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 (see civil parish). As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ...

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. Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The Roman Catholic Church, (also known as the Catholic Church), is the ancient Christian Church led by the Bishop of Rome (commonly called the Pope). ... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... The Vladimir Icon, one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of Mary. ... The Church of Sweden, or Svenska kyrkan, is the national church of Sweden. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... A chaplain is typically a member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church, lay chaplains are also found in some settings such as universities. ... From the Latin curatus (compare Curator), a curate is a person who is invested with the care, or cure (cura), of souls of a parish. ... A parish church is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches. ...

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. Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ...

In the Canadian province of Quebec, there also exists a special type of ecclesiastical parish called a national parish. The first European explorer to reach Quebec was Jacques Cartier, who planted a cross either in the Gaspé in 1534 or at Old Fort Bay on the Lower North Shore and sailed into the St. ... National Parishes are Roman Catholic parishes in Québec that serve the different ethnic communities in Montreal, including the Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Ukrainian and Chinese. ...

Church of England

In the Church of England, part of the Anglican Communion, the legal 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 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. A right is the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled or a thing to which one has a just claim. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Advowson is the right in English law of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice. ... The Crown is a term which is used to separate the government authority and property of the state in a kingdom from any personal influence and private assets held by the current Monarch. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck Charity is a term that refers to giving. ... Originally a benefice was a gift of land for life as a reward (Latin beneficium, means to do well) for services rendered. ...

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. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... // The village Grendon is a small village in rural Northamptonshire, England on the borders of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire - with many houses made of the local limestone; various older thatched houses still survive. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ...

• Patronage (Benefices) Rules 1987
• 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 county), Estonia and a number of island nations in the region of the Caribbean. Parish Hall of St. ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ... State nickname: Pelican State Official languages English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last official government census, but probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) Senators Mary Landrieu (D) David Vitter (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 16 Population  - Total... United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a tropical body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ...

Civil parishes in England form the lowest level of local government. Since 1894, parishes with a population of more than 300 have an elected parish council (in some cases known as the town council). A parish council is a council of members of a particular parish or religious community who have a responsibility to administrate the affairs of that community. ... In the United Kingdom, town councils are civil parish councils, where the civil parish is a town. ...

Civil parishes in Wales were organised on the same system as England until 1974. In that year all civil parishes in the principality were abolished and replaced with communities. The whole of Wales is divided into communities, although not all have chosen to establish a community council. Like their English counterparts, a community council can be renamed a "town". Community councils (CCs) are the most local official representative bodies in Scotland and Wales. ...

In Scotland, civil parishes existed until 1975. They were administered by parochial boards until 1894, when elected parish councils were formed. In 1930 the parish councils were dissolved and the parishes grouped in districts, although they continued to exist for statistical and boundary purposes. Parishes were finally abolished on the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1975.

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 a few cases, such as Notre-Dame-des-Anges, it is a municipality set up to accord special municipal autonomy to a church facility.) See Parish municipality (Quebec). The first European explorer to reach Quebec was Jacques Cartier, who planted a cross either in the Gaspé in 1534 or at Old Fort Bay on the Lower North Shore and sailed into the St. ... A village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... Notre-Dame-des-Anges is a parish municipality in Quebec. ...

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. Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored) Official languages English, French Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 10 10 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 11th 72 908 km² 2. ... Motto: Parva Sub Ingenti (The small under the protection of the great) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Charlottetown Largest city Charlottetown Lieutenant-Governor J. Léonce Bernard Premier Pat Binns (PC) Area 5,660 km² (13th) • Land 5,660 km² • Water 0 km² (0%) Population (2004) â...

Historically, in New England, settlements that were at some distance from the center of a town and had enough people could request to be "set off" as a separate parish with its own church, and would then be freed of paying tithes to the main church. These parishes would eventually be established as separate towns. The Flag of Plymouth Colony, also know as the First Flag of New England First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ... A tithe (from Old English teogotha tenth) is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax or levy, usually to support a Jewish or Christian religious organization. ...