Why join the Confraternity?
Members are endowed with all the spiritual benefits of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, which includes a share in all the prayers and Masses offered for the members and access to special plenary and partial indulgences available to Christian Mothers.
Who can join the Confraternity of Christian Mothers?
Any Catholic woman in good standing, married or unmarried, with or without children, can be admitted, provided she seriously intends to promote the aims of the Confraternity, especially that of the Christian education of children, and to comply with the rules of the Confraternity.
How to Join
Because the Confraternity is a canonical association with defined rights and obligations, a woman must be received by the Director of a Confraternity chapter ecclesiastically erected, or by his lawful representative. This may be done in one of the following ways:
(1) Find a Confraternity chapter in your area and contact their leaders to find out the next steps and opportunity to enroll.
(2) If your parish does not have an active Confraternity, this may be your call to restart an inactive chapter already established at your parish, or to start a new one! Contact the National Office and we will help you every step of the way!
(3) If there is no active chapter near you, and you are not able to start one, please contact the National Office to begin the process of becoming an Independent Member, affiliated directly with the Archconfraternity in Pittsburgh.
Your next steps.
-
Commitment
Commit to the aim of the Confraternity and take seriously your vocation to educate and raise your children in the Catholic faith.
-
Prayer & Intentions
Start praying the Daily Prayer for the Children each day for your children/grandchildren and those of other members, and once each month offer your personal Mass intention for Confraternity members.
-
Participation
Attend events at your local Confraternity when possible, especially Masses for members and funerals.
-
Benefits of membership include:
• Special protection and powerful intercession of the heavenly patroness of the Confraternity, our Blessed Mother Most Sorrowful.
• Participation in all the holy Masses which are offered regularly for the members. throughout the world, and special prayers and Masses offered for deceased members.
• Participation in the daily prayers and merits of the other members.
• Plenary and partial indulgences offered only to members of the Confraternity.
• Spiritual conferences and guidance from the local Director.
• Opportunities for continued spiritual and intellectual formation.
• Opportunities to grow in friendship and receive encouragement in faith, motherhood, and family life.
-
In order to participate fully in the benefits of being a Christian Mother, members are bound in charity, but not under pain of sin, to perform the following duties:
• Take seriously your vocation to educate and raise your children in the Catholic faith, and support other women in their motherly vocations.
• Pray the Daily Prayer for the Children each day for your children and those of other members.
• Once each month offer your personal Mass intention for Confraternity members.
• Participate in meetings, Masses, Holy Hours, and other events as often as possible without compromising other responsibilities.
• Use the Mother Love prayer book as part of your personal spiritual formation.
• Pray for the other members (including deceased members), your local Director, officers and our National Executive Director.
• Pay the annual dues.
-
A Christian Mother duly admitted into the Confraternity of Christian Mothers may obtain numerous plenary and partial indulgences:
Plenary Indulgences are available under the usual conditions, with the additional condition of making or renewing (at least privately) her promises to observe faithfully the rules of the Confraternity:
• On the day of her reception.
• On the feasts of the Holy Family, the Annunciation, the Queenship of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Gerard Majella, St. Elizabeth and Christ the King.
Partial Indulgences are available:
• Four times a year, on days established by her local Confraternity, or on the next Sunday, after having visited the church of the Confraternity and there prayed for the intention of the Pope.
• As often as she attends a Confraternity conference or lecture.
• Each time she recites, with a contrite heart, the Christian Mother’s Daily Prayer for the Children.
• For every good work performed according to the intention and rules of the Confraternity or on its behalf.
This last indulgence is, on account of its greatness, worthy of special attention. Every good work performed by a Member of the Confraternity, for the Confraternity in general, or for its Members, for the education and the benefit of her own children, or for the children of one of the Members, obtains for herself, if she performs it in the state of grace and with a pious intention, a remission of part of the temporal punishment due to sin. While the former custom of assigning a time value to partial indulgences is no longer in effect, it may be helpful to Christian Mothers to know that in ages past, the Church assigned these good works the equivalence of sixty days of severe penance!