On Wednesday mornings, I visit the chapel at St. Michael’s parish in Clearwater, Florida.  While sitting in God’s presence, I noticed a sign that referred to the chapel as an “oratory.”  I always thought an oratory was different from a chapel.  The sign challenged me to look into this further.

Several sites referred to an oratory as a private chapel.  Other sites indicated that both a chapel and oratory are usually smaller than a church or subordinate to a church.  According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, an “oratory signifies a place of prayer…(and) technically means a structure other than a parish church set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass.”

What struck me odd in referring to the St. Michael’s chapel as an “oratory” was size.  Immediately upon seeing the word, “oratory,” I thought of my visit to the Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal, Canada.  This is not a small place.  It was my understanding that all chapels were small and that oratories were much bigger.  However, I was wrong on both accounts. 

Size does not determine whether a structure is a chapel or an oratory.  Also, the terms “chapel” and “oratory” seem to be used interchangeably.  The Catholic Encyclopedia further states that “public oratories are erected by a bishop,” while “semi-public oratories are erected in private buildings such as seminaries, colleges, hospitals, and prisons.”  “Private oratories,” according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “are erected in private houses only by permission of the Pope.”    

Saint Brother Andre Bessette, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, was responsible for the vision and construction of this beautiful oratory.  In 1904, he was given funding to construct a small chapel.  As people came to visit the chapel and pray with Saint Andre, they received healing and hope.  Throughout the years, the small original chapel built by Saint Andre expanded many times to what it is today. 

What is your favorite chapel?  Have you ever been to an oratory?  Let me know in the comments below. 

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