Folia Theologica et Canonica 9. 31/23 (2020)

Ius canonicum

THE ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF PARISHES

87

contributions from each church, and in particular from requiring a one-third share of people’s offerings to parish churches. This was the share of donations which in fact was meant for the lighting and maintenance of the church.89 In proprietary churches there were frequent abuses on the part of the founders and proprietors; they had a tendency to establish churches on their land with a view to financial gain and keep for themselves half the church’s income. The II Council of Braga, for example, forbade bishops from giving their consent for the building of a church if the proprietor was making the foundation with this kind of intention.90

In the eighth and ninth centuries, baptismal churches in Latin countries and the original churches (Urkirchen) of “large parishes” in Germanic countries served as the fundamental institution in the organisation of parishes. The needs of their ministry were often financed, as we have seen, by the designation of a particular piece of land for the church’s permanent use, together with serfs and the means required to farm it. However, there were also rights granted by the bishop which guaranteed a certain income to the priest in charge of the church, such as the right to receive a share of the tithes (the donations of the faithful who were obliged to attend the baptismal church at least on the principal feasts) and also certain “stole fees”. One fee of this kind which could be of considerable significance was that attached to the right to bury the dead.91 This system of tithes and other parochial fees logically required more precise parish boundaries in order to know who the faithful were who belonged to a given church.92

Conclusion

To conclude this brief survey of the prehistory of the modem parish in the first eleven centuries, it might be useful the sum up a few observations on the nature and functions of these pastoral units which were beginning to exercise a substantial proportion of the functions of today’s parishes.

1) The Church’s mission, evangelisation, the life of faith, the celebration of the sacraments, prayer, the liturgy and all the other functions of a Christian

89 Conc. Bracaren. II (572) c.2.

90 Conc. Bracaren. II (572) c.6, D.l c. 10 de cons.

91 Cf. e.g., Conc. Tribur (895) c.15; Hallermann, H., Pfarrei und pfarrliche Seelsorge. Ein kirchenrechtliches Handbuch für Studium und Praxis (Kirchen- und Staatskircherrecht 4), Paderborn-München-Wien-Zürich 2004. 35-38.

92 Regino, De synodalibus causis 1,25, Wasserschleben, F. G. A. (ed.), Reginonis Abbatis Prumiensis libri duo de synodalibus causis, Lipsiae 1840. 37: Ut terminum habeat unaquaeque ecclesia, de quibus villis decimas recipiat (...). Cf. already Capitul. Ansegisi 1,149.