The mystery of the confraternity; an insinuating title on the website of the ‘Illustre Lieve Vrouwe’ Confraternity, but is this correct? Admittedly, a closed age-old society where you can not become a member without being asked, with various illustrious people from Dutch history, will easily get a predicate of at least mysterious. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing mysterious about the motives within the confraternity; from an oecumenical point of view, members of a Catholic or Reformational background share a joined spiritual basis in which respect for each other’s conviction and ideas form one of the pillars of a valuable fraternal bond. This is reflected in the annual dinners and drinks that provide an opportunity to exchange ideas about everyday matters or personal challenges. A special feature is the openness with which, despite, or perhaps also thanks to, age differences of sometimes 5 decades, personal challenges can be discussed and the differences in vision provide an invaluable added value among the members.
Openness has also been an important challenge in recent years when it comes to the external connection. Because despite the aforementioned statement and the private character of this company, the confraternity is trying to show itself more and more by means of public events such as the annual car rally for good causes such as hospice ‘de Duinsche Hoeve’ in Rosmalen, various lectures during the year on various topics by fascinating speakers and the museum that is accessible to everyone with interesting and historically valuable pieces from the history of the confraternity and Den Bosch. This website also tries to contribute to the wish of ‘the shutters open’ and gives you a nice insight into what the confraternity is all about and tries to increase openness. And also with the 700th anniversary of the ‘Illustre Lieve Vrouwe’ Confraternity, various activities will be publicly accessible, so you are very welcome to join us during one of these occasions.