Plural of curacy; multiple positions or offices of curates in a church, or the roles of spiritual responsibility they hold.
From curacy (the office of a curate) plus regular plural -es. The word developed in ecclesiastical English to describe multiple pastoral positions or their collective responsibilities.
Medieval parish churches often had multiple curacies—assistant priests with specific responsibilities like teaching or visiting the sick. Reading old church records, you can trace entire careers of ambitious priests climbing the curacy ladder toward becoming a vicar.
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