7QT: 7 Reasons Parish Boundaries Are a Good Thing

by Catherine | Jan 29, 2015 | Faith

When Philip and I were looking for a home in Lincoln, we were surprised to learn that the location of our home would determine our new parish for us.  It turns out the Diocese of Lincoln very strictly enforces parish boundaries.  If you live here, you will be in ________ parish.  If you go a few blocks that way, you’ll be parishioners at _________.  We couldn’t register in a parish or enroll our children in school until we knew where our home would be.  Although it was restrictive when we were searching for a home near Philip’s clinic, we have grown to appreciate and even love the strict enforcement of the parish boundaries.  Here are just a few of the reasons why I think parish boundaries are a great thing:

1. Culture of Stewardship:  Tuition in the Lincoln Catholic Schools is very reasonable.  The greatest reason for this is the tremendous level of stewardship.  Regardless of whether or not you have school-age children, you are expected to tithe.  The Diocese subsidizes tuition and makes sure that each diocesan school is receiving financial support.  This ensures that children throughout the diocese are receiving high quality education at a reasonable price.  While we are paying significantly less in tuition for our children to attend Catholic school, we are able to tithe a much larger amount to the parish and other charities.  This allows the Diocese to direct funds where they are most needed.
2. Stability:  As cities grow and the socioeconomic make-up changes, Catholic schools in older parts of town tend to die off and close.  In Lincoln, this isn’t the case.  As with all cities, there are certainly pockets of wealth and poverty, but the quality of the Catholic schools is largely consistent.  Attending Catholic school is not a status symbol the way it is in other places.  When there is a culture of stewardship to support the city’s Catholic schools, they thrive and have staying power throughout the city.
3. Strengthened Community:  We are literally surrounded on every side of our home with fellow parishioners.  As we walk to and from Mass or school, we pass by the houses of the people we worship with and our children learn with.  Seeing all of these people outside of church and school on an everyday basis is a visible reminder that the Body of Christ extends beyond the walls of our parish.  We no longer feel like we are on some isolated island of faith between visits to Mass or school.
4. Home:  When we moved in back in May, we were absolutely blown away by the warm welcome we received.  Literally minutes after we pulled up with the moving van, there were two women from a parish committee there to say hello.  As we unpacked boxes and got settled, we started meeting our neighbors.  Over the summer, we had several opportunities to meet everyone on the nearby blocks.  Within weeks, we knew more of our neighbors in Lincoln than we had in 5 years of living in the same house in Omaha.  If they were Catholic, they went to St. Joseph’s, too.  We live just a few blocks away from our parish, so we spent several summer evenings at the school playground.  We met different families every time, and they all lived within walking distance.  At the neighborhood Fourth of July party at another nearby park, we met even more parish families.  The parish associate pastor even walked over from the rectory to join the Fourth of July parade!  The parish wisely has “welcome dinners” for new parishioners as another great opportunity to meet people.  When we go to Mass, there is a real sense of community.  Even though we’ve only lived here for 9 months, we see a lot of familiar faces every time.  I kid around that I thought the Catholic community in Omaha was small, but that I have to be on my very best behavior in Lincoln since everyone seems to know each other.  This is probably a good thing!  Parish boundaries made it so easy for us to meet fellow parishoners and feel at home right away.
5. Increased Involvement:  Without the choice of shopping around for a parish, people seem to be more invested in their parishes involvement-wise.  The feeling seems to be, “This is the parish entrusted to us because of our address, and we’re going to support it as best we can.”  Without the option to jump ship, the parishoners make it a point to make the parish the very best it can be with the resources we have available.
6. It’s Not About the Priest:  While we are very blessed at our parish with our pastor, associate pastor, and priest in residence, Mass seems very different.  The focus is decidedly not on the priest.  In places where boundaries are not strictly enforced, it seems more common for people to “shop” around until they find the flavor of preaching, music, etc. that they like best.  It’s not uncommon for people to switch parishes if their beloved priest moves or the music director changes.  With geography determining where we will worship on Sundays, the focus is lifted from the priest and put back on the sacraments.  It forces us to focus on the gift that is the catholicity (universality) of the Church–we are getting the same Jesus in the sacraments regardless of which parish we’re in or which priest is celebrating the Mass.  What a gift!
7. Not a Competition:  Because the pastors’ boundaries are set in stone, they aren’t competing against one another to gain more parishioners.  Instead, they are focusing on the souls entrusted to them within their designated areas.  If you want to join a specific parish, you have to live within the boundaries.  Period.  This way, pastors can shepherd those entrusted to them to their fullest capacity instead of trying to compete with other pastors to increase the flock.  Without the element of competition, pastors (and priests in general) seem to view each other as comrades and have a strong community built on fraternity.

Questions for You:

Are the parish boundaries in your area strictly enforced or not?  Did you even know about parish boundaries before this blog post?  What has been your experience?

To read more 7QT posts, head over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum.