CARMELITE
CONSTITUTIONS
1995
TALBE OF CONTENTS
·
CARMELITE.. 1
o
COPYRIGHT. 7
o
NOTES ON THE TRANSLATION. 8
o
ABBREVIATIONS. 9
o
DOCUMENTS OF THE SECOND
VATICAN COUNCIL. 9
o
PAPAL DOCUMENTS. 9
o
OTHER DOCUMENTS OF THE HOLY
SEE. 11
o
DOCUMENTS OF THE CARMELITE
ORDER. 11
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OTHER ABBREVIATIONS. 13
o
LETTER FROM THE PRIOR GENERAL. 15
·
THE RULE OF SAINT ALBERT.. 17
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[Chapter 1]. 18
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[Chapter 2]. 18
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[Chapter 3]. 18
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[Chapter 4]. 18
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[Chapter 5]. 18
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[Chapter 6]. 18
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[Chapter 7]. 19
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[Chapter 8]. 19
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[Chapter 9]. 19
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[Chapter 10]. 19
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[Chapter 11]. 19
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[Chapter 12]. 20
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[Chapter 13]. 20
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[Chapter 14]. 20
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[Chapter 15]. 20
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[Chapter 16]. 20
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[Chapter 17]. 20
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[Chapter 18]. 21
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[Chapter 19]. 21
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[Chapter 20]. 21
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[Chapter 21]. 22
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[Chapter 22]. 22
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[Chapter 23]. 22
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[Chapter 24]. 22
·
PART ONE.. 24
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CHAPTER I 25
o
The Gift and the Mission of
the Order. 25
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CHAPTER II 31
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The Charism of the Order. 31
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1. The contemplative
dimension of our life. 32
o
2. Fraternity. 34
·
Inspired by the Word. 35
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3. Service in the midst of
the people. 36
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5. The Carmelite Family. 41
·
PART TWO.. 43
o
CHAPTER III 44
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Life in Community. 44
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CHAPTER IV. 51
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Evangelical Counsels and Vows. 51
o
1.
Obedience: hearing and discerning God’s plan. 51
o
2.
Poverty: sharing and solidarity. 54
o
3. Chastity:
celibate for the Kingdom.. 58
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CHAPTER V. 61
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Prayer. 61
o
1. Prayer in general 61
o
2.
Liturgical prayer. 63
o
3.
Personal prayer. 66
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4. Veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of
the Saints. 69
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CHAPTER VI 73
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Our Apostolic Mission - General Considerations. 73
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CHAPTER VII 76
o
Our Apostolic Mission in the Local Church. 76
o
CHAPTER VIII 80
o
Concern for the Carmelite Family. 80
o
CHAPTER IX. 82
o
Our Apostolic Mission and the Promotion of
Justice and Peace throughout the
world 82
·
PART THREE.. 85
o
CHAPTER X. 86
o
The Process of Formation of the Carmelite. 86
o
CHAPTER XI 88
o
The Ministry of Formation. 88
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CHAPTER XII 91
o
The Ministry of Vocations. 91
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CHAPTER XIII 92
o
The Stages of Formation. 92
o
1.
The Pre-novitiate. 92
o
2.
The Novitiate. 93
o
3.
The Period of Simple Profession. 97
o
4.
Solemn Profession. 99
·
PART FOUR.. 107
o
CHAPTER XIV. 108
o
The Basic Structure of the Order. 108
o
CHAPTER XV. 115
o
The Law of the Order. 115
o
CHAPTER XVI 120
o
Active and Passive Voice. 120
o
CHAPTER XVII 123
o
Authority within the Order - Offices in General 123
o
CHAPTER XVIII 127
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Chapters and other Collegial Acts. 127
o
1. Chapters. 127
o
2. Offices. 129
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CHAPTER XIX. 140
o
General Government. 140
o
1. The General Chapter. 140
o
2. The Prior General 145
o
3. The General Congregation. 147
o
4. The Council of Provinces. 148
o
5. Regions. 149
o
7. The Vice Prior General 151
o
8. The General Councillors. 151
o
9. The Procurator General 153
o
10.
The Bursar General 153
o
11.
The Secretary General and the Offices of the Curia. 154
o
CHAPTER XX. 156
o
The Government of Provinces. 156
o
1. The Provincial Chapter. 156
o
2. The Prior Provincial 160
o
3. The Provincial Council 164
o
4. Provincial Officials. 167
o
5.
Government of Provincial Commissariats. 168
o
CHAPTER XXI 170
o
Government of Communities. 170
o
1. Local Chapters and Councils. 170
o
2. The Local Prior. 172
o
3. Other Local Officials. 176
o
CHAPTER XXII 179
o
The Administration of Goods. 179
o
CHAPTER XXIII 182
o
Departure and Dismissal from the Order. 182
o
EPILOGUE. 185
·
INDICES. 186
o
INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 187
o
N.B. References are to
article numbers. 187
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A.. 187
o
B. 188
o
C. 189
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D.. 193
o
E. 194
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F. 195
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G.. 196
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H.. 198
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I 199
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J. 199
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K. 200
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L. 200
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M... 201
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N.. 203
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O.. 203
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P. 204
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Q.. 213
o
R. 213
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S. 214
o
T. 216
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U.. 217
o
V.. 217
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W... 218
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INDEX OF PASSAGES FROM SCRIPTURE. 219
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Old Testament. 219
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New Testament. 219
o
INDEX OF CANONICAL SOURCES. 221
Published by
CARMELITE COMMUNICATIONS
214 Richardson Street
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ISBN 0 0000000 0 0
Printed by AGA Printer & Sons, Faversham, Kent,
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Copyright © 1996 Carmelite Communications
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted
in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
Quotations from
scripture are taken from the NRSV; those of the Second Vatican Council from Flannery. Quotations from other documents of the Holy See, various
Congregations and the Carmelite Order have been re-translated for this edition.
The General Chapter in session # 35, 27th September1995,
decreed the following:
The official
text of the Constitutions is in Italian. Translations into English and Spanish
will be prepared and approved by the Prior General, with the consent of his
Council.
This translation
was prepared by Ms Elena French and reviewed by Christopher O’Donnell,
John Keating, Patrick Mullins, Redemptus Valabek, Paul Cahill, Jerome Watt,
John Russell, Eamon Carroll and Wilfrid McGreal.
The final text
was approved by the Prior General and his Council on October dd, 1996.
AA Apostolicam actuositatem, Decree on the
Apostolate of
the Laity, 18 November 1965
AG Ad gentes, Decree on the Church’s
Missionary Activity,
7 December 1965
CD Christus Dominus, Decree on the Pastoral
Office of Bishops
in the Church, 28 October 1965
DV Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation,
19 November 1965
GS Gaudium et spes, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church
in the Modern World, 7 December 1965
LG Lumen gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church,
21 November 1964
OT Optatam totius, Decree on Priestly
Formation, 28 October
1965
PC Perfectae caritatis, Decree on the
Appropriate Renewal
of the Religious life, 28 November 1965
PO Presbyterorum ordinis, Decree on the
Ministry and Life
of Priests, 7 December 1965
SC Sacrosanctum concilium, Constitution on
the Liturgy,
4 December 1963
UR Unitatis reintegratio, Decree on Ecumenism,
21 November
1964
CL Christifideles laici, Apostolic
Exhortation of John Paul
II on the laity, 30 December 1988
EE Essential elements in the Church’s
teaching as applied
to Institutes dedicated to works of the apostolate,
Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes,
31 May 1983
EN Evangelii nuntiandi, Apostolic
Exhortation of Paul VI on
evangelisation in the modern world, 8 December 1975
ET Evangelica testificatio, Apostolic
Exhortation of Paul VI
on the renewal of the religious life, 29 June 1971
LE Laborem exercens, Encyclical Letter of
John Paul II on
human work on the occasion of the 90th anniversary
of the encyclical Rerum novarum, 14 September
1981
MC Marialis cultus, Apostolic Exhortation
of Paul VI on Marian
devotion, 2 February 1974
PdV Pastores dabo vobis, Apostolic
Exhortation of John Paul
II on priestly formation, 25 March 1992
PP Populorum progressio, Encyclical Letter
of Paul VI on
the development of peoples, 26 March 1967
RD Redemptionis donum, Apostolic
Exhortation of John Paul
II on religious consecration, 25 March 1984
RM Redemptoris missio, Encyclical Letter of
John Paul II on
the permanent vitality of the mandate for mission,
7 December 1990
RMa Redemptoris Mater, Encyclical Letter of
John Paul II on
the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the pilgrim Church,
25 March 1987
SRS Sollicitudo rei socialis, Encyclical
Letter of John Paul II
on the 20th anniversary of Populorum
progressio, 30
December 1987
Can. Canon
from the Codex Iuris Canonicis, 1983
DCVR Dimensione contemplativa della vita
religiosa, Congregation
for Institutes of the Religious Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, 12 August 1980
LH De Liturgia Horarum, General Instruction
on the Liturgy
of the Hours, Congregation for Divine Worship,
11 April 1971
MR Mutuae relationes, Congregation for
Bishops and Congregation
for Institutes of the Religious Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, 14 May 1978
PI Potissimum Institutioni, on the
formation of religious, Congregation
for Institutes of the Religious Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, 2 February 1990
RdU La recherche de l’unité, on
the application of the principles
and norms on ecumenism, Pontifical Council
for the unity of Christians, 25 March 1993
RPU Religiosi e promozione umana,
Congregation for Institutes
of the Religious Life and Societies of Apostolic
Life, 12 August 1980
SanP Il Santo Padre, and attached document Orientamenti e
proposte, Congregation for Divine Worship, 3 April 1987
Gen. Congr. 1974 The Carmelite Today:
Brotherhood as a Way to God, General
Congregation, Frascati, 1974, [in TPB,
pp. 38-43]
Gen. Congr. 1980 Called to Account by the Poor, General
Congregation, Rio de Janeiro, 1980, [in TPB,
pp. 82-97]
Gen.Congr. 1986 Carmel Faced with the
Vocational Challenge, General Congregation,
Niagara Falls, 1986, [Carmelite Communications
Melbourne, 1986]
Gen. Congr. 1992 Evangelisation for Carmelites
Today, General Congregation,
Caracas, 1992, [Carmelite Communications
Melbourne, 1992]
PrayComm Praying Communities at the Service of the
People, Joint
Letter of the General Superiors of the Ancient Observance
and Discalced Carmelites on the occasion
of the Vth centenary of the Evangelisation
of Latin America, 16 July 1992 [in AOC 43 (1992) 157-163]
Rule The Rule of St. Albert, ed. H. Clarke
& B. Edwards, Aylesford
& Kensington, 1973
I Prov. Pledged to the service of brotherhood,
First Council of
Provinces, Madrid, 1972 [in TPB, pp.
