parish

noun

par·ish ˈper-ish

ˈpa-rish

Synonyms of parish next

a(1)

: the ecclesiastical unit of area committed to one pastor

(2)

: the residents of such an area

British : a subdivision of a county often coinciding with an original ecclesiastical parish and constituting the unit of local government

: a local church community composed of the members or constituents of a Protestant church

: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states

Example Sentences

The parish will be getting a new priest soon. The parish has grown significantly in the last three years.

Recent Examples on the Web One case among many documented in the report involves Thomas Francis Kelly, a priest who abused more than 15 boys ranging in age from 11 to 17 in several parishes in the 1960s and 1970s. —

Ruth Graham, New York Times, 23 May 2023 As of 2018, the diocese had 45 priests, 110 deacons and 455 religious brothers and sisters in 82 parishes and 11 pastoral centers, with over 45,000 students across 41 elementary schools, eight high schools and two Catholic colleges. —

Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 May 2023 Gibbons is leaving in the midst of big changes coming to Cincinnati's Catholic schools and parishes. —

Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 1 May 2023 Each of those schools have their own operators, which include parishes and nonprofit boards of directors. —

Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2023 Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same time — including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, which had 11 abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. —

Lea Skene, Brian Witte And Sarah Brumfield, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Apr. 2023 The disclosure of the redacted findings marks a significant development in an ongoing legal battle over their release and adding to growing evidence from parishes across the country as numerous similar revelations have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years. —

Lea Skene, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023 Crestwood Incarnation Parish, St. Terrance Parish, 5757 W. 127th St.: Holy Thursday Pilgrimage with Incarnation and St. Terrence parishes. —

Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2023 Luck o' the Irish!Here are 20+ ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Louisville this year There are 110 parishes in Fabre's Central Kentucky jurisdiction, Price said, including in Jefferson, Bullitt and Washington counties. —

Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parisshe, from Anglo-French paroche, parosse, from Late Latin parochia, from Late Greek paroikia, from paroikos Christian, from Greek, stranger, from para- + oikos house — more at vicinity

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use of parish was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century