Greek: para, beside; oikos, house

Regularly and strictly, a definite territorial division of the diocese to which has been assigned its own church, a determined group of the people, and its own distinct rector, who as the proper pastor is charged with the care of souls. At times, however, there have been established in the same city or district occupied by regular parishes, national parishes for the faithful of different language or nationality, and in rare instances, parishes consisting of a few families or of a certain class of persons without any relation to territory; such parishes can no longer be established without Apostolic indult. The territorial subdivisions of vicariates and prefectures Apostolic are called quasi-parishes when rectors of their own have been assigned to them.