vestry

American  

[ves-tree] / ˈvɛs tri /

noun

plural

vestries

1. a room in or a building attached to a church, in which the vestments, and sometimes liturgical objects, are kept; sacristy.

2. (in some churches) a room in or a building attached to a church, used as a chapel, for prayer meetings, for the Sunday school, etc.

3. Episcopal Church. a committee elected by members of a congregation to serve with the churchwardens in managing the temporal affairs of the church.

4. Church of England. a meeting attended by all the parishioners or by a committee of parishioners during which the official business of the church is discussed.

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vestry British  

/ ˈvɛstrɪ /

noun

1. a room in or attached to a church in which vestments, sacred vessels, etc, are kept

2. a room in or attached to some churches, used for Sunday school, meetings, etc

3. Church of England

   1. a meeting of all the members of a parish or their representatives, to transact the official business of the parish

   2. the body of members meeting for this; the parish council

4. Episcopal Church Anglican Church a committee of vestrymen chosen by the congregation to manage the temporal affairs of their church

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Other Word Forms

• vestral adjective

Etymology

Origin of vestry

1350–1400; Middle English vestrie, vestrye. See vest (v.), -ery

Example Sentences

In the vestry, surrounded by racks of well-pressed white surplices and brightly coloured vestments, I met Ian and Paul, one of the couples he has blessed.

From BBC

But the church has worked with the Bats in Churches team to find a solution - they've built a sealed-off loft conversion above the vestry.

From BBC

Doreen Golding, 83, the Pearly Queen of Bow Bells and the Old Kent Road, shouted to the group as she led the way to the church vestry.

From New York Times

Thanks to vestry records dating back to 1732, when the church occupied a wooden chapel — and assistance from Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records — Hamly and his team of researchers learned a lot.

From Washington Post

"We put out an appeal on Facebook and that brought people from outside the church, from different walks of life and faiths," said vestry member Samuel Stewart.

From BBC

Related Words

• church
• sanctuary
• shrine