Perception of the Parish Sense of Community: Does an Elementary School's Presence Heighten Parish Belongingness?

Catholic permanent deacons (n = 1,628; M age = 55.79 years old, SD = 7.08) completed a measure on their parish sense of community ( P-SOC ), plus whether there was a parish elementary school, the school principal's gender, and whether the principal was a religious or lay person. Results indicated that there were no significant differences on P-SOC between parishes with (n = 809) or without (n = 819) a school. Those parishes with a school also had no significant P-SOC difference whether the principal was a woman or man, or a religious or lay person. Results suggest that a local faith-based elementary school's presence or absence may not influence perceived sense of belonging among community members.