M
milimac
Guest
I have heard that there are rules regarding parish boundaries. Does anyone know if these exist, and if so, what they are? To what degree can Catholics “parish shop”?
- Status
J
jmcrae
Guest
Your “home parish” is the parish within whose boundaries you reside. That’s where all of your paperwork, etc., is kept. As far as I can tell, we can go to Mass anywhere we want to.
J
John_Higgins
Guest
Within this round of Canon Law we can enroll in whatever parish we see fit. Some dioceses try to stand in the way, though.
John
John
M
milimac
Guest
How does one determine what the boundaries are for a parish?
Once registered at a parish, do you just re-register at another parish if you so desire later on?
Once registered at a parish, do you just re-register at another parish if you so desire later on?
E
Evangel
Guest
The one time I saw a parish boundary map was at the offices of my diocese. The bishop (or someone under his auspices) would determine the boundaries.
I don’t recall ever seeing such a map online though.
D
daeve
Guest
Call your diocese (archdiocese?) and ask them. I live in one area and belong to a different parish because I cantor there. During the summer when the whole choir doesn’t sing, I go to my neighborhood church. I support both of them.
O
OutinChgoburbs
Guest
Your territorial parish- the one within whose boundaries you reside. Technically, you belong there, but you don’t have to be there, as somebody pointed out.
Your registered parish- the one where you filled out paperwork, “get envelopes” or where your ParishPay goes; where you usually go to Mass on Sunday and Holy Days; where the kids go to school or CCD, where you belong to this organization or that.
You can go to Mass anywhere on a Sunday. If something is happening in our lives and we cannot attend our registered parish, we attend Mass elsewhere to make sure we follow this important obligation.
Your registered parish- the one where you filled out paperwork, “get envelopes” or where your ParishPay goes; where you usually go to Mass on Sunday and Holy Days; where the kids go to school or CCD, where you belong to this organization or that.
You can go to Mass anywhere on a Sunday. If something is happening in our lives and we cannot attend our registered parish, we attend Mass elsewhere to make sure we follow this important obligation.
B
brotherhrolf
Guest
Thank your lucky stars that things have changed. In early 1983, I joined the cathedral choir. In late 1984 our youngest son was born. We attended the cathedral. We felt like we were members of the parish. We wanted our son baptized at the cathedral.
I had to get a letter of “release” from my territorial parish which was not a simple matter. After a chilling interview with the territorial parish priest, I got the letter of “release” stating that “if any of us died, he (Father) would not respond”. :bigyikes: I’m not making this up. I gave the letter to our cathedral rector who read it, turned beet red, and said “I’ll take care of this”…and he did.
We moved again in 1992 and I reside in a far different territorial parish but am still a member of the cathedral parish. When my family joined the cathedral parish in 84, there were 200 registered parishoners. We have 1200 families attending in a largely abandoned (housing wise) downtown area. Why?
I had to get a letter of “release” from my territorial parish which was not a simple matter. After a chilling interview with the territorial parish priest, I got the letter of “release” stating that “if any of us died, he (Father) would not respond”. :bigyikes: I’m not making this up. I gave the letter to our cathedral rector who read it, turned beet red, and said “I’ll take care of this”…and he did.
We moved again in 1992 and I reside in a far different territorial parish but am still a member of the cathedral parish. When my family joined the cathedral parish in 84, there were 200 registered parishoners. We have 1200 families attending in a largely abandoned (housing wise) downtown area. Why?
T
tmw
Guest
I have a hunch it’s because the cathedral actually looks and feels like a Catholic church, unlike many of the contemporary structures that lack the same sense of reverence that it felt at a cathedral.
T
Trident59
Guest
I don’t think very many Americans live totally conventional lives. By that I mean we tend to move around. I guess it goes with being a relatively young country.
For example; I was Baptised in 1970 at the ripe old age of 30, moved to northeast Washington one year later. Joined the parish there. My kids have been Baptised in two different parishes, my wife is from New Jersey, and being dyed in the wool Traditionalists, we parish shop for a reverent NO or better still a Tridentine or Old Dominican Rite.
When my mother was dying two years ago, I couldn’t get the local priest to come to see her. So the Deacon stopped by the hospital and told me that he couldn’t stick around as he had other things to do and I was not to worry. WOW! I was really impressed.
I’ve known the priest for about 20 years as a member of his parish and he couldn’t stop by to see my mother before she died. What a guy!
So that is why we parish shop. What difference does it make?
Makes you wonder about the “new spring time of renewal”.
For example; I was Baptised in 1970 at the ripe old age of 30, moved to northeast Washington one year later. Joined the parish there. My kids have been Baptised in two different parishes, my wife is from New Jersey, and being dyed in the wool Traditionalists, we parish shop for a reverent NO or better still a Tridentine or Old Dominican Rite.
