Definition

1. Noun:
   • A local subdivision of a diocese committed to one pastor: In Christian church organization, a "parish" is the territorial district or community under the spiritual care of a single priest or minister.
   • A local church community: The term also refers to the congregation or body of people who belong to a particular local church.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The new priest was assigned to a rural parish. (He was given responsibility for a specific church district.)
  • The entire parish gathered for the annual festival. (All members of the local church community came together.)

Advanced Usage

• "Civil parish": In some countries, especially England, this is a small administrative division of local government, distinct from an ecclesiastical parish.
  • The village forms its own civil parish with a parish council.
• "Parish register": The official book recording baptisms, marriages, and burials in a parish church.
  • Historians studied the old parish registers to trace family lineages.

Variants and Related Words

• Parishioner (noun): A member of a parish; someone who belongs to a particular local church.
  • The parishioners volunteered to clean the church.
• Parochial (adjective): Relating to a parish. Often used to mean having a narrow, local outlook.
  • His views were considered rather parochial. (His concerns were limited to local matters.)

Synonyms

• Congregation: The group of people assembled for religious worship.
• Flock: A group of people under the care of a pastor (often used metaphorically).
• District: A territorial division (for the administrative sense).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• To go on the parish (idiom, chiefly historical): To receive poor relief or welfare assistance from one's local parish.
  • After losing his job, the family was forced to go on the parish.

Noun

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