The vestry is the small side room in a church where the priest puts on and takes off vestments before and after a service, and where the church keeps its silver plates and cups, the registers, and other valuables. It is a working room, usually kept locked, tucked behind or beside the main part of the church.

The vestryVestry is指的是 the small side room in a church教堂裡的一個小側房 where the priest puts on and takes off vestments before and after a service神職人員在儀式前後在裡面穿脫聖袍, and where the church keeps its silver plates and cups, the registers, and other valuables教會也把銀器餐盤、登記簿和其他貴重物品放在裡面。It is a working room它是個工作用的房間, usually kept locked通常都上鎖, tucked behind or beside the main part of the church藏在教堂主體的後面或旁邊。

Because so much church business happened there, the word gained a second life: in England the *vestry* also came to mean the meeting of parishioners that ran parish affairs — collecting rates, looking after the poor — so in old records "the vestry decided" means a group of people, not a room. That sense is historical now and appears mainly in local history and in nineteenth-century novels.

Because so much church business happened there因為很多教會事務都在那裡進行, the word gained a second life這個字後來多了第二種意思: in England在英國 the *vestry* also came to mean the meeting of parishioners that ran parish affairs vestry 也開始指管理教區事務的教區居民會議 — collecting rates, looking after the poor像收稅、照顧窮人這類事 — so所以 in old records "the vestry decided"在舊記錄裡「the vestry decided」means是指 a group of people, not a room一群人做的決定，不是一個房間。That sense is historical now這個意思現在已經是歷史用法了 and appears mainly in local history and in nineteenth-century novels主要出現在地方史和十九世紀小說裡。

You may also hear *sacristy*, which names much the same room in Catholic churches; *vestry* has the more Anglican, more English flavour.

You may also hear *sacristy*你也可能聽過 sacristy 這個字, which names much the same room in Catholic churches它在天主教會裡指的是差不多同一種房間；*vestry* has the more Anglican, more English flavour而 vestry 則帶有更英國國教、更英式的味道。