Questions & Topics

What is a confraternity?
A confraternity is a fellowship of men and women who make a sacred promise to pursue some good together in the Church. A confraternity is a bond of love serving some good and holy purpose and reflecting the communion of the Holy Trinity.

Why join a confraternity?
Because some goods are easier to pursue together rather than alone.

Does the Church recognize confraternities?
Yes, a confraternity is an organization officially recognized by the Church.

Who is part of a confraternity?
Both those in heaven and on earth are part of it. The Church has the authority to establish special, supernatural bonds between people on earth and Saints in heaven (traditionally known as “patronage”).

What is the Angelic Warfare Confraternity?
The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is a supernatural fellowship of men and women bound to one another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity and purity together under the patronage St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Why is St. Thomas Aquinas a patron for those who pursue chastity?
He is a powerful patron for those seeking to live a chaste and pure life. Click on the history tab above to learn more.

Why is this confraternity called the “Angelic Warfare Confraternity?"
It is called by this title in honor of St. Thomas being girded by the angels. But the name is also appropriate because the pursuit of chastity is often a fierce struggle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world, the flesh, and the devil all work together to destroy chastity. The Holy Spirit, the good angels, and the Confraternity work together to build up chastity.

What are the essential practices of the Confraternity?
The three essential practices are:

1) Enrollment and Registration. In the enrollment ceremony, a Dominican priest confers the blessing upon the cord and medal of St. Thomas Aquinas and the person who will wear it. The name of the person enrolled and place of the enrollment ceremony goes into the official Register.

2) Wearing either the blessed cord of St. Thomas or the blessed medal of St. Thomas (or both) as continuously as one reasonably can for the rest of one’s life.

3) Daily prayers for purity for oneself and all the members of the Confraternity. The daily prayers consist of two special prayers for chastity and fifteen Hail Marys.

What is the cord of St. Thomas?
The cord of St. Thomas is a thin cord with fifteen knots in it and blessed by a Dominican priest. It is worn around the waist underneath one’s clothing.

What is the medal of St. Thomas?
The medal, on one side, has the image of St. Thomas being girded by the angels, and, on the other side, has the image of Our Lady of the Rosary. It too is blessed by a Dominican priest. It is worn like any other medal.

Can only a Dominican priest bless the cord and medal of St. Thomas?
No, any priest may bless the cord and medal as long as he uses the appropriate prayer of blessing.

Can only a Dominican priest perform the enrollment ceremony?
Ordinarily, the ceremony must be performed by a Dominican priest. However, non-Dominican priests may request permission to enroll new members by contacting the appropriate Angelic Warfare Confraternity promoter. For more information, see our contact page.

Do members commit to wearing the blessed cord or medal of St. Thomas continuously for the rest of their life?
Yes, all Confraternity members wear the blessed cord and/or medal as continuously as reasonably possible for the rest of their lives. The cord or medal or both are also worn while bathing and sleeping.

Can I ever take off the cord or medal?
Confraternity members use their common sense and prudence. Sometimes, there are circumstances that require one to remove the cord or medal, e.g. during surgery, during athletic events, etc. When such circumstances pass, the members put the cord or medal back on. Experience reveals the advantages of wearing the blessed cord or medal as continuously as possible.

Does joining the Confraternity bring healing for the wounds of past sexual sin?
Yes, but not without one’s cooperation. The Holy Spirit moves in the Confraternity to heal members of the wounds of their sexual sins. One of the daily prayers says, "...if I have ever imagined or felt anything that can stain my chastity and purity, blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers, that I may advance with a pure heart…" This is a prayer for inner healing, and so members pray daily for the healing of wounds of sexual sin. Experience has proven that this prayer works, but not in a way that one might imagine at first hearing it. Rather than all the memories and wounds of past sin simply vanishing, the Holy Spirit gradually works a deep and very personal process of inner renewal and renovation of the heart. There is such a thing as a new innocence. Guidance from a spiritual director is also recommended.

