Imams visit St Chad’s Church

Imams (Muslim Priests) visit St Chad’s Church

Rochdale Council of Mosques and St Chad’s Church organised a joint visit to St Chad’s church. Imams (Muslim priests) from Al-Quba Mosque on Ramsay Street and Ghamkol Mosque, Derby Street and representatives of  other mosques accompanied clergy from St John's to the church.

This is the oldest church in Rochdale, its history goes back to 1194, and is a beautiful combination of ancient, medieval and modern architect.

Imams and representatives were welcomed by the officers and members of the St Chad’s church and provided with information about the history of the church, tower,  font, nave, pulpit, Victorian stained glass and the pictures on these, Trinity Chapel Christian worship in church, various colours on the altar, and the similarities between Islam and Christianity.

Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE , who organised the visit, said: "It was felt that there is greater need to open doors of religious places to other faiths, work in partnership to enhance understanding of one another and exchange such visits in future leading to the community cohesion.

“On behalf of the Rochdale Council of Mosques, I would like to thank the members and officers of  St Chad’s Church and the Imams and the representatives of the mosques for their valuable time and input. It is a historic day as this is the first visit by Imams to St Chad’s church. I hope it is the beginning and there will be many exchange of visits in future. This will bring better understanding between them and lead to community cohesion.”