Parish Life

In my childhood, I remember how frequently people who lived in or near Philadelphia identified themselves by which parish they belonged to. Our city cousins were “from Holy Name” and “from St. Anne.” Often enough my Baptist father, on being asked directions, was puzzled with this Catholic way of describing where they lived or where they were looking to visit. “Holy Name”, “St. Anne”, or “St Gabriel” were not ever found on the city map!

Parish life in those days had very definite family, ethnic, and neighborhood roots. A Catholic belonged to a definite parish and was proud to share that identity with anyone willing to listen. Not uncommonly, people lived, worked, worshiped, went to school, and had their social life all within the confines of the parish community. Strangely, in those days, parishioners had no need to speak about “community”.

Within the parish, one could easily celebrate all their sacraments – baptism, confirmation, first communion. It was in the parish church that frequent confession was made. Here people were married. Here they were buried in churchyards next to their churches.

Changes and More
Increasingly, people move around the country. They move from their hometowns and their families. Employment calls families to move frequently. Our cities and small towns have been radically changed and the growth of urban and suburban sprawl invite all of us to relate in different ways with each other.

These social, economic, and geographic changes have changed the fabric of parish life within the American Catholic Church. Not a small part of the changes in the parish is the megaparish with very large numbers of parishioners and, recently, a smaller number of clergy and religious proportionally to the people to be served.

“Parish” carries memories and recollections. It carries ways in which the faith was celebrated and continues to be celebrated. It carries hopes and a new definition of needs to be served. Frequently, for example, here in the suburbs there is a lot of conversation about “community”.

In Search of Community
The search within the contemporary parish is for “community," which is a description of the human need for connectedness and relationship. This search is carried out on various levels. Parishioners look to be connected with various dimensions of social, religious, and human life. It may be interesting to look to these various levels of parish life.

On Sunday, at the Eucharist, the community is formed by hearing God’s Word and responding to it. It is on this day that we remember the central mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are incorporated into the Christ mystery. In Christ at Sunday worship, we are one Body in the one bread and the one cup. Whether we know each other’s names or not, we are no longer strangers, but members of the one Christ.

Within the Eucharistic community, we are joined on various levels. We know people in our neighborhood who share our faith. Our children attend the same school. Our children are formed in the faith and come to know more deeply the Lord in their lives.

From the Eucharist, we are sent to serve one another. We are called and sent to share in the preaching of the gospel, to the feeding of the poor, to the sheltering of those in need. Within our families, friends, and the larger civic community, we are called to share in the joys and sadness of life. We are called to share the Lord present among us.

The present day parish is alive and exciting in its resources and its hopes and needs. Central to it all is Christ among us.

CDH