Can I be a member of 2 different parishes?

[curlycool89]

I’m not saying that it is pastor worship, but perhaps the Church is seeking to prevent it from getting to that level.

It doesn’t seem to be completely uncommon. We do see the occasional post here saying people are upset that their priest has been transferred or their parish is being closed/merged/sold. Yes you should support your local parish, but don’t get to the point where you forget that the Church exists outside of it too.

 

[PaulinVA]

Very interesting discussion.

When my wife and I bought our house in 1986, we started going to the nearest parish. Turns out that it’s closest, but isn’t our geographic parish (we are literally one street over the line). So, to use some of the wording in this thread, we are registered non parishioners in our current parish and non registered parishioners in our geographical parish?

I’ve read through this thread, and I am still trying to figure out the importance of the geographic boundaries. The Bishop doesn’t know the number of Catholics in a parish area - he knows the number of registered people in a parish. Doesn’t he make decisions based on that?

 

[DeepeningFaith]

Very interesting discussion.

When my wife and I bought our house in 1986, we started going to the nearest parish. Turns out that it’s closest, but isn’t our geographic parish (we are literally one street over the line). So, to use some of the wording in this thread, we are registered non parishioners in our current parish and non registered parishioners in our geographical parish?

That is correct! w00t! Someone gets it! lol

I’ve read through this thread, and I am still trying to figure out the importance of the geographic boundaries. The Bishop doesn’t know the number of Catholics in a parish area - he knows the number of registered people in a parish. Doesn’t he make decisions based on that?

Not sure about that. I think the Bishop might get the number of registered Catholics at a Church and they might check the addresses to see who actually lives where. I honestly just don’t know how it is calculated.

 

[DeepeningFaith]

Ok. This thread has just gone on and on and I’m not sure if people are joking or are serious with all of these questions. As Fr. David has said:

Registering does not make one a parishioner. People can post “I’m a parishioner” all they want, but that won’t make it true.

and HERE is the Canon Law info pertaining to this issue.

Let’s just change the way we say things to how it is in Louisiana: “I live in ______ Parish.” There is no membership in a Parish. It’s either you live in the geographic boundaries of the Parish and are therefore a Parishioner, or you are not. PERIOD!!!

As for everyone who has been asking “Well I live here for so long, and then here for the rest of the year.” Or any sort of thing. It is all covered in Canon Law and you are just confusing the readers. I will admit to doing it myself in regards to when I am at University.

This sums everything up:

Can. 107 §1. Through both domicile and quasi-domicile, each person acquires his or her pastor and ordinary.

READ the Canon Law and you will see what domicile and quasi-domiciles are.

With regards to moving around frequently, if you are intending to live somewhere for at least 3 months, it is at least considered to be a quasi-domicile and your Parish is the Parish in which you reside. If you are there and only intend to be there for say 2 months, AND you have a residence somewhere else, you are considered a traveler and your Parish is the one where you have a residence (of at least three months). Now let’s say you move around every 2 months. You are considered a transient and your Parish is the Parish in which you geographically live at that time.

I hope this helps. Please read peoples’ answers before asking more questions. You question has probably been answered if you would just read the previous posts.

God bless!

 

[estesbob]

Ok. This thread has just gone on and on and I’m not sure if people are joking or are serious with all of these questions. As Fr. David has said:
and HERE is the Canon Law info pertaining to this issue.

Let’s just change the way we say things to how it is in Louisiana: “I live in ______ Parish.” There is no membership in a Parish. It’s either you live in the geographic boundaries of the Parish and are therefore a Parishioner, or you are not. PERIOD!!!

As for everyone who has been asking “Well I live here for so long, and then here for the rest of the year.” Or any sort of thing. It is all covered in Canon Law and you are just confusing the readers. I will admit to doing it myself in regards to when I am at University.

This sums everything up: READ the Canon Law and you will see what domicile and quasi-domiciles are.

With regards to moving around frequently, if you are intending to live somewhere for at least 3 months, it is at least considered to be a quasi-domicile and your Parish is the Parish in which you reside. If you are there and only intend to be there for say 2 months, AND you have a residence somewhere else, you are considered a traveler and your Parish is the one where you have a residence (of at least three months). Now let’s say you move around every 2 months. You are considered a transient and your Parish is the Parish in which you geographically live at that time.

