Sodality (Catholic Church)
Encyclopedia
A sodality, also known as a "union of prayer
" or "confraternity
", is an older designation for a lay ecclesial movement
or organization in the Roman Catholic Church.
In many Christian religions, "modality
" refers to the structure and organization of the local or universal church, composed of pastors or priests. By contrast, parachurch organizations are termed sodalities. These include missionary organizations and Christian charities or fraternities not linked to specific churches. Some theologians would include denominations, schools of theology, and other multi-congregational efforts in the sodality category. Catholic sodalities can include orders, monasteries, and convents.
(around 400-1000 AD), and developed rapidly from the end of the 12th century.
The British historian and social writer, William Lecky (1880), notes that around 1200 AD:
The quote above reflects the start of organized charitable work in the Christian
world in the Middle Ages
. It was a major break in theological thinking and it was brokered by the Catholic Church. Prior to this acts of charity were usually small and adhoc, and aimed at specific needy members of the community. Thus, the Catholic Church became involved and motivated for intervention on religious grounds. Various organisations sprang up that were aimed at helping and evangelising the poor and supporting other groups within the Catholic Church. These organisations were the first sodalities that were aimed at good deeds and charitable work.
During the Middle Ages
many of these pious associations placed themselves under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin and chose her as their patron. The main object and duty of these societies were, above all, the practice of piety and works of charity.
By the end of the Middle Ages
(around 1400AD) the Church experienced a crisis and lost power and influence. Two hundred years later in the 16th century, the Church rose to renewed prosperity and the many new religious congregations and associations gave birth to numerous new confraternities and sodalities which worked with great success are, today, often still effective Catholic Encyclopedia:Sodality.
The situation becomes even more confused when certain sodalities are sanctioned and accepted by the Church. While others, especially the newer more evangelical
ones, are struggling to find their place and a champion within the Catholic Church.
Type A
This group includes the confraternities which seek mainly to attain piety, devotion and the increase of love of God by special veneration of God, of the Blessed Virgin, the angels and the saints. None of the sodalities in this study fall into this class.
Type B
This group consists of sodalities which are founded to promote the spiritual works of mercy (i.e. faith related aspects) and corporal works of mercy (ie the needs of the body) The table below presents the original examples of each work of mercy which would have been applicable to sodalities in the 16th Century.
Spiritual Works of Mercy: Instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offences willingly, comforting the afflicted, and praying for the living and the dead.
Corporal Works of Mercy: Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, harbouring the harbourless, visiting the sick, ransoming the captive, and burying the dead.
Type C
This group comprises those associations of the Church where the main object is the well-being and improvement of a different groups of persons, such as men, women and children, or more specifically, priests, youth, church helpers, prisoners, immigrants, nurses, married people, couples, etc.
The above figure shows these three types of sodalities in relation to the Catholic Church and the broader community. Type A is wholly contained with the Church, while Types B and C have activities that impact on the community outside the Catholic Church. They do share some commonalities.
When looking at the categories above it is easy to see why there is some confusion surrounding the roles and definition of a sodality. A sodality has come to be regarded differently by different people:
• It could promote the love and worship of God
;
• It could be a way of evangelizing the Church;
• It could be aimed at aiding certain groups within the Church; and
• It could be a social group which gets together for companionship and to do good deeds.
in 1971:
Winter said that modality is a Church with a hierarchy and vertical structure that has people of all ages and stages of life who are involved in the life of the Church at many levels. Some people are very committed, while others due to life stages, beliefs, and choice are nominally involved (J. Clark. Missional Communities. 2003).
Sodalities on the other hand are much more narrowly focused. They are usually very task and relationally focused, where belonging to the community means deep, and multiple commitments. It is almost impossible to be a nominal part of a sodality as they define themselves by high commitment levels.
Unions of Prayer
Union of Prayer was a previous term for some Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movements.They tended to be archconfraternities aiming at the conversion of various groups to Catholicism...
" or "confraternity
Confraternity
A confraternity is normally a Roman Catholic or Orthodox organization of lay people created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy...
", is an older designation for a lay ecclesial movement
Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement
Lay ecclesial movements are one form of associations of the faithful of the Catholic Church.Associations of the faithful are groups of baptized Catholics, clerics or laity or both together, who jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote...
or organization in the Roman Catholic Church.
In many Christian religions, "modality
Modality (theology)
Modality in Protestant and Catholic Christian theology, is the structure and organization of the local or universal church. In Catholic theology, the modality is the universal Catholic church. In Protestant theology, the modality is variously described as either the universal church or the local...
" refers to the structure and organization of the local or universal church, composed of pastors or priests. By contrast, parachurch organizations are termed sodalities. These include missionary organizations and Christian charities or fraternities not linked to specific churches. Some theologians would include denominations, schools of theology, and other multi-congregational efforts in the sodality category. Catholic sodalities can include orders, monasteries, and convents.
