Pope John Paul II taught that the parish is the “first community” for God’s People. It supports and enlivens contemporary Christians’ faith, it prepares one to liturgical life and introduces him into it, and it stimulates one to practice Christian love and to build a brotherly community. The Pope also pointed to the need of lay Catholics’ apostolic involvement in the life of the parish. Their main apostolic task is building the parish community as a community of faith, cult and love. The community should be at the same time a missionary community. Such an apostolic task concerns all the parish members. Religious associations and parish pastorate councils are a special field of lay people’s involvement in the life of the parish.