14-23]
II Prov. “Lord, Teach us to Pray”,
Second Council of Provinces,
Aylesford, 1973, [in TPB, pp. 24-37]
III Prov. In the midst of the people: small religious communities
and basic communities, Third Council of
Provinces, Dublin, 1975, [in TPB, pp.
44-55]
V Prov. A Return to the Sources: an examination of
the biblical
significance of Mary and Elijah, Fifth Council of
Provinces, Mount Carmel, 1979, [in TPB,
pp. 68- 81]
VI Prov. Growing in Brotherhood, Sixth Council of
Provinces, Heerlen,
1981, [in TPB, pp. 110-129]
VII Prov. Enchanted by the Mysteries of God, Seventh Council of Provinces,
Aylesford, 1982,
[in TPB, pp. 157-161]
IX Prov. Our International Dimension, Ninth
Council of Provinces, Fatima, 1985, [Whitefriars Street, Carmelite Priory,
Dublin, 1985]
X Prov. Message to the Order, Tenth Council of
Provinces, Manila,
1987, [Carmelite Communications Melbourne,
1987]
XI Prov. Letter to the Carmelite Family, Eleventh
Council of Provinces,
Dublin, 1988, [Carmelite Communications
Melbourne, 1988]
XII Prov. Carmelite Charism: Journey into God,
Following the Word,
Twelfth Council of Province, Salamanca, 1991,
[Carmelite Communications Melbourne, 1991]
XIII Prov. Message to the Carmelite Family,
Thirteenth Council of
Provinces, Nantes, 1994, [Carmelite Communications
Melbourne, 1994]
AOC Analecta Ordinis Carmelitarum, Rome,
1910-
Bull.
Carm. Bullarium Carmelitanum, ed. E.
Monsignani and J. A.
Ximénez, 4 vols., Rome, 1715-1768
RIVC Ratio institutionis vitae carmelitanae,
Forming Prophetic
Brotherhood, The Carmelite Guide to Formation,
General Curia of the Carmelite Order, Rome,
1988
TPB Towards a Prophetic Brotherhood, Documents
of the Carmelite
Order 1971-1982, The Carmelite Centre, Melbourne,
1984
25th March 1996
Dear Brothers,
It gives me great joy to present the text of our new
constitutions to you. These were approved at the General Chapter celebrated in
September 1995. They are the fruit of all our contributions, of the work of
various experts over a period of some nine years, as well as of the study and
the evaluation of the chapter delegates themselves.
The first part outlines our charism and mission as a
contemplative fraternity in the midst of the people.
The second part is dedicated to the fraternal life and it
invites our communities to be a place of communion, of prayer and of service.
In this way, they will become ever more a visible and credible image of the
Holy Trinity.
The process of formation, in its various phases, is treated in
the third part not so much as a list of things to do, but as a way of life.
Finally the fourth part is devoted to government, considered as a function of service,
guidance and inspiration.
Our lives and apostolates today as Carmelites will be enriched
and animated by this text. For this reason it must not be simply left on the
shelf as decoration. We must find the appropriate ways to deepen our
appreciation of these constitutions and to live them out at a personal level.
We must also make them known (at least the fundamental elements of them) to all
the members of the Carmelite Family.
One way of achieving this goal will be to use aids prepared by
the Order’s experts. Let us thank God that we have people well able to
carry out this task. We wish to encourage them so that through study and
reflection they will help us to appreciate, love and give flesh to the spirit
of Carmel. On the eve of the third millennium this will make us feel heirs to a
glorious past which is not to be belittled, but made living and active through
the life and commitment to the Church and world of today.
Let us open ourselves to the Spirit of the Lord and welcome
with gratitude the assistance of Mary, our mother and our sister. In this way
we will be enthusiastic in considering and accepting this text as a humble but
precious aid in our journey in the consecrated life.
Fraternally,
Joseph Chalmers
O.Carm.
(Prior General)
(Translation
by Fr. Bede Edwards, originally published in The Rule of Saint Albert,
ed. Hugh Clarke & Bede Edwards, Aylesford and Kensington, 1973)
Albert, called by God's favour to
be patriarch of the church of Jerusalem, bids health in the Lord and the
blessing of the Holy Spirit to his beloved sons in Christ, B. and the other
hermits under obedience to him, who live near the spring on Mount Carmel.
Many and varied are the ways in
which our saintly forefathers laid down how everyone, whatever his station or
the kind of religious observance he has chosen, should live a life of alegiance
to Jesus Christ -- how, pure in heart and stout in conscience, he must be
unswerving in the service of his Master.
It is to me, however, that you
have come for a rule of life in keeping with your avowed purpose, a rule you
may hold fast to henceforward; and therefore:
The first thing I require is for you
to have a prior, one of yourselves, who is to be chosen for the office by
common consent, or that of the greater and maturer part of you; each of the
others must promise him obedience -- of which, once promised, he must try to
make his deeds the true reflection -- and also chastity and the renunciation
of ownership.
If the prior and
brothers see fit, you may have foundations in solitary places, or where you are
given a site that is suitable and convenient for the observance proper to your
Order.
Next, each one of you is to have a
separate cell, situated as the lie of the land you propose to occupy may
dictate, and allotted by disposition of the prior with the agreement of the
other brothers, or the more mature among them.
However, you are to eat whatever
may have been given you in a common refectory, listening together meanwhile to
a reading from Holy Scripture where that can be done without difficulty.
None of the brothers is to occupy a
cell other than that allotted to him or to exchange cells with another, without
leave or whoever is prior at the time.
The prior's cell should stand near
the entrance to your property, so that he may be the first to meet those who
approach, and whatever has to be done in consequence may all be carried out as
he may decide and order.
Each one of you is to stay in his
own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord's law day and night and keeping watch at
his prayers unless attending to some other duty.
Those who know how to say the
canonical hours with those in orders should do so, in the way those holy
forefathers of ours laid down, and according to the Church's approved custom.
Those who do not know the hours must say twenty-five Our Fathers for the night
office, except on Sundays and solemnities when that number is to be doubled so
that the Our Father is said fifty times; the same prayer must be said seven
times in the morining in place of Lauds, and seven times too for each of the
other hours, except for Vespers when it must be said fifteen times.
None of the brothers must lay
claim to anything as his own, but you are to possess everything in common; and
each is to receive from the prior -- that is from the brother he appoints for
the purpose -- whatever befits his age and needs.
You may have as many asses and
mules as you need, however, and may keep a certain amount of livestock or
poultry.
An oratory should be built as conveniently
as possible among the cells, where, if it can be done without difficulty, you
are to gather each morning to hear Mass.
On Sundays too, or other days if
necessary, you should discuss matters of discipline and your spiritual welfare;
and on this occasion the indiscretions and failings of the brothers, if any be
found at fault, should be lovingly corrected.
You are to fast every day, except
Sundays, from the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross until Easter Day,
unless bodily sickness or feebleness, or some other good reason, demand a
dispensation from the fast; for necessity overrides every law.
You are to abstain from meat,
except as a remedy for sickness or feebleness. But as, when you are on a journey,
you more often than not have to beg your way; outside your own houses you may
eat foodstuffs that have been cooked with meat, so as to avoid giving trouble
to your hosts. At sea, however, meat may be eaten.
Since man's life on earth is a
time of trial, and all who would live devotedly in Christ must undergo
persecution, and the devil your foe is on the prowl like a roaring lion looking
for prey to devour, you must use every care to clothe yourselves in God's
armour so that you may be ready to withstand the enemy's ambush.
Your loins are to be girt with
chastity, your breast fortified by holy meditations, for, as Scripture has it,
holy meditation will save you. Put on holiness as your breastplate, and it will
enable you to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength,
and your neighbour as yourself. Faith must be your shield on all occasions, and
with it you will be able to quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one:
there can be no pleasing God without faith; [and the victory lies in this --
your faith]. On your head set the helmet of salvation, and so be sure of
deliverance by our only Saviour, who sets his own free from their sins. The
sword of the spirit, the word of God, must abound in your mouths and hearts.
Let all you do have the Lord's word for accompaniment.
You must give yourselves to work
of some kind, so that the devil may always find you busy; no idleness on your
part must give him a chance to pierce the defences of your souls. In this
respect you have both the teaching and the example of Saint Paul the Apostle,
into whose mouth Christ put his own words. God made him preacher and teacher of
faith and truth to the nations: with him as your leader you cannot go astray.
We lived among you, he said, labouring and wary, toiling night and day so as
not to be a burden to any of you; not because we had no power to do otherwise
but so as to give you, in your own selves, an example you might imitate. For
the charge we gave you when we were with you was this: that woever is not
willing to work should not be allowed to eat either. For we have heard that
there are certain restless idlers among you. We charge people of this kind, and
implore them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they earn their own
bread by silent toil. This is the way of holiness and goodness: see that you
follow it.
The Apostle would have us keep
silence, for in silence he tells us to work. As the Prophet also makes known to
us: Silence is the way to foster holiness. Elsewhere he says: Your strength
will lie in silence and hope. For this reason I lay down that you are to keep
silence from after Compline until after Prime the next day. At other times,
although you need not keep silence so strictly, be careful not to indulge in a
great deal of talk, for, as Scripture has it -- and experience teaches us no
less -- sin will not be wanting where there is much talk, and he wo is careless
in speech will come to harm; and elsewhere: The use of many words brings harm
to the speaker's soul. And our Lord says in the Gospel: Every rash word uttered
will have to be accounted for on judgement day. Make a balance then, each of
you, to weigh his words in; keep a tight rein on your mouths, lest you should
stumble and fall in speech, and your fall be irreparable and prove mortal. Like
the Prophet, watch your step lest your tongue give offence, and employ every
care in keeping silent, which is the way to foster holiness.
You, brother B., and whoever may
succeed you as prior, must always keep in mind and put into practice what our
Lord said in the Gospel: Whoever has a mind to become a leader among you must
make himself servant to the rest, and whichever of you would be first must
become your bondsman.
You, other brothers too, hold your
prior in humble reverence, your minds not on him but on Christ who has placed
him over you, and who, to those who rule the Churches, addressed the words:
Whoever pays you heed pays heed to me, and whoever treats you with dishonour
dishonours me; if you remain so minded you will not be found guilty of
contempt, but will merit life eternal as fit reward for your obedience.