I hope this helps. Please read peoples’ answers before asking more questions. You question has probably been answered if you would just read the previous posts.

God bless!

But in truth none of this matters.

 

[RosalieM]

But in truth none of this matters.

:yup::clapping:

 

[hermitpat]

I live in a small town with close ties to a neighboring town (our borders meet). There are Catholic churches in both towns and many people ‘belong’ to both parishes in that they have family members registered at one and they are registered at the other. It is not unusual for families to contribute to both parishes.

On a side note: There are people who got upset with the parish priest in one parish and decided to switch to the other parish, only to get upset with THAT priest and end up back where they started from. As a convert the whole thing has been quite interesting as well as enlightening. For my part, I stay where God led me: the parish closest to my residence.

 

[stealthy1]

Oooh! My turn to ask a question:

So, I was Baptized/Confirmed/First Communion’ed just this past Easter with RCIA in the same parish. I am about 90% sure that this parish is not my home parish. However, the reason why I chose this parish was that I have been going to a Cantonese Mass for two years consecutively, thus I chose to do RCIA there.

Now that having been said, there IS a closer parish which is closer to my home. I’m pretty sure that that would be the geographical parish since my house is as South-West as we can go, and the parish is just 5 minutes North-East. The parish I go to is about 10 minutes North-East.

Now then, because in the city (Vancouver, BC) I live in, there are sort of regional districts. Within these, there are only about 4 or 5 parishes that offer Mass in Cantonese, and the Church that I DO go to is the closest one. The next closest would be about 25-30 minutes, crossing a bridge. If we want to be technical here, I think within the whole city and districts there are only two specifically Chinese-centered parishes, all others use English as a base language. (When I say this, I mean 3 Chinese language Masses, 1 English for Sunday obligation, and English Masses on weekdays)

So all this information said, would I call this my home parish and thus myself a parishoner? I’m looking at the last Canon Law stated regarding personal (ethnic) parishes. The other one is not in my district and I’m almost 90% sure it won’t be my geographical parish.

Thanks!

 

[StrawberryJam]

I have offices is two States and I am registered in both parishes. I dont see it as a problem and neither does either of my Pastors

I’m sure two parishes with filled envelopes can not see a problem with this at all, nor should they.

 

[estesbob]

I’m sure two parishes with filled envelopes can not see a problem with this at all, nor should they.

Exacltly!

 

[FrDavid96]

Exacltly!

No. It is indeed a problem. Catholic parishes “operate” in many ways like civil jurisdictions. I can consider myself a citizen of a state in which I don’t live, in casual conversation, and most of the time, we will say “so what…it doesn’t matter” but when it comes time to vote or time to pay taxes or to sign a petition for a new law it matters very much. The same thing applies to Catholic parishes. It matters little which Mass we attend, but when it comes to something like getting married, it becomes extremely important. It also becomes very important in heavily populated areas (like Philadelphia or Cleveland areas to name a couple–since these are two recent examples of parish boundaries being strictly enforced) where the local pastors do not have the time to make Communion calls to non-parishioners or churches don’t have the space/time to reserve the buildings for non-parishioners for funerals.

Just because you’re not seeing the problem doesn’t mean that the problem doesn’t exist.

 

[FrDavid96]

Oooh! My turn to ask a question:

So, I was Baptized/Confirmed/First Communion’ed just this past Easter with RCIA in the same parish. I am about 90% sure that this parish is not my home parish. However, the reason why I chose this parish was that I have been going to a Cantonese Mass for two years consecutively, thus I chose to do RCIA there.

Now that having been said, there IS a closer parish which is closer to my home. I’m pretty sure that that would be the geographical parish since my house is as South-West as we can go, and the parish is just 5 minutes North-East. The parish I go to is about 10 minutes North-East.

Now then, because in the city (Vancouver, BC) I live in, there are sort of regional districts. Within these, there are only about 4 or 5 parishes that offer Mass in Cantonese, and the Church that I DO go to is the closest one. The next closest would be about 25-30 minutes, crossing a bridge. If we want to be technical here, I think within the whole city and districts there are only two specifically Chinese-centered parishes, all others use English as a base language. (When I say this, I mean 3 Chinese language Masses, 1 English for Sunday obligation, and English Masses on weekdays)

So all this information said, would I call this my home parish and thus myself a parishoner? I’m looking at the last Canon Law stated regarding personal (ethnic) parishes. The other one is not in my district and I’m almost 90% sure it won’t be my geographical parish.

