Without Making Any Calls or Looking it Up, Do You Know Which is Your Official, Territorial Parish?

[hsmomforlife]

I’m with Catholic Fireman…but I’m from the Chicago area so it was “Where are you from?” and the answer was ALWAYS the name of the parish…Barnabas, Cajetan, CK (Christ the King) etc…most of the time the “St.” wasn’t even included.
I know my current ‘territorial’ parish, because I left it and now drive past 3 Catholic parishes to get to our new ‘home’ parish. Growing up Catholic in a primarily Catholic city, it felt weird when I had to go ‘parish shopping’ because as a cradle Catholic I felt like I was being unfaithful to my home parish!LOL!!

 

[SMHW]

Cradle Catholic here.

Yes, I know what my territorial parish is and I attend it. I know what the boundary line is in town but I’m not clear on how it works once you get outside of the city limits. In general it is hard to know the boundaries in my archdiocese unless you contact the archdiocese directly. I haven’t checked lately but the website used to just give you a list of parishes within a certain mileage of a given zip code. In fact I think zip code is the way parish boundaries are normally determined.

The local policy seems to be that the pastors of the two parishes (in my city) have agreed to make territorial issues transparent to the parishioners. In other words, you can get married, baptized, make your First Communion, etc, at whichever parish you chose to register in.

 

[veilofveronica]

Yup. It’s literally a few blocks away.

 

[figs]

In fact I think zip code is the way parish boundaries are normally determined.

Yep, I believe you’re right. My territorial perish is located 1.7 miles away in the next town. Unfortunately my zip code falls in their area.

All of my friends, neighbors, mates, buds, etc. all go to the parish that is .6 miles away.

Since I walk, the difference is quite a bit in travel time. Not to mention my comunity all go to the parish in my town!

It is very strange because I know none of the people in my territorial parish, I never run into them, in town shopping (I shop in my own town) and I don’t live close to any of them.

Needless to say, I go to the church I am physically closest to for a myriad of reasons.

 

[SMHW]

Yep, I believe you’re right. My territorial perish is located 1.7 miles away in the next town. Unfortunately my zip code falls in their area.

All of my friends, neighbors, mates, buds, etc. all go to the parish that is .6 miles away.

Since I walk, the difference is quite a bit in travel time. Not to mention my comunity all go to the parish in my town!

It is very strange because I know none of the people in my territorial parish, I never run into them, in town shopping (I shop in my own town) and I don’t live close to any of them.

Needless to say, I go to the church I am physically closest to for a myriad of reasons.

Huh. I was pretty sure that was how parish boundaries were determined in my diocese but it’s interesting to know that it could work that way in other nations. But then postal codes are probably a fairly good indicator of where populations of people reside.

 

[figs]

Huh. I was pretty sure that was how parish boundaries were determined in my diocese but it’s interesting to know that it could work that way in other nations. But then postal codes are probably a fairly good indicator of where populations of people reside.

Fairly good - but not so much in my case. LOL

 

[SMHW]

Fairly good - but not so much in my case. LOL

The “postal code rule” only works well if the church is located at the the center of the postal code area. If the Church is near a boundary then for some people another parish church is likely to be closer.

The two parishes in my city (more or less) are divided between the east side and the west side. Both churches are located on the western ends of the respective parishes. People who live in the eastern part of the west-most parish are often closer to the eastern parish church.

 

[keepingfaith4]

growing up catholic over 60 yrs ago–we attended the parish of our ethnic origin(ie–the italian church,the polish church,the slovak church,etc)
i tried my territorial parish church when i first moved here but am much happier driving 2 miles further as a member of a diverse community

 

[marytk]

Ours isn’t by zipcode. The two territorial parishes in the city have the same zip. I know some of the people in mine go to one of those. (Those people in my zipcode who live in the city limits.) It is the expressway that is the line near me. I live very close to that line but on the east side of it.(It is also the line for the city limits for the most part)

 

[jmcrae]

I’m a convert. I’ve always known where my territorial parish was, even before I thought of becoming Catholic. I have no idea how I learned that I had a territorial parish (and that, even without being officially Catholic, it was still “my” parish, and that if I were ever to convert, that would be where all of my records would be kept). I think I have a “territorial synagogue” too, if I were ever to become Jewish. (I have no plans currently to become Jewish, just FYI.)

