Funeral Service Practice Exam

What was the name of the group formed in the Middle Ages by laypersons to bury the dead and to pray for the souls of the faithful departed?

1. Order of the Knights

2. Leagues of prayer

3. Burial Society

4. Clerical Guild

The correct answer is: Leagues of prayer

The group formed in the Middle Ages by laypersons to bury the dead and pray for the souls of the faithful departed is referred to as the "Leagues of prayer." These leagues were significant during this period as they allowed laypeople to come together with the primary purpose of attending to the needs of the deceased, which included burial and intercessory prayers. This practice reflects a communal approach to funeral rites, where the community takes an active role in memorializing and praying for their deceased members, highlighting the importance of both spiritual and communal responsibilities in the context of death and mourning. The other options, while they might denote various groups or organizations, do not specifically pertain to the role of laypersons in burial and prayers for the dead during the Middle Ages. For example, "Order of the Knights" typically refers to chivalric orders focused more on military and religious missions, while "Burial Society" is a broader term that may include various forms of burial assistance but does not directly capture the specific devotion and communal prayers emphasized in the context of leagues. The "Clerical Guild" usually relates more closely to clergy and their associated practices, which are separate from the lay involvement in burial activities. Thus, "Leagues of prayer" is the