parish

noun

par·​ish ˈper-ish 

ˈpa-rish

1

a(1)

: the ecclesiastical unit of area committed to one pastor

(2)

: the residents of such an area

b

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

2

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

3

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

Examples of parish in a Sentence

The parish will be getting a new priest soon.

The parish has grown significantly in the last three years.

Recent Examples on the Web

The archdiocese released a statement May 23 from Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who said his primary concern was for the people of Curé of Ars parish and all those directly affected by the alleged crime. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026

Seaman is impressed with Fleck’s workload of helping out area parishes when they are shorthanded and need someone to come in and pinch hit for a mass or two. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

That’s the case for the group Cabral and some 35,000 other youth belong to, Hakuna, which started in the early 2010s in a Madrid parish when a group of college students set up a weekly hour of Eucharistic adoration, preceded by a short lecture and followed by a meetup at a local bar. —ABC News, 1 June 2026

Toscano expects the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to eventually implement the text across their dioceses and parishes, and for pastors to start teaching based on its tenets. —Andrew R. Chow, Time, 27 May 2026

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)

Phrases Containing parish

• inter-parish
• parish-pump

Kids Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

1

a

: a section of a church district in the care of a priest or minister

b

: the persons who live in and attend the church of such a section

2

: the members of a church

3

: a division of the state of Louisiana that is similar to a county in other states

Legal Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

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