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

Soon after the initiation of the Israel-Hamas War on Oct. 7, 2023, Francis began making daily calls to the Holy Family parish, a Catholic Church in Gaza. —Chantelle Lee, Time, 8 May 2025

This past weekend, thousands gathered at St. Josephine Bakhita (formerly St. Philip Neri) and Holy Family parish in Chicago to celebrate Malik. —Sonari Glinton, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

Examples include a megawatt solar field that provides power to multiple parishes, church buildings and schools, as well as the installation of rain gardens, tree canopies and bioswales that reduce runoff. —William E. Lori, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2025

The Aurora priest also sees more young people filling the pews, noting that not only has this year’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults class had a record number of participants in his parish, Bishop David Malloy indicated to him that RCIA numbers are up across the Rockford Diocese. —Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025

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