Fraternity

For other uses, see Fraternity (disambiguation).
A meeting of Freemasons in West Germany in 1948

A fraternity (from Latin frater 'brother' and -ity; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims.[1][2][3][4][5] Fraternity in the Western concept developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.[6][7] The concept was eventually further extended with medieval confraternities and guilds. In the early modern era, these were followed by fraternal orders such as Freemasons, the Rosicrucian Society of England, and Odd Fellows, along with gentlemen's clubs, student fraternities, and fraternal service organizations.[8][9][10] Members are occasionally referred to as a brother or – usually in a religious context – frater or friar.[11][12]

Today, connotations of fraternities vary according to context including companionships and brotherhoods dedicated to the religious, intellectual, academic, physical, or social pursuits of its members. In modern times, it sometimes connotes a secret society especially regarding Freemasonry, Odd Fellows, various academic, and student societies.[13][14]

Although membership in fraternities was and mostly still is limited to men, this is not always the case. There are mixed male and female orders, as well as wholly female religious orders and societies, some of which are known as sororities in North America.[15] Notable modern fraternities or fraternal orders include some grand lodges operating among freemasons and odd fellows.[16][17]

  1. ^ "Fraternity". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Fraternity". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Fraternity". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Fraternal orders". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ A somewhat derisive generic nickname used only in the undergraduate, collegiate milieu, is "frat", though this is rarely used by members or supporters.
  6. ^ "Mendicant movement – 01 – St Augustine of Hippo – Order of St Augustine". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  7. ^ "Code of Canon Law – IntraText".
  8. ^ Milne-Smith, Amy (2006). "A Flight to Domesticity? Making a Home in the Gentlemen's Clubs of London, 1880–1914". Journal of British Studies. 45 (4). Cambridge Journals: 796–818. doi:10.1086/505958. S2CID 145471860. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. ^ Milne-Smith, Amy (2009). "Club Talk: Gossip, Masculinity and Oral Communities in Late Nineteenth-Century London". Gender & History. 21 (1): 86–106. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0424.2009.01536.x. S2CID 143824046.
  10. ^ Rashdall, Hastings (1895). "The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages: Salerno. Bologna. Paris". Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Our Sunday Visitor Catholic Publishing Company > My Faith > Everyday Catholic > Catholic Dictionary". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. ^ 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 588 § 1
  13. ^ "What Is Freemasonry". Alberta: Masonic Higher Education Bursary Fund. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  14. ^ Edwin A. Biedermann, "Logen, Clubs und Bruderschaften", Droste-Verlag, 2007, 2. Auflage, ISBN 3-7700-1184-8, 415 Seiten
  15. ^ "Adventure in Friendship: A History of The National Panhellenic Conference" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  16. ^ "Welcome on the website of the Grand Orient de France !". Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Introduction". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2016.