Charity, Brothers of
CHARITY, BROTHERS OF
Official Catholic Directory #0290; a religious congregation of brothers (Fratres a Caritate, FC) with papal approval (1888, 1899), founded at Ghent, Belgium, in 1807 by Canon Peter Joseph triest. After Triest assigned the first members to a hostel for elderly men, his congregation received local episcopal approval in 1809 "for works of charity, service of the poor and destitute." The institute spread to Canada (1865), the U.S. (1874), England (1881), Ireland (1883), and the Netherlands (1894). Missions were established in the Congo (1911), Transvaal (1928), Rwanda and Indonesia (1929), India (1936), Cuba (1950), and Peru (1962). The apostolate encompasses the care of aged men and of the mentally ill; the education of retarded, deaf, mute, blind, and disabled children; and teaching in primary, secondary, and technical schools. The generalate is located in Rome.
Bibliography: c. reichgelt, Les Frères de la Charité, v.1 (Ghent 1957), covers 1807–76.
[l. c. de beuckelaer/eds.]