"When St. Martin divided his military cloak (cappa) and gave half to the beggar at the gate of Amiens, he wrapped the other half round his shoulders, thus making of it a cape (capella).

This cape, or its representative, was afterwards preserved as a relic and accompanied the Frankish kings in their wars, and the tent which sheltered it became known also as cappella or capella.   In this tent Mass was celebrated by the military chaplains.

When at rest in the palace the relice likewise gave its name to the oratory where it was kept, and subsequently any oratory where Mass was celebrated was called capella, chapelle, chapel."

Although this story, taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia, denotes the origin of the word, chapels have served as places of Christian worship since the early first century.

Chapels were usually informal places of worship, set apart from the main church - usually a room in one's home or a space in the atrium of a public building, set apart for prayer and praise.

Since the chapel is the place where the Eucharist and other services are celebrated, our sanctuary, technically speaking, is the capella major, or main place of worship in our church.

This distinction has survived to this day, particularly in many Spanish churches where the sanctuary containing the high altar is referred to still as the capilla mayor.

Thus, chapels are like churches within a church; what makes a chapel a chapel is the altar around which the faithful gather to celebrate the Eucharist or praise God through some other form of worship.   As worship developed, numerous types of chapels evolved as well.

In many churches, there is a votive chapel, i.e, one named in honour of a saint, such as a Lady Chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or a place of worship set apart in the name of some other saint who is significant to the culture or region in which the church is found.

Here at Trinity, our chapel, St. Nicholas Chapel, is named after our daughter church which subsequently became amalgamated with our own.

Therefore, in a sense, St. Nicholas Chapel' is our votive chapel in that its presence in our community serves to keep the memory of St. Nicholas Chapel' parish alive, as well as to commemorate our union with them.