Editing Parish church (section)

==Roman Catholic Church==
Each diocese (administrative unit, headed by a bishop) is divided into parishes. Normally, a parish consists of all Catholics living within its geographically defined area. Within a diocese, there can also be overlapping parishes for Catholics belonging to a particular rite, language, nationality, or community.<ref name="canon518">{{citation|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P1U.HTM#2.2.2.3.6.0.518|title=Canon 518|work=Code of Canon Law}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Parish and place : making room for diversity in the American Catholic church|author=Bruce, Tricia Colleen|year=2017|isbn=9780190270346|oclc=999442986}}</ref>

Each parish has its own central church called the parish church, where religious services take place. The parish church is the center of most Catholics' spiritual life since it is there that they receive the [[sacraments]]. On Sundays and perhaps also daily, [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] is celebrated by a priest resident in the parish. [[Sacrament of Penance|Confession]] is made available and perhaps [[Vespers]] in the larger or more progressive parishes. There are also laity-led activities and social events in accordance with local culture and circumstances.

Roman Catholics are not obliged to worship only at the parish church to which they belong, but they may for convenience or taste, attend services at any Roman Catholic church.<ref name="canon1248">{{citation|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P4L.HTM|work=1983 Code of Canon Law|title=Canon 1248 §1}}</ref> However, their parish church is the one, where members of the parish must go to, for [[baptisms]] and [[weddings]], unless they are permitted by the [[parish priest]] for celebrating those sacraments elsewhere. One sign of that is the parish church being the only one to have a [[baptismal font]].

Some larger parishes or parishes that have been combined under one parish priest, may have two or more such churches, or the parish may be responsible for chapels (or chapels of ease) located at some distance from the mother church for the convenience of distant parishioners.

In [[Massachusetts]], towns elected publicly funded parish churches from 1780 until 1834, under the [[Constitution of Massachusetts]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}