When my mother was dying two years ago, I couldn’t get the local priest to come to see her. So the Deacon stopped by the hospital and told me that he couldn’t stick around as he had other things to do and I was not to worry. WOW! I was really impressed.
I’ve known the priest for about 20 years as a member of his parish and he couldn’t stop by to see my mother before she died. What a guy!
So that is why we parish shop. What difference does it make?
Makes you wonder about the “new spring time of renewal”.
B
brotherhrolf
Guest
The cathedral was renovated in the late 60s just after V II. The ripped out the high altar, the communion rails, the side altars, the choir loft, and the organ. (All in all, it wasn’t all that bad a modernization).
The choir sang off to the side in front of the congregation accompanied by a state-of-the-art electronic organ which burned up in the late 80s during the wedding of a choir member. The organ could not be repaired because the transistors etc. were no longer manufactured.
So, back to the past! Choir loft was rebuilt in 92 and a new pipe organ was installed. Reverent NO with incense. Choir sings in Latin every Sunday. During Lent parish chants the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. No hand holding or raising during the Our Father. Is there a trend here?
Trident, I had to laugh. We down here in south Louisiana are the exception to the rule. Both of our families, my wife and I, are descended from the Acadians (Cajuns) who were booted out of Canada by the British in the 1750s. They ended up in Louisiana in the 1760s and have been here since. DWs family had a Spanish land grant when Spain ruled Louisiana after 1763. My family (aside from the Cajuns) has lived in New Orleans since 1835.
I moved from NO to Baton Rouge in 1976 to attend grad school and have been here since…a whole 70 miles away!
Prior to Katrina, our young people would move away to Dallas, Atlanta, or Austin and within two to three years would be back.
I lived in Chicago for two years and I really enjoyed the cultural and educational opportunities it afforded me. But, it was not home. In very many ways, we are American but not part of mainstream America. And, unlike many parts of the country, we grew up in a predominately Catholic culture influenced by French, Bavarian, Spanish, Irish, Sicilian, Italian, Canary Islanders, Phillipinos, Cubans, and most recently Vietnamese.
People are parish shopping because they are searching for “roots”. My cathedral parish didn’t set out to do anything except be CATHOLIC… No, we’re not TLM - our diocese’s indult parish is our next door neighbor. But we are reverent, you will hear Latin, you will smell incense, and when you attend the Triduum, you’ll know it is Holy Week.
You can feel the sea change coming. There should be no need for folks to parish shop. And when they do, they more than likely are looking for a return to the past not the springtime of renewal.
The choir sang off to the side in front of the congregation accompanied by a state-of-the-art electronic organ which burned up in the late 80s during the wedding of a choir member. The organ could not be repaired because the transistors etc. were no longer manufactured.
So, back to the past! Choir loft was rebuilt in 92 and a new pipe organ was installed. Reverent NO with incense. Choir sings in Latin every Sunday. During Lent parish chants the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. No hand holding or raising during the Our Father. Is there a trend here?
Trident, I had to laugh. We down here in south Louisiana are the exception to the rule. Both of our families, my wife and I, are descended from the Acadians (Cajuns) who were booted out of Canada by the British in the 1750s. They ended up in Louisiana in the 1760s and have been here since. DWs family had a Spanish land grant when Spain ruled Louisiana after 1763. My family (aside from the Cajuns) has lived in New Orleans since 1835.
I moved from NO to Baton Rouge in 1976 to attend grad school and have been here since…a whole 70 miles away!
Prior to Katrina, our young people would move away to Dallas, Atlanta, or Austin and within two to three years would be back.
I lived in Chicago for two years and I really enjoyed the cultural and educational opportunities it afforded me. But, it was not home. In very many ways, we are American but not part of mainstream America. And, unlike many parts of the country, we grew up in a predominately Catholic culture influenced by French, Bavarian, Spanish, Irish, Sicilian, Italian, Canary Islanders, Phillipinos, Cubans, and most recently Vietnamese.
People are parish shopping because they are searching for “roots”. My cathedral parish didn’t set out to do anything except be CATHOLIC… No, we’re not TLM - our diocese’s indult parish is our next door neighbor. But we are reverent, you will hear Latin, you will smell incense, and when you attend the Triduum, you’ll know it is Holy Week.
You can feel the sea change coming. There should be no need for folks to parish shop. And when they do, they more than likely are looking for a return to the past not the springtime of renewal.
O
OutinChgoburbs
Guest
I was going to say they all came to the Cathedral to hear you sing, brotherhrolf, but OK. Your explanation is good.
