Crossing Parish Lines

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Cruciferi said:
So you’re in their precinct as it were? But you can be in good standing contributing to another? After completing paperwork of course…
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Correct. You can live in one parish but be in good standing in another.
 
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That’s obviously why there’s been quite a bit of fighting about it. Seems to me I heard some of the territorial Parishes felt robbed of parishioners. That’s something that should be explained to people. Perhaps my Diocese is just trying to maintain the peace 😐
 
Cecilia_Dympna said:
Vatican 2. Why do you think that? I’ve always attributed it to the differences in folks’ personalities.
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I would say it’s both.

Before Vatican II, the personalities of the parishioners only impacted devotions and social events.

After Vatican II, the laity became more involved in the running of the parish and involved in the liturgy.

NOTE: I am NOT knocking Vatican II for this. Having the laity more involved is very good.
 
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Cruciferi said:
That’s obviously why there’s been quite a bit of fighting about it. Seems to me I heard some of the territorial Parishes felt robbed of parishioners. That’s something that should be explained to people. Perhaps my Diocese is just trying to maintain the peace 😐
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There is also the issue that the diocese (at least should have) gave a lot of thought and planning to the re-districting of parishes.

It’s unfair to one priest to expect him to take care of the spiritual needs of people who live outside the parish territory. Sure, we can all help from time to time; however it becomes a real burden when a priest is constantly being woken in the middle of the night to make hospital calls which should have gone to someone else, or to have an over-abundance of weddings and funerals and baptisms.

I was in exactly that situation a few parishes back. I was fortunate enough to be at a very nice beautiful (indeed magnificent) traditional church building. The neighboring parish church was a modern monstrosity. Hardly anyone wanted to get married there. People wanted funerals and baptisms in the “real church” building. We had no choice but to put an end to that and enforce the territory very strictly. Tearing-down and re-building the modern church was just not an option. Many people did not like that, but we had to stand firm and not make exceptions. It wasn’t always easy.
 
FrDavid96 said:
There is also the issue that the diocese (at least should have) gave a lot of thought and planning to the re-districting of parishes.
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This is very true too… I’m sure there are many parishes have boundaries that haven’t been adjusted in decades.
 
I suppose people are just so used to traveling to get something better, like a school or supermarket that it’s no wonder they think that way when it comes to a religious venue.
 
ConfusedLucy said:
like a school
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It’s funny, parishes are really like school districts in many ways. Some school districts / states make it easy for you to send your kid to a different school district, while in other areas it’s practically impossible.
 
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In the UK people are prepared to lie about there address or fake religion (at least half the parents at my Catholic school) to avoid sending their kids to the nearest sink school. Local authorities are trying to make it harder but you cant really change the mindset behind it.
 
How sad. A system where people have to resort to lying (ie, sin) to get their kids into a school of their choice is one broken system. Not condoning the lying, but no one should be put in this position.
 
However, you do not expect the school principal to come to visit you when you are sick or the supermarket manager to baptize your child.
 
It’s a difficult situation. Like with parishes if more people would give their local a chance things would probably even out but understandably people aren’t willing to sacrifice their children’s education.
 
To be fair someone young and healthy may not be thinking about needing a priest when sick anyway. For some parishes are just the location you go for the sacraments in the same way the petrol station is where you get petrol.

I’m guessing with age the mind set shifts
 
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ConfusedLucy said:
… For some parishes are just the location you go for the sacraments in the same way the petrol station is where you get petrol.

…
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That says quite a lot about the way people view their lives of faith today.

It’s very unfortunate.
 
There has definitely been a shift in how we see church. I’ve come to value the idea of a local parish that is at the heart of a community where your fellow parishioners live locally and you serve the area, the model of larger more centralised churches where people commute just seems almost too commercial to me.
 
ConfusedLucy said:
There has definitely been a shift in how we see church. I’ve come to value the idea of a local parish that is at the heart of a community where your fellow parishioners live locally and you serve the area,
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I am wondering though if this is just not the case where the problem is lack of established community boundaries that lead to lax parish boundaries. Where cities abut cities, the sense of community might be broader than the city limit signs, but include a broader are. Such is the case where I live.
 
pnewton said:
I am wondering though if this is just not the case where the problem is lack of established community boundaries that lead to lax parish boundaries. Where cities abut cities, the sense of community might be broader than the city limit signs, but include a broader are. Such is the case where I live.
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@pnewton - could you please revise / restate this post? I’m not sure I’m understanding what you are saying here, but I think it might be profound. Do you mind restating it?
 
pnewton said:
I am wondering though if this is just not the case where the problem is lack of established community boundaries that lead to lax parish boundaries. Where cities abut cities, the sense of community might be broader than the city limit signs, but include a broader are. Such is the case where I live.
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When I was a kid, the parish boundaries cut across civil municipal boundaries where I was. It wasn’t a problem at all.
 
ConfusedLucy said:
There has definitely been a shift in how we see church. I’ve come to value the idea of a local parish that is at the heart of a community where your fellow parishioners live locally and you serve the area, the model of larger more centralised churches where people commute just seems almost too commercial to me.
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And I agree with you. I do think our parishes have become too large (at least in many places, I can’t say everywhere in the whole world).
 
Augustinian said:
When I was a kid, the parish boundaries cut across civil municipal boundaries where I was. It wasn’t a problem at all.
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When I was a kid, my school district was split between two parishes. Except for 1st grade and 9th grade, I was the only person from my school that went to my parish (at least that I was aware of). The rest of the Catholics went to the Parish south of me that had two churches (parish church and mission church). And one Catholic family I knew of who lived in my parish and school district went to the Air Force Base Chapel.

Today, the parish I live in is also split between several school districts.

If dioceses were ever to redraw boundaries, I think it would be nice to keep entire public elementary school catchment areas in one parish, as best as possible. That way, kids who go to public school will know most of the kids they go to Church with.

For me, it was tough because all the kids I went to CCD with (esp by 7th grade) knew each at school too. So they formed clicks which I was always outside of.

God Bless
 
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