Here then are the few points I
have written down to provide you with a standard of counduct to live up to; but
our Lord, at his second coming will reward anyone who does more than he is
obliged to do. See that the bounds of common sense are not exceeded, however,
for common sense is the guide of the virtues.
From Constitutions of the
Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. Approved by
the General Chapter celebrated in September, 1995 and published by the order of
the Most Reverend Father Joseph Chalmers, Prior General.
Chapters have been renumbered since
the Rule was published in 1995. The Chapter numbers used aboveare the result of
a joint meeting of the General Councils of the Carmelites and the Discalced
Carmelites in January, 1999.
Innocentian additions are given in
italics.
Our
Life as Brothers
The
Mission and Charism of the Carmelite Order
and
its basic characteristics
1.
Through Jesus Christ,
Son of the Father
and “firstborn of all creation”,
we live in union with God
and with our neighbours
in a new way.
And so, we share in the mission of the Incarnate Word
in this world,
and we form the Church,
which is in Christ “as a sacrament - a sign and
instrument
of communion with God, and of the unity of the whole
human race.”
2.
Living in allegiance to Jesus Christ,
and embracing his Gospel as the supreme norm of our
lives,
by the power of his Spirit
who distributes his gifts to each according to his
will,
we seek to live together in mutual service of one
another
and of all people.
In this way, we co-operate in God’s plan
to gather all men and women into one Holy People.
3.
Among the gifts of the Spirit is the evangelical
life,
which we profess as religious,
called by Christ to live and to spread
his transforming and liberating power,
and even evangelical life itself,
in a manner that is specific to us,
effective, and contemporary.
This life is characterised by an intense search for
God,
in total adherence to Christ,
finding expression in fraternal life and apostolic
zeal.
4.
Inherent in this vocation
is the full acceptance of the conditions
which Christ sets
for those who wish to follow him in this kind of
life.
It involves acceptance of God’s will,
as sharing in Christ’s obedience.
It also includes the life of poverty
and community of goods,
as an expression of our unity in Christ
and of mutual gospel-inspired union with our
brothers.
Finally, it is consecrated chastity,
as an expression of our love of God
and of our brothers and sisters.
5.
We look upon our consecrated life above all as an
invitation
and a great gift from God,
by which he consecrates us to himself,
that we may serve our brothers and sisters
following Christ’s example.
This vocation perfects in us, through our shared
brotherhood,
the power, which is also charismatic, a gift of the
Spirit,
received at baptism and at confirmation,
binding us in a special way to the Church
and making us ready to serve God and humanity,
“to implant and strengthen the Kingdom of
Christ in souls,
and to spread it to the four corners of the
earth.”
6.
In this context,
we the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount
Carmel
are engaged in a process of self-examination
and seek to define the characteristics
among the many existing charisms and vocations
which give our religious family its particular
identity
within the Church.
7.
At the time of the Crusades to the Holy Land,
hermits settled in various places throughout
Palestine.
Some of these, “following the example of
Elijah,
a holy man and a lover of solitude,
adopted a solitary life-style on Mount Carmel,
near a spring called Elijah’s Fountain.
In small cells, similar to the cells of a beehive,
they lived as God’s bees,
gathering the divine honey of spiritual
consolation.”
8.
Later, St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem brought the
hermits together,
at their request, into a single “collegium”;
he gave them a formula for living
which expressed their own eremetical ideals (“propositum”)
and reflected the spirit of the so-called pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
and of the early community of Jerusalem.
Moved by “their love of the Holy Land”,
these hermits “consecrated themselves in this
Land
to the One who had paid for it by the shedding of his
blood,
in order that they might serve him,
clothed in the habit of religious poverty,”
persevering “in holy penance”
and forming a fraternal community.
9.
This way of life was approved successively by
Honorius III in 1226, by Gregory IX in 1229,
and by Innocent IV in 1245.
In 1247, Innocent IV approved it definitively
as an authentic rule of life,
amending it to suit Western conditions.
These adaptations became necessary
when the Carmelites began to migrate to the West
to escape persecution, and expressed a desire to lead
a life
“in which, with the help of God,
they would have the joy of working for their own
salvation
and that of their neighbour.”
10.
As a result of the approval of the Rule by Innocent
IV,
the Carmelites placed themselves at the service of
the Church,
according to the common ideal of the Mendicant
Orders,
also known as the Orders of Apostolic Brotherhood.
However, they retained the distinctive features
of their original charism;
and over the centuries the Order and the Church
found these features to belong to Carmelites,
especially because of the teachers of spiritual life
whom God raised up in the Order.
11.
The Rule outlines the guiding thrust of Carmelite
life
in allegiance to Christ,
according to the spirit of the Order.
We are to ponder the law of the Lord, by day and by
night,
in silence and in solitude,
so that the word of God
may dwell abundantly in the hearts
and on the lips of those who profess it.
We are to pray with perseverance,
especially by keeping vigil and praying the psalms.
We are also to be clothed in spiritual armour;
to live in fraternal communion,
expressed through the daily celebration of the
Eucharist,
through fraternal meetings in chapters,
through shared ownership of all material goods,
through fraternal and loving correction of failings,
and through a life of austerity, with work and
penance,
rooted in faith, hope and love,
always conforming one’s own will to
God’s,
sought in faith through dialogue
and through the prior’s service to his
brothers.
12.
Carmelite spirituality is characterised by two features.
The first is its Elijan trait
which the Carmelites developed living as they did on Mount Carmel,
the scene of the great prophet’s deeds.
Its second feature is an intimacy with Mary in our spiritual life,
eloquently witnessed by the title of being her brothers and
the dedication of the first Church on Mount Carmel in her honour.
13.
As the human race enters into a new period of its
history,
we seek, as Carmelites inspired by the Spirit at work
in the Church,
to adapt our way of life to new conditions.
We seek to understand the signs of the times
and to examine them in the light of the Gospel,
of our charism, and of our spiritual heritage,
so that we may incarnate this way of life in
different cultures.
14.
“To live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ
and to serve him faithfully
with a pure heart
and a clear conscience”:
these words, inspired by St. Paul,
are the basis for all the elements of our charism;
they are the foundation upon which Albert constructed
our way of life.
The particular Palestinian context in which the Order
originated,
and the approval bestowed by the Holy See
at the various stages of the Order’s historical evolution,
gave new meaning and inspiration
to the way of life set out in the Rule.
Carmelites live their life of allegiance to Christ
through a commitment to seek the face of the living
God
(the contemplative dimension of life),
through fraternity,
and through service (diakonia)
in the midst of the people.
15.
The spiritual tradition of the Order has stressed
that these three fundamental elements of the charism
are not distinct and unrelated values,
but closely interwoven.
Down the ages the Carmelites have emphasised the dynamic
of the desert experience as a crucial factor in unifying these
values.
The desert experience is a Carmelite commitment
to make the crucified Christ - stripped and emptied -
the very foundation of their lives;
to channel their energies entirely towards him in
faith,
tearing down any obstacles which may stand in the way
of perfect dependence on him
or impede perfect charity towards God
and towards others.
This process of detachment which leads to union with
God
- the ultimate goal of all human growth -
is found in our spirituality in the expressions
“purity of heart” (“puritas cordis”)
and “total availability to God (“vacare Deo”)
These indicate a total openness to God
and a gradual self-emptying.
Through this process, when we come to see reality
with God’s eyes,
our attitude towards the world is transformed
according to his love,
and the contemplation of the loving presence of God
will be seen in our lives of fraternity and of
service.
16.
From its earliest days,
the community of Carmelites adopted a contemplative
style,
both in its structures and in its basic values.
This is clearly reflected in the Rule,
which describes a community of brothers,
totally dedicated to a prayerful attention to the
Word,
celebrating and
praising the Lord with zeal.
The Rule speaks of a community
whose members are open to the indwelling of the
Spirit
and formed by the Spirit’s values:
chastity, holy thoughts, justice,
love, faith, the expectation of salvation,
work accomplished in peace,
silence which, as the Prophet tells us,
is the cult of justice and brings wisdom to word and
action;
and discernment, “the guide and moderator of
all virtues.”
17.
The tradition of the Order
has always interpreted the Rule
and the founding charism
as expressions of the contemplative dimension of
life,
and the great spiritual teachers of the Carmelite
Family
have always returned to this contemplative vocation.
Contemplation begins when we entrust ourselves to
God,
in whatever way he chooses to approach us;
it is an attitude of openness to God,
whose presence we discover in all things.
Thus, contemplation is the inner journey of
Carmelites,
arising out of the free initiative of God,
who touches and transforms us,
leading us towards unity of love with him,
raising us up so that we may enjoy this gratuitous love
and live in his loving presence.
It is a transforming experience
of the overpowering love of God.
This love empties us
of our limited and imperfect human ways of
thinking, loving, and behaving,
transforming them into divine ways.
18.
Contemplation also has a gospel and an ecclesial
value.
The practice of contemplation
is not only the source of our spiritual life;
it also determines the quality of our fraternal life
and of our service in the midst of the people of God.
The values of contemplation
- when lived faithfully in the midst of the complex
events of daily life -
make Carmelite brotherhood a witness
to the living and mysterious presence of God among
his people.
The search for the face of God,
and openness to the gifts of the Spirit,
make us more attentive to the signs of the times
and more sensitive to the seeds of the Word in
history,
seeing and evaluating facts and events
within the Church and within society.
Through living like Christ,
in solidarity with the events
and the hopes of the human race,
Carmelites will be able to make appropriate decisions
to transform life, making it conform more closely
to the will of the Father.
Moreover, for the good of the Church,
the contemplative dimension
will encourage those who feel called to an eremetical
life.
19.
A contemplative attitude towards the world around us
allows us to discover the presence of God
in the events of ordinary daily life
and especially, to see him in our brothers and
sisters.
Thus we are led to appreciate the mystery
of those with whom we share our lives.
Our Rule requires us to be essentially
“brothers”,
and reminds us that the quality of interpersonal
relationships
within the Carmelite community
needs to be constantly developed
and enhanced, following the inspiring example
of the first community in Jerusalem.
For us to be brothers
means to grow in communion
and in unity,
overcoming privileges and distinctions,
in a spirit of participation and co-responsibility,
in sharing material possessions,
a common programme of life, and personal charisms;
to be brothers also means to care for one
another’s spiritual
and psychological well-being,
through walking in the way of dialogue and
reconciliation.
20.
These fraternal values find expression and
nourishment
in the Word,
in the Eucharist,
and in prayer.
