Confraternities of Charity are Christian voluntary associations of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and the Western Orthodox. St. Vincent de Paul established the Confraternities of Charity in rural areas in 1617, whose members provided spiritual and physical care to the impoverished. ^{wikipedia.org 1 2}