Parish Membership

We are so glad that you are interested in becoming a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish!

We encourage all baptized Catholics who live within our parish boundaries to become registered members of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. If you register as a member of our parish, we will be able to serve your needs more completely. Members can receive their sacraments here, enroll in our school or religious education programs, receive tuition assistance if needed.

If you are not baptized or are baptized in another faith and have questions about becoming Catholic, please email at re@stanthonyparish.org or call 703.820-7111.

If you are not currently receiving monthly offertory envelopes from us, please contact us, as this may mean that you are not registered at the parish.

New members can register at the parish office during office hours. Parish registration is important and is also a great way of learning about the parish as well as supporting the parish in its ministries.

Some definitions:

1.  A parishioner is that person who belongs/is a member of a particular parish.  Membership in a parish is determined solely by where you live per Canon Law.  Can. 107 §1. Through both domicile and quasi-domicile, each person acquires his or her pastor and ordinary.
2.  A Parish is not a church building, but a territorial location – again Canon Law states: Can. 518 As a general rule a parish is to be territorial, that is, one which includes all the Christian faithful of a certain territory.
3.  Registration is an American concept that aids administration in large parishes where a pastor cannot personally know all the people who live there.  Registration is not canonical and has nothing to do with membership in a parish.

Pastors appreciate when their parishioners register. With so many parishioners it can be hard to keep track of everyone in the parish without utilizing a database. Among other things, registration allows the parish to have contact information on file, to contact the parishioners about special events, to send offertory envelopes, and to keep track of offertory donations.

Membership for Parishioners:

Membership forms can be found in the book rack in the back of the church and can be turned into the parish office either by putting them in the collection basket.  At the bottom of this page, you can find an electronic form.

Registration for Non-Parishioners

On occasion, a person who is a parishioner of another parish would like to register. In order to register, a non-parishioner must gain the permission of his or her pastor as well as the pastor of the parish at which he or she is seeking to register (in this case St. Anthony of Padua).  If this permission is granted, a non-parishioner will be registered on the books of St. Anthony of Padua. This means contact information will be kept and envelopes for offertory will be sent.  However, registration at St. Anthony of Padua will have no bearing upon membership (and canonical rights) in the non-parishioner’s actual parish, that is he or she remains a parishioner in the parish in which he or she lives and retains all the rights of a parishioner in that parish.

Membership Form

View the English version of the Parish Membership Form – English Parish Registration

Please fill out both pages of the form in detail and either drop it off at the Parish Office in person or mail it to:

Attn: Parish Office / Membership
3305 Glen Carlyn Road
Falls Church, VA 22041