parish

a local church community the local subdivision of a diocese committed to one pastor

A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. It is used by some Christian churches, and also by the civil government in a number of countries.

Ecclesiastical parishes - A parish is a subdivision of a diocese or bishopric within the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, and of some other churches. In Roman Catholicism, each parish has the services of a parish priest, who acts as the chaplain to the area. In some countries, a parish priest may have a fellow priest, called a curate, working along with him. Each parish usually has a central church or chapel, called the parish church, where religious services take place. Some larger parishes may have a number of such churches or chapels. With the decline in the numbers of people seeking ordination, in some countries many parishes are now being merged together or are all sharing the services of one priest in a phenomenon known in the United States as ''clustering''. In some countries, parishes are now merely the equivalent of states in the USA, provinces in Canada, or counties in England.In the CanadaCanadian province of Quebec, there also exists a special type of ecclesiastical parish called a national parish.

Church of England - In the Church of England, part of the Anglican Communion, the Right#Legal rightslegal right to appoint or recommend a parish priest is called an advowson, and its possessor is known as a ''patron''. The patron can be an individual, The Crownthe Crown, a bishop, a college, a charity, or a religious body. Appointment as a parish priest entails the enjoyment of a benefice. Appointment of patrons is governed by the Patronage (Benefices) Rules 1987.In mediaeval times and earlier, when the church was politically and economically powerful, such a right could have great importance. An example can be seen in the article on Grendon, Northamptonshire. It now carries little personal advantage.

opsi.gov.uk - Patronage (Benefices) Rules 1987

churchcare.co.uk - Process for appointing a parish priest

Parishes in civil administration - Main article: Parish (subnational entity)''In some countries a parish (sometimes called a "civil parish") is an administrative area of civil government. Parishes of this type are found in England, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the U.S. state of Louisiana (where it is equivalent to a Counties of the United Statescounty), Estonia and a number of island nations in the region of the Caribbean SeaCaribbean.Civil parishes in England form the lowest level of local government. Each parish has an elected parish council (in some cases known as the town council).In Quebec, a parish is a large rural municipality consisting mainly of farmlands, as opposed to a village. which is also rural, but has a center with a church, a credit union, shops, etc.In New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, parishes are no longer used as administrative areas within counties, however several are used as census area boundaries.Subnational entity !Category:AnglicanismCategory:C hristian? group structuringCategory:Roman Catholic Church !organisationCategory:Parishes< bara>!*ast:Parroquiade:Kirchengemein deeo:Paroĥoes:Parroquiafr:Par oisseit:Parrocchianl:Parochiep l:Parafiapt:Paróquiasv:Försa mlingzh:教區

St. Thomas the Apostle Orthodox Church (Waldorf, MD)
A great site for learning about Orthodox Christianity
http://www.apostlethomas.org/

Anglican Parish of Coolangatta-Palm Beach
This Anglican Parish covers the area south from Currumbin Creek to the NSW Border. It has two churches, St Peter's and St Paul's, and is a member of the Border Council of Churches.
http://www.geodor.net/

TransformingChurch.com
A movement is growing in this country to bring the twenty-first century church back to its first century roots. New models of ministry are emerging to create an ancient/modern church. Discipleship is replacing membership, and gift-based ministry teams are replacing committees. TransformingChurch.com is a part of that movement.
http://www.transformingchurch.com/

Isle of Man Clerical Medical Parish Walk
An 85 mile walk around the Isle of Man checking in at each of the 17 Parish Churches. Held on the weekend nearest to the longest day each year.
http://www.parishwalk.com

Precious Blood Parish Missions
Precious Blood Parish Missions proclaims God's Abundant Love through the preaching of the word. Teams of three preachers - lay, ordained and religious - celebrate and renew our faith as people who have been redeemed in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
http://www.pbparishmissions.org/

Tangipahoa Parish Homepage -
Home page for Tangipahoa Parish Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Louisiana, USA.
http://www.tangi-cvb.org/

Jefferson Parish Government
Parish history, elected officials, job openings, planning & zoning.
http://www.jeffparish.net/

Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Nestled in southern Louisiana, Iberville is a beautiful parish in the heart of Bayou Country.
http://www.parish.iberville.la.us

St. James Parish
Government, Attractions, Sightseeing, and other related links.
http://www.stjamesla.com

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury
Includes news, history, elected officials, departments and phone listings.
http://www.cppj.net

St. Charles Parish Council Office
Officials, Contact Information, Parish Information.
http://www.st-charles.la.us

Genuki
Large resource for UK and Irish genealogy, lists various guides, county by county links, bulletin boards, mailing lists and many other relevant articles and links.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/