Hearing, praying and living the Word
- in silence, in solitude and in community,
especially in the form of lectio divina -
Carmelites are led, day by day,
to know and experience the mystery of Jesus Christ.
Inspired
by the Spirit and rooted in Christ Jesus,
abiding in him by day and by night,
Carmelites allow every choice and every action
to be guided by his Word.
Inspired
by the Word
and in communion with the whole Church,
the brothers come together to praise the Lord,
and invite others to share in their experience of
prayer.
Every day, if possible, the brothers are called,
from solitude and from their apostolic work,
to the Eucharist
- source and culmination of their lives-
so that, gathered together around the Lord’s table,
they may be “united, heart and soul,”
living true, fraternal koinonia in unselfishness,
in mutual service,
in faithfulness to a common goal
and in a spirit of reconciliation inspired by
Christ’s love.
As a contemplative fraternity,
we seek the face of God and we serve the Church
in the world or possibly in eremetical solitude.
21.
As a contemplative brotherhood,
we seek the face of God also in the heart of the
world.
We believe that God has established his dwelling
place
among his people,
and for this reason, the Carmelite brotherhood knows
itself to be
a living part of the Church and of history
- an open fraternity, able to listen to the world it
lives in,
and willing to be questioned by it;
ready both to meet life’s challenges
and to give an authentic, evangelical response
based on our own charism.
Carmelites will show solidarity and will be eager to
collaborate
with all who suffer, who hope,
and who commit themselves to the search for the
Kingdom of God.
22.
The notion of travelling, hinted at in the Rule,
is an expression of the evangelical and apostolic
style
of the mendicant orders.
It is a call to the Carmelite brotherhood to discern
and to follow the ways marked out by the Lord’s
Spirit
for communities and individuals;
it is a sign of solidarity and of generous service
- both to the Universal and local Church,
and to the world of today.
23.
The community residence is where the community
“gathers” and lives;
for Carmelites, it is also a place of welcome and hospitality,
so that people share in a common spirit,
in fraternal reconciliation,
and in the experience of God lived in the community.
24.
Finally, this way of being “in the midst of the
people”
is a sign and a prophetic witness of new
relationships
of fraternity and friendship
among men and women everywhere.
It is a prophetic message of justice and peace in society
and among peoples.
As an integral part of the Good News,
this prophecy must be fulfilled through active
commitment
to the transformation of sinful systems and
structures
into grace-filled systems and structures.
It is also an expression of
“the choice to share in the lives
of “the little ones” (“minores”) of history,
so that we may speak a word of hope
and of salvation from their midst
- more by our life than by our words.”
This option flows naturally from our profession of
poverty
in a mendicant fraternity,
and is in keeping with our allegiance to Christ
Jesus,
lived out also through allegiance to the poor
and to those in whom the face of our Lord is
reflected
in a preferential way.
4. Elijah and Mary, our inspirations
25.
All that we desire and all that we wish to be today
was fulfilled
in the lives of the Prophet Elijah
and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In their own way, both had “the same spirit,
... the same formation, and the same teacher
- the Holy Spirit.”
By looking to Mary and to Elijah,
we can more easily understand and internalise,
live out and proclaim
the truth which makes us free.
26.
In Elijah we see the solitary prophet
who nurtured his thirst for the one and only God,
and lived in his presence.
He is the contemplative,
burning with passionate love for the Absolute who is
God,
“his word flaring like a torch.”
He is the mystic who,
after a long and wearisome journey,
learned to read the new signs of God’s
presence.
He is the prophet who became involved in the lives of
the people,
and who, by battling against false idols,
brought them back to faithfulness to their Covenant
with the One God.
He is the prophet
who was in solidarity with the poor and the
forgotten,
and who defended those who endured violence and
injustice.
From Elijah, Carmelites learn to be people of the
desert,
with heart undivided, standing before God
and entirely dedicated to his service,
uncompromising in the choice to serve God’s
cause,
aflame with a passionate love for God.
Like Elijah, they believe in God
and allow themselves to be led by the Spirit
and by the Word that has taken root in their hearts,
in order to bear witness to the divine presence in
the world,
allowing God to be truly God in their lives.
Finally, in Elijah they see, not only prophetic
wisdom,
but also brotherhood lived in community;
and
with Elijah they learn to be
channels of God’s tender love
for the poor and the humble.
27.
Mary, overshadowed by the Spirit of God,
is the Virgin of a new heart,
who gave a human face to the Word made flesh.
She is the Virgin of wise and contemplative listening
who kept and pondered in her heart
the events and the words of the Lord.
She is the faithful disciple of wisdom,
who sought Jesus - God’s Wisdom -
and allowed herself to be formed and moulded by his
Spirit,
so that in faith she might be conformed to his ways
and choices.
Thus enlightened, Mary is presented to us
as one able to read “the great wonders”
which God accomplished in her
for the salvation of the humble and of the poor.
Mary was not only the Mother of Our Lord;
she also became his perfect disciple, the woman of
faith.
She followed Jesus, walking with the disciples,
sharing their demanding and wearisome journey
- a journey which required, above all, fraternal love
and mutual service.
At the marriage feast in Cana, Mary taught us to
believe in her Son;
at the foot of the Cross, she became Mother to all who
believe;
with them she experiences the joy of the
Resurrection.
United with the other disciples “in constant
prayer,”
she received the first gifts of the Spirit,
who filled the earliest Christian community with
apostolic zeal.
Mary brings the good news of salvation to all men and
women.
She is the woman who built relationships,
not only within the inner circle of Jesus’
disciples,
but, beyond that, with the people:
with Elizabeth, with the bride and bridegroom in
Cana,
with the other women, and with Jesus’
“brothers”.
Carmelites see in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God
and archetype of the Church,
the perfect image of all that they want and hope to
be.
For this reason, Carmelites have always thought of
Mary
as the Patron of the Order,
its Mother and Splendour;
she is constantly before their eyes and in their
hearts
as “the Virgin Most Pure.”
Looking to her, and living in spiritual intimacy with
her,
we learn to stand before God,
and with one another,
as the Lord’s brothers.
Mary lives among us, as mother and sister,
attentive to our needs;
along with us she waits and hopes,
suffers and rejoices.
The scapular is a sign of Mary’s permanent
and constant motherly love for Carmelite brothers and
sisters.
By their devotion to the scapular,
faithful to a tradition in the Order, especially
since the 16th century,
Carmelites express the loving closeness of Mary to
the people of God;
it is a sign of consecration to Mary,
a means of uniting the faithful to the Order,
and an effective and popular means of evangelisation.
28.
The many and various embodiments of the Carmelite
charism
are for us a source of joy;
they confirm the rich and creative fruitfulness of
our charism,
lived under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
- a fruitfulness to be welcomed with gratitude
and discernment.
All individuals and groups, whether institutional or
not,
which draw their inspiration from the Rule of St.
Albert,
from its tradition and from the values
expressed in Carmelite spirituality,
constitute the Carmelite Family within the Church
today.
This Family includes ourselves
and our brothers of the Teresian Reform;
the women religious of both branches;
affiliated religious congregations;
the Third Orders Secular;
secular institutes;
individuals affiliated with the Order through the
sacred scapular;
and those who by whatever title or bond are
affiliated with the Order;
those movements which, though juridically not part of
the Order,
seek inspiration and support from its spirituality;
and any man or woman who is drawn to the values of
Carmel.
Our
Life as Brothers
29.
The Holy
Trinity, source and model of the Church,
is also the source
and the model of our life as brothers.
The Trinitarian
communion (koinonia) of knowledge
and love in
which we share
comes to us as
gift,
and urges us to
open ourselves to knowledge and love of God
and of our
neighbours.
Thus, growth in knowledge
and in love within each local community,
open to the
entire Order, to the Church and to the whole human race,
manifests ever
more perfectly this fundamental element
of our identity
as brothers of Blessed Mary of Mount Carmel.
30.
Fraternal life
modelled on the Jerusalem community
is an
incarnation of God’s gratuitous love,
internalised
through an ongoing process
by which we
empty ourselves of all egocentricity
- which can
affect groups as much as individuals -
as we move
towards authentic centering in God.
In this way we
express the charismatic and prophetic nature
of the
consecrated Carmelite life,
weaving
harmoniously into it the personal charisms of each member,
in the service
of the Church and of the world.
We are therefore
called to renew ourselves,
as brothers in
dialogue with one another,
open to the
signs of the times
- and therefore
to all people -
welcoming those
who are involved in our ministry,
especially the
young and the poor.
We are also open
to developing new forms of community
and new
ministries,
that they may
have a decisive impact on the Church and on society,
inviting all
people to conversion.
Community life,
lived in the spirit of Elijah
and under the
protection of Mary, Mother of God and our Sister,
is thus the
expression and the test of our fraternal love.
31.
Communal life
must tend towards deeper union,
in mutual
knowledge and love.
To this end, our life in common
has moments of particular intensity and importance:
a) in the shared participation in
the Eucharist, through which we become
one body, and which is the source and the summit of our lives, and
therefore the sacrament of brotherhood;
b) in communal celebration of the
Liturgy of the Hours;
c) in prayerful listening to the
Word;
d) in meetings to be held
periodically, according to the Provincial
Statutes, to discuss issues which concern the life of the community;
e) in other community meetings, to
be held periodically according
to the Provincial Statutes, where - in a spirit of dialogue and discernment -
-
we study the Rule, the writings of our mystics, and the official
documents of the Church and of the Order;
-
we examine our faithfulness to the charism and to the mission
of the Order;
-
we share our experiences;
-
we develop our aims for community life; (progetto
comunitario)
-
we learn to read the signs of the times;
-
we make pastoral choices in the context of the local Church;
f) in the
common table and recreation together;
g) in common work,
manual and other, whether within the community
or elsewhere on behalf of the community;
h) in the
sharing of joys, anxieties and friendships,.
32.
All our activities outside the
house
shall be closely related to our
life within the house,
and shall form with it a
seamless whole.
It is the very purpose of
houses of apostolic Brotherhood
to be present among the people:
to be open and closely joined
with them,
stimulating a critical
reflection on their human needs.
In this way, our communities
will be authentic expressions of faith,
hope and charity,
and will become places
conducive to full human development.
33.
By its very
nature, community life must promote human,
intellectual,
spiritual and pastoral growth of all religious,
so that they may
be fully integrated into the community
and into its
mission, according to personal qualities and aptitudes.
Thus, the
expression of unity is to be sought in organic diversity
- not in
shapeless uniformity.
