congregation (con|gre|ga¦tion)

noun

• 1a group of people assembled for religious worship: the singing of psalms by the whole congregation
• a group of people regularly attending a particular place of worship: he was a member of the Emmanuel Chapel congregation

• 2a gathering or collection of people, animals, or things: large congregations of birds may cause public harm
• [mass noun] the action of gathering together in a crowd: drought conditions lead to the congregation of animals around watering points

• 3 (often Congregation) (in the Roman Catholic Church) a permanent committee of the College of Cardinals: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• British (in some universities) a general assembly of resident senior members.

• 4a group of people obeying a common religious rule but under less solemn vows than members of the older religious orders: the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady
• a group of communities within a religious order sharing particular historical or regional links.