The parish is where the church lives.
Parishes are communities of faith, of action, of hope.
They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent forth to renew the earth. Parishes are the place where God's people meet Jesus in word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the churches life - from Communities of Salt and Light. A 1993 pastoral letter of the Bishops of the United States. No parish ever achieves the fullness of the Bishops lofty statement of purpose. Every parish is a work in progress.