Barmherzige Brüder

Brothers of Mercy (Barmherzige Brüder), name for several Catholic orders involved in the care of the sick. The most relevant male order is the Order of Charity for the Service of the Sick (Ordo S. Joannis de Deo = OSJdD, also called Brothers Hospitallers), which was founded by St. John of God in Granada in the year 1537. The order adopted the Augustinian rule in 1572 and has been a mendicant order since 1624. The Brothers of Mercy are for the most part lay brothers. They add to the threefold vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience the vow of hospitality (charity and almsgiving). In Austria, there are hospitals run by Brothers of Mercy in the towns of Eisenstadt, two in Graz, Linz, Salzburg, St. Veit an der Glan and in Vienna. There is a Kneipp therapy centre in St. Veit an der Glan (therapy after the German priest S. Kneipp combining cold water treatment, diets and outdoor exercise), a specialised nursing home in Kainbach near Graz and several more nursing homes. The seat of the Provincial Superior is in Vienna.