In the
Roman Catholic Church, a
parish (
Latin:
parochus) is a stable community of the faithful within a
Particular Church, whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a parish priest (Latin:
pastor), under the authority of the diocesan
bishop. It is the lowest ecclesiastical subdivision in the Catholic
episcopal polity, and the primary constituent unit of a
diocese. In the
1983 Code of Canon Law, parishes are constituted under cc. 515–552, entitled "Parishes, Pastors, and Parochial Vicars."