Catholic Church

===Dioceses, parishes, organizations, and institutes===
{{further|List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)|Parish in the Catholic Church|Religious institute|Catholic charities}}
{{Catholicism map}}
Individual countries, regions, and major cities are served by [[particular church]]es known as [[diocese]]s in the [[Latin Church]], or [[eparchies]] in the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], each of which are overseen by a bishop. {{as of|2021}}, the Catholic Church [[List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)|has 3,171 dioceses]] globally.<ref name="sees">Vatican, ''[[Annuario Pontificio]]'' 2009, p. 1172.</ref> The bishops in a particular country are members of a national or regional episcopal conference.<ref>''Annuario Pontifico per l'anno 2010'' (''Città di Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana'', 2010)</ref>

Dioceses are divided into parishes, each with one or more [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priests]], [[deacon]]s, or [[Lay ecclesial ministry|lay ecclesial ministers]].<ref name="OneFaith52">Barry, p. 52</ref> Parishes are responsible for the day to day celebration of the sacraments and pastoral care of the laity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1T.HTM|title=Canon 519 1983 Code of Canon Law|website=Intratext.com|quote=The parish priest is the proper clergyman in charge of the congregation of the parish entrusted to him. He exercises the pastoral care of the community entrusted to him under the authority of the [[diocesan bishop]], whose ministry of Christ he is called to share, so that for this community he may carry out the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling with the cooperation of other priests or deacons and with the assistance of lay members of Christ's faithful, in accordance with the law.|access-date=25 March 2015|archive-date=31 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131004630/http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1T.HTM|url-status=live}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, there are 221,700 parishes worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal|date=2016–2017|title=Laudato Si|journal=Vermont Catholic|edition=Winter|volume=8|issue=4|page=73|url=http://www.onlinedigeditions.com/publication/index.php?i=365491&m=&l=&p=1&pre=&ver=html5#{%22page%22:74,%22issue_id%22:365491}|access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref>

In the Latin Church, Catholic men may serve as deacons or priests by receiving sacramental [[Holy Orders|ordination]]. Men and women may serve as [[Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion|extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion]], as readers ([[Reader (liturgy)|lectors]]), or as [[altar servers]]. Historically, boys and men have only been permitted to serve as altar servers; however, since the 1990s, girls and women have also been permitted.<ref name="Apostalicae86">{{cite book|title=Acta Apostolicae Sedis 86|year=1994|pages=541–542|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2086%20%5B1994%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721142407/https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS%2086%20%5B1994%5D%20-%20ocr.pdf|archive-date=21 July 2015}}; [http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=5212 English translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209105945/https://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=5212 |date=9 February 2021 }})</ref>{{refn|group=note|In 1992, the Vatican clarified the 1983 Code of Canon Law removed the requirement that altar servers be male; permission to use female altar servers within a diocese is at the discretion of the bishop.<ref name=Apostalicae86/>}}

Ordained Catholics, as well as members of the [[Catholic laity|laity]], may enter into [[consecrated life]] either on an individual basis, as a [[hermit]] or [[consecrated virgin]], or by joining an [[institute of consecrated life]] (a religious institute or a [[secular institute]]) in which to take [[Religious vows|vows]] confirming their desire to follow the three [[evangelical counsels]] of [[chastity]], poverty and obedience.<ref name="Canons573-746">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM|title=Canon 573–746|website=1983 Code of Canon Law|publisher=Vatican.va|access-date=9 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418141521/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1Y.HTM|archive-date=18 April 2016}}</ref> Examples of institutes of consecrated life are the [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictines]], the [[Carmelites]], the [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], the [[Franciscan]]s, the [[Missionaries of Charity]], the [[Legionaries of Christ]] and the [[Sisters of Mercy]].<ref name="Canons573-746"/>

"Religious institutes" is a modern term encompassing both "[[Religious order (Catholic)|religious orders]]" and "[[religious congregations]]", which were once distinguished in [[canon law]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22+the+1983+code+uses+the+single+term+religious+institute%22&btnG=Search&as_sdtp=on|title=Google Scholar|website=scholar.google.com|access-date=5 June 2022|archive-date=5 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605181033/https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22+the+1983+code+uses+the+single+term+religious+institute%22&btnG=Search&as_sdtp=on|url-status=live}}</ref> The terms "religious order" and "religious institute" tend to be used as synonyms colloquially.<ref>Cafardi, Nicolas P. [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22+Religious+order+is+a+colloquialism%22&btnG=Search&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=on "Catholic Law Schools and Ex Corde Ecclesiae"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195313/https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22+Religious+order+is+a+colloquialism%22&btnG=Search&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=on |date=24 February 2021 }}, ''Theological Exploration'', vol. 2. no. 1 of Duquesne University and in ''Law Review'' of University of Toledo, vol. 33</ref>

By means of [[Catholic charities]] and beyond, the Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of [[Catholic school|education]] and [[Catholic Church and health care|health care]] in the world.<ref name=Geopolitics/>