“Convenient for the service of God, Our Lady, and the welfare of the souls of the faithful”

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the world of Catholic lay brotherhoods inf the city of Campanha, in Minas Gerais. To this end, it traces the city’s origins as the “Arraial da Campanha do Rio Verde” in the first half of the 18th century, through its elevation to the administrative status of village, as the “Vila da Campanha da Princesa” (whose territory included a number of parishes under its jurisdiction), to its recognition as a city in the 19th century. The article examines the role of lay associative practices in residents’ daily lives, identifying the brotherhoods’ ethnic-social configuration and their importance throughout the city’s history. In addition to memoirs produced in the 19th century, the paper utilizes civil and ecclesiastical archival sources, notably the the brotherhoods’ own records including statutes, membership lists, accounting records, meeting minutes, correspondence, and legal cases.