CONFRATERNITY OF CHARITY OF THE B.V.M.
The Ven.da Confraternity of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Ven.da Confraternity of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in the Collegiate Parish Church of St. Paul the Shipwrecked, Valletta, in 1610. The purpose for which it was founded was to help the poor in their spiritual and temporal needs.
The Confraternity of Charity, as we refer to it in brief, has a long and very interesting history. It was founded at the end of the sixteenth century when it obtained canonical approval from Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) with an Apostolic Bull subsequently confirmed by Pope Paul V (1605-1621) and executed by the Diocesan Bishop Monsignor Fra Tommaso Gargallo on December 2, 1610. The Statute was approved by another Decree on May 25, 1611.
By virtue of a Pontifical Bull issued on 26 August 1611, the Confraternity was aggregated with the Archconfraternity of St. Gerolamo of Rome. The Statutes were then revised by Decree of 7 December 1628.
As time went on, foundations and legacies were made to the Confraternity, always with the main purpose of helping the poor and the needy.
The Ven.da Confraternity of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in the Collegiate Parish Church of St. Paul the Shipwrecked, Valletta, in 1610. The purpose for which it was founded was to help the poor in their spiritual and temporal needs.
The Confraternity of Charity, as we refer to it in brief, has a long and very interesting history. It was founded at the end of the sixteenth century when it obtained canonical approval from Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) with an Apostolic Bull subsequently confirmed by Pope Paul V (1605-1621) and executed by the Diocesan Bishop Monsignor Fra Tommaso Gargallo on December 2, 1610. The Statute was approved by another Decree on May 25, 1611.
By virtue of a Pontifical Bull issued on 26 August 1611, the Confraternity was aggregated with the Archconfraternity of St. Gerolamo of Rome. The Statutes were then revised by Decree of 7 December 1628.
As time went on, foundations and legacies were made to the Confraternity, always with the main purpose of helping the poor and the needy.
Over the past three years, the St Jeanne Antide Foundation received two substantial donations from the Confraternity of Charity which enabled the Foundation to purchase food items and other products needed by many families in distress assisted by the Foundation. The Confraternity generously covered each bill up to a maximum stipulated by it. In-kind assistance is accessed by the Foundation's staff who, annually, provide professional support to over 600 individuals from 360 families in difficulty through the Community Social Work Service, the SOAR Service run by trained women who suffered the harsh reality of domestic violence, the LWIEN Service that provides guidance and support to relatives who shoulder the responsibility of caring for a family member with mental difficulties, and other work.