Catechism rule on Church Jumpers

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Your son is not alone many people are in this situation. I am one of them. My Church was closed 2012 and merged with two others. My Diocese is now undergoing its 2nd round of closures and consolidations. Due to my work schedule and the limited Mass times offered, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever return to my Parish.
 
Perhaps I should have asked about canon law.

It is difficult to ask a question to follow the rules. It is easy to create a flame thread due to the nature of what I am inquiring about.

My belief that one should not leave whatever Parish they are members at if they encounter something that may cause them spiritual discomfort. I thought that one was obliterated as a lay person to try to remedy the issue instead of just leaving.
 
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“PeterT said:
One shouldn’t “parish-shop”. Joining a parish isn’t like joining a country club (or any other social or even service club) or selecting which college to attend.

One should usually select a nearby parish with guidance from the Holy Spirit and leave it at that.

One should avoid “consumerism” in regards to selecting which Catholic Church one should register at and attend.
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While that sounds good in theory, it doesn’t always play out in practice. Individual parishes, and pastors, can have very different charisms, which can affect one’s spiritual needs being met.

We may be members of a certain parish, but nothing requires us to attend Mass there.
 
Well I’m more traditional. There is a Church right near me but they do folk masses and all this charismatic stuff. I’m not doing that so I go somewhere else. I feel like that’s a problem in the Church right now is how different parishes are so different from each other. Why can’t we just know the mass we are getting no matter where we go? Isn’t that the point of a universal Church?
 
JulianN said:
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PeterT:
One shouldn’t “parish-shop”. Joining a parish isn’t like joining a country club (or any other social or even service club) or selecting which college to attend.

One should usually select a nearby parish with guidance from the Holy Spirit and leave it at that.

One should avoid “consumerism” in regards to selecting which Catholic Church one should register at and attend.
Click to expand...
While that sounds good in theory, it doesn’t always play out in practice. Individual parishes, and pastors, can have very different charisms, which can affect one’s spiritual needs being met.

We may be members of a certain parish, but nothing requires us to attend Mass there.
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No one, including myself, said people are required to attend Mass at their territorial parish. And in regards to one’s spiritual needs being met, again let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Diocesan priests come and go but I don’t think it’s good practice to change parishes because the priests have moved on. If you pray to the Holy Spirit, I’m confident that the Spirit will let you know which parish community you ought to join and be a contributing member to. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide. Trust in the Holy Spirit.
 
I don’t find there is much that one lay person can do to remedy an issue in a parish. Most issues change over time, though, if you wait long enough. Don’t like how RCIA is run? The next priest will run it differently. Don’t like this or that clique running everything? They will eventually be gone, if you wait. Dislike where the tabernacle is? Even that, too, may change. Most things are endurable.
 
ServentsOf_Mary said:
Perhaps I should have asked about canon law.

It is difficult to ask a question to follow the rules. It is easy to create a flame thread due to the nature of what I am inquiring about.

My belief that one should not leave whatever Parish they are members at if they encounter something that may cause them spiritual discomfort. I thought that one was obliterated as a lay person to try to remedy the issue instead of just leaving.
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First of all, it depends on your diocese. In ours, the diocesan policies make it pretty clear that members of the faithful who establish domicile by certain levels of activity in a parish other than their geographical parish are to be treated the same as geographical members of the parish for the purposes of recieving the sacraments of initiation, marriage, funerals and so on.

Secondly, this freedom is generally offered for a reason. It isn’t so that people can jump around willy nilly but it does allow someone to attend the parish which offers the most mutually-beneficial relationship. Ask not just which parish is the best for you, but which parish are you the best for? Where will you add the most and detract the least? I wouldn’t advise parish-shopping, but I also wouldn’t advise stubbornly sticking in a situation that isn’t really optimal for anybody. If the only “problem” is that the parish is a good fit for some people but not for you, there is no problem with going somewhere where you’ll be more likely to contribute more good. That’s why it was made possible.
JulianN said:
While that sounds good in theory, it doesn’t always play out in practice. Individual parishes, and pastors, can have very different charisms, which can affect one’s spiritual needs being met.
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It can also affect what sort of involvement one can reasonably offer: that is, sometimes you have a lot more to offer one parish than you have to offer another. Sometimes there are dicey situations that would be better if you weren’t there. It is OK to bow out and find a place that’s a better fit.
 
