||This article's lead section may not adequately summarize key
points of its contents. (February 2012)| A fraternity (Latin
frater : "brother") is a brotherhood, although the term
sometimes connotes a distinct or formal organization and
sometimes a secret society. A fraternity (or fraternal
organization) is an organized society of men associated together
in an environment of companionship and brotherhood; dedicated to
the intellectual, physical, and social development of its
members. There are known fraternal organizations which existed
as far back as ancient Greece and in the Mithraic Mysteries of
ancient Rome. Analogous institutions developed in the late
medieval period called confraternities, which were lay
organizations allied to the Catholic Church. Some were groups of
men and women who were endeavoring to ally themselves more
closely with the prayer and activity of the Church; Others were
groups of tradesmen, which are more commonly referred to as
guilds. These later confraternities evolved into purely