5 things to know about Corsican brotherhoods
Fraternity, prayers and procession
Strictly speaking, Catholic brotherhoods are not unique to Corsica. They are found in many regions of France, notably Normandy, the North, Limousin, Creuse and the South-East.
In Corsica, they form one of the most striking faces of popular faith and piety. Concretely living the values of fraternity and solidarity, their members are called to be attentive to their neighbors to identify people in difficulty, isolated, poor or sick who should be helped. Above all, they organize processions like those of catenacciu (the chainedEditor’s note) in Sartène (Southern Corsica), an unparalleled Stations of the Cross which takes place, as is customary, on Good Friday and attracts thousands of people from all over the island. They also lead times of prayer and funeral vigils.
A history dating back more than six centuries
The Catholic brotherhoods in Corsica have a rich history dating back to the early 15th century. They have their origins in Italian brotherhoods. They owe a lot to the Franciscans who played a major role in the evangelization of the island from the 13th century. In the 16th century, new brotherhoods appeared during the Catholic Reformation, devoting themselves to particular devotions such as the Blessed Sacrament or the Virgin Mary.
They then experience many vicissitudes. The French Revolution suppressed them in 1792. They were authorized again under the Empire and regained influence throughout the 19th century… until the two world wars dealt them a severe blow, leading to their virtual disappearance. .
From the 1970s, the “Riacquistu” (movement for the reappropriation of Corsican identity and culture) played a major role in the rebirth of the brotherhoods.
Growing associations
Today, there are more than 70 organizations of this type, governed as associations under the law of 1901, in order to be more independent from the bishopric. They bring together more than 3,000 people of all ages and recruit many young people in particular. Most are exclusively male.
However, there are mixed brotherhoods and, more recently, all-female organizations. The first of its kind was created in 2012 in Ajaccio and is called Notre-Dame-de-la-Miséricorde.
A step-by-step admission and a codified ritual
Prerequisites govern entry into a brotherhood: being baptized, confirmed and of age. You should then write a cover letter to the Prior. The applicant can be “co-opted” by a sponsor or apply on their own. The sponsor plays an important role: he guides the applicant and prepares him during the months preceding his entry into the organization. An interview in front of several members of the brotherhood’s board of directors is required in order to find out the applicant’s motivations and what he or she is ready to bring to the organization.
During Corpus Christi and/or that of Christ the King, the last feast of the liturgical calendar, the postulant enters the brotherhood during a ritual ceremony. The godfather is present and places his right hand on his right shoulder. The priest blesses the outfit that the new member wears: an alb, a cape and a colored “cord” – a sort of deacon’s stole but in the other direction, from the right shoulder to the left side – and a medal of the Blessed Sacrament. They then enter a period of “novitiate” for a year which will lead them to become, approximately one year later, fully members of the brotherhood.
A framework to avoid “drifts”
Cardinal François Bustillo, bishop of Ajaccio, strongly encourages participation in brotherhoods, seeing it as a valuable means of evangelization and a way of growing the feeling of belonging to a community. He recently appointed two deacons to support and supervise the development of the brotherhoods in order, he said, to “avoid sectarian excesses” (read here, our interview with Cardinal Bustillo). Some point to links between the brotherhoods and the aspirations of Corsican nationalist movements, which specifically emphasize the preservation of Corsican identity and culture.
