Editing Chorley (section)

==Religion==

[[File:St Laurence's Church, Chorley.jpg|thumb|right|[[St Laurence's Church, Chorley|St. Laurence's Church]]]]
The [[Church of England parish church]] of [[St Laurence's Church, Chorley|St Laurence]], located on Union Street, has been a place of Christian worship for over 800 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/stlaurencechorley2/ |title=stlaurencechorley2 |access-date=31 January 2014 |archive-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622084040/https://sites.google.com/site/stlaurencechorley2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Church of England parish church of St George, situated on St George's Street, is an important example of the work of architect [[Thomas Rickman]], a major figure in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]. It was built as a [[Commissioners' church]] in 1822.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stgeorgechorley.co.uk/history.html|title=History|access-date=17 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822191340/http://stgeorgechorley.co.uk/history.html|archive-date=22 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is based in the town centre at Mount Pleasant. The parish was founded in 1847, in a chapel in Chapel Street. The land for the church was purchased in 1851 and the first building erected in 1853. It was opened in June 1853.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} The church can sit 750 persons.  [[Pugin & Pugin]] of London and [[Joseph Hansom|Hansom]] are the architects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorleyhistorysociety.co.uk/articles_01/hansom_01.htm|title=Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society|website=www.chorleyhistorysociety.co.uk|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref>

Chorley United Reformed Church<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorleyURC.org|title=United Reformed Church,Chorley URC,Chorley,Christian Worship in Chorley}}</ref> is one of the oldest and largest [[United Reformed Church]]es in the north west.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} Founded in 1792 as an Independent Church it later affiliated to the [[Congregational church]] and in 1972 voted to become part of the new United Reformed Church (URC).{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} The church is home to the oldest [[Scouting|Scout Troop]] in the town, established in 1919.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/chorley/11552022.Call_for_aid_to_research_the_oldest_scout_group_in_Chorley/|title=Call for aid to research the oldest scout group in Chorley|website=Lancashire Telegraph|date=28 October 2014 |access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> In January 2017 it was announced that the church building, which had been at its current site since 1792, would be demolished, and the congregation relocated to other premises.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/historic-chorley-church-set-to-be-demolished-1-8326063|title=Historic Chorley church set to be demolished|website=www.chorley-guardian.co.uk|date=10 January 2017 }}</ref> These plans never came to fruition and the church building was instead refurbished in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mccully |first=Gordon |date=27 July 2020 |title=Historic Chorley church once earmarked for demolition looks to the future following rebuilding project |work=Lancashire Post |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/news/people/historic-chorley-church-once-earmarked-for-demolition-looks-to-the-future-following-rebuilding-project-2953521 |access-date=27 October 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Mormon Temple, Chorley - geograph.org.uk - 118142.jpg|thumb|right|[[Preston England Temple]] which serves the Latter-day Saint population of Northern England, Scotland and all Ireland]]
In the north of the town, there is a park containing a meeting house and a temple of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). The temple, which is regarded as a local landmark,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/lifestyle/landmark-temple-marks-its-10th-anniversary-1-2021342|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801165903/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/lifestyle/landmark-temple-marks-its-10th-anniversary-1-2021342|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2017|title=Landmark temple marks its 10th anniversary|website=www.chorley-guardian.co.uk|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> is the largest LDS temple in Europe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/when-the-saints-go-marching-in-how-a-tiny-town-in-lancashire-saved-mormonism-from-extinction-7976632.html|title=When the saints go marching in: How a tiny town in Lancashire saved|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=29 July 2012|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> and named the [[Preston England Temple]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/temples/preston-england?lang=eng|title=Preston England|website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> Construction on the temple commenced in 1994 and was completed in 1998. Connected to the temple campus is the England Missionary Training Centre for the LDS Church which houses church representatives preparing to fill proselytizing and service assignments in Great Britain and other parts of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/callings/missionary/missionary-training-centers/england?lang=eng |title=England Missionary Training Center|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

Chorley's first [[mosque]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dawatulislam.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012003430/http://dawatulislam.org |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2013 |title=www.dawatulislam.org |publisher=dawatulislam.org |access-date=31 January 2014 }}</ref> is on the corner of Brooke Street and Charnock Street. The building officially opened in March 2006, having been in planning for over three years. A second mosque opened in 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ar-rahmah.org.uk/about/ | title=About – Ar-Rahmah Academy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/special-day-as-mosque-opens-1-2014481|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112212426/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/special-day-as-mosque-opens-1-2014481|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2016|title=Special day as mosque opens|access-date=12 November 2016|date=16 March 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/new-mosque-for-chorley-1-2024080|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112210854/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/new-mosque-for-chorley-1-2024080|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2016|title=New mosque for Chorley|access-date=12 November 2016|date=23 July 2003}}</ref>