Parish Membership

One topic that comes up more often than you would think is parish membership. But what does it mean to be a member of a given parish? How is membership determined? What are the expectations?

Parish membership is about more than just which church you go to for Mass. In addition to that, it also refers to which priest has the primary responsibility of pastoral care for you and your family. A pastor is a spiritual father, and so one’s pastor is who you go to for things like baptism, weddings, etc. It also means he is the one expected to sign off for various requests like being a godparent. In an area like ours where we have eight parishes within a few miles of each other, this can be rather tricky to determine. The most effective way of ensuring parish membership is to formally register with the parish. For ABVM, this can be done either through the parish website or by contacting the parish office. 

As far as what is expected, the first and foremost expectation is that you are attending Mass at your parish. While the “obligation” to attend Mass only applies to attending Mass period (not specifically at any one parish), it does help the pastor to more readily sign off on things like being a godparent when the person(s) attend their proper parish. 

There is also an expectation that the person or family is active in the parish beyond Mass. This means participating in different parish activities, supporting the parish through time/talent/ treasure, etc. We want to welcome people to not only join our parish but also to be active participants in the family of the Church. If you are interested in joining our parish family, please check out the parish website or contact the parish office.