Welcome to the parish of St Richard, Skelmersdale! 

Archbishop Patrick Kelly consecrates St Richard's Church June 2006

The Catholic Community of Skelmersdale is served by three churches and six schools. As one parish we strive to build a living community of family and friends. Together we try to love one another and put into practice the way Jesus taught us to live.   We believe that belonging to the Church enriches lives on so many different levels and in so many different ways.

In this family of faith:  

–   Each person is valued

–   Each person is welcomed

–   Each person is loved

We hope you will take some time to look through the pages of our website and see what's going on. Please also feel free to get in touch with us through the 'Contact Us' page on this website. Don't let 'ifs' or 'buts' or 'maybes' get in your way.

A warm welcome awaits you!

Please click on this link for information on our local schools

Please click on this link for information on Up Holland Pastoral Area

St Richard, Old Skelmersdale

St Richard's, designed by Pugin & Sons, was opened in 1864 to serve the growing farming and mining community in this part of Lancashire. The original St Richard's School was situated on the same site. With the advent of the New Town in the 1960s St Richard's became the base for a much wider mission to those moving out of Liverpool in search of a new life. The first priority was education and so a further six primary schools were built, each serving as a Mass centre for the local community. In time a new church was built under the patronage of St Richard of Chichester's great friend, St Edmund of Canterbury. In time this development was followed by the building of St Francis of Assisi and ultimately St Mary Queen of Apostles. St Richard's was consecrated by Archbishop Patrick Kelly in 2006

  St Francis of Assisi Digmoor, Skelmersdale

St Francis was originally planned in 1967, but only completed in 1977 thanks to the hard work and dedication of Fr Joseph Connery and parishioners. In 1979 Archbishop Derek Worlock  celebrated a Mass to open the Church and it was finally consecrated by Archbishop Kelly in 2005. 

St Francis draws together three former Mass Centre communities that had been previously based in St Matthew's Primary School,Digmoor; St Luke's Primary School,Clay Brow; and St Mark's Primary School Tanhouse.

St Mary Queen of Apostles Ashurst, Skelmersdale

St Mary's is the most recently built church in the Archdiocese. It was opened and consecrated by Bishop Vincent Malone, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool in 1994. St Mary's united Mass Centre communities that had previously gathered in St James' Primary School, Ashurst and St John's Primary School, Birch Green.  2006 saw the closure of St Edmund's Church in New Church Farm.  Whilst some of thosse parishioners now worship in St Richard's, the majority found their home in St Mary's.

Copyright Information - regarding images in the banner of each page 

Our Lady  
Stained glass and photograph by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

St Richard 
Used by kind permission of the Dean & Chapter of Chichester Cathedral

St Francis 
Photograph of a stained glass window in St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Skelmersdale.