National Parish

National parish is a type of Catholic parish distinguished by liturgical rites or nationality of the congregation; it is found within a diocese or particular Church, which includes other types of parishes in the same geographical area, each parish being unique. A national parish is distinguished from the commonly known type of parish, the territorial parish, which serves a territory subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the territorial parish priest. A national parish is an ecclesiastic subdivision which serves a community of people but is not necessarily a geographic subdivision. g

National parishes housed in national churches in Rome have existed for centuries to meet the spiritual needs of people both temporarily or permanently residing in Rome and those visiting Rome on pilgrimage. For example, the Church of Santa Susanna serves both as a titular church and the national parish for Americans.

National parishes were first established in North America in the late 18th century, to meet the needs of immigrants not speaking the language of the majority population. The first national parish in North America was Holy Trinity German National Parish, founded in 1788 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Father Raymond A. Schroth, SJ, wrote in a 2002 National Catholic Reporter article about trusteeism that, "national parishes, particularly German and Polish, who brought over European traditions of the laypeople establishing and directing the parish," have strongly represented the voice of the laity in the church.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, when covering Pope Benedict XVI's 2008 visit to the United States, identified two historically significant national parishes: Holy Trinity Church, in Philadelphia, established in 1789 as both the first national parish in the United States and the first to serve German-speaking Catholics; and, Saint Benedict the Moor's Church, in New York, established in 1883 as the first mission parish to serve African-American Catholics north of the Mason-Dixon line.

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