As early
as the thirteenth century,
groups of lay people began
transforming their world by
praying together and serving
those around them who were in
need. To begin with, these
groups of people usually had a
social connection with each
other. They might be relatives,
neighbors or members of the
same profession. Their groups
were called confraternities, a
term that comes from the Latin
word for “brother”.
Some
confraternities took on the
work of feeding the poor or
staffing a hospital. Others
provided burials for the dead.
This was an especially
important service in times of
plague when great numbers of
people died at the same time.
John
Leonardi was a pharmacist’s
helper in Lucca in Italy, where
he was born. His work led him
to begin caring for people in
hospitals and prisons. At the
age of 25 he began training to
be a priest. He was ordained
when he was 40. Then he began
to teach young people, while he
continued to assist those in
hospitals and prisons.
John
began the Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine at Lucca. He
trained people in the rewarding
and important service of
teaching about the Christian
faith. He also wrote a
collection of Christian beliefs
that would be used by
catechists for 300 years. John
died in Rome from the plague,
which he caught while caring
for other victims during an
epidemic.
From
Companion to the Calendar,
M.E.Hynes