 

[jilly4ski]

Ours isn’t by zipcode. The two territorial parishes in the city have the same zip. I know some of the people in mine go to one of those. (Those people in my zipcode who live in the city limits.) It is the expressway that is the line near me. I live very close to that line but on the east side of it.(It is also the line for the city limits for the most part)

Ours is split up by major roads at least where I am, which may or may not line up with zip codes. It is the city and often parishes encompass several or not even a full zip code. So I live right at a crossroads of 4 parish boundaries, with the border being a freeway going East/West, an old state highway going North/South. (I know which one we belong to, as we live in the South/West corner of the Crossroads, but we actually share a zip code with the people who live on the South/East side of the crossroads).

 

[SMHW]

I’m pretty sure zip codes are only used if they make sense. Around where I live (it’s mostly a suburban area) the number of people who share a zip code is usually around the same number of people who would belong to a parish.

When I moved to my city there was only one parish. A few years later a new zip code was added where the railway line served as a boundary. Shortly afterward our parish was split in two. The railroad tracks continued to serve as the border. But there is rural area north of our city with its own zip code. It is large enough that the people who live there are split up between suburban areas as far as parish assignments. I have no idea how that is done.

And after all that, the bishop made some kind of proclamation a few years ago that (at least within the boundaries of my city and it’s area of influence) anyone was free to belong to whichever parish they chose to register in. I have never figured out if this is kind of like personal parishes or just that the neighboring pastors have delegated authority to each other to handle pastoral matters.

 

[Batfink]

And after all that, the bishop made some kind of proclamation a few years ago that (at least within the boundaries of my city and it’s area of influence) anyone was free to belong to whichever parish they chose to register in. I have never figured out if this is kind of like personal parishes or just that the neighboring pastors have delegated authority to each other to handle pastoral matters.

I know in my last diocese the bishop made numerous pronouncements about how he considered the deanery, if not the diocese, to be the natural home of the laity. He encouraged, for example, (an in some cases mandated) deanery priests to get together to make sure that they were offering a variety of Mass times across the area and not a concentration of mid-morning Sunday Masses. He made sure Lent and Advent Reconciliation services were timetabled and advertised at different times across each deanery. He instituted deanery-wide adult formation programmes and encouraged joining up of sacramental preparation classes.

All of that said, he couldn’t alter the way the Canon Law works, which is that we all belong to a parish.

 

[mfrances]

I voted “not sure”
I’m a lifelong Catholic. I live in a very Catholic area where I am within a 5 minute walk of two parishes. Within a 10 minute drive of here is six parishes. It could very possibly be that I am in the territory of the other parish, although I am registered at the one I just liked more.

 

[Indyann]

In another thread, someone mentioned how they never met someone who didn’t know which parish they belong to. Do you?

I’m not referring to the parish you are necessarily registered at, but the parish that you are assigned to based on where you live, and as decided by your diocese.

**Edited: **Also, please state if you have been Catholic for more than 20 years. I have a feeling that those who grew up in the times when everyone went to their neighborhood parish, may have more exact ideas.

Those who are growing up in this global, internet society may think differently. Just a hypothesis.

Disclaimer, I am not referring to Canon law. I know what Canon law says thanks to Fr. David.

I am just trying to get a feel of what the laity know.

So, TL, have you drawn any conclusions about the laity, based on the results of your poll?

 

[TrueLight]

So, TL, have you drawn any conclusions about the laity, based on the results of your poll?

Well…. Even though I did poll a group of very well catechized Catholics (CAFers), it looks like most people know where there parishes are.

The results, as of 3:48PM, Tuesday, January 31st, on the Feast of St John Bosco:

92% Yes
10% No
8% Don’t know

My hypothesis was wrong.

 

[Cristiano]

Well…. Even though I did poll a group of very well catechized Catholics (CAFers), it looks like most people know where there parishes are.

The results, as of 3:48PM, Tuesday, January 31st, on the Feast of St John Bosco:

92% Yes
10% No
8% Don’t know

My hypothesis was wrong.

Your math is wrong too! 92%+10%+8%=110%

 

[TrueLight]

Your math is wrong too! 92%+10%+8%=110%

Typo!!!

Edited: Actually not a typo. Those are the number of respondents, not percentages. What an excellent researcher I make. Can you believe I was at one point a biology major?

 

[Cristiano]

Typo!!!

Edited: Actually not a typo. Those are the number of respondents, not percentages. What an excellent researcher I make. Can you believe I was at one point a biology major?

You still make a good researcher.

 

[maryjk]

There is only parish in town. The next closest is over 30 minutes away. In fact, I have always lived where there is only one parish.

I am a cradle Catholic, over 40 years old.