Parish 23623 223976690 2008-07-06T19:59:05Z Plyhmrp 3163108 A '''parish''' is a type of administrative subdivision. It is used by some [[Christian]] churches, usually [[liturgy|liturgical]] churches, and also by the civil government in a number of countries (''see [[civil parish]]''). ==Etymology== The term "Parish" derives from Anglo-Fr. ''parosse'' (1075), later ''paroche'' (1292), from O.Fr. ''paroisse'', from [[Latin]] ''paroechia'' = "[[diocese]]", from Greek παρоικια = "district" or "diocese", from Greek παρά = "beside", οικος = "house". The Hellenistic Greek term παρоικια originally meant "sojourn in a foreign land" (in the [[Septuagint]]) or "community of sojourners", with reference to the [[Jewish]] people in a foreign land (1st centtury B.C.), and later with reference to earthly life as a temporary abode (1st century [[A.D.]], also [[New Testament]]: 1 Peter 1:17, 2:11); the term hence was applied to "Christian community" (3rd century), "diocese" (3rd century), and ultimately "parish" (4th century). The alternate Latin spelling ''parochia'' which serves as the ultimate origin of the [[English language]] word, arose from confusion with ''parochus'', a local official in the Roman provinces who supplied public officials with food, shelter, etc., when they passed through his district (from Hellenistic Greek πάροχος = "riding in the same [[chariot]] as", "beside the chariot of"). ==Ecclesiastical parishes== A parish is a territorial subdivision of a [[diocese]], [[eparchy]] or bishopric, within the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the [[Anglican Communion]], the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[Church of Sweden]], and of some other churches. The word "parish" is also used more generally to refer to the collection of people who attend a particular church. In this usage, a parish minister is one who serves a congregation. ===Roman Catholic Church=== {{main|Parish (Catholic Church)}} In the Catholic Church, each parish has one '''parish [[priest]]''' (as he is usually called in England, Ireland and Australia, among other places) or "pastor" (as he is called in the United States, among other places), who has responsibility and canonical authority over the parish (the Latin for this post is ''parochus''). A parish priest may have one or more fellow priests assisting him. In Catholic usage this priest is technically a "parochial vicar", but is commonly called an "associate pastor" or "assistant pastor" (or just "associate" or "assistant"), a [[curate]], or [[vicar]] - common as they are, these terms are inaccurate and many dioceses have recently begun using the canonical term "parochial vicar" even in general parish communications (bulletins and the like). Each diocese (administrative region) is divided into parishes, each with their own central church called the [[parish church]], where religious services take place. Some larger parishes or parishes that have been combined under one pastor may have two or more such churches, or the parish may be responsible for [[chapels]] (sometimes called "chapels of ease") located at some distance from the parish church for the convenience of distant parishioners. With the decline in the numbers of people seeking [[ordination]], in some countries parishes are now being merged together or are all sharing the services of one priest in a phenomenon known in the United States as ''clustering''. In the Catholic Church there also exists a special type of ecclesiastical parish called a [[national parish]], which is not territorial in nature. These are usually created to serve the needs of all of the members of a particular language group, particularly of an immigrant community, in a large area: its members are not defined by where they live, but by their country of origin or native language. Other variations are also possible. In some Catholic jurisdictions created for the armed forces, for instance, the entire diocese or archdiocese is treated as a single parish: all of the Catholics in the military of the United States and all of their Catholic dependents, for instance, form the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA|Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA]], a diocese defined not by territory but by another quality (in this case, relationship to the military) - this archdiocese has its own archbishop, and all records and other matters are handled in a central office rather than by individual priests assigned to military post chapels or chaplains of units in the field. :''See also:[[Team of priests in solidum]]'' ===Church of England=== :''See also: [[Church of England#Organisation|How the Church of England is organised]]'' The parish system in [[England]] is similar to the Roman Catholic system, described above. Many [[Church of England]] parishes that existed at the beginning of the 19th century, owe their existence to the establishment of a [[minster]] church or to an estate church founded by [[Anglo-Saxon]] or [[Normans|Norman]] landowners.<ref>Pounds, N.J.G. (2000) ''A history of the English parish: the culture of religion from Augustine to Victoria'', Cambridge University Press, 593 p., ISBN 0-521-63348-6</ref> The parish as a territorial unit survived the reformation largely untouched. Consequently, the 19th century parish boundary often corresponds to that of a much earlier Anglo-Saxon estate. In the Church of England, part of the Anglican Communion, the [[Right#Legal rights|legal right]] to appoint or recommend a parish [[priest]] is called an [[advowson]], and its possessor is known as a ''patron''. The patron can be an individual, [[the Crown]], a [[bishop]], a college, a [[Charitable organization|charity]], or a religious body. Appointment as a parish priest entails the enjoyment of a [[benefice]]. Appointment of patrons is now governed by the Patronage (Benefices) Rules 1987. In [[mediaeval]] times and earlier, when the church was politically and economically powerful, such a right could have great