland: latticed windows, overhanging eaves, porch buried under a rambler rose. But one would never have believed what treasures there are within – the whole of Victorian Oxford leaps to the eye fom headstone to headstone.”

It is true: Holywell cemetery is one of Oxford’s best kept secrets – a haven of tranquillity and recollection in a city where space and stillness are increasingly at a premium. Its stones contain a wealth of hidden stories.

The cemetery is cared for by the Friends of Holywell Cemetery, but they now need our help in order to clear and maintain the grounds. Please send an email to [email protected] if you would like to help. Please make sure that you wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring a pair of gardening gloves. If you are able to bring some secateurs or shears, even better. There will be some heavy clearing to do, but there will also be some delicate conservation work to do. With the benefit of a wooden spatula, you can help to remove the ivy clinging to the gravestones. Everyone can help in some way.

This carol service takes place in Radcliffe Square.

Each year hundreds of people attend Carol Services at the University Church, culminating in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on the evening of the Fourth Sunday of Advent. We will celebrate the Christmas story by candlelight and listen to seasonal music by the wonderful University Church Choir.

Come and join in the colour and wonder of the story of the nativity. We will sing some much loved and familiar Christmas carols. This service lasts for just 40 minutes and is suitable for families with children of all ages.

This quiet and dignified half hour service marks the beginning of Christmas Day. It is particularly suited for those who may be travelling later in the morning or have other commitments that day.