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.

Tuesday, 23rd June 2026 - Ordinary Time: The Eve of the Nativity of St John the Baptist; The Feast of St Etheldreda (St Æthelthryth, St Ediltrudis, St Audrey) Abbess of Ely, c.678 [Lesser Festival]

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Saviour, by preaching of repentance: make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching and, after his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; 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 Passage of Scripture from Common Worship Evening Prayer for the Eve of the Nativity of St John the Baptist:

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’

Luke 1:10-17, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition

A Sonnet for the Feast of St Etheldreda:

St Etheldreda
"Nevertheless she persisted..."

Abbess and Princess, lend us all your strength,
Your fierce determination to be free;
Free of those cold conventions which at length
Had tethered you as married property.
Still you persisted, you would not be held
From your first love for Jesus Christ your Lord
And from that free devotion which you held,
As bride of Christ, to dwell within the Word
And let Him dwell in you as mystery:
A secret place to bide and to abide.
You slipped away to Ely with the tide;
Your Pilgrim staff became a flowering tree,
Inviting men and women equally,
To keep a soul-space open, welcome, free.

The Reverend Dr A Malcolm Guite 

A Collect for All in our Diocese and Neighbouring Dioceses who are to be Ordained as Deacons and Priests this Petertide:

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, by your Holy Spirit you have appointed various orders of ministry in the Church: look with mercy on your servants now called to be deacons and priests; maintain them in truth and renew them in holiness, that by word and good example they may faithfully serve you to the glory of your name and the benefit of your Church; through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship

We pray especially for Helen Miller (previously an ordinand at St Oswald's) who is to be ordained as a priest this coming Saturday, 27th June 2026, and will continue to serve her curacy at St Nics.

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. 

Saints of the North 

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