Discernment at all levels must precede
both the appropriate distribution of work
and the
community’s choice of particular activities.
In some cases,
experts and facilitators may be called upon
to assist us in
community dialogue.
Moreover, communities shall
ensure that no member is so overloaded with work
- be it
apostolic or other -
that community
life and religious exercises become impossible
or too
difficult.
Provincial Statutes shall
stipulate the length of the annual vacation for each religious.
34.
§ 1. In order to promote
the growth
of the contemplative and
fraternal dimensions of our lives,
both excessive activity and
undisciplined behaviour
should be avoided,
and likewise any life-style
which is contrary
to the deepest aspirations of
the consecrated life.
§ 2. Carmelites are to be
aware of the growing importance
of world-wide communication in
present-day society,
and of the major technological
innovations in this field.
There is no doubt that the mass
media can play
an important role in
evangelisation;
the abuse and manipulative use
of the media, however,
can endanger human dignity and
freedom.
Our communities shall therefore
evaluate the best ways
to make use of the mass media,
with a view both to
safeguarding the contemplative
and fraternal dimensions
of our lives, and to increasing
the effectiveness of our apostolate.
35.
Each community
shall comprise a sufficient number of friars
to create an
appropriate environment
in which a truly
fraternal life can develop.
Any friar who,
for reasons of health, study, or apostolate,
or for some
other legitimate motive, must live outside his house,
shall be
attached to a well-established community,
whose members
shall encourage a fraternal relationship,
assisting him in
his activities.
For his part, as far as he can,
he shall visit the community on a regular basis,
and shall willingly take part
in some of the community’s meetings,
in order to benefit more fully
from the advantages of brotherhood.
36.
Hospitality is a
characteristic of the fraternal life,
and it is to be
extended not only to the brothers within the Order
and to members
of their families,
but also to
others, insofar as possible.
37.
To ensure that
the economic structure of our religious life
does not
resemble existing global systems of unjust inequality,
fraternity
within the Carmelite family should find expression
in concern for
and sharing with communities throughout the Order,
in particular
the poorer among them.
38.
It is necessary to foster
attitudes of respect and gratitude
towards the elderly who have
spent their energies
labouring for the Order
and for the Church.
The community shall welcome
their contribution to its activities,
according to their abilities,
and shall avoid evaluating individuals
on the basis of such
anti-evangelical criteria as efficiency
and productivity.
Communities shall welcome as a
gift the presence of sick brothers,
seeing in them the suffering
Christ.
Our brotherhood must be
expressed in a very special way
in the loving consideration
with which we care
for our sick or infirm
brothers.
Communities shall ensure that
these brothers lack nothing
that might help them to regain
their health;
they shall be sent, if
necessary, to clinics or places of health care,
and shall have the support of
every spiritual help.
39.
To pray for the dead “is
a holy and pious thought”;
we shall therefore devoutly
remember in the Lord our dead brothers,
by offering Masses on their
behalf and praying for them,
so that we may remain in
spiritual union with them.
Provincial Statutes must define
the particular intercessions
for the Supreme Pontiff,
for dead confreres within the
Province or the house,
for members of the General
Council who die in office,
for former Generals, and for
the nuns of our Order.
The Prior General shall
designate intercessions for religious
who are not attached to a
particular Province.
On the death of
a confrere, the local Prior
shall notify the
Provincial Prior,
who, in turn,
shall notify the Prior General
and every house
within the Province,
providing a
brief biography of the deceased,
to be published
as soon as possible
in the official
publication of the Order.
40.
Daily conversion
to the Gospel is essential
if we are to remain
faithful to our vocation to fraternal life.
“Religious
communities must be seen in the Church as prayerful
and in a
constant process of conversion.”
We must seek
concrete forms of conversion,
above all through a constant
discernment of life
in the light of the Gospel,
of the signs of
the times, and the experience of the poor;
and through the
faithful fulfilment of our ministries,
taking into
account the circumstances and traditions
of the local
Church.
It is left to
individual communities,
in accordance
with their Provincial Statutes,
to develop the
most appropriate ways to practise the spirit of penance.
Provided they do
not contradict the prescriptions of canon law
or of the
Bishops’ Conference of the country concerned,
norms concerning fast and
abstinence
will be determined by
Provincial Statutes,
in keeping with the Rule,
taking into account the customs
and circumstances
of the local Church.
41.
Our religious
habit is “a sign of consecration,”
and consists of a
brown or dark tunic, a scapular
and a cappuce of
the same colour;
a leather belt
shall be worn over the tunic.
Provincial
Statutes may decide on a different colour,
if this is
necessary for a particular reason (for example, climate).
On more solemn occasions,
a white cloak shall be worn,
which is shorter
than the tunic
and has a white
cappuce of the same shape as the dark one.
Wearing of the
habit inside or outside the house
is a matter to
be decided by the Provincial Statutes,
with due regard
for the rights of the local Ordinary.
42.
In every house,
there shall be an area for the brethren.
Its extent shall
be determined by the community.
All friars shall respect the
rules which apply
to this reserved area of the
house;
for a just
reason, the Prior may allow exceptions to these rules.
43.
The essence and foundation of
consecrated life
is the radical following of
Jesus Christ.
The evangelical counsels of
obedience, poverty and chastity,
publicly professed in the
Church,
are a radical form of witness
to the following of Christ.
As we follow the obedient, poor
and chaste Christ,
we become less focused on
ourselves,
and we orient ourselves in
history to the search
for the Kingdom of God.
44.
Our consecrated
life,
configured to the life of
Christ
by means of the three
evangelical counsels
taken on by the
vows, and by other evangelical values,
is a gift from
God.
Its motivation
is not that “of the world”,”
yet it places us
in the world as witnesses to the value of life itself
as a precious
gift.
This value,
lived in the spirit of the beatitudes,
transfigures the
world according to the Father’s design.
45.
By means of religious obedience,
genuinely observed in deeds,
we surrender our will fully to
God.
Christ Jesus is the source and
the reason of our obedience.
He lived his freedom not in
self-sufficiency and personal autonomy,
but in obedience to the Father.
Christ’s obedience was
not only a commitment to do his Father's works, it was also a faithfulness to humanity
and to the salvation of all.
Jesus obeyed because he loved
his Father,
and because he loved us. Jesus
was wholly of God,
and wholly for people.
The only purpose of his life
was to bring about the Kingdom of God,
and to this goal
he remained faithful unto death.
46.
The Spirit of
Jesus lives in us;
we are not under
the law, but under grace.
Allowing the
Spirit to guide us,
we shall be taught
to discern the will of God,
and we shall be
led to the complete truth.
For us today,
following Christ in his obedience
means listening
together to the word of God,
received and
lived in the Church;
learning to read the signs of
the times
in order to discern the will of
God today,
and fulfilling
faithfully, day by day,
whatever mission
he entrusts to us.
This involves a constant and
profound process of transformation
in order to internalise the
will of God,
which is always creative and
life-giving,
so that we may not only freely
choose to act in accordance with the divine commandments,
but being purified we may
adhere more and more fully
to the God who loves us.
47.
We commit
ourselves to obey God’s will not only as individuals,
but also as a
community.
It is in
community that together we seek to know the will of God.
We engage in
this search in a spirit of mutual discipleship and co-responsibility,
as we listen to
and fulfil the Word of God,
read in the
light of the signs of the times
and in keeping
with the charism of the Order.
In this way, we
are brothers in obedience; side by side and together,
we face the
challenges of the Gospel
and the coming
of the Kingdom of God.
48.
The Prior, conscious of the
presence of Christ
and of his Gospel at the heart
of the community,
shall place himself at the
service of God’s will
and at the service of his
brethren,
guiding them to mature and
responsible obedience to Christ,
through dialogue and timely
discernment,
while remaining firm in his
authority
to decide and to command what
must be done.
In the community, the
Prior must be a stimulus
to live out our charism;
he must be a sign and a bond of
unity.
The brothers are to “hold
their prior humbly in honour,
thinking not so much of him
as of Christ who placed him
over [them].”
49.
In grave cases, a major
superior may impose a precept
(praeceptum) on a member,
by virtue of the vow of
obedience.
Such a precept shall be given
in writing
or in the presence of two witnesses.
50.
Jesus Christ the
poor man, was born and lived in lowliness.
During his life
on earth, he chose to be deprived
of all worldly
riches, power and prestige.
He took the form
of a slave, becoming as human beings are,
and identified
with the “little ones” and with the poor.
He shared all of
his life with his disciples;
he shared his
Father’s plans, his mission, his prayer.
In this way, he
became not only their master,
but their friend
and brother.
On the cross, in
keeping with the Father’s plan,
Jesus experienced absolute
nakedness and radical poverty.
From the cross he gave himself
up completely,
for the sake of
humanity.
Rich though he
was, Jesus became poor for us,
so that, through
his poverty, we might be made rich.
51.
As they followed Jesus, the
poor man,
the early Christian
communities, inspired by
fraternal communion (koinonia),
lived and pursued a sharing of
all material and spiritual goods.
52.
As we follow Jesus and take as
our model
the life of the primitive
Church,
we too wish to embrace
willingly the gift
of the evangelical counsel of
poverty,
by our vow to hold all things
in common,
and by declaring that no object
belongs to any of us personally.
We believe that all we have is
gift, and that all we have
- all the spiritual, material,
and cultural goods
that are obtained by our labour
-
must be freely returned, in
whatever way can best serve the good of
the Church and of our Order,
for the human and social
development of all.
53.
Poverty is a
complex and ambiguous reality.
When it is the
absence of the necessary means for survival,
resulting from
injustice or personal and social sin, it is an evil.
But it can also be a Gospel
form of life adopted by those
who trust in God alone, sharing
all their possessions,
identifying with the poor in a
spirit of solidarity, renouncing all desire for dominion or self-sufficiency.
In contemplation, we
internalise the authentic attitude of poverty,
which is a deep process of
inner self-emptying
through which we become less
and less in control
of our own activity and ideas,
of our virtues and of our
ambitions,
as we open ourselves to
God’s action.
In this way, we become truly poor
as Christ was poor,
even to the point of not owning
the poverty we have chosen
in this process by which
God’s love empties us.
54.
Thus, we who freely chose
poverty as our evangelical lifestyle
feel called by the Gospel and
by the Church
to awaken people’s
consciences
to the problems of destitution,
hunger and social injustice.
