What is my parish?

[tee_eff_em]

If my home is 2.6 miles from one parish and 3.2 miles from another parish in a neighboring city, do I have a choice between the two or is my parish the one that is 2.6 miles away?

Concur with [user]Apryl[/user]: “I don’t know”

But I do know: It is **not *necessarily ***the case that the parish nearest your domicile is your geographic parish. The boundaries are rarely drawn to be equidistant between parishes.

Repeat the advice: Call either of the parishes or your diocese, and someone ought to be able to tell you which parish you reside in.


tee

 

[FrDavid96]

If my home is 2.6 miles from one parish and 3.2 miles from another parish in a neighboring city, do I have a choice between the two or is my parish the one that is 2.6 miles away?

It’s the same amount of driving time for both parishes.

Let’s say that you live 5 miles away from the state capital of state “A” but you live 300 miles away from the state capital of state “B”. On election day, in which state’s governor’s election do you vote? The one closer to your home, or the one in which you actually live?

Your own proximity to one parish or another doesn’t make a difference. All that matters is the boundaries established by the local bishop. A Catholic is a parishioner of the parish in whose territory he actually has a residence.

 

[jmcrae]

If my home is 2.6 miles from one parish and 3.2 miles from another parish in a neighboring city, do I have a choice between the two or is my parish the one that is 2.6 miles away?

It’s the same amount of driving time for both parishes.

It is whichever one in whose boundaries you reside. For example, my parish is bounded by the river to the north, the highway to the west, a certain street to the south, and a certain street to the east.

Someone living just on the other side of the river to the north is physically closer to our parish church, but actually they live in the parish boundaries of a different parish church - their parish church is to the north of them, further away from them than our parish is (they could walk to our parish, but they would most likely have to drive to their actual home parish).

 

[quiet52]

from Fr. David:
I have experienced many examples of people attending a parish other than their own for extended periods of time–the most common example I can think of is people who move outside of the parish territory but still close enough to attend Mass regularly. When those people died, the pastor of the old parish would not allow them to be buried from that parish, but insisted that the family approach the proper pastor of the deceased. The family thought that they had a “right” to have the deceased buried in the old parish, but they were mistaken. This wasn’t done out of spite or legalism, but because in that area, so many people were seeking Sacraments and funerals at their “old” parishes that the situation got out-of-hand and a blanket policy was needed to correct it. Most parishes can allow the occasional wedding or funeral for someone who has moved away (and indeed most do so graciously), but in this area the problem was so great that some parishes were having as many as 3 funerals a day for non-parishioners.

Catholics simply need to understand what is meant by the word “parish” and likewise to understand that just because a situation of attending a neighboring parish might work-out fine right now, it might now always be that way for them in the future.

“Catholics simply need to understand…”
If we are to simply understand this, then the Church, through her bishops and pastors, need to teach this to us. I believe a serious act of injustice is committed by the bishop and/or pastor when someone may “mistakenly” consider themself and their family members of a particular parish year after year, and then are denied a funeral, a wedding Mass, etc. because they incidentally, and perhaps not even knowingly, live outside the parish’s geographical boundaries.

from Fr. David:
There are times when proper jurisdiction becomes very important. These are rare, yet they are often the most significant moments in a person’t faith life–such as weddings, baptisms, first Communion, funerals, etc

Again, if this is an “important” issue, then Catholics should be taught that this is important. We’re not mind-readers. It shouldn’t be “sprung” on us.

But please understand what I’ve been trying to say in a few of these posts: it might not matter now, but it may make a huge difference in the future. As I said in another post, I recall a situation where parish boundaries were all but ignored for quite some time. Everything was fine. No one knew about boundaries, and no one cared. When people wanted to get married, then went to their parish of choice and the priest sorted-out the paperwork with no one noticing. When people died, their families brought them to the parish of choice and they buried from there. Then one day, suddenly, things changed. The local pastors realized that they needed to enforce their parish boundaries because some of them were being overwhelmed with weddings and funerals of people who were not parishioners. Needless to say, many were outraged. They had been doing it for years, and no one had a problem with it in the past; but the past was just that. No one ever anticipated that such a thing would happen until it actually did happen.

I hope pastors realize that there are many registered members of their parish (who may not “know” they’re not official “parishioners”) who have been overwhelmed time and time again while performing their various works of service to that parish, for love of their fellow parishioners and for God.

 

[FrDavid96]

“Catholics simply need to understand…”
If we are to simply understand this, then the Church, through her bishops and pastors, need to teach this to us. I believe a serious act of injustice is committed by the bishop and/or pastor when someone may “mistakenly” consider themself and their family members of a particular parish year after year, and then are denied a funeral, a wedding Mass, etc. because they incidentally, and perhaps not even knowingly, live outside the parish’s geographical boundaries.

The “serious injustice” starts when the canon law is ignored or when pastors and parishioners find some way around it. Yes, pastors should make their boundaries known. Yes, parishes “should” not be registering non-parishioners. But obviously this isn’t happening. In many cases it will come to mean nothing in the end, but there is no guarantee of that happening in the future.

Again, if this is an “important” issue, then Catholics should be taught that this is important. We’re not mind-readers. It shouldn’t be “sprung” on us.

Absolutely correct. But that doesn’t mean that parish territiories should be ignored.

I hope pastors realize that there are many registered members of their parish (who may not “know” they’re not official “parishioners”) who have been overwhelmed time and time again while performing their various works of service to that parish, for love of their fellow parishioners and for God.

Yes. And that’s why people in that situation should not be misinformed by being told that they are “parishioners” if they don’t meet the canonical definition of a parishioner. Statements like “we do it this way and it works just fine” are what contribute to that misunderstanding.

Please bear with me as I say again that I have no personal objection to people who do this–I wish them nothing but the best in their lives of faith. Catholics are free to attend Mass anywhere they please. Catholics are free to request the Sacraments from a priest other than their proper pastor. But while they may request them, there is no “right” to have the request granted, and the obligation to provide them rests with the proper pastor.

The simple reality is that we have a priest shortage. The reality is that many parishes in traditionally strong Catholic areas are closing and merging. These 2 factors are causing (indeed sometimes forcing) pastors to be more dilligent in enforcing parish territory.

 

[zab]

I do understand the idea behind pastors being more deligent in enforcing parish boundaries. But I think it is very unlikely that a pastor would refuse a funeral to a parishioner who has been generous in tithing to his parish. Therefore, if you want to be assured of receiving the sacraments and other benefits, such as, reduced tuition rates, use of the facilities like a hall for receptions etc, within a certain parish, you should not fail to contribute to the support of that parish.