Oratory has multiple meanings, depending on the context. Here are the main definitions:
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Oratory as a place of prayer: As a general term, oratory signifies a place of prayer, but technically it means a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass. Oratories seem to have originated from the chapels erected over the tombs of the early martyrs where the faithful resorted to pray, and also from the necessity of having a place of worship for the people in country districts when churches proper were restricted to cathedral cities).
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Oratory as a private place of worship: Oratory now means a private place of worship for a group or community which could be opened to the public at the discretion of the groups superior. This definition corresponds with the semi-public oratory of the 1917 Code of Canon Law).
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Oratory as a form of public speaking: Oratory can also refer to the art of public speaking, especially in a formal and eloquent manner.
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Oratory as a community of priests: An Oratory can also refer to a community of priests who live together in a spirit of prayer and fraternal charity, but without taking formal vows. The first Oratory was founded by St. Philip Neri in the 16th century as an institute where the bond between members is one of voluntary charity rather than a formal canonical vow. The ideal of the Oratory is community life and priestly service lived in a spirit of prayer, and in which obedience is offered out of fraternal love and not through the compulsion of formally vowed obedience.
In summary, an oratory can refer to a place of prayer, a private place of worship, a form of public speaking, or a community of priests.
