![]() This keen sense of vita apostolica, more through action than word, gained the Brothers favorable support among prominent and influential citizens in the cities in which they ministered.Ī distinguishing hallmark in their history was the Brothers' ministry to victims of the bubonic plague, which decimated more than one-third of Europe in the mid-1350s. While there is no record of the founders of these first communities, and no exact dates of when they began their ministry, the early Alexians were known as voluntary "poor ones" who visited the sick, stayed with the ill to guard and nourish them, and they gave ecclesiastical burials to the bodies of the deceased faithful. The Beghards of 800 years ago were the early Alexian Brothers. 2 This is the first evidence of the group's call to serve the elderly. The Beghards accepted many elderly men into their communities and provided for their needs. They lived in semi-monastic communities, took no formal vows but, in sacred tradition, imitated Christ's life through religious devotion, voluntary poverty and care of the poor and sick. The women were called Beguines and the men, Beghards. They banded together to start a grassroots movement of lay religious. Their call to serve the elderly began with groups of laymen and laywomen in the Rhineland and the Low Countries of Northern Europe who drew inspiration from the acts of the apostles as recorded in Scripture. The Brothers have a long and rich history, stretching back before the Middle Ages. In the United States, the Alexian Brothers are noted for their senior ministries in Tennessee, Wisconsin and Missouri. When loved ones are unable to provide the level of care required, Catholic health care offers programs and institutions that extend compassionate, dignified, holistic care. ![]() Eventually the loss of memory will cause the person to depend entirely on another for care and support. The serious impairment of those afflicted robs them of the ability to function in a society that values one's capacity and intelligence. 1 That call particularly addresses the elderly with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. The Alexian Brothers are a Catholic vowed order of men who promote health and care for the poor, the sick, the aged, the mentally compromised, the dying and the marginalized throughout the world. These experiences have made an indelible impression, and they fuel my desire to work in partnership with the Brothers in answering the call to serve. This was the first of many such visits that brought to life for me the Alexian Brothers' charism, their ministry to the outsider and the frail elderly and a tangible expression of their core values of compassion, care of the poor, dignity of the person, holism and partnership. For this man who was seemingly abandoned by everyone, Brother John was his connection to the world. It took two men to carry him up a flight of stairs and outdoors in order to get him to doctors' appointments.īrother John did most of Walter's shopping, helped bathe him, checked his vitals and mostly just chatted with him. ![]() He was elderly and confined to a wheelchair, as he had no legs. One of our first stops was to see Walter, who lived in an unfinished, dimly lit basement. Early in my association with the Alexian Brothers, I accompanied Brother John Grider, CFA, an Alexian Brother serving as a community nurse, on home visits to people in a St.
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