We shall accomplish this
purpose if
- first and foremost -
our own poverty witnesses to
the human meaning of work
as a means of sustaining life
and as service to others;
if we undertake to study and to
understand
the economic, social and moral
causes of that poverty
which stems from injustice;
if we use our possessions with
restraint and simplicity,
making them available to
others, even free of charge,
in the service of the human and
spiritual development
of our fellow men and women;
and, finally, if we engage in
healthy and balanced discernment
with regard to the ways in
which we are present among the people,
choosing ways which foster the
liberation
and the integral development of
human beings.
55.
Hence, solemnly professed
religious
shall have no personal material
possessions;
whatever they receive shall
belong to the house, to the Province,
or to the Order, according to
these Constitutions
and the Provincial Statutes.
56.
Without prejudice to the
canonical validity
of all that is set forth in
article 55,
in countries where civil law
does not recognise
the effect of solemn
profession, members may perform
certain juridical acts
(donations, wills, etc.) in civil courts
and with civil validity, in
favour of the house, the Province,
or the Order.
In those cases where civil law
does not even recognise the house,
the Province, or the Order as
juridical persons,
members may act, in civil courts,
as if they were owners,
but always without prejudice to
the canonical validity
of the laws set forth above.
57.
In our use of material goods,
it is our responsibility before God
to observe faithfully the
poverty which we have freely professed,
keeping in mind that we make
the vow of poverty
in order to live a simple life,
individually and within our communities,
avoiding whatever might offend
the sensibilities of the poor.
Provincial Statutes shall
decide what amount should be made
available to each religious for
his personal expenses,
taking into account that needs
may differ
from one country to another.
Rules concerning fasting and
abstinence, set forth in article 40,
should also encourage us to
live simply and to help the poor.
58.
Let us remember that in our
time the best way to make manifest
our vow of poverty
is to faithfully fulfil the
common law of work.
Let us, therefore, embrace with
enthusiasm the precept of the Rule,
which invites us to work
assiduously,
for we know that by our toil we
co-operate in God's work of creation
and, at the same time, develop
our own personalities;
by our active charity we assist
our confreres, and all others;
and we contribute to the good
of the Order.
Moreover, we perpetuate the
dignity Jesus gave to work
- for he never disdained manual
labour -
and we follow the example of
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
whose life on earth was full of
ordinary concerns and work.
59.
The God of the
Kingdom and the Kingdom of God
are the
essential points of reference
and the
universal framework for our celibate lives,
and for all
Christian existence.
“Only
God’s love can call us decisively to religious chastity.
This love
demands a fraternal charity so powerful
that it will
lead religious to live more deeply with
their fellow men
and women
in the heart of
Christ.
The gift of self, to God and to
others, will then be
the source of profound
peace.”
60.
Christ Jesus, the chaste man,
dedicated himself wholly to the
cause of the Kingdom.
He loved everyone, especially
the “little ones” and the poor.
His love was never possessive:it was liberating,
totally dedicated to the
service of his brothers and sisters.
His life was limpid and the
epiphany of the face of the Father.
61.
As we follow Jesus in his
chastity,
our celibacy also takes on the
quality of a full and total love for God
and for every human being.
Aware of God’s love,
which stands over every individual,
Carmelites must be continually
transformed
by this disinterested and
unconditional divine love.
Such internalisation occurs
through a process
of continuous transformation of
all our affectivity,
so that we become truly chaste
through full personal development.
Through the power of such
chaste and undivided love,
our interpersonal relationships
grow in truth and in transparency.
In a world often torn by
struggle and division,
the one who is new and chaste
in the Spirit
is the epiphany and radiance of
the liberating presence of our Lord.
62.
Love lived out
in celibacy has for us
- as it had for
Jesus -
both mystical
value and social or political value:
it is at the
same time the undivided love of God
- the only
Absolute who gives meaning to our existence -
and a
preferential, gratuitous and liberating love
for the humble
and the poor,
in order that
the values of the Kingdom of God
- equality,
solidarity, and dignity of the human person -
may take root
and spread throughout the human community.
63.
The charism of
consecrated chastity is a gift from God;
but we know that
we carry this gift in earthen vessels,
that is, in our
weak and fragile humanity.
For this reason,
we feel the need to live according to values
which promote a
balanced and mature integration of our affectivity
and of our
capacity for a tenderness with evangelical attitudes,
in a way that is
coherent with our way of living.
If our celibate
life, chosen for the Kingdom,
is to be a suitable
vehicle for our maturity as human beings
and for our
growth in faith,
we need to be
instructed,
first of all in
authentic brotherly love;
in communication
and community dialogue;
and in the
ability to love others not possessively,
but appreciating
them as persons.
We must learn
also the meaning of gift, of gratuitous service,
and of
straightforwardness in friendships.
Finally, we must
come to understand silence
as attentiveness
to the Word,
and Christian
asceticism as that which purifies our feelings
and
re-establishes our authentic relationships with others,
sharing in the
Cross of Christ,
who carried to the limit his
selfless love for his Father
and for his brothers and
sisters.
1. Prayer in general
64.
The Holy Trinity draws us into
communion with themselves
and with one another, in faith,
in hope and in charity.
These virtues are experienced,
nourished and expressed in prayer,
as we turn our attention to
God, in adoration and in love,
in obedient listening, in
sincere contrition,
and in hope-filled petition.
Prayer is the fruit of the
action of the Holy Spirit in us
and in our lives.
It is the Spirit
who gives us words when we can find no words;
who leads us to
unity with the entire Church;
who helps us to
deepen our experience of intimacy with God.
The Carmelite tradition of
prayer is built
on the concrete prayer
experience of its members throughout history.
This experience tells the story
of the loving presence of God
in the lives of Carmelites,
so that they can say, with the psalmist,
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.,”
and “O taste and see that
the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.”
From the beginning,
the Carmelite Order has taken on both
a life of prayer
and an
apostolate of prayer.
Prayer is the
centre of our lives,
and authentic
community and ministry spring from this source.
The prayer of
the Carmelite community is
a sign of the praying
Church to the world.
It recalls the
example of Mary, Mother of Jesus,
who “kept
all these things and pondered them in her heart,”
praising the
wonders that the Lord had worked in her.
By meditating
and entering ever more deeply into
the mystery of
Christ,
we become more
obedient in following him,
deepening our
commitment to work as his disciples
for the redemption of humanity.
In the Our Father, Jesus taught us to pray in a way that
unites heaven and earth.
Thus in our
spirituality we integrate our love for the world
and our sense of
the transcendent.
65.
Seeking inspiration in the
authentic sources of Christian spirituality,
we bring together our sense of
God and our human experience.
When we pray, we keep in mind
the needs and the concerns
of the world we live in,
together with an awareness of our own calling
to serve all the members of the
Church.
This may require communities to
search for new ways of praying,
such as shared meditation,
communal biblical prayer,
and also other new forms.
66.
Prayer can assume a variety of
forms,
according to the needs of the
community and of each individual;
it is nourished by the constant
search for God,
supported by lectio divina,
by study,
by meditation
and by the sacraments.
This constant search for God
must be the foundation
and the highest expression of
community life.
67.
The silence of solitude which
individuals
and communities must cultivate
makes us docile to the voice of
the Holy Spirit.
In all the houses of the Order
we must therefore create and foster
an atmosphere of silence,
recollection and solitude.
This will enable us to engage
more easily in personal prayer,
and to make our study and other
activities more fruitful.
However, specific norms on such
matters shall be decided
by local Chapters, according to
the Provincial Statutes.
68.
It is extremely desirable that
wherever possible
Provinces and Regions establish
and develop centres of spirituality, retreats and study, and to make these
available,
both to the brethren and to
others
who are drawn to the
spirituality of our Order,
for retreats and spiritual
exercises.
Moreover, regional and
international co-operation among existing
spirituality centres and houses
of study shall be promoted.
69.
As in the
primitive Church, as religious we are called
to celebrate
together the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Liturgical
prayer is the highest form
of communal
encounter with God,
and brings about
what it celebrates.
Personal prayeris intimately linked with
liturgical prayer;
one flows
from the other.
70.
The daily
celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is to be
“the
centre and the culmination of the life of the community.”
It is our way of
expressing our desire to go with Christ to the Father.
We offer him in
total sacrifice our daily lives
intimately
united with Christ’s paschal mystery,
so that we may
be perfected daily in union with God
and with one
another,
through Christ
the Mediator,
and so that God
may finally become all in all.
In the
celebration of the Eucharist, as we share
in the table of
the Lord
and participate
in the effects of Christ’s sacrifice,
community is
built,
and our unity
with the entire family of believers
is established
and made manifest.
71.
The sacred liturgy unites us
with the apostolic witness
and with the faith of the
entire Church.
Communal liturgical
celebrations are moreover
a central characteristic of our
Rule.
In addition to a diligent
preparation of our liturgies,
we must grow in love for
liturgy and in our concern for its renewal.
In this way, we hope to deepen
our contemplative participation in the mystery which we celebrate.
72.
The public
prayer of the Church is the manifestation
of our
participation in the Church at prayer,
which, together
with Christ,
“is
ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord
and interceding
for the salvation of the entire world.”
From its
pre-eminence as the public and official prayer of the Church,
it is a fruitful
source for the spiritual life of those who share in it.
“The Liturgy of the Hours
extends praise and prayer
to the different hours of the
day,
making present the mysteries of
salvation,
the prayers of intercession,
and the foretaste of heavenly
glory
which are offered to us in the
Eucharistic Mystery.”
Together with the Eucharistic
celebration,
the Liturgy of the Hours
unfolds for us continuously
throughout the liturgical year
the mysteries of the redemption
accomplished for us by Our Lord
Jesus Christ,
so that we may encounter them
and thus be filled
with the grace of salvation.
73.
The Liturgy of
the Hours is to be celebrated in common;
provision should
therefore be made to allow
all members to
participate.
Where special
difficulties exist in a particular community,
at least Morning
and Evening Prayer shall be recited in common every day.
Those parts
which, for whatever reason, are not recited in common,
shall be said in
private.
74.
In places where we engage in
pastoral work,
it is fitting that we celebrate
some part of
the Liturgy of the Hours with
the faithful.
75.
We shall confess
our sins frequently to the Church
in the sacrament
of reconciliation,
also celebrating
it communally in keeping with the practices
of local
Churches.
We shall thus
obtain forgiveness
through
God’s mercy
for the offences
we have committed against him,
and shall at the
same time be reconciled with the Church.
76.
Every member of the Order can
confess to any priest
in full communion with the
Church;
by virtue of these
Constitutions, the priest immediately receives
the necessary jurisdiction, if
there is need of such.
77.
Christians are certainly called
to pray together;
however, they must also draw
apart and pray to the Father in secret.
