They were the terror in the technical drawing classes. The tetrahedron and the cube were easy, they could be drawn almost without technical aids; but from there on, things became more complicated, reaching insurmountable difficulties. The same thing happens in daily life, we tend to simplify concepts and trivialize them, perhaps for fear of developing all their facets, without realizing that reality is always complex, polyhedral, presents many faces and all are necessary to embrace that concept in a harmonious way.
The family is also multifaceted: we can identify it as the formal union of a man and a woman, with the will of permanence, ordered to the good of the spouses and to the procreation and education of the children. This definition, in principle, seems impeccable; but it is insufficient. To manage a family correctly, one must also have knowledge of economics, finances, treasury planning, strategic decision making, psychology, dietetics, first aid, conflict resolution, organization of activities, logistics, fashion, supplies and many other things. If any of these facets, these faces of the polyhedron, fail, family harmony can become complicated.
If instead of families we speak of brotherhoods the question is replicated. Although the Code of Canon Law does not mention brotherhoods at any time, it only speaks of public associations of the faithful, brotherhoods fit perfectly in the definition and characteristics of these associations, so that the difficulty about their nature and purposes would be solved: brotherhoods are one of the forms that public associations of the faithful of the Catholic Church can acquire and their mission is the Christian improvement of their brothers or associates through their formation, the promotion of public worship, the promotion of charity and the sanctification of society from within.
But the definition is not enough; in order to fulfill this mission, the sisterhoods have to acquire and apply a series of knowledge, abilities and attitudes that go far beyond the definition. Trying to systematize the issue, so as not to get lost, we identify three main lines of work:
Doctrinal foundation.
Since their inclusion in the Code of Canon Law, the brotherhoods, when erected as such by the Hierarchy, acquire canonical juridical personality (also civil, but that is another matter) and receive from the Church, as necessary, the mission to work in favor of the ends that it proposes to achieve in its name.
This responsibility must be supported by a rigorous knowledge of the truths of the faith developed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which must be complemented with the Social Doctrine of the Church and with the bases of Christian Anthropology. To this must be added the knowledge of the encyclicals, apostolic letters and any other document, suggestion or indication proposed by the Pope (synodality, family, St. Joseph, ...).
Activities.
For the fulfillment of their purposes the brotherhoods have to carry out a series of formative activities, of worship and for the promotion of Charity. Being very clear that the activities are a means, not an end. The Governing Board is not the entertainment team of a beach hotel. Each activity must be focused on the achievement or reinforcement of the objectives previously set. Before launching an activity, those responsible for the brotherhood should ask themselves to what extent it contributes to the fulfillment of the aims of the brotherhood.
Management.
Whether it has a few brothers or thousands, a brotherhood is a non-profit organization that has to be managed properly, that means keeping orderly accounting, managing administrative processes, institutional communication, and many more issues that are not resolved only with good will, but with a minimum of professional rigor.
To go into the development of each of these sections would take time, now it is not a question of that, but of proposing that the government of a brotherhood is not limited to the organization of worship services, professional outings and some social assistance activities. These are activities that are part of a global purpose: to participate in the mission of the Church, encouraging the sanctification of the brothers. It is a task of maxims, not of formal fulfillment, which is sustained by prayer, study and permanent analysis of the surrounding reality. Also in the pure management. They must be motors of personal and social development, which implies excellence; but in order to be excellent, knowledge must be created, and this is not generated in a vacuum but from data contrasted from faith complemented with reason.
D. in Business Administration. Director of the Instituto de Investigación Aplicada a la Pyme. Eldest Brother (2017-2020) of the Brotherhood of the Soledad de San Lorenzo, in Seville. He has published several books, monographs and articles on brotherhoods.
