Picking a parish

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Arwen037

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I’m planning on converting. The problem is I have no clue which parish I should go to for classes and confirmation. The one closest to my mom’s house, then one closest to my dad’s house, the one I would be assigned to by the diocese, another one that is close to my house, or the parish my to-be sponsor belongs to. Should I just go to the one that I am most likely to be able to attend mass at? Or should I try to get to the one the diocese would assign me to? I dont’ even know where that one is.
 
Congratulations on your decision! I would recommend checking out the RCIA programs of several different parishes. Some of them have some wacky ideas…You want to make sure you are attending someplace that actually adheres to the teachings of the magisterium. One excellent test: Do they use the Catechism of the Catholic Church as part of their program? Specifically, do they work from this document as a basis for what they teach?

Your heading doesn’t say where you’re from - perhaps if you are comfortable saying the general area, there are other members who can recommend good programs.

Again, congrats, and good luck in your search!
 
Huh…I wonder why my first reply posted but doesn’t show up in the “# of replies” box?
 
Welcome Home Fellow Seeker 🙂

My husband and I are currently in an RCIA program. We are a military family and move quite a bit. When we decided to convert we tried many parishes until we found the one we were most comfortable with, it was a 30 minutes drive. ( There were 3 parishes closer to our house) It was a very traditonal established parish with a well developed RCIA program. We were too late to begin the program last January and had to wait till the fall when the new session began. A few months went by then my husband got orders and we had to move, we now find ourselves in a diocese that “requests” you attend the parish closest to your home. Ours now is a mission parish and although the people are wonderful,and the end result will be the same (full communion into our new faith) this part of the journey is very unstructured and not exactly what we were looking for. My suggestion is to look for a church that YOU not only feel comfortable in but can get to easily. Your sponsor , if dedicated will make the effort. If your diocese tells you where to go , then , make the most of it and do your own outside reading too, to supplement, as we are doing.

Blessings to you!
 
Hi Arwin,

You already belong to a parish. Your country is divided into dioceses, headed by a bishop and each diocese is divided into parishes, with a parish church. Your pastor is responsible for your spiritual care. And normally, marriages and baptisms occurring in your family should take place in your parish. You should also support your parish financially.

This however does not mean that you are obliged to attend services in your parish or attend RCIA courses in your parish. If you are not comfortable in your parish, you are free to attend any other church.

You can find a list of US dioceses by by clicking here.

Verbum
 
Congratulations on your decision. I hope that you will find a good RCIA program that you are comfortable with.

Kerri
 
What’s the point of having a parish if you never go? How can the pastor care for you spiritually if he’s never met you? I thought your parish was the church you attended, or the one assigned to you.
 
What’s the point of a parish if you always attend a differant church? And hwo can a priest take spiritual care of you, if he’s never met you?
 
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Arwen037:
What’s the point of a parish if you always attend a differant church? And hwo can a priest take spiritual care of you, if he’s never met you?
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Excellent point and I feel your concern. I am a newby to the RCC myself and I drive clear across town, passing four other Church’s to get to my Church. It is the oldest, smelliest, creakiest old Church in town and it was my wife that just had to go there.

Something hit me about Christmas time and I decided that I had to go to Church. I had no idea how to join a Catholic Church, so I began calling around. I got a lot of answers and advice, but most said to call back in September, when their RCIA program started. So, I just started to go to Mass with my wife to this old clunky, smelly Church and I just fell in love with it. I called them on the phone and found that they accepted people into their RCIA program year around. So, a match was made. Turned out that I had to attend these RCIA classes every week for about 18 months, but I am the better for it.

Many people prefer one type of Priest to another. There are Diocesan Priest that usually stay with a Church for many years, if not forever. Then there are the various orders like the Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans etc. Many of these Church’s have a bias towards their type of religious life and many people find a particular discipline preferable to another. It might be a good idea to ask a Catholic that is on fire for their Church, about their Church. It might be the Priest or the community or they might just be on fire kind of people.

Wherever you go, my prayers are with you…
 
HI Arwen,
What’s the point of a parish if you always attend a [different] church? And [how] can a priest take spiritual care of you, if he’s never met you?
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Someone has to be responsible, and the territorial parish has so far been deemed the best way to do this. Additionally, parish records of baptism, confirmation, marriage and orders are an important thing, and the person’s original parish is the best place to centralize this.

Your parish priest does not need to minister to you personally, but, to the extent of his possibilities, it is his responsibility to see to it that you receive spiritual care SOMEWHERE.

One should attend one’s parish inasmuch as it fills one’s spiritual needs. But the Church does not oblige us to.

Verbum
 
I didn’t know you had to register with or belong to your geographically nearest parish. I have been told that it is up to you what parish you belong to. In my case, the nearest parish (and my original one) is too progressive. I drive half an hour to a parish in a neighboring county, and that is the parish I have registered with. To my knowledge there is no rule requiring anyone to belong to the nearest parish.
 
