Angelic Warfare Confraternity
December 9th, 2009 by Br. James Brent, O.P.
The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is an official association of the Dominican Order dedicated to the preservation of chastity and the pursuit of truth under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas. It finds its inspiration in St. Thomas’ victory in his battle against sexual temptation as a teenager in the prison tower, and his being girded by the angels with the cord of chastity.
The Angelic Warfare Confraternity has existed in the Order since the sixteenth century, but due to the widespread need for spiritual assistance in the pursuit of chastity in our society today, membership in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity is currently undergoing a notable revival in the Province of St. Joseph. A new website explaining the Confraternity (available by clicking on any of the links), and a newly established newsletter are just two signs of this revival. Furthermore, there are many new members of the Confraternity among college students, young adults, and married men and women. For today living the virtue of chastity faces great challenges in all states of life, and men and women of all states of life want to draw upon the benefits of membership in the Confraternity.
Members of the Confraternity share in the graces obtained through the combined prayers of all the members. Members pledge (but not under pain of sin) daily to pray fifteen Hail Mary’s, as well as St. Thomas Aquinas’s prayer for purity and chastity, and to offer these prayers not for themselves alone but for all the members. In addition, there is a cord or medal that one wears. The Confraternity is therefore a rather massive prayer group dedicated to praying for purity and chastity for all its members. Many people who have joined the Confraternity testify to a decrease of sexual temptations or an increase of strength in resisting them or both.
For more information on the history, meaning, and benefits of membership in the Confraternity, as well as instructions on how to join, go to the Angelic Warfare Confraternity website.