The practice of the presence of
God,
which is a Carmelite tradition,
has become increasingly
difficult in these modern times.
We must therefore make special
efforts to help one another
to seek God through prayer
that is intimately linked with
ordinary daily life.
In the same way Carmelites are
called to a deeper experience
of those forms of prayer
which are most in harmony with
our own particular spirituality.
We are encouraged to seek new
forms of prayer in line with our charism.
78.
Spiritual formation shall be
closely linked with doctrinal
and pastoral formation,
and shall be presented in such
a way
that it may teach us to live in
intimate communion
and friendship with the Father,
through his Son Jesus Christ,
and in the Holy Spirit.
Let us live the paschal mystery
and seek Christ in our daily
lives;
in active participation in the
Eucharist
and in the Liturgy of the
Hours;
In people, especially the poor,
the sick, children
and those who have no faith.
Our entire lives must be imbued
with a deep religious sense,
so that we may view the events
of our own lives
and of the world around us
in the light of God.
Thus our whole life must be
deeply contemplative,
so that we may come to see all
that happens
as if with the eyes of God.
79.
Contemplation in
the Carmelite tradition
is truly a free
gift from God.
God takes the
initiative, he reaches out to us
and fills us ever
more deeply with his life and his love;
we respond to
him by allowing him to be God in our lives.
Contemplation is
an attitude of openness to God,
whose presence
we discover everywhere.
In this way we
follow the examples of the prophet Elijah,
who ceaselessly
looked for God,
and of Mary,
who pondered all
things in her heart.
80.
Silent prayer is
of great assistance
in developing a
spirit of contemplation;
we should
therefore practise it daily for an appropriate length of time.
81.
A life of prayer
also requires us
to examine our
way of life in the light of the Gospel,
so that prayer
may influence both our personal lives
and the lives of our
communities.
82.
Lectio divina is an authentic source of Christian spirituality
recommended by
our Rule.
We therefore
practise it every day,
so that we may
develop a deep and genuine love for it,
and so that we
may grow in the surpassing knowledge of Christ.
In this way we
shall put into practice
the Apostle
Paul’s commandment,
which is
mentioned in our Rule:
“Let the
sword of the spirit, the Word of God,
live abundantly
in your mouth and in your hearts;
and whatever you
must do,
do it in the
name of the Lord.”
It is suggested
that lectio divina be practised
communally
on a regular
basis,
so that the
brethren may share their experience of God
and respond
together to the challenges of his Word.
83.
The reading of
spiritual books,
especially the
works of authors of our Order,
is highly
recommended.
84.
Retreats and days
of recollection shall be decided by communities,
according to the
guidelines given in the Provincial Statutes.
The one indispensable
thing is
that prayer
permeate our lives,
so that, in
faith, hope and charity,
we may be able
to glorify the name of the Father on earth,
in union with
Christ. “We must pray at all times!”
85.
During her life
on earth,
the Blessed
Virgin Mary showed herself to be
the perfect
image for the disciple of Christ.
For this reason,
in her apostolic mission
the Church
follows the example of the Virgin Mother of God
- the perfect
model of the following of Christ-
especially in her commitment to
our redemption,
which Mary actively
participated in from her “Fiat” to the Incarnation,
to her presence
at the foot of the Cross,
and in her
solidarity with the first Christian community
gathered in
prayer.
86.
Veneration of
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and the
obligation to spread this devotion,
are intrinsic parts
of the Order’s mission within the Church.
In keeping with
the intention of the Church itself, therefore,
let us
generously promote veneration of the Blessed Virgin,
especially in
the liturgy.
The example of
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
as it emerges
from the liturgy itself,
will inspire the
faithful to imitate their Mother
and, through
her, her Son.
This will lead
them to celebrate the mysteries of Christ
with the same
dispositions and attitudes
with which the
Virgin contemplated
her Son in Bethlehem,
in Nazareth,
and in his
self-emptying,
and exulted
together with all of her new children
at his
Resurrection.
We have great
respect for the pious practices and devotions
to Mary
recommended over the centuries
by the teaching
authority of the Church.
While
traditional forms of Marian devotion
(such as the
wearing of the scapular
and the
recitation of the Holy Rosary)
should be
preserved, new ones may also be introduced.
87.
As Carmelites,
we express our devotion to
the Blessed Virgin
Mary of Mount Carmel
by celebrating
her Commemoration every year with special solemnity.
All other Marian
feasts included in the liturgical calendar
shall also be
celebrated solemnly
and, when
liturgical law permits,
the Votive Mass
of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel
and the Office
of Mary are recommended on Saturdays.
Moreover, it is
recommended
that each
community gather daily to sing
the Flos Carmeli (Flower of Carmel),
the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen),
or some other
Marian antiphon,
in keeping with
the liturgical season.
88.
During the
liturgical year, the Church celebrates
the paschal
mystery of Christ
realised in the
saints.
Carmelites are
called to celebrate their saints with particular devotion,
finding in them the
most intense and authentic expression
of the charism
and spirituality of the Order through the centuries.
The feast of the
prophet Elijah
and the memorial
of the prophet Elisha,
and the feasts
of the protectors of the Order
- St. Joseph, St.
Joachim and St. Anne -
are to be
celebrated with particular solemnity.
89.
The Carmelite
scapular is a sacramental of the Church;
as such, it is a
fitting symbol
to express our
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
and the
affiliation of the faithful to the Carmelite Family.
The scapular
calls to mind the virtues of the Blessed Virgin
with which we
are to clothe ourselves
- in particular,
intimate union with God
and humble
service to others in God’s Church,
in the hope of
eternal salvation.
90.
The Marian
shrines in which we exercise our apostolate
and to which the
faithful traditionally come in large numbers,
are to be held
in high regard.
They are to
become more and more centres
where the Word
is prayerfully heard
and where there
is liturgical life
with appropriate
celebrations (Eucharist and Reconciliation).
In particular,
our shrines shall increasingly become
centres of
reflection
on the path
taken by Mary
and centres of
evangelisation,
with special
attention to popular devotion to the one
who is Mother of
God,
of the Church, and of all
humanity.
Shrines also have an exemplary function:
they are places
of welcome, attracting vocations;
places of
solidarity, providing services to needy brothers and sisters;
places of ecumenical
commitment with meetings and
prayers.
91.
Our Carmelite
mission shares in the mission of Jesus,
who was sent to
proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God
and to bring
about the total liberation of humanity
from all sin and
oppression.
Our ministry as
Carmelites is, therefore an integral part
of our charism.
We are guided in
this by the teaching of the pastors of the Church;
by our tradition
and by the
values it upholds;
by the signs of
the times;
and above all,
by attentive listening to the Word,
having regard
also for its interpretation
from the
perspective of the poor.
We are to
evaluate and renew our service (diakonia)
in the Church,
so that we may
better respond to the questions raised
by the cultural,
social and religious circumstances of the people.
In our mission,
we must take into account
the talents and
charisms of the brethren,
and be aware of
the natural limitations of our contribution.
92.
We Carmelites must fulfil our
mission among the people
first and foremost through the
richness of our contemplative life.
Our prophetic action may take
many and different forms of apostolic service.
Since not all forms of
apostolic work easily fit in with our charism
or with the resources of an
individual community,
we must always discern among
the various options presented in any given situation.
93.
Inspired by the
fundamental directions of our charism
and by
present-day ecclesial and social contexts,
the following
guidelines are offered
for the
discernment of our apostolic mission:
- a life of
brotherhood and prayer in the midst of the people;
- a response
to the needs of the local and universal Church;
- a
preferential service to the poor and the marginalized;
- a special
attention to issues concerning women;
- a commitment
to justice and peace;
- a care for
those who show an interest in the spirit, the spiritual
heritage, and the life of
Carmel.
In these ways we
commit ourselves to listening to God,
as he speaks to
us in Scripture and in the history of our people.
94.
We shall
therefore study needs and demands,
both religious
and social, in every time and place
so that we may
strengthen our witness
to a spirit of community
among all the People of God,
by means of
various appropriate apostolic activities,
initiated and
implemented in a spirit of fraternal co-operation.
95.
Faithful to the
spiritual heritage of the Order,
we shall
therefore channel our diverse works
to the goal of
promoting the search for God
and the life of
prayer.
In our various
apostolates we shall be inspired by Mary:
her presence
among the Apostles;
her motherhood
of the Church,
which she
received at the foot of the Cross;
her attentiveness
to the Word of God,
and her total
obedience to the divine will.
To this end, we
shall foster and nourish among the people
the memory of
Mary and devotion to her.
96.
In the
Scriptures and in Carmelite
tradition,
the prophet
Elijah is respected as the one
who in various
ways knew how to read the new signs
of the presence
of God
and who was
able, not least,
to reconcile
those who had become strangers or enemies.
As Carmelites,
heartened by this example
and by our strong
desire to put into practice our Lord's teachings
of love and
reconciliation,
we shall take
part in the ecumenical movement
and in
inter-religious dialogue,
promoted by the
Second Vatican Council.
Through the
former we shall promote relationships
with the
Orthodox and other Christians.
Through the
latter we shall promote dialogue at various levels
with Jews and
Muslims,
with whom we
share devotion to the prophet Elijah as a man of God;
we shall enter
into dialogue also with Hindus and Buddhists
and those of
other religions.
Moreover, Carmelites are to
make themselves available
to accompany those who
genuinely desire
to experience the transcendent
in their lives
or who wish to share their
experience of God.
97.
While preserving
its universal character,
the Order shall
endeavour to be fully involved
in the life of
local Churches.
This implies
close co-operation with the various elements
of these
Churches.
Within local Churches,
we shall offer the contribution of our charism
to the task of
evangelisation
by fostering a
deeper grasp of the contemplative dimension of life,
of fraternity,
and concrete commitment to justice.
98.
To the extent that it is
possible, we shall be prepared to undertake
- in keeping with the legal and
pastoral provisions of the Church
and of our Order -
various forms of apostolate
requested by the Church,
in accordance with the needs of
time and of place.
We achieve this through parish
work,
service to the faithful in
churches,
instruction of young people in
schools and elsewhere,
preaching of retreats, study,
spiritual direction,
guidance about spiritual
problems,
and other initiatives.
99.
Guided by the Magisterium,
by the official documents of
the Order,
and by the signs of the times,
we shall willingly invite and
introduce the faithful
to our rich tradition and to
the experience of contemplation.
We shall encourage lay people
to develop
their own particular gifts and charisms
so that they may be involved in
the mission of the Church.
