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.

Upcoming Services and Events: 

Sunday, 8th November 2026 - Remembrance Sunday (The Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity): Sung Parish Eucharist with Act of Remembrance at 10:50am, and Said Evensong with Hymns at 6:00pm

Tuesday, 10th November 2026 - Tea & Talk in the Institute at 2:00pm

All are very welcome.

***Please note that we are currently experiencing an issue with our heating system in church, so please wrap up warmly when visiting us. Hot water bottles are available for use by those attending any of our services, or if you'd like to bring your own, we can fill them for you, either in the Institute before Parish Eucharist or in the vestry prior to Evensong, Oasis and Midweek Holy Communion. Blankets are also available. We apologize for any inconvenience that this issue may cause.*** 

Saturday, 7th November 2026 - Ordinary Time; Remembrancetide: The Eve of the Third Sunday before Advent/The Eve of the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity (The Eve of Remembrance Sunday)

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in thy beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen. 

Common Worship

The First Reading Appointed for Evening Prayer on the Eve of the Third Sunday before Advent:

The Future Glory of the Survivors in Zion

On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgement and by a spirit of burning. Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed, over all the glory there will be a canopy. It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard

Let me sing for my beloved

my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watch-tower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
but heard a cry!

Isaiah 4:2 - 5:7, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition 

A Prayer for Remembrancetide:

God of all consolation and mercy,

We give you thanks for all who have given their lives in past conflicts to preserve our nation’s life and to free the oppressed.

We pray for the nations ravaged by war, and especially for Ukraine; for Israel-Palestine; for Congo and for South Sudan.

We pray your blessing on the peacemakers and on all of our armed forces.

Together with all your saints, we long for the day when your kingdom comes, when nations will beat swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks, when there will be no need to learn war anymore,

Through Christ our Lord, the Prince of Peace.

Amen.

The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft - Bishop Emeritus of Oxford

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

November 2026: Stockton Deanery

A Prayer of our Patron, St Oswald of Northumbria:

Let us all kneel, and together beseech the true and living God Almighty in his mercy to defend us from the proud and cruel enemy; for he knows that we have undertaken a just war for the safety of our nation.

Amen. 

St Oswald of Northumbria

(Prayed by King Oswald and his army on the battlefield on the eve of the Battle of Heavenfield)