FRATELLI DELLA MISERICORDIA (Montabaur, Limburg). – The earliest origins of this Congregation of lay brothers date back to 1852, when several young men, under the direction of Pietro Loetschert, began to live in community, devoting themselves to the care of the sick at Hilscheid, in the district of Montabaur.
On 29 June 1856, the bishop of Limburg gave the associates a religious habit, and on 28 November 1858 received their first religious vows. The Institute soon spread in Germany and the Netherlands, obtaining from the Holy See the decree of praise on 21 September 1888. On 20 December 1800 it received definitive approval, together with temporary approval of the constitutions, which were subsequently definitively approved on 10 April 1921. Its purpose is to assist the sick both in hospitals and in their homes.
In 1949 there were 31 houses, with 200 professed members.