In my opinion, where a person parishes in the United States has a lot to do with comfort, and having legitimate needs met.
Our priest related the story of how our present bishop, upon his arrival, wanted everybody in their territorial parishes, no exceptions whatsoever. It didn’t work- don’t know how long it was tried. He convened a panel of priests, and was told by that these were Americans, and they were going to go where they needed to go; even if they registered at the territorial parish, their Mass attendance and money would go to the parish where their needs were met. The bishop, normally a stickler for law (he’s got a PhD in Canon Law), saw that maybe this wasn’t the best fight in the war for souls, and instead allowed people to go where they needed to be.
Our pastor is also a police chaplain, and taught high school for many years while assisting at another parish. We get a lot of police officers, fire fighters, nurses, EMTs, and alumni of a certain high school. The neighborhood has changed, and our area has a heavy concentration of hispanic families. Our parish is over 100 years old, and certain ethnic groups who were the founders were not always generous with new parishioners and new ways of doing things.
More than a few families walked, and I think our pastor is discouraged because it would seem the evanagelization program he promoted didn’t come up with immediate results. He shouldn’t be, because even though we currently have 75% of what we had 10 years ago, a niche has been carved out for those who need it. I know he might not see it at the moment, but because I work in the school, I see different families apply for admission.
Instead of looking at numbers or ethnic groups, he needs to look at the type of people who are registering in the school as well as the parish by profession. And these are, along with the children of hispanics who do not want to belong to the “Mexican” immigrant parish (we are currently considered a step up, for some reason): School administrators (good sign for a parish school), school teachers and other educational workers, cops, firemen, nurses, and technical people.
And these people are coming for two reasons: They fit a niche; and for the most part, they know their children are being educated in a traditional Catholic environment. Not every Catholic school in our area has weekly rosary, weekly Mass, regular confession times by class, Benediction, Adoration, Stations, etc. And who knows better how to deal with the problems and foibles of service people and teachers than a priest who works as a police chaplain and taught high school?
In my opinion, where a person parishes in the United States has a lot to do with comfort, and having legitimate needs met.
Our priest related the story of how our present bishop, upon his arrival, wanted everybody in their territorial parishes, no exceptions whatsoever. It didn’t work- don’t know how long it was tried. He convened a panel of priests, and was told by that these were Americans, and they were going to go where they needed to go; even if they registered at the territorial parish, their Mass attendance and money would go to the parish where their needs were met. The bishop, normally a stickler for law (he’s got a PhD in Canon Law), saw that maybe this wasn’t the best fight in the war for souls, and instead allowed people to go where they needed to be.
Our pastor is also a police chaplain, and taught high school for many years while assisting at another parish. We get a lot of police officers, fire fighters, nurses, EMTs, and alumni of a certain high school. The neighborhood has changed, and our area has a heavy concentration of hispanic families. Our parish is over 100 years old, and certain ethnic groups who were the founders were not always generous with new parishioners and new ways of doing things.
More than a few families walked, and I think our pastor is discouraged because it would seem the evanagelization program he promoted didn’t come up with immediate results. He shouldn’t be, because even though we currently have 75% of what we had 10 years ago, a niche has been carved out for those who need it. I know he might not see it at the moment, but because I work in the school, I see different families apply for admission.
Instead of looking at numbers or ethnic groups, he needs to look at the type of people who are registering in the school as well as the parish by profession. And these are, along with the children of hispanics who do not want to belong to the “Mexican” immigrant parish (we are currently considered a step up, for some reason): School administrators (good sign for a parish school), school teachers and other educational workers, cops, firemen, nurses, and technical people.
And these people are coming for two reasons: They fit a niche; and for the most part, they know their children are being educated in a traditional Catholic environment. Not every Catholic school in our area has weekly rosary, weekly Mass, regular confession times by class, Benediction, Adoration, Stations, etc. And who knows better how to deal with the problems and foibles of service people and teachers than a priest who works as a police chaplain and taught high school?
P
pnewton
Guest
I’m glad they have changed the rules. I never asked when I became Catholic, so I never knew there was such a thing. I go to a parish in another city than I live. My primary reason was that when I attended, they were real short of any musicians needed volunteers, where as the large, up-scale parish was rich in talent. I can’t stand sitting on the side-lines and being a pew warmer, so I went to where there was the greatest opportunity to volunteer.
J
Jaypeeto3
Guest
And some people parish-shop
because the priest at their territorial parish
is teaching things contrary to the Catholic Faith.
because the priest at their territorial parish
is teaching things contrary to the Catholic Faith.
M
mary_bobo
Guest
Good for you. We all like to be appreciated and to fit in. Sounds like you are well on the way in both instances.
- Status