▁anni vers aries ▁for ▁the ▁benef act ors ▁and ▁members . ▁In ▁ 1 2 6 2 ▁twenty - four ▁sec ular ▁pri ests ▁un ited ▁to ▁practice ▁works ▁of ▁mer cy ▁for ▁the ▁dead , ▁read ▁Mass es ▁for ▁the ▁rep ose ▁of ▁their ▁sou ls , ▁et ▁c eter a . ▁In ▁ 1 3 5 5 ▁at ▁G lock nitz ▁a ▁lay ▁con fr atern ity ▁for ▁the ▁dead ▁accepted ▁members ▁from ▁other ▁par ishes ▁and ▁c ared ▁especially ▁for ▁the ▁bur ial ▁of ▁the ▁poor . ▁Duc ange - F av re ▁speak s ▁of ▁a ▁p ious ▁association , ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 4 1 3 , ▁express ly ▁under ▁the ▁name ▁of ▁p urg atory , ▁in ▁the ▁old ▁church ▁of ▁Maria ▁De aur ata ▁at ▁Toul ouse . ▁ ▁These ▁con fr atern ities ▁concerned ▁themselves ▁almost ▁exclus ively ▁with ▁the ▁sou ls ▁of ▁dece ased ▁members ▁and ▁benef act ors , ▁while ▁later ▁associations ▁worked ▁for ▁the ▁benefit ▁of ▁all ▁sou ls . ▁Pro vision ▁for ▁bur ial ▁was ▁first ▁made ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 5 th ▁century ▁Comp ag nia ▁della ▁Piet à ▁( f ounded ▁in ▁Rome ▁in ▁ 1 4 4 8 ). ▁In ▁the ▁newly ▁ere cted ▁church ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁c emetery , ▁a ▁con fr atern ity ▁" in ▁honour ▁of ▁the ▁bitter ▁Pass ion ▁of ▁Christ ▁and ▁of ▁the ▁Sor row ful ▁Mother , ▁to ▁comfort ▁and ▁assist ▁all ▁the ▁faithful ▁sou ls ", ▁was ▁ere cted ▁(