Q: Recently, I heard a priest speak on the importance of supporting your “territorial parish,” which he made sound like whatever parish happened to be in your neighborhood. But I have been an active member of a different parish for years, and I don’t understand the need to support a parish I didn’t choose to register in.
A: While Catholics are free to attend Mass and otherwise be involved in the life of whatever parish they choose, in most cases, a Catholic’s official parish membership is determined by where they live.
Canon 102 of the Code of Canon Law defines the concept of “domicile,” which is the technically canonical term for “residence.” A person acquires a canonical domicile when they move to a place with the intention of remaining indefinitely or if they have been living in a place for five years in actual fact.
Similarly, a person acquires a “quasi-domicile” — i.e. a significant but temporary residence — if they intend to remain or actually do reside in a place for at least three months. University students living away from home during the academic year are a good example of individuals who would have a canonical quasi-domicile.
Canon 107 goes on to describe how parish membership relates to domicile, telling us that: “Both through domicile and through quasi-domicile everyone acquires his or her own parish priest and Ordinary (i.e., diocesan bishop).” Or, in other words, canon law envisions parish membership as being an automatic consequence of living at a particular address.
Canon 518 further underscores this relationship between geography and parish membership (even while it does carve out a few limited exceptions). As it states: “As a general rule, a parish is to be territorial, that is, it is to embrace all Christ’s faithful of a given territory.”
One element that does not exist in canon law is the concept of “parish registration.” Parish registration is a non-canonical custom that developed in some parts of the world, notably the United States, as a practical aid to parish administration.
Registering at a parish is certainly a good thing to do, insofar as it helps the parish better communicate and keep in touch with parishioners or other Catholics who regularly participate in parish life there. However, registration does not affect canonical parish membership; whereas moving into the parish’s territory does.
All that being said, there is no strict requirement to attend Mass at one’s proper parish. Canon 1248 indicates that the faithful legitimately fulfill the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days at any Catholic Mass.
And there can be good pastoral reasons to be involved with a different parish — for instance, a different parish might have a catechetical program better suited to a family’s specific needs. Also, while Canon 222 states a general duty for the faithful to support the needs of the church, it does not explicitly require this support be directed at one’s territorial parish.
However, in a culture where so many things are customizable and on-demand, I think it’s good for us to consider the wisdom in the church’s system of organizing parishes based on geography rather than the personal preferences of the faithful.
For one thing, pastors and parish priests are responsible for the spiritual care of everyone living in their territory, whether or not they show up at Mass regularly or otherwise make themselves known (See Canon 528). This territorial responsibility ensures that nobody “falls through the cracks.” That is, every Catholic — or really every person, Catholic or not — is automatically a part of a parish and thus has a priest responsible for their spiritual needs.
And for members of the faithful, it can be good for us to pray alongside our literal neighbors, even if they might not have been the spiritual companions we would have chosen for ourselves. Loving those whom God providentially places in our paths can be a powerful way of growth in true Christian charity.
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