BLESSED TERESA OF CALCUTTA CATHOLIC CHURCH
Winchester, Murrieta, and French Valley
Why Should I Register At My Catholic Parish?
We sometimes hear from people who do not want to register in the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Parish. Many times they are just being rebellious and other times they seem confused about why they should register. It is our hope that this information will help to alleviate that confusion.
Our Pastor, Tom Burdick, and our church, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, which serves Winchester, Murrieta, and the French Valley, is frequently asked for favors from people that we seldom know, requests that most often entail a moral obligation. We are asked to verify the person as a practicing Catholic; we are asked to make a statement of character for someone seeking employment; we are asked to baptize a child of parents who do not live in or attend our parish; we are asked to write letters for college admission; we are asked to schedule the wedding of someone who is not registered in the Community, just to name a few. If a couple lives out of the area and wished a child baptized here, then they need a letter of permission from the pastor of the church where the family is registered, according to Canon Law. So, it is important to be registered in a parish. The pastor and his staff can only extend permissions to those who are registered members and known to him. There are Catholic Church and Civil Laws requiring that a Pastor and /or his representatives know the party or parties before they give any information or allow permission regarding the sacraments. With the size of our parish when people are not registered how else do we verify their Catholic identity?
It is difficult and embarrassing at times to question people unnecessarily about their church participation. Most often the party concerned becomes angry or upset. There is a simple solution to these problems - become a registered, known and active member of the parish concerned. This important process is not about money or tracking the contributions of members. Envelopes are the only way that a large parish can monitor some sort of participation. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church does not require any specific dollar amount, we do not care if you donate only one cent , that is between you and God, but you must use an envelope once per year so we can validate your existence in our huge parish, that is a very minimal request for your pastor to require. We do this because Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church faces a more difficult situation then many parishes because we have over 45% of our parish that resides outside of our canonical parish boundaries. Should we refuse services to those who we are not canonically responsible for? Would it be merciful to send those people to the parish where they belong? To provide adequate services to the 24,000 people the pastor must establish rules and limits, then we ask our parish family members to adhere to those rules. Registration is a rule at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Much grief and frustration can be avoided if simple procedures are followed for the unity of The Body of Christ at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
It is unfair for active participating registered members to have long waits for sacraments, weddings, quincinera’s, etc as a result of the large numbers of unregistered that come forth outside of the official canonical parish boundaries.
We do not have 10 priests available or the facilities to deal with such volume.
However, we have realized that parish life does not depend solely on our priests. The Second Vatican Council's "Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People" asserted that the laity should be filled with an apostolic spirit and work closely with their priests. "Nourished by their active participation in the liturgical life of their community, they engage zealously in its apostolic works; they draw men toward the Church who had been perhaps very far away from it; they ardently cooperate in the spread of the word of God, particularly by catechetical instruction; by their expert assistance they increase the efficacy of the care of souls as well as of the administration of the goods of the Church (No. 10).
Therefore, Pastor Tom Burdick, his assistants and the faithful work together to build a sense of community within the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, particularly through the celebration of the
Mass. For this reason, under normal circumstances, adults are to be baptized in their parish church and infants in the parish church of their parents; and couples are to be married in the parish where either the bride or groom lives. Through the spirit and practice of the laity and clergy working together to foster this community, the relationship of the parish to the bishop is strengthened. When people go outside this community this relationship is weakened ("Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy," No. 42).
To help ensure this dynamic in the parish, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church requires registration. Parish registration creates a two-fold obligation. On one hand, the pastor is obligated to support the mission and needs of the parish. On the other hand, the individual is obligated to support the mission and needs of the parish.
In her wisdom, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church serving Winchester, Murrieta, and the French Valley, has seen the practice of registering at the church responsible for a particular territory as the best way for both priests and laity to meet these obligations. The <Code of Canon law> stipulates, "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 upon some determining factor" (No. 518).
If you have additional questions in regard to this policy please contact the church office.
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