Registering with a parish in college?

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So…I am in college in a different city than my hometown. Thusly, I have been attending a different parish than the one that I usually go to when I am home (or from my previous years of being young and growing up at home). Should I register with the parish that I have been going to when I’m away at college? Also, I’m not sure if the parish that I go to now is within the boundaries of where I live/go to college. Should I have been going to a closer one? I’m not sure what to do, any words of advice are welcome!
 
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rbritton said:
Should I register with the parish that I have been going to when I’m away at college?
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If you want to be on their mailing list and receive envelopes, sure.

But since you are only temporarily in your college town, you’re actual domicile and residence and parish membership in your hometown, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like to receive mail
 
If the parish uses social media, this might not be necessary at all! Our parish uses Facebook and Twitter and keeps an up to date website. I know that’s not the case for a lot of parishes, though.

I would see if your college has a religious life office, Catholic chaplain, or Catholic student group (often called Newman Associations or similar.) Even at non-Catholic colleges, there may be Masses on campus in a chapel, or a priest assigned to the college may be able to tell you which Mass is most often attended by students.
 
You can go to mass anywhere you want. Wonderful you are going to mass. I recommend you make a donation each Sunday, something you can afford.
 
@rbritton , I have come across this registering with a parish before on the forum .

What exactly is it ?
 
Rob2 said:
I have come across this registering with a parish before on the forum .

What exactly is it ?
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Registering with a parish is just letting the local church know who you are , so they have a written record.

If someone asks you to be their Godfather, the parish staff will be able to send a letter to the other parish to document yes, you are a member and because you are using the envelopes or giving, they can guess you are a practicing Catholic to the best of their knowledge.
 
Augustinian said:
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Rob2:
I have come across this registering with a parish before on the forum .

What exactly is it ?
Click to expand...
Registering with a parish is just letting the local church know who you are , so they have a written record.
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Thanks , @Augustinian , it’s a practice we don’t have .
 
It will be important if someone asks you to be the baptismal or confirmation sponsor. Your pastor will be required to vouch for you, and if you are a stranger to the parish, he may not do that.
 
Or he might say “I have not seen you at Mass for 6 months, so, I do not know if you are practicing anymore”.
 
Actually, one is required to contact their Baptismal parish to accuire a new, official copy of their sacramental records in order to get married. Yes, it happens every day.
 
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Yep, when someone is Married, Confirmed or Ordained at our parish we have to take great care to notify that person’s Baptismal parish. By the same token, we receive the records from distant parishes when people baptized here are Confirmed, Married or Ordained.

The came communication with the Baptismal parish happens when there is a decree of nullity issued, or a child is adopted. Mantling these records is an important part of the work of a parish, communicating with parishes across the nation and around the world!
 
Is there a Newman Center on your campus? I’d start there, if it exists, and plan to get actively involved in it.
 
as a college student, you are most likely not going to itemize on your taxes. So you don’t need the envelopes.

If you want to get involved with ministry at the parish (or think you might one day), then yes register. If you are not planning on ever getting involved other than going to mass, then you don’t have to register.

NOTE: it will NOT hurt if you do register.

BTW - if you think you might become a God parent while in college, it might be a good idea to register or talk to your home pastor and make sure he knows you go to mass each weekend.
 
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Unfortunately no, there are no Catholic opportunities on campus. However, I appreaciate the advice!
 
It’s apparently a uniquely American thing. The CIC, as far as I know, makes no mention of it.
 
phil19034 said:
NOTE: it will NOT hurt if you do register.
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This.

It is a head scratcher for me how many folks come on here and are somehow afraid to register. It takes maybe 5 minutes of time. They don’t give you an injection or make you sign away your soul. It is painless!
 
Rbritton:

I don’t know where you live, but I am sure at your college there are a few students that are Catholic besides yourself. Even if there isn’t a Catholic Student Center, there may be a parish in the same town (i.e. the one you are considering registering could be one) where a few students attend Mass. Here’s a few tips:
  1. Contact the parish you are considering registering (it sounds like you have been there already) and see if there are students from your college that attend. There may be a student group at the parish. It’s also possible the parish secretary can say, “well, the bulk of the students at the local college go to St. XXX, where there’s a student group that often attends the 11:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday and then goes out to lunch afterward. It’s on the bus route too, so if you don’t have a car, it’s not hard to make the 11:00 am Mass.”
  2. In your attendance at Mass, after several weeks you may recognize a few students from your college at Mass. This would be an opportunity after Mass or somewhere on campus (say, the cafeteria, the library, after a class) say something like, “oh, you go to St. XXX don’t you?” Oftentimes, this is a good way to start a conversation.
For what it’s worth, a couple colleges I attended, a good place to make friends was the cafeteria. Actually, a few people I met at the cafeteria (I was at a secular university) were Catholic, and told me that they often attended the Catholic Student Center, and encouraged me to go the Wednesday night Mass.
  1. I have heard a few universities (even secular universities) will have a priest over for one Catholic Mass at a certain time at a certain location on Sunday. The location may be a residence hall common lobby, a multi-purpose room, or an all-faiths chapel. Check the bulletin boards, call the diocese (sometimes diocesan web sites post this information), or ask fellow students. Oftentimes, a Mass take place on Sunday evening (most likely because the priest normally has to do morning Masses on Sunday at his parish, and he may have an hour drive from a larger city to the university town) and students can sleep late on Sunday. Some of these Masses are restricted to only students and faculty (the announcement will say if this is the case), your Sunday obligation is fulfilled, and you will get to meet other Catholics on campus.
  2. I wouldn’t worry too much about boundaries. Seriously, most dioceses (at least in the United States and Canada) don’t enforce them. It’s normal where I live to go where you feel comfortable, and it is good to register at one location that way the diocese has you counted as a Catholic. Besides, if you get married, pass away, or something comes up, the priest, the deacon, and the administrators can find your name that you are a parishioner.
Rbritton, I hope this helps. In 2018, things are much better than 25-30 years ago. Bishops and priests have realized too many 18-29 year olds looked at confirmation as “graduation”, and have taken interest in college ministry. Bishops have also been better about assigning good priests to minister at colleges.
 
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