Is there an actual map of who is in what parish territory?

[FrDavid96]

I suppose whether it was accessible was my real question. It certainly isn’t anywhere on our diocesean website. (Interestingly, the USCCB does have a widget up that tells you what diocese you’re part of - although I did know the answer to that question.)

No. There is no single national map.

Some diocese have such maps, some do not.

In some instances, a parish territory was defined decades ago, and might be just text—such as “from the Blue River eastward to the city limits of Metropolis” or the parish territory is defined as “the town limits of Hometown”

In recent decades, especially in traditionally Catholic areas, (think the big cities of the Northeast) parish boundaries have been redrawn fairly recently, and that information might be available on a website or a paper map. Maybe, maybe not.

Every diocese is going to be different with regard to how they describe parish boundaries in ways that are easily accessible to the public.

 

[FrDavid96]

It’s my understanding that only one’s territorial pastor can lawfully marry one (unless he gives permission to another priest / deacon).

Can. 1108 §1. Only those marriages are valid which are contracted before the local ordinary, pastor, or a priest or deacon delegated by either of them, who assist, and before two witnesses according to the rules expressed in the following canons and without prejudice to the exceptions mentioned in cann. ⇒ 144, ⇒ 1112, §1, ⇒ 1116, and ⇒ 1127, §§1-2.

Note: the above canon has more to do with the jurisdiction of the priest. The pastor cannot witness (or delegate) a marriage outside of his own territory. He must request delegation if he goes outside his own territory.

Can. 1115 Marriages are to be celebrated in a parish where either of the contracting parties has a domicile, quasidomicile, or month long residence or, if it concerns transients, in the parish where they actually reside. With the permission of the proper ordinary or proper pastor, marriages can be celebrated elsewhere.

Note: the pastor is specifically allowed to give permission for a marriage to be celebrated elsewhere.

 

[FrDavid96]

I mean, honestly at the moment I’m mostly curious - it seems like important information for certain sacraments, but I’m not in need of any of the relevant ones at any point soon.

It’s more than that.

It just happens that my parish boundaries end where the neighboring diocese begins. I get quite a few phone calls to make sick-calls outside my parish. If I did all of them, I’d have no time for my own parishioners. Therefore, I won’t go outside my parish territory unless (a) the person is a proper parishioner who just happens to be in a hospital temporarily or (b) the neighboring pastor is unavailable. When one of us goes away for more than a few days, one phones the other.

 

[PJM]

I’m just curious - if one wished to know what territorial parish one is actually part of, would there be some form of map or other resource to consult? In many places I’ve lived there are multiple parishes within a fairly close area, and it would be unclear to your average layperson which one they properly belonged to.

Not a MAP but specific boundaries are set by the Local Bishop.

 

[FrDavid96]

Here’s an example.

http://archphila.org/pastplan/MAPS/Arch.pdf

Not every diocese has such a thing on their own website.

 

[FrDavid96]

As an example: The Archdiocese of Philadelphia lists the boundaries of each territorial parish on the website, with statistics of each parish. Here’s the boundary’s for one parish, listed on their information page

Paper Mill Rd. from Terwood Rd. (Mill Rd.) to Tomlinson Rd.; to Bustleton Ave.; to Verree Rd.; to Pennypack Creek; to intersection of New York and Newtown R.R.; to Terwood Rd.; to Paper Mill Rd.

Thanks for posting.

I posted something recently, not knowing that you had already posted the same thing.

 

[jas84173]

I don’t think it’s possible. My town has two Churches like a block from each other from the days when God forbid the French had to be in church with the Italians and Poles. There’s also a Spanish church in my town. So unless it’s by ethnicity or race I see no way of doing that.
Of course in a town that only has one church you’d assume that would be the parish.
For towns that don’t have a Church I have no idea.
I know my diocese website has regions set up into deaneries which one priest is a head of. Actually the priest of my church is the dean. Usually looks over 5 or 6 churches in some regards and reports to the Bishop. In my deanery there’s about 8 towns .

 

[Titivillus]

I don’t think it’s possible. My town has two Churches like a block from each other from the days when God forbid the French had to be in church with the Italians and Poles. There’s also a Spanish church in my town. So unless it’s by ethnicity or race I see no way of doing that.

