Parishes are an essential component of the universal
Church, which Catholics profess to be the one, holy, catholic,
apostolic Church. Every member of the Church faithful, through faith and
baptism, becomes a member of the universal communal body. This
universal Church, one in faith and in union with the Holy Father, is
realized in several "autonomous" churches reflecting Eastern and Western
traditions. Spread around the world, these autonomous churches consist
in various subgroups, such as dioceses, in order better to address the
local circumstances in which the universal Church finds itself. While
the faithful generally associate with a particular parish in their home
diocese or archdiocese, as the core reference of their Church community,
it is also important to remember that the faithful are in fact direct
participants in the universal Church and are welcomed in that Church,
wherever they may be. It is the communal understanding of the faith that
allows Catholics to be "at home" anywhere within the Church and in
their immediate relationship with the communion of the faithful.
In
Los Angeles, the first parish communities for the faithful were the
missions. Later, as organized civic communities were established, other
geographically based parishes were founded. In the 20th century, with
the burgeoning population particularly in the Los Angeles area, the
archdiocese began to set parish boundaries such that families would not
need to walk, or later drive, more than about a mile to their parish
church. The establishment of new parishes and the founding of schools at
the parishes were regularly announced by the archdiocese. More
recently, the trend has been to expand existing parishes and to
recognize centers that are serving the needs of particular national
groups.
As noted in Parishes, Missions, Oratories, and Centers,
a parish is a community of the Christian faithful established on a
stable basis (Canon 515). Each parish is a "juridic person" under canon
law, with certain defined rights and obligations, both as a separate
canonical entity and as a part of the archdiocese. In all cases,
parishes are subject to the overall responsibility and authority of the
archbishop. Each parish has the right to acquire, retain, administer,
and alienate (sell, lease, or transfer) temporal goods as regulated by
canon law (Canons 515.3, 1255, and 1256), but that right is subject to
parallel constraints and rights under civil law. Similarly, under both
canon and civil law, every parish is obligated to administer and steward
its assets for the current and long-term benefit of the parish and the
faithful.
Fundamentally, under canon law all parish assets belong
to the parish and are held for the benefit of the parish and the
faithful (Canon 1257.1). The pastor/administrator, under canon law, has
the lead responsibility for the parish operations, the oversight and
stewardship of the parish assets, and the pastoral and spiritual care of
the faithful (Canons 519 and 532).