Is it Frowned Upon to be a Member at Two Parishes?

[catholicWI]

My family and I are in the suburbs. The church we go to is five minutes from home. We are pretty involved in activities there and we enjoy being part of the community there. I also think it’s important to be part of the church closest to your neighborhood because it’s important to get to know neighbors and create bonds in your community.

However, the church is a pretty typical suburban church. It’s a watered-down liturgy, uninspiring architecture, too many people treat the Mass as a meet-n-greet. The main pastor isn’t particularly passionate or orthodox.

We have fallen in love with a much more traditional parish downtown: communion on the altar rail, incense, truly Catholic homilies, people that pray after Mass, and beautiful art…not to mention no drums and guitar for music! To me, it’s worth the 30+ minute drive one-way.

However, indeed there will be Sundays were I just want to pop over to my neighborhood parish and I still want to be part of my own community.

Is it frowned upon to have duel membership at two parishes? I don’t want to only be a member at my local parish and just visit the other, I want to actually be a MEMBER. I want to have my next child baptized there, etc.

What do I do?

 

[pianistclare]

Pick one and register. You are free to attend Mas sin any parish you wish.
But for their parish record keeping, with the Diocese, they need you to pick an “official” (at least on paper ) parish. Where will you give your offerings/support? Where will you children if any, receive their Sacraments? Where would you expect to receive an anointing should you become critically ill? Any place can do this, but it’s nice to have a relationship of sorts with the parish where you are most comfortable,
God bless.

 

[Jeanne_S]

My husband and I find ourselves in a similar situation.The parish where we are registered,is the one we belonged to for over thirty five years.We are involved in several ministries there.We moved about fifteen minutes away several years ago.
We on occasion attend a nearby parish.We are now finding we prefer it,it is smaller,more traditional and we find this parish is much more to our liking.So our solution,we attend in the months my husband isn’t ushering at our registered parish.BTW we tithe at both parishes,whichever one we are attending. I don’t want to break away from our original parish,so for the time brung this is our solution.

 

[tee_eff_em]

It is not frowned upon to be a member at two (or more) parishes simultaneously, but not in the way that you are thinking.

If you maintain a domicile or quasidomicile, you acquire one or more proper parishes (but you are typically only active in one at any particular time). “Registration” has little or no canonical consequences, but may be a courteous thing to do. And you may satisfy any obligation to assist at Mass anywhere that any Catholic rite is celebrated at the appropriate time.

tee

 

[Allegra]

In my diocese, it is not allowed for people to register in more than one parish. If you attempt to register in a parish other than the one where you live, you will get a letter and you have to get written permission from the parish where you live. I do know of some folks who are in a similar situation to you, who have joined a worship community that does the traditional Latin Mass in addition to their own parish. However, since the traditional group worships at an oratory and is not a parish, that is allowed. In fact, I think a member of the traditional worship group is required to be registered in their geographical parish in order to join.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In my diocese, it is not allowed for people to register in more than one parish. If you attempt to register in a parish other than the one where you live, you will get a letter and you have to get written permission from the parish where you live. I do know of some folks who are in a similar situation to you, who have joined a worship community that does the traditional Latin Mass in addition to their own parish. However, since the traditional group worships at an oratory and is not a parish, that is allowed. In fact, I think a member of the traditional worship group is required to be registered in their geographical parish in order to join.

Interesting. I’m in your state, but in a different diocese. (Springfield-Cape Girardeau)

Here, not much is made of it, but that might be due to geographical differences. My wife and I are members of, let’s say, Parish A but usually attend in Parish Br because our children all went to the parish school in B in their later years, though they went to the one in A in the early years. Because our children spent their later years in B, we know more people there… We contribute to both. A couple of my grown children are members of B because their children go to school there, though they live within the geographical boundaries of A. My son, however, attends K of C in A.

Nobody has complained at all about any of that.

 

[YADA]

Because of work and family responsibilities I split my time between two homes (and I do not mean by parts of the year. I mean that I may be at either home at random times …).

I am formally registered at one parish and have been for over 20 years. The other home
and parish are over 3 hours away …I have owned that home for over 10 years. While I am more involved at the first parish, due to my abilities…rather my inability to be all things to all people- I have not tried to over volunteer at the 2nd parish. I just can’t over volunteer my time - my life feels to complicated at times…I am known well by both pastors, participate AND I equally financially support both parishes.

I consider myself a member of both parishes. Both pastor know or presume that I attend the other parish when I am not present at their parish on a given Sunday. Of cours
sometims my work or travel takes to a parish that I attend as a “visitor”.

 

[SMHW]

Registration is about having your name and information listed in a parish book or software database. It’s not actually the same thing as being a member of the parish, even if the parish staff treats the two as if they are the same.

