Parish
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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.
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.
A parish, sometimes called "civil parish" to distinguish it from a religious one, is also a geographical subdivision used in several parts of the world, including the countries detailed on this link.
See also
Template:Subnational entityast:Parroquia de:Kirchengemeinde es:Parroquia fr:Paroisse it:Parrocchia nl:Parochie pl:Parafia pt:Paróquia sv:Församling