Church buildings are not necessarily central in their territories, nor are the territories circular (nor, that beloved shape of RPG cartographers, hexagonal). Parish boundaries would never be able to change except by demolition and rebuilding!

For instance, the parish next to mine has the church building in the far south of its territory. Many of its northern parishioners are much closer to my parish church building that to their own.

Edit to add: And that is why whenever anyone posts here asking “What is my parish?” the proper advice is to call a nearby parish or the chancery – Geographic parish cannot be determined by proximity alone.

 

[FrDavid96]

Church buildings are not necessarily central in their territories, nor are the territories circular (nor, that beloved shape of RPG cartographers, hexagonal). Parish boundaries would never be able to change except by demolition and rebuilding!

For instance, the parish next to mine has the church building in the far south of its territory. Many of its northern parishioners are much closer to my parish church building that to their own.

Parish boundaries are exactly like civic boundaries.

One is a resident of a given state bases on what side of the state-line he actually resides. Citizenship in a given state is not determined by how close one happens to live near the state capitol building.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Why is this so foreign to people?

 

[phil19034]

Here’s an example.

http://archphila.org/pastplan/MAPS/Arch.pdf

Not every diocese has such a thing on their own website.

Are you a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia?

 

[FrDavid96]

Are you a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia?

No. I just picked that one by coincidence.

Also, a college roommate of mine happens to live there, and a few years ago (when parishes were re-aligned) he phoned me several times with questions, so I thought it would be easy to find the boundaries described on their website.

 

[Hereiam]

Find a parish you are comfortable with, serve it, and all will be well.

Don’t listen to the pseudo canonists here who will tell you otherwise.

At both the particular and final judgment, I’m doubting Christ the Judge will base your salvation on the parish you chose to be part of.

To Love and Serve Christ is not like a sporting event where you deeds don’t count if you are “out of bounds”!

Be at Peace!

 

[Wesrock]

I found a map in my old diocese but not in my current one

 

[FrDavid96]

Find a parish you are comfortable with, serve it, and all will be well.

Don’t listen to the pseudo canonists here who will tell you otherwise.

At both the particular and final judgment, I’m doubting Christ the Judge will base your salvation on the parish you chose to be part of.

To Love and Serve Christ is not like a sporting event where you deeds don’t count if you are “out of bounds”!

Be at Peace!

Advice like that is not very helpful.

 

[Hereiam]

Advice like that is not very helpful.

I guess, from a legalistic sense.

Rejoice in the Lord Always. I will say it again, Rejoice!

 

[Trader]

This question brings back one of my childhood memories. Our parish was the largest in the diocese during the baby boom following WWII and had to be split into two parishes. The dividing line was drawn at Grace Street. Whenever our sports teams met in competition we would argue about who was on the wrong side of Grace.

Our pastor just kept doing his job and the parish grew enough to be split two more times before he died. The parish on the other side of Grace still has the same boundaries as in 1956.

 

[DarkLight]

It’s more than that.

It just happens that my parish boundaries end where the neighboring diocese begins. I get quite a few phone calls to make sick-calls outside my parish. If I did all of them, I’d have no time for my own parishioners. Therefore, I won’t go outside my parish territory unless (a) the person is a proper parishioner who just happens to be in a hospital temporarily or (b) the neighboring pastor is unavailable. When one of us goes away for more than a few days, one phones the other.

Fair enough! I think our area has a priest who does sick calls that week, by and large - at least if you’re in town where there’s several parishes that are all quite close to each other, you just get routed to wherever is handling those that week. At the very least I know they have a priest who’s on hospital duty.

 

[thistle]

Find a parish you are comfortable with, serve it, and all will be well.

Don’t listen to the pseudo canonists here who will tell you otherwise.

At both the particular and final judgment, I’m doubting Christ the Judge will base your salvation on the parish you chose to be part of.

To Love and Serve Christ is not like a sporting event where you deeds don’t count if you are “out of bounds”!

Be at Peace!

I think you owe Father David an apology for these insults!

 

[Titivillus]

Never frakkin’ mind.