ServentsOf_Mary said:
Perhaps I should have asked about canon law.

It is difficult to ask a question to follow the rules. It is easy to create a flame thread due to the nature of what I am inquiring about.

My belief that one should not leave whatever Parish they are members at if they encounter something that may cause them spiritual discomfort. I thought that one was obliterated as a lay person to try to remedy the issue instead of just leavin
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I’m guessing you meant obligated. And no, that obligation does not exist. Partly because an issue that you may think needs remedying may be of spiritual benefit to another.

For example, the current priest at my geographic parish has introduced Latin Masses with an ad orientem arrangement. I’m sure there are parishioners who find that spiritually beneficial. However, I do not, so I no longer attend that parish.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
Why can’t we just know the mass we are getting no matter where we go? Isn’t that the point of a universal Church?
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If only we had a rite that was tried and true, say for 500 years or something, with no deviation from the rubrics allowed as to keep it consistent. Of course if we had something like that we would be crazy to let it go or change it. I guess I’ll keep dreaming.
 
But since we’ve never really had that, we’ll have to muddle on.
 
I think you’re confusing universal with uniform. What if the universal church of which you speak were the charismatic one you dislike?
 
I need some clarification. Doesn’t a parish draw political boundaries in many parts of the world, especially where Church and state haven’t been as separated as they are in the U.S.? That’s my vague understanding. In Louisiana, “parish” is actually the term used for what the other 49 states call counties. The state has such a Catholic heritage, but I’m not sure if that’s the origin of the term.

Anyway, that factor might put canonical law on parish boundaries into better context.
 
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I used to be in a job that involved travelling quite a lot, including on weekends. My trips were mostly to the same half a dozen or so locations as this was where the equipment was installed that I was doing service or repairs on. So through no real choice of my own, I was attending Mass in these different locations and felt “at home” in all of these parishes to varying degrees. I knew many of the priests and I knew some of the parishioners. Some parishes I liked more than others. Some were opener and friendlier than others. Some church buildings were more beautiful than others. Some parishes were doing well and had lots of families. Others just had a handful of old folks and were barely scraping along. Some priests delivered better homilies than others. Some parishes did better music than others.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Am I the only one who thought this was going to be a thread about clothes?
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I was thinking Catholic girls’ school uniforms…

I attend Mass all over the place. I support my geo parishes by online donation even if I’m elsewhere, the main reason being that if I need some major sacrament like marriage or funeral, the geo parish is the first place one has to go and if you’re not on their radar you will have a hard time.

Other than that I don’t worry about it.
 
Interesting point. Yes, the word “parish” corresponds to a county or a unit of government historically in England and Louisiana, at least, to my knowledge. As I am using it here it is determined by the bishop, since I do not reside in those places. My parish region does break at the local county line on one side, though. But most of the things called “parishes” in my area are not coextensive with the things called “counties”. It can’t be that way, moreover, because there is more than one parish in each county, especially in metropolitan areas. No doubt the parish lines have changed over time, as parishes open and close or move, so they can’t stay aligned with government designations.
 
Some people financially support a home parish but like to visit other churches. I see no harm.
 
Which mass I attend depends on how much of a lie in I want 🙊 if I’m up and about I will attend my local, if not, I will go evening service elsewhere
 
ServentsOf_Mary said:
Leaving a parish prior to exploring all options? Fewer parishioners causes more burden to those who remain behind.

PAX
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And lessens the burden on those where you end up. Now what???

Truthfully, remaining where one is provides ample reason and opportunity to simply pray. The ‘glaring faults’ of those in the new parish are yet to be realized. Once again, then what?

We pray in either location.
 
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