MEDIEVAL ARISTOCRACY AND GENTRY RECOGNISED THAT THEY HAD A SERIOUS RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP THE LESS FORTUNATE. The monasteries would also help those in need: for example, when harvests were poor and food was scarce.
Every parish would have one or more guilds, religious fraternities: voluntary bodies that would take care of their members and support the parish church.
Among other things, the guilds would organise Masses for the dead, the funding of lights in the church, and annual feasts.
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