Is parish incorporation something new? Have other dioceses already separately incorporated their parishes?
Parish incorporation is not a new concept in the United States. In 1911, the Holy See recommended that Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States consider separate parish incorporation. At that time, a particular model of parish incorporation was available under New York law, and the Holy See suggested that diocese follow that model if at all possible. We have been advised that the civil structure that New York adopted was probably not available in Arizona in 1969, when the Diocese of Phoenix was formed. For that reason, the Diocese of Phoenix simply adopted the model that the Diocese of Tucson had already established (a “corporate sole”). Since 1911, many dioceses have adopted the separate incorporation model, either at the time of their formation, or afterwards, and many more, like our Diocese, are in the midst of such a transition.
