When is church-shopping okay?

[gionnetto]

I was scolded by a fellow Catholic because, to another Catholic who doubted of God’s existence out of a bad experience with her parish, I suggested that she change parishes.

I was told that church shopping is wrong. I am aware that priests discourage it because a priest should act as a shepherd toward his sheep. I’m not objecting to it. What I am objecting to is allowing any person or circumstance to come in between God and the faithful. In this spirit, I suggested the woman change parishes and find a pastor she can relate to and that can follow her properly.

I am not aware of any doctrinally-binding document on the subject of changing parishes. Can you please clarify?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Catholics are free to go to any Catholic church recognized by the diocese in which it is located to be a Catholic church. But, from a prudential standpoint, church-shopping should not be done for frivolous reasons. As a rule of thumb, a Catholic might consider doing so when the problems in a parish entirely outweigh any benefit the parish offers. Certainly a bad experience at a parish that tempts someone to doubt God’s existence might be sufficient cause to look for a new parish.

That said, Catholics must be careful that they are church-shopping only to find a parish in which they can worship with a reasonable amount of spiritual peace. They should not be searching for a parish that will provide heaven on earth, and they should not entertain the hope that the pastor will notice on his own that they need pastoral attention. If spiritual direction is needed, they must take the personal responsibility to seek it out themselves by approaching the pastor for assistance.