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chapel of ease

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.
  1. a chapel in a remote part of a large parish, in which Mass is celebrated.


chapel of ease British  

noun

  1. a church built to accommodate those living at a distance from the parish church

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chapel of ease

First recorded in 1530–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

No longer a regular parish, it is used for special occasions and is known as a "chapel of ease."

From Time Magazine Archive

To get around canon law, St. Mark's will technically be known as a "chapel of ease" rather than a parish for Catholics, but it will nonetheless be an approved place of worship.

From Time Magazine Archive

By the 6th of George III. this was made absolute; the Irish senate was decreed to be a chapel of ease to that of Westminster.

From My Lords of Strogue, Vol. I (of III) A Chronicle of Ireland, from the Convention to the Union by Lewis Wingfield

In it stands the Church of St. John the Evangelist, a chapel of ease to St. Peter's, Eaton Square.

From Mayfair, Belgravia, and Bayswater The Fascination of London by Sir Walter Besant

There, in 1780, a chapel of ease was built, and opened for worship on March 25, 1781.

From Chronicles of Strathearn by W. B. Macdougall

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