Most parish databases have a check box that says whether or not you are actually a member of the parish. Many parishes will allow you to “register” as a non-member. As such, you might be able to get envelopes and you can probably get on any email or snail-mail lists.

 

[pianistclare]

Registration is about having your name and information listed in a parish book or software database. It’s not actually the same thing as being a member of the parish, even if the parish staff treats the two as if they are the same.

Most parish databases have a check box that says whether or not you are actually a member of the parish. Many parishes will allow you to “register” as a non-member. As such, you might be able to get envelopes and you can probably get on any email or snail-mail lists.

We call those people contributors. they receive nothing in the way of mailings or info. We just now where to credit their donations fro tax purposes. There is no registering of non-members. you’re a parishioner or a contributor. If people want to be included we ask them to register.

 

[thequeen]

I am a member of only one Parish, however because of my work schedule I work for a major retailor and sometimes have to work on Sunday but make sure that I get off at least by 3:30 pm on Saturday If I am working on Saturday I go to the Catholic Cathedral downtown because it is closer to where I work and If I go to the Cathedral I make put something in the offering plate there If I am at my home Parish I pay my tithe there.

 

[1ke]

Is it frowned upon to have duel membership at two parishes? I don’t want to only be a member at my local parish and just visit the other, I want to actually be a MEMBER. I want to have my next child baptized there, etc.

What do I do?

It’s not possible to be a member of two parishes. You are a MEMBER of the parish where you live. Parishes are territorial, as is jurisdiction based on parish. Your geography determines who your pastor is.

That is Church law.

You can attend the downtown parish all you want. You can be involved all you want. You can talk to the pastor about receiving family sacraments at this downtown parish. Assuming you are not on a diocesan boundary and both parishes are in the same diocese, you should be able to work it out easily (after all, the bishop is really your pastor, he can give permission for you to receive sacraments from the other priest).

You can REGISTER at both parishes, one parish, or no parish. Registration is pretty much an American thing. It’s not a canonical thing.

Be aware that many parishes are on a networked computer system that prevents duplicate registration. I live in WI, and in our diocese (Lacrosse) we are all hooked together in one family directory software. If someone who was in my parish database moves and registers in Parish B, I get a pop up to update the record in my database. There are various codes, so I could have the aforementioned person who moved to Parish B as a non-parishioner or non-member in my database as an offertory giver or some other status.

That all has to do with the records being in a master diocesan database, so they don’t want duplicates.

But again, that has NOTHING to do with membership. Membership is a fact of geography, according to Church law.

 

[tee_eff_em]

It’s not possible to be a member of two parishes. You are a MEMBER of the parish where you live. Parishes are territorial, as is jurisdiction based on parish. Your geography determines who your pastor is.

That is Church law.

You are mistaken. Church law specifies exactly how one may be a member of two parishes.

(You are correct, however, that the situation proposed by the OP is not the one envisaged in Church law)

tee

 

[twf]

Yes as others have pointed out membership and registration are two different things. Not all parish staff seem to be aware of this fact of canon law. Canon law is very clear on the matter. You ARE a member of your geographical parish. You may never have stepped foot in your geographical parish. You may never have contributed a penny… yet you ARE a member and there is no way around this. The pastor of that parish has canonical jurisdiction over you and only he (or your bishop) may licitly witness your marriage and only he is obliged to baptize your children, preside at your funeral etc. Only he may grant you the dispensations allowed pastors under canon law (e.g. Sunday obligation). That being said, you certainly can be fully involved at other parishes (and registered, which as noted is a local North American thing) and receive the sacraments there…just keep in mind that if you wanted to get married at a parish other than your geographical parish, the priest at the second parish would have to ask permission from your geographical pastor.

 

[pianistclare]

Yes as others have pointed out membership and registration are two different things. Not all parish staff seem to be aware of this fact of canon law. Canon law is very clear on the matter. You ARE a member of your geographical parish. You may never have stepped foot in your geographical parish. You may never have contributed a penny… yet you ARE a member and there is no way around this. The pastor of that parish has canonical jurisdiction over you and only he (or your bishop) may licitly witness your marriage and only he is obliged to baptize your children, preside at your funeral etc. Only he may grant you the dispensations allowed pastors under canon law (e.g. Sunday obligation). That being said, you certainly can be fully involved at other parishes (and registered, which as noted is a local North American thing) and receive the sacraments there…just keep in mind that if you wanted to get married at a parish other than your geographical parish, the priest at the second parish would have to ask permission from your geographical pastor.

And, it may be noted that most of these requests are granted because the men in black respect each other and do not wish to cause an issue for the requesting family. they work with their brother priests quite amicably.
Parish staff do know. But it generally works without hitting people over the head with the “rules”. They simply call each other and work the particulars out.

 

[1ke]

You are mistaken. Church law specifies exactly how one may be a member of two parishes.

