Churches and Community

This article, in the Washington Post -- about Holy Rosary Church in D.C., and its role in the life of the Italian community there -- is a great read.  (I had a long conversation with the author while she was writing it.)  It reminds me of subject(s) that has come up from time to time on MOJ (and is also relevant to the "urbanism"-related work of the lovely and talented Prof. Nicole Stelle Garnett), namely, (1) what is the role of religious institutions (like churches) in providing the infrastructure for the kind of community in which genuine flourishing can take place, and (2) what is the role of law in sustaining (or undermining) such institutions (and so, by extension, such communities)?