Origins of Sodalities
The sodalities of the Church are pious associations and are included among the confraternities and archconfraternities. But, the Catholic Encyclopedia:Sodality writes that it would not be possible to give a definition making a clear distinction between the sodalities and other confraternities. Confraternities and sodalities had their beginnings after the rise of the confraternities of prayer in the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(around 400-1000 AD), and developed rapidly from the end of the 12th century.
The British historian and social writer, William Lecky (1880), notes that around 1200 AD:
- "Christianity for the first time made charity a rudimentary virtue, giving it a leading place in the moral type, and in the exhortation of its teachers. Besides its general influence in stimulating the affections, it effected a complete revolution in this sphere, by regarding the poor as the special representatives of the Christian Founder, and thus making the love of Christ, rather than the love of man the principle of charity... A vast organization of charity, presided over by Bishops, and actively directed by the deacons, soon ramified over Christendom, till the bond of charity became the bond of unity, and the most distant sections of the Christian Church corresponded by the interchange of mercy."
The quote above reflects the start of organized charitable work in the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
world in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. It was a major break in theological thinking and it was brokered by the Catholic Church. Prior to this acts of charity were usually small and adhoc, and aimed at specific needy members of the community. Thus, the Catholic Church became involved and motivated for intervention on religious grounds. Various organisations sprang up that were aimed at helping and evangelising the poor and supporting other groups within the Catholic Church. These organisations were the first sodalities that were aimed at good deeds and charitable work.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
many of these pious associations placed themselves under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin and chose her as their patron. The main object and duty of these societies were, above all, the practice of piety and works of charity.
By the end of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(around 1400AD) the Church experienced a crisis and lost power and influence. Two hundred years later in the 16th century, the Church rose to renewed prosperity and the many new religious congregations and associations gave birth to numerous new confraternities and sodalities which worked with great success are, today, often still effective Catholic Encyclopedia:Sodality.
The situation becomes even more confused when certain sodalities are sanctioned and accepted by the Church. While others, especially the newer more evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
ones, are struggling to find their place and a champion within the Catholic Church.
Classes of Sodalities
A useful way to understand sodalities, and their place in the Catholic Church, is to divide the sodalities, pious associations and confraternities into three broad types Catholic Encyclopedia:Sodality.Type A
This group includes the confraternities which seek mainly to attain piety, devotion and the increase of love of God by special veneration of God, of the Blessed Virgin, the angels and the saints. None of the sodalities in this study fall into this class.
Type B
This group consists of sodalities which are founded to promote the spiritual works of mercy (i.e. faith related aspects) and corporal works of mercy (ie the needs of the body) The table below presents the original examples of each work of mercy which would have been applicable to sodalities in the 16th Century.
Spiritual Works of Mercy: Instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offences willingly, comforting the afflicted, and praying for the living and the dead.
Corporal Works of Mercy: Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, harbouring the harbourless, visiting the sick, ransoming the captive, and burying the dead.
Type C
This group comprises those associations of the Church where the main object is the well-being and improvement of a different groups of persons, such as men, women and children, or more specifically, priests, youth, church helpers, prisoners, immigrants, nurses, married people, couples, etc.
The above figure shows these three types of sodalities in relation to the Catholic Church and the broader community. Type A is wholly contained with the Church, while Types B and C have activities that impact on the community outside the Catholic Church. They do share some commonalities.
When looking at the categories above it is easy to see why there is some confusion surrounding the roles and definition of a sodality. A sodality has come to be regarded differently by different people:
• It could promote the love and worship of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
;
• It could be a way of evangelizing the Church;
• It could be aimed at aiding certain groups within the Church; and
• It could be a social group which gets together for companionship and to do good deeds.
A Simplified Definition
Another way of determining a usable definition a sodality is to look at the anthropological uses of the terms “sodality” and “modality.” The anthropological use of these terms was introduced to the Church by Ralph D. WinterRalph D. Winter
Ralph Dana Winter was an American missiologist and Presbyterian missionary who became well-known as the advocate for pioneer outreach among unreached people groups. He was the founder of the U.S...
in 1971:
Winter said that modality is a Church with a hierarchy and vertical structure that has people of all ages and stages of life who are involved in the life of the Church at many levels. Some people are very committed, while others due to life stages, beliefs, and choice are nominally involved (J. Clark. Missional Communities. 2003).
Sodalities on the other hand are much more narrowly focused. They are usually very task and relationally focused, where belonging to the community means deep, and multiple commitments. It is almost impossible to be a nominal part of a sodality as they define themselves by high commitment levels.