A blessing I have often used since coming to the Diocese can be turned into a prayer, and it’s one I pray for all who visit this site. May Almighty God make you faithful to his calling, cheerful in his service, and fruitful for his kingdom. And all in the name of Jesus.

Tom, Bishop of Durham

Welcome to the Diocese of Durham ! We’re a hospitable bunch and love to greet visitors to our churches, and not least to our magnificent Cathedral. But we are delighted to welcome electronic visitors as well, and I hope this site enables you to find what you’re looking for.

There is certainly a lot going on in our Diocese, and by exploring the links you should be able to get a good taste of it. We are quite a large Diocese in terms of population and number of churches, and we cover a diverse range of communities, from the old industrial and mining centres in the centre and east to the wild Pennines in the west, and from Gateshead with its thriving arts scene in the north to the towns of Stockton and Darlington in the south. The Diocese follows the old county boundaries of Durham, the River Tyne to the north and the River Tees to the south, which today means that it includes the southern half of the modern county of ‘Tyne and Wear’. We boast one of the finest universities in the world, two of the finest museums in the country (Beamish and Bowes), and some of the most kind-hearted and good-humoured people you will meet anywhere . . . but you should come and see for yourself.