Despite difficulties, great effort, and suffering, the life’s work of Peter Friedhofen flourished, and flourishes today. Neither the so-called "Kulturkampf," nor the World War with its losses, nor the "Thousand Year Reich" could defeat it. It will also outlive the age of materialism: the truly good lasts. Such a work is not bound to time or space. The community was elevated to a papal congregation by Pope Pius X in 1905, and the constitutions finally approved. A division into provinces followed in 1937: a German, Swiss-Italian, French, and Luxembourg province and in the Commission for Asia. The Brazilian Commission was added in recent times.
 

Each Brother of Mercy is in a certain sense also a missionary. This is part of his call. For other than working out his salvation in care for the sick or in more indirect service to humanity, he also desires to lead souls to the Lord. Thus he professionally has the salvation of his neighbors always before him, regardless of what land or on what continent he follows this call.
 

In Europe the congregation supports hospitals, homes for the elderly and convalescent, clinics for the mentally ill, a hospital following the Kneipp method, ambulant health care in families, and custodial care in parish churches. It also administers the Domitilla catacombs in Rome. In 1930 under Bishop Ross, the sons of Friedhofen wished to take on the care of the lepers of Hiroshima, but the Japanese government thwarted this desire. It then worked for youth, gave orphans a home and education, and card and prayed for them. In 1938, staying in Japan became impossible. They had it no better than their father in Weitersburg: they had to move to Shanghai, where called by Lo Pa Hong, they administered a home for the mentally ill. The Communists drove them away even from here in 1951. Archbishop Buddenbrock had called Brothers to Lanchow, Kansu (China). All these years they ran a hospital, visited and treated patients in families, prisons, and institutions.
 

Many works of the Brothers of Mercy took place among non-Christians. They prepared a way for the light of faith and were the advance troops of the missionaries. Then prison, trials, and expulsion followed, and final separation in 1951 from their Chinese Brothers.

Malaysia called. In 1952 Archbishop Olcomendy of Malacca, Singapore, expressed a desire for a modern travelling hospital which could serve the poor migrant population. Since 1974 the Brothers administer the "Fatimah" Hospital.
 

The love of Christ urged further: to the people of Brazil. Under Archbishop Sigaud a "Santa Casa," a hospital for the poor, was founded through unspeakable sacrifices and self-deprivation. There are people everywhere who are poorer than we, poor, whom the sons of Friedhofen, the "Brothers of Mercy," give the most beautiful thing in the world, the brotherly love of Christ. The same goes for the hospital for the poor in Porto Alegre: they proclaim the love of the Good Samaritan! They watch at the beds of the sick, treat and care for them, console and encourage the oppressed: a timely task as long as the world exists!
 

Life in the order and their bond to God its their daily source of strength for the ministry of Christ to the sick and poor. Mary, Mother and Lady, is their advocate before God and their help in service to others. Truly a wonderful task, a work of Christ! For him, the Savior, the Redeemer of the world! In all these tasks the congregation follows the spirit of Blessed Peter Friedhofen. The congregation fans this spirit into a new fire and lets it work in our rationalistic and often hate-filled world and times.