Was there a long standing organization within the catholic church whose purpose was to actively seek out heretics and other practices deemed "anti-christian"?

For example I see The Ancient Order of the Hibernians. Formed in the late 1800s it was a group of Irish Catholics formed to protect against anti-Catholic "forces".

But is there an older organization that was kept and maintained with the specific purpose of seeking out anti-christian happenings. A Catholic SWAT team if you will...