THE parish, undoubtedly, forms a very important part of our lives as Catholics. It is in the parish that we are received into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism.  A few years later, we make our First Holy Communion in the midst of the parish community. When we are more mature, it is in the parish that we are admitted to the Sacrament of Confirmation and make our individual public commitment to Jesus Christ and His Church. Most of us participate in the Eucharistic celebration on Sundays, and maybe even on weekdays, in the parish Church. Here it is that our marriages are celebrated and our children receive the sacraments and their formation in the faith of the Church. In the parish, again, we meet other parishioners as members of our extended family, brought together by the Lord, for prayer and fellowship on many occasions during the year.  Finally, when our life’s journey comes to an end, it is the parish community that gathers together to bid us farewell and pray to the angels to accompany us to the realms above where the Lord Jesus is waiting to welcome us.

Most of us may know that a parish is a geographical unit of a diocese, which is administered by the local bishop, who we are taught, is a successor of the Apostles. To assist him in his work, the bishop appoints parish priests and their assistants to be pastors of various parishes. They are to be shepherds of the flock entrusted to them, like the Good Shepherd. Vatican II says, “It is impossible for the bishop always and everywhere to preside over the whole flock in his church, he cannot do other than establish other groupings of the faithful. Among these, parishes set up locally under a pastor who takes the place of the bishop are the most important: for in a certain way they represent the visible Church as it is established throughout the world. Therefore, the liturgical life of the parish and its relationship to the bishop must be fostered in the thinking and practice of both laity and clergy; efforts also must be made to encourage a sense of community within the parish, above all in the common celebration of the Sunday Mass.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 42)

The Council spells out the main purpose of the parish in these words: “The parish exists solely for the good of souls……..Therefore, in making a judgment on the suitablility of a priest for the administration of any parish, the bishop should take into consideration not only his knowledge of doctrine but also his piety, apostolic zeal, and other gifts and qualities necessary for the proper exercise of the care of souls.” (Christus Dominus, 31) What is expected of priests in a parish? The Council says, “In fulfilling the office of shepherd, pastors should first take pains to know their own flock. Since they are the servants of all the sheep, they should foster growth in Christian living among the individual faithful and also in families, in associations especially dedicated to the apostolate, and in the whole parish community. Therefore, they should visit homes and schools to the extent that their pastoral work demands. They should pay special attention to adolescents and youth, devote themselves with a paternal love to the poor and the sick, and have a particular concern for workingmen. Finally, they should encourage the faithful to assist in the works of the apostolate……….Moreover, the care of souls should always be infused with a missionary spirit so that it reaches out in the proper manner to everyone living within the parish boundaries. If the pastor cannot contact certain groups of people, he should seek the help of others, including laymen, who can assist him in the apostolate.” (Christus Dominus, 30)

As an administrative unit, the parish certainly has much practical value. However, it often runs the risk of becoming closed in upon itself, concerned only about its own narrow interests. This gives rise to what is called ‘parochialism’. The same may happen with the smaller units into which parishes are now divided, viz., the SCCs. Parishes and other church groupings should not end up as ‘clubs’ promoting only social life and petty vested interests. They will only serve their purpose and remain united if they educate people to go beyond narrow boundaries and make efforts to reach out to the diocese and to the wider world. Thus, in its document on the Laity, Vatican II says, “The parish, inasmuch as it brings together the many human differences found within its boundaries draws them into the universality of the Church. The laity should accustom themselves to working in the parish in close union with their priests, bringing to the church community their own and the world’s problems………. As far as possible, the laity ought to collaborate energetically in every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by their local parish. They should constantly foster a feeling for their own diocese, of which the parish is a kind of cell, and be ever ready at their bishop’s invitation to participate in diocesan projects. Indeed, if the needs of cities and rural areas are to be met, laymen should not limit their cooperation to the parochial or diocesan boundaries but strive to extend it to interparochial, interdiocesan, national, and international fields, the more so because the daily increase in population mobility, the growth of mutual bonds, and the ease of communication no longer allow any sector of society to remain closed in upon itself. Thus they should be concerned about the needs of the People of God dispersed throughout the world.” (10)
FR. JOSEPH M. DIAS, S.J