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Verbum:
HI Arwen,

Additionally, parish records of baptism, confirmation, marriage and orders are an important thing, and the person’s original parish is the best place to centralize this.

Verbum
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I DON’T have an original parish. I have no baptism, confirmation, marriage, or orders records (in the Catholic church). I’m not a reverting Catholic, I’m coming from a complete differant christian denomination. I’m trying to figure out which parish to MAKE my original parish.

I know there is some church that the diocese wanted to send me to when I entered the Catholic school system. But I also know that isn’t the closest one, or the one I’m most likely to be able to attend. And the only two priests I’ve ever had any real contact with have A) left the orders or B) been moved like 45 minutes away from me.
 
If your a member of the Catholic Church, you’re a member where you live. Even if you never enter the parish church.

Here’s the appropriate canons:
Can. 102 §1 Domicile is acquired by residence in the territory of a parish, or at least of a diocese, which is either linked to the intention of remaining there permanently if nothing should occasion its withdrawal, or in fact protracted for a full five years.
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§2 Quasidomicile is acquired by residence in the territory of a parish, or at least of a diocese, which is either linked to the intention of remaining there for three months if nothing should occasion its withdrawal, or in fact protracted for three months.
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§3 Domicile or quasidomicile in the territory of a parish is called parochial; in the territory of a diocese, even if not in a parish, it is called diocesan.
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Can. 103 Members of religious institutes and of societies of apostolic life acquire a domicile in the place where the house to which they belong is situated. They acquire a quasidomicile in the house in which, in accordance with can. 102 §2, they reside.
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Can. 104 Spouses are to have a common domicile or quasidomicile. By reason of lawful separation or for some other just reason, each may have his or her own domicile or quasidomicile.
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Can. 105 §1 A minor necessarily retains the domicile or quasidomicile of the person to whose authority the minor is subject. A minor who is no longer an infant can acquire a quasidomicile of his or her own and, if lawfully emancipated in accordance with the civil law, a domicile also.
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§2 One who for a reason other than minority is lawfully entrusted to the guardianship or tutelage of another, has the domicile and quasidomicile of the guardian or curator.
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Can. 106 Domicile or quasidomicile is lost by departure from the place with the intention of not returning, without prejudice to the provisions of can. 105.
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Can. 107 §1 **Both through domicile and through quasidomicile everyone acquires his or her own parish priest and Ordinary.
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§2 The proper parish priest or Ordinary of a vagus is the parish priest or Ordinary of the place where the vagus is actually residing.
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§3 The proper parish priest of one who has only a diocesan domicile or quasidomicile is the parish priest of the place where that person is actually residing.
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**
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Basically, what all of this comes down to , unless you’re a member of a recognized religious order, the parish which you are a member of , is the parish where you live.
 
When I lived in Philadelphia and when I moved here to Scranton, I looked into several parishes in each place.

For some reason, the parishes in the Philadlephia area were still very territorial (the listing of each parish on the Archdiocese web site actually had the boundaries specified) and I actually had to get permission from the parish whose boundary I was in to join a neighboring parish.

When I moved to Scranton, there was no such requirement and I joined a parish what I liked without any problem.

As for what I look for in a parish?

Mainly it is how close to they follow the GIRM, the opportunity for additional growth (in the case of Scranton, the availability of a Spiritual Director), and parish attendance (I went to one parish where there were only about 30 people at the Sunday Mass, they also had the touchdown Jesus instead of a crucifix behind the altar).

PF
 
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Arwen037:
I’m planning on converting. The problem is I have no clue which parish I should go to for classes and confirmation. The one closest to my mom’s house, then one closest to my dad’s house, the one I would be assigned to by the diocese, another one that is close to my house, or the parish my to-be sponsor belongs to. Should I just go to the one that I am most likely to be able to attend mass at? Or should I try to get to the one the diocese would assign me to? I dont’ even know where that one is.
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Best wishes and many prayers for your conversion journey! I am a convert of 10 years (this April). My advice to you would be to talk this over with your sponsor. He/She should be able to help you in that decision. I no longer attend the Church that I took my RCIA classes at, even though it is closer. After I converted, I didn’t stop my quest for knowledge, I read, and watched EWTN. After 5 years I joined another Parish that is about 20 miles away. It is a more Traditional Parish and I like it better. Father Serpa answered someone’s question about which Parish should he attend and he answered, “Go where you are fed.” That is good advice.God Bless you on your journey of faith!
 
Hi Arvwin,

I hope you understand by now that you are GIVEN a parish that you belong to and that you can CHOOSE a parish that you will attend. If you become a Catholic, your will automatically BELONG to a territorial parish (where you live). It makes sense to investigate that parish now.

Verbum
 
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