The National Survey of Personal Parishes recently went out to representatives from Catholic dioceses around the United States. This research is sponsored by The Louisville Institute and National Science Foundation and has been distributed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate of Georgetown University.

What are “personal parishes”?

Personal parishes can be loosely thought of as non-territorial parishes, designated under the Catholic Code of Canon Law (no. 518):

“As a general rule a parish is to be territorial, that is, it embraces all of the Christian faithful within a certain territory; whenever it is judged useful, however, personal parishes are to be established based upon rite, language, the nationality of the Christian faithful within some territory or even some other determining factor.”

Dioceses are encouraged to provide information about personal parishes in their area, helping all to better understand how the Catholic Church meets the diverse needs of local Catholics.

Need an additional copy of the survey? Access it here via the CARA webpage (click on “National Survey of Personal Parishes”). Please respond by August 31, 2012.

As the principal investigator for this project, survey respondents and other interested parties are welcome to contact me with any questions, feedback, or information.

THANK YOU for your participation in this important research!