importance. An example can be seen in the article on [[Grendon, Northamptonshire]]. It was frequently used to promote particular religious views. For example [[Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick]] presented many [[puritan]] clergy. In the 19th century [[Charles Simeon]] established a trust to purchase advowsons and install [[Evangelism|evangelical]] priests. Ownership of an advowson now carries little personal advantage. *[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1987/Uksi_19870773_en_1.htm Patronage (Benefices) Rules 1987] *[http://www.churchcare.co.uk/ncw_leaves_choose.php Process for appointing a parish priest] Even before the establishment of [[civil parish]]es, the Church of England parish had become a unit of local government. For example, parishes were required to operate the [[Elizabethan]] [[poor law]]. ===Church of Scotland=== In the [[Church of Scotland]], the parish is basic level of church administration. The spiritual oversight of each parish church is responsibility of the congregation's Kirk Session. Patronage was regulated this way in 1712 ([[Patronage Act]]) and abolished in 1874, ministers must be elected by members of the congregation. Many parish churches are now "linked" with neighbouring parish churches (served by a single minister.) With the abolition of parishes as a unit of civil government in Scotland, parishes now have a purely ecclesiastical significance in Scotland (and the boundaries may be adjusted by the local Presbytery). === United Methodist Church === In some United Methodist Churches the congregaton is called a parish. ==Parishes in civil administration==<!-- This section is linked from [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] --> {{main|Parish (country subdivision)}} In some countries a parish (sometimes called a "[[civil parish]]") is an administrative area of civil government. Parishes of this type are found in [[England]], [[Ireland]], the [[Isle of Man]], the [[Channel Islands]], parts of the [[United States of America|USA]], [[Estonia]], and a number of island nations in the region of the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]]. ===Great Britain=== Civil parishes in England form the lowest level of local government. Since 1894, parishes with a population of more than 300 have an elected [[parish council]] (in some cases known as the [[town council]]). Civil parishes in [[Wales]] were organised on the same system as England until 1974. In that year all civil parishes in the principality were abolished and replaced with communities. The whole of Wales is divided into communities, although not all have chosen to establish a [[community council]]. Like their English counterparts, a community can be renamed a "town". In [[Scotland]], civil parishes existed until 1975. They were administered by [[parochial board]]s until 1894, when elected parish councils were formed. In 1930 the parish councils were dissolved, but the parishes themselves were grouped in districts and continued to exist for statistical and boundary purposes. The parishes were finally abolished on the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1975. ===North America=== In [[Quebec]], a parish is a large rural municipality consisting mainly of farmlands, as opposed to a [[village]]. which is also rural, but has a center with a church, a credit union, shops, etc. (In a few cases, such as [[Notre-Dame-des-Anges, Quebec|Notre-Dame-des-Anges]], it is a municipality set up to accord special municipal autonomy to a church facility.) See [[Parish municipality (Quebec)]]. In [[New Brunswick]] and [[Prince Edward Island]], parishes are no longer used as administrative areas within counties, however several are used as census area boundaries. Parishes were also used in land titles identifications in certain areas of [[Manitoba]], such as the former cities of [[St. Boniface, Manitoba|St. Boniface]] and [[St. Vital, Winnipeg|St. Vital]] (now areas of [[Winnipeg]]). These identifications are still found on titles to lands subdivided before the 1971 amalgamation. Historically, in [[New England]], settlements that were at some distance from the center of a town and had enough people could request to be "set off" as a separate parish with its own church, and would then be freed of paying [[tithe]]s to the main church. These parishes would eventually be established as separate towns. In [[Louisiana]] it is equivalent to a [[Counties of the United States|county]] (US usage). See ''[[List of parishes in Louisiana]]''. Louisiana has 64 parishes, which were created when it was a territory of the Spanish and French empires, which were both Roman Catholic. In the Charleston Lowcountry of [[South Carolina]], they resemble townships or public service districts. Most former [[United Kingdom|British]] colonies in the [[Caribbean]] are subdivided into parishes. The most notable exceptions are [[Guyana]], which is subdivided into ''regions'', and [[Belize]], which is subdivided into ''districts''. ===Australia=== In [[Australia]] parishes, as subdivisions of counties, are part of the [[Cadastral divisions of Australia|cadastral areas]] to identify land title, used in the states of [[Queensland]], [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] and [[Tasmania]]. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Parish church]] * [[Parish pump]] [[Category:Anglicanism]] [[Category:Christian group structuring]] [[Category:Roman Catholic Church organisation]] [[Category:Parishes|*]] [[ar:رعية]] [[ast:Parroquia]] [[br:Parrez]] [[ca:Parròquia eclesiàstica]] [[cs:Farnost]] [[da:Sogn]] [[de:Kirchengemeinde]] [[es:Parroquia (religión)]] [[eo:Paroĥo]] [[fr:Paroisse]] [[ga:Paróiste]] [[ko:교구 (기독교)]] [[id:Paroki]] [[it:Parrocchia]] [[la:Paroecia]] [[lb:Par]] [[li:Parochie]] [[nl:Parochie (kerk)]] [[no:Sogn]] [[nn:Sokn]] [[nrm:Pâraisse]] [[nds:Parish]] [[pl:Parafia]] [[pt:Paróquia]] [[sk:Farnosť]] [[sl:Župnija]] [[sr:Парохија]] [[fi:Seurakunta]] [[sv:Församling]] [[wa:Pårotche]]