Thanks!

You’re right that this MIGHT be an example of a personal parish, one established to serve the Cantonese parishioners). Whether or not this is your proper parish would depend on how the local bishop designated the parishes, and what he established as the boundaries. Sometimes these are outright personal parishes (or even quasi-parishes) or sometimes they’re territorial parishes but by “coincidence” offer Masses in different languages.

The local Cantonese-speaking parish should be able to answer this one rather quickly.

 

[Frosty]

No. ** It is indeed a problem**. Catholic parishes “operate” in many ways like civil jurisdictions. I can consider myself a citizen of a state in which I don’t live, in casual conversation, and most of the time, we will say “so what…it doesn’t matter” but when it comes time to vote or time to pay taxes or to sign a petition for a new law it matters very much. The same thing applies to Catholic parishes. It matters little which Mass we attend, but when it comes to something like getting married, it becomes extremely important. It also becomes very important in heavily populated areas (like Philadelphia or Cleveland areas to name a couple–since these are two recent examples of parish boundaries being strictly enforced) where the local pastors do not have the time to make Communion calls to non-parishioners or churches don’t have the space/time to reserve the buildings for non-parishioners for funerals.

Just because you’re not seeing the problem doesn’t mean that the problem doesn’t exist.

You are right, Father David, it does matter, Whether we like it or not! All my life I have attended and registered at my geographical parish in whatever city I lived in at the time. On the whole, I was very happy at all of those parishes although there were the odd occassions when I may have wished things were done a tad differently or that I thought a neighbouring parish was more vibrant than mine.
A few months ago, I moved back to the city where I had lived for years after finishing university. There are eight parishes within less than a ten minute drive through city streets. All these parishes were in existence when I lived here previously and I am somewhat familiar with them all. Each of them appeals to me in different ways. Having said that, the only parish that doesn’t appeal to me in the least is my geographic parish which is only two blocks away. I can’t put my finger on why I feel that way about it. I’ve been to Mass there several times and all is by the book. The choir is amazing, the church itself is quite beautiful [even if it was built in the late 1950’s in a cruciform shape],. Lots of statues, etc and generous hours during the week for confessions.
In the past, I had read several threads on this forum dealing with the issue of whether or not we could simply choose the parish we wished to belong to, register at it and be called a parishoner at that parish. You have been consistent in your replies although it seems that the majority of posters just don’t want to hear what you say. In my heart I knew that you are correct but when it came to my present circumstance, part of me was hoping that just maybe you are mistaken. Last week, having been here now for almost three months, I decided it was way over time to actually register in a parish.
The parish I really would like to belong to is the one I belonged to when I lived in this city previously. I loved it then and still do. One evening after Mass I spoke with the brilliant young pastor, who is also a close family friend, of that parish. He was sympathetic but told me in no uncertain terms exactly what you have said over and over again. In fact, he expressed surprise that I had even asked him! To cut it short, he said that sure, I could register at his parish, attend Mass, join the CWL the SVP Society, go to the annual parish socials, golf tournaments etc but I could not be one of his parishoners. To be blunt about it, he said that I was a parishoner of my geograhic parish and if I died the next day, that’s where my funeral Mass would be celebrated and he would have to get permission from its pastor to say the Mass. He advised me to stop wasting any more time and to hie myself over to the rectory, introduce myself and tell Father W. that I was new to the parish. Whether or not I decided to register there or not was immaterial but at least make myself known.
Here in Ontario, at least, one of the ways that parishes know how many parishoners live within its boundaries is from the property tax rolls. Our Catholic School system is run completely different from the U.S. It is funded from tax dollars and on the property tax forms, one marks down which school system one wishes to support; public or separate[which is what they call the Catholic system]

 

[dsears]

So, what if you live in two separate cities and have two separate addresses. (ie: post-secondary students who live away from home most of the year, but come home for the summer?)

Don’t know if this has been answered yet (have not payed attention .) Yes. I belong to 2 parishes.

St. Mary in Delaware OH and Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. I’m at St. Mary a lot more since I go to school here, but I am a member of the Cathedral and I attend mass there when I’m in Indy.