In New France, the decision to create a parish was made by the royal administration, while that of appointing of a parish priest was made by the Bishop. Generally speaking, a parish was established when the population of a region had grown sufficiently large and affluent to build a church and pay the salary of a parish priest through the levying of a tithe. The priest conducted the religious services, administered the sacraments, and kept the parish registers—official records of baptisms, marriages and burials. The administration of the parish's property was the responsibility of the church fabric, which consisted of the priest and a number of churchwardens elected by the parish congregation.