Personal Parish

Personal Parish

Most parishes in a Diocese are territorial by nature; they are designed to serve Catholics who live within their boundaries. In most cases, when a Catholic individual or family moves to a new area, they are expected to register at the parish nearby, the one in whose territory they are now residing.

A Personal Parish is a non-territorial parish which serves some spiritual need that is not specifically addressed in other parishes. It must be designated as “Personal” by the Diocesan bishop, and its unique purpose must be explicitly described.

In November, 2010, Resurrection Catholic Church was declared a Personal Parish.  Its purpose is to address the spiritual needs of lay people who have come to embrace the charism and spirituality of the Congregation of the Resurrection, the religious community which staffs the parish. By the bishop’s decree, all parishioners must express their adoption of this spirituality through their membership in the Friends of the Congregation of the Resurrection.  All individuals or families that wish to register at Resurrection must first enroll in the lay association of the Friends.

At first glance, this may seem as though parishioners are being forced to join an extra organization in order to become/remain parishioners. This is not the case. The Friends have no required meetings, pay no dues, and take on no extra responsibilities. They are simply those members of the parish who have subscribed publicly to the Resurrectionist spirituality that is manifested within our parish community.