(You are correct, however, that the situation proposed by the OP is not the one envisaged in Church law)

tee

Well, the OP doesn’t mention being Polish or some other ethnicity that would have a personal parish. Nor an Eastern Rite Catholic.

So, please, let’s not complicate matters.

But in such a case, you still aren’t a member of BOTH parishes.

 

[ajecphotos]

I am registered at my local parish. I help out, serve there, attend mass there and a couple of other parishes too!

 

[JoeFreedom]

Yes as others have pointed out membership and registration are two different things. Not all parish staff seem to be aware of this fact of canon law. Canon law is very clear on the matter. You ARE a member of your geographical parish. You may never have stepped foot in your geographical parish. You may never have contributed a penny… yet you ARE a member and there is no way around this. The pastor of that parish has canonical jurisdiction over you and only he (or your bishop) may licitly witness your marriage and only he is obliged to baptize your children, preside at your funeral etc. Only he may grant you the dispensations allowed pastors under canon law (e.g. Sunday obligation). That being said, you certainly can be fully involved at other parishes (and registered, which as noted is a local North American thing) and receive the sacraments there…just keep in mind that if you wanted to get married at a parish other than your geographical parish, the priest at the second parish would have to ask permission from your geographical pastor.

Now I am worried. I saw this post and exclaimed, “That’s our situation!”. My wife and I attend a Catholic Church near our house, (it is not the closest), which we have for nearly 10 years, which we love and have been active in. We were registered there, we got our marriage blessed there, had our children baptized there. But due to our work situation, logistically, our children attend another Catholic Church’s school, so we tithe there and are registered there, as we thus receive the “member” discount. We try to attend that church at least once a month. We do not tithe to the church we have been going to for 10 years. All of that, it seems is okay, from what I’ve read from the other posts (to be registered at more than one church). In fact, we tried to become “unofficial” (or unregistered?) from our first church since the church closest to my wife’s work, where our kids go, would be our official, registered, member church, but they told us not to, since we were so active there.

But now it makes me worried that you state that only the MEMBER parish can do those things (marriages, baptisms, etc.). If the member parish is THE closest parish, then that’s not the one we attend. Just to illustrate, the closest CC is about 5 blocks away from our house (we do not attend that one), while the one we have been going to for 10 years is around 5 miles away. The church where we tithe and our kids go to Catholic school is 18 miles away. So… if we had our kids baptized and our marriage blessed at “the 5 mile” church, (we have the official paperwork), does that mean none of it was legit if the priest there did not ask for permission from the MEMBER parish, which I’m assuming is the closest one…?

And does that invalidate all of my confessions, especially the one time we skipped church due to a massive snow storm and we very concerned about our safety (we attempted to drive and got a block and realized that was a VERY bad idea)?

 

[ack]

But now it makes me worried that you state that only the MEMBER parish can do those things (marriages, baptisms, etc.). If the member parish is THE closest parish, then that’s not the one we attend. Just to illustrate, the closest CC is about 5 blocks away from our house (we do not attend that one), while the one we have been going to for 10 years is around 5 miles away. The church where we tithe and our kids go to Catholic school is 18 miles away. So… if we had our kids baptized and our marriage blessed at “the 5 mile” church, (we have the official paperwork), does that mean none of it was legit if the priest there did not ask for permission from the MEMBER parish, which I’m assuming is the closest one…?

And does that invalidate all of my confessions, especially the one time we skipped church due to a massive snow storm and we very concerned about our safety (we attempted to drive and got a block and realized that was a VERY bad idea)?

Nothing to worry about.

The “5 mile” church almost certainly got permission from your member parish before the wedding and baptism. Even if they didn’t get permission, the sacraments are still not invalid – the law is explicitly written to prevent invalidity when mistakes like these are made.

Confession has nothing to do with parish membership. You can validly confess to any priest in the world (except in extremely uncommon cases such as abortion). Also, it doesn’t even sound like you sinned in the first place (although this is only my own opinion).

 

[GraceUnderFire]

I attend 2 parishes–my novus ordo parish (which is fairly traditional) and my TLM parish. I am registered at my novus ordo parish but I have also submitted a census form at my TLM parish. I tithe at both parishes but even when I attend my the TLM, I will give a portion of the money to my “official” parish.

 

[tee_eff_em]

Well, the OP doesn’t mention being Polish or some other ethnicity that would have a personal parish. Nor an Eastern Rite Catholic.

I didn’t say the OP would need be Polish (and I don’t know that one can be a parishioner outside one’s rite? Else I have several parishes even now!)

[post=12815693]I do say[/post] that if one maintains a domicile and one or more quasi-domicile (or several quasi-domicile without domicile), one may acquire membership in more than one parish.

At least that is the way I interpret Canon 107. But I Am Not A Canon Lawyer

tee