Parishes as Homes and Hubs

Drawn from ethnographic observation in the Washington, D.C., area, this chapter explores how racially diverse, highly educated, and highly involved young adult Catholics in the region of Washington, D.C., relate to parishes. The Catholic scene, for young adults in this locale, is constructed through the efforts of parish-based young adult groups, diocesan offices for Young Adult Ministry, and parachurch organizations. Consequently, this group relates to parishes in three distinct but overlapping ways: parish as home, parish as hub, and parish as sacrament-station. This chapter suggests that scholars rethink the centrality and functions of the parish in American Catholicism. Using the D.C. region in this study, it would be a mistake to assume that young adults who are “loosely tethered” to D.C. parishes are disengaged from the church.