Parish

This article is about the Christian division. For the civil division, see Parish (administrative division). For other uses, see Parish (disambiguation).
"Parish priest" redirects here. For the book, see Parish Priest (book).
St Margarete Parish Church, Berndorf, Lower Austria

A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a manor. Its association with the parish church remains paramount.[1]

By extension the term parish refers not only to the territorial entity but to the people of its community or congregation as well as to church property within it. In England this church property was technically in ownership of the parish priest ex officio, vested in him on his institution to that parish.

  1. ^ Michael Trueman and Pete Vere (July 2007), "When Parishes Merge or Close", Catholic Answers, vol. 18, no. 6, archived from the original on 2013-06-15