If I already pray a Rosary every day, do I have to say fifteen Hail Marys in addition to my Rosary?
No. It is sufficient to dedicate fifteen of the Hail Marys of the Rosary as being for the Confraternity. However, to say fifteen additional Hail Marys with attention and fervor would be a great work of love for other members of the Confraternity and would add to the graces that others receive.

Are there any indulgences available for those who join?
The Popes have given many indulgences upon the Confraternity as a sign that they want people to join. All the members are eligible to receive a plenary indulgence:

• Once on the day of enrollment

• Every year on the feasts of Christmas, Easter, St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan 28), the Annunciation (Mar 25), the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug 15), and All Saints Day (Nov 1).

Members gain a plenary indulgence on these days given the following four conditions:

• Receive Holy Communion on that day with the intention of gaining the indulgence
• Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation within eight days before or after that day
• Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Apostle’s Creed for the intentions of the Holy Father
• Renew privately the intention to live according to the practices of the Confraternity

Are there supernatural effects of enrollment in the Confraternity?
St. Thomas Aquinas becomes an official personal patron of each Confraternity member, the treasure chest of graces merited by the Dominican Order is opened up to all in the Confraternity to draw upon, and the prayers of thousands of other members of the Confraternity come to the aid of all the other members every day. People often say they no longer feel isolated in the pursuit of chastity but tied to others in the same pursuit. They often say they feel stronger and more equipped for the struggle.

Have people’s lives been transformed by joining the Confraternity?
Yes. Many people testify to a noticeable and sometimes great difference in their lives after joining.

Do some people still fall into sins against chastity after joining the Confraternity?
Yes. Some people who join the Confraternity still fall into sexual sin. But even those who fall again still feel better off for having joined. The Confraternity is not a magic wand. The point of joining is not to find an instant solution to sin, but to find help in growing in chastity over time. And large numbers of people find that help in the Confraternity.

If I join the Confraternity and then fall into sins of impurity, is the sin worse than if I had never joined?
No. There is no additional gravity added to sexual sin because one is a member of the Confraternity. Members make no promise to succeed at chastity. They promise only to strive for chastity. The point of the Confraternity is to assist members in their striving rather than to shame them for their failures.

As a member am I required to tell the priest in Confession that I belong to the Confraternity?
No. Since membership adds no gravity to sins committed.

Do the three essential practices of the Confraternity (enrollment, wearing the cord or medal, and daily prayers) bind under pain of sin? If I join and fail to say my prayers one day, do I sin?
No. The Church has decreed that in no confraternity does a person commit sin by failing to observe any of its practices. Members should wear the cord or medal and say the daily prayers more out of love for one another than out of fear of sin.

May people who have always led a chaste life join the Confraternity?
Yes. The Confraternity is not just for those who have fallen into sexual sin or who struggle with it. Many people who have led a basically chaste life join the Confraternity in order to preserve their chastity in the future and to be of help to others through prayer.

If I am not struggling with chastity but know someone else who is, can I join the Confraternity and give the grace to the person who is struggling?
One can join the Confraternity and petition the Lord to give the graces to someone else outside the Confraternity, and our Lord is known to hear such generous prayers when they are made with humility, confidence, and perseverance. Through special petitions, another person might benefit from one’s membership, but not in the same way as if he or she were a member who intentionally seeks chastity.

May Catholics of the Eastern rites join the Confraternity?
Yes.

What is the minimum age for enrollment? Can a child be enrolled?
Membership in the Confraternity requires that one make a free and lifelong commitment. The law of the Church does not recognize those under seven years of age as being able to make such a free choice. For those Catholics who are in junior high and already Confirmed, the question remains of how maturely the person grasps the Church’s teaching on sexuality and chastity.

What if a child in junior high or younger shows signs of interest and desire in joining the Confraternity?
For such children, it is good for the child to wear a blessed medal of St. Thomas, to learn the daily prayers, and to look forward to full enrollment in the Confraternity at a more mature age. Such a time of waiting can be looked upon as a period of formation and preparation for membership as the child learns the meaning of human sexuality and chastity.