Vestries (boards)

Appointed or elected assemblies or boards of parishioners who originally met in the vestry of the parish church for the purpose of deliberating or legislating upon the affairs of the parish or upon certain temporal matters connected with the church. Often used particularly for such boards in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the American Episcopalian Church. For similar boards in Catholic Churches in French-speaking regions of Canada, use "fabriques."