Let our mission,
inspired by the criteria set
forth in articles 93 and 97,
be one that both evangelises
and is evangelised within the Church
- a mission that is
particularly concerned
for those who have lost their
way.
100.
We also
accomplish our mission through the work we do in parishes
in response to
the pastoral needs of local churches.
A new parish is
accepted by means of a written agreement
which shall be
drawn up, in accordance
with the
requirements of canon law,
between the
Prior Provincial, with the express consent of his Council,
and the local
Ordinary.
Provincial
Statutes shall define the criteria to be applied
when accepting
parishes.
101.
If a parish is
erected in a church belonging to the Order,
the above
agreement must clearly define the relationship
between the
parish and the religious community,
particularly
with regard to the use of the church
and to financial
matters.
102.
§ 1. For the conferral of offices
in a diocese,
the Prior Provincial, after
consultation with his Council,
shall admit or present to the
bishop those brethren
who give sufficient evidence of
suitability.
§ 2. As religious, those friars who are
engaged in diocesan duties
in accordance with some
agreement remain subject
to the authority of their own
superiors.
In matters pertaining to their
duties,
they are subject to the
authority of those
in whose service they are
employed.
103.
Those who are
engaged in any type of ministry within a diocese
are subject to
the jurisdiction of the Bishop,
in keeping with
canon law,
in all matters
pertaining to the faithful execution
of their
pastoral duties.
104.
Provincial
Statutes may determine whether or not
the offices of
pastor and local prior may be held by the same person,
and set the
maximum time for which a religious may hold the office
of parish priest
in the same parish;
they may also
define the relationship between
the parish
priest and the community of religious,
as regards co-operation in the
apostolic activities of the parish.
105.
The mission ad gentes
- in other words, the task of
announcing the Gospel
in places where it is not known
-
is one of the fundamental
activities of the Church,
for the Church is missionary by
its very nature.
The main agent of the mission ad gentes is the Holy Spirit,
who inspires Provinces and
Commissariats
to appoint members to this
task.
It is the Spirit who gives the
missionary charism
to those who are sent.
In this work the Order
recognises “immense opportunities
in such areas as charity,
evangelical proclamation,
Christian education, culture,
and solidarity with the poor,
the marginalized, the oppressed,
and those who suffer
discrimination.”
All our
communities shall support this essential task
with their
prayers and by encouraging the faithful
to become
personally involved
and, according
to their circumstances, to provide material help.
Missionary work
requires a specific spirituality
and a process of
inculturation;
we are confident
therefore, that the mission ad gentes
will reveal the
heart of the Carmelite charism in a new way
for the good of
the Church and of the Order.
106.
The Apostle enjoins us to do
good to everyone,
especially our brothers and
sisters in the faith.
Therefore, the members of the
Order shall develop
a love and concern for those
who are inspired
by the same Carmelite ideal.
Since the Carmelite charism is
given to the whole Carmelite family,
all its members have an
important role in the formation of others
in whatever sphere these are
found,
so that the various expressions
of Carmelite life
may be mutually enriched.
107.
We shall
accompany the Carmelite nuns
and we shall
support each other as far as possible.
A Provincial
Delegate for the nuns shall be appointed in each Province
in accordance
with the Provincial Statutes,
in provinces
where there is at least one monastery of Carmelite nuns.
In addition, a
General Delegate shall be appointed,
who shall be
responsible for developing relationships
between
monasteries and exchanging information.
The General
Delegate shall work in collaboration
with the
Religious Federal Assistant, where there is one.
108.
Mutual co-operation with the
sisters of institutes affiliated with the Order
is to be promoted.
109.
The Carmelite Order is enriched
by the faithful who,
inspired by the Holy Spirit,
order their lives according to the Gospel
and in the Carmelite spirit.
The Third Order and the other
forms of Carmelite laity
influence the spirit and the
structure of the entire Carmelite family.
Let us help them to reach the
goal they have set for themselves:
of healing and developing human
society
through the leaven of the
Gospel.
A General Delegate shall be
appointed for the various forms of Carmelite laity.
Provincial Statutes shall
provide for delegates at other levels.
110.
Christ did not
bring about the salvation of the human race
as an outsider
or as a stranger to the history of the world.
On the contrary,
he identified both with his people
and with the
whole human race.
Those who
“claim to be followers of Christ must heed his call,
especially when
he says:
‘I was
hungry and you gave me to eat;
I was thirsty
and you gave me to drink;
I was a stranger
and you welcomed me;
I was naked and
you clothed me;
I was sick and you
visited me;
I was in prison
and you came to me.’”
111.
We live in a
world full of injustice and disquiet.
It is our duty
to contribute to the search for an understanding
of the causes of
these evils;
to be in
solidarity with the sufferings of those who are marginalized;
to share in
their struggle for justice and peace;
and to fight for
their total liberation,
helping them to
fulfil their desire for a decent life.
112.
The poor, the
“little ones” (minores),
constitute the
vast majority of the world population.
Their complex
problems are linked and, to a large extent,
are caused by
current international relations
and, more
directly, by the economic and political systems
which govern our
world today.
We cannot turn a
deaf ear to the cry of the oppressed
who plead for
justice.
113.
We must hear and
interpret reality from the perspective of the poor
- of those who
are oppressed by the economic and political systems
which today
govern humanity.
Their problems are
many, and we must set priorities
in responding to
them.
In this way, we
shall rediscover the Gospel as good news,
and Jesus Christ as the
liberator from all forms of oppression.
114.
Social reality
challenges us.
Attentive to the
cry of the poor, and faithful to the Gospel,
we must take our
stand with them,
making an option
for the “little ones”.
“There is
a growing desire within the Order to choose solidarity
with the
“little ones” of history,
to bring to our
brothers and sisters
a word of hope
and salvation from their midst,
more by our
lives than by our words
... We recommend
this option for the poor,
because it is in
keeping with the charism of the Order,
which can be
summarised as
‘a life in
allegiance to Jesus Christ’;
allegiance to
Jesus also means allegiance to the poor
and to those in
whom the face of Christ is mirrored preferentially.”
115.
Our Elijan
inspiration, which our prophetic charism is founded on,
calls us to walk
with the “little ones”
along the paths
the prophet travelled in his time
- along the path
of justice, opposing false ideologies
and moving
towards a concrete experience of the true living God;
along the path
of solidarity,
defending the
victims of injustice and taking their part;
along the path of
mysticism,
struggling to
restore to the poor faith in themselves
by renewing
their awareness that God is on their side.
116.
To prepare and
educate ourselves so that we may take on
“the
circumstances of the poor” in an evangelical manner,
we propose to
re-read the Bible,
also from the
perspective of the poor,
of the oppressed
and of the marginalized;
to consider the
Christian principles of justice and peace
as an integral
part of our formation at every level;
to immerse
ourselves in the circumstances of the poor;
to use the tools
of social analysis, in the light of faith,
as a means to
discover the presence of sin
incarnated in certain
political, socio-economic
and cultural
structures;
to defend and to
encourage even the smallest traces of vitality.
Formation
117.
Carmelite
formation is a specific process through which a person learns to identify fully
with the Carmelite ideal of life, which consists in contemplative fraternity
lived in the midst of the people.
Carmelites learn
to be more and more authentic disciples of Jesus Christ through their
formation, participating in the offering he makes of himself to the Father, and
sharing fully in his mission for the good of humanity, in keeping with the
specific charism of the Carmelite Order.
118.
Carmelites are
called to maturity in Jesus Christ by virtue of baptism and confirmation and
are therefore engaged in a continual process of conversion of heart and
spiritual transformation. This is a life-long process which brings them into
ever deeper communion with Jesus Christ our brother, in a spirit of solidarity
and interdependence with all those in need of liberation and with the whole of
creation which awaits redemption.
Through this
process of growth in maturity, religious are enabled to grasp objectively a
reality which is both personal and communal, to evaluate critically and then
express the difference between theory and practice, and to grow continually in
interpersonal and community relationships.
119.
Our communities
are to develop a lifestyle which will show this conversion and continual
development of life in Christ, expressed in a spirit of thanksgiving for the
vocation they have received. In this way their very existence will evangelise,
attracting and inviting new vocations.
120.
The following
guidelines are offered for candidates in initial formation. They reflect the
process of formation in which we are engaged. The relationship between
professed religious and new candidates should be based on interaction and
openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Committed members personify what
the Order demands and the living charism of our tradition; new candidates
challenge and stimulate us through the personal gifts they have received from
the Holy Spirit, thereby enriching and renewing Carmelite life.
121.
The process of formation
in its various stages shall be entrusted to formators who are mature, both in
human experience and in the consecrated life, and capable of providing guidance
and of accompanying the candidates on their journey.
122.
Major superiors
or chapters shall appoint suitable formators, trained specifically for the work
they are to do; they shall not hesitate to exempt these formators from other
duties which may appear more important, but which cannot be compared with that
of formation.
In view of the importance
and the heavy responsibilities attached to the role of formator, those who
engage in this task are to receive particular support and consideration, and
special attention is to be paid to their general state of health.
123.
At every stage
of the process, formators shall be assisted by a team, which may include
non-Carmelites, and which shall assist them in accompanying the candidates and
in making evaluations and decisions in their regard.
124.
The Prior
Provincial and his Council, together with the team, shall be directly involved
in formation - through visitations, meetings, and inquiries - and in making
evaluations and final decisions.
125.
The general
direction and guidance of all that pertains to formation is the prerogative of
the Prior General or his delegate for the Order as a whole; and of the Prior
Provincial or his delegate for each Province. All of these officials must
ensure that the task of formation is addressed in a spirit of fraternal
co-responsibility.
126.
The primary
responsibility for formation rests with the candidates themselves. They share this responsibility
with their formators, with the community in which
they receive their formation, and with the major superior and
his delegate.
Whatever
assistance the candidates receive from these must enable them to develop their
personal gifts, with a view to their gradual insertion into Carmelite life and
their incorporation into the Order.
Candidates
should be guided in a way that encourages them to share with others their experiences,
their activities and their duties.
127.
Norms and
procedures pertaining to the formation of new candidates must include these
criteria: personal talents and aspirations, the demands of communal living, and
the concrete requirements of the Church. The norms for formation must also keep
in mind the Rule, the present Constitutions and other official documents of the
Order
128.
The mission of
all educators implies grave responsibilities, which can be summarised in the
following norms: openness, with discernment, to new ideas and new methods of
forming candidates; development of the candidates’ sensitivity to the
problems and aspirations of the people whom they are to serve; education of the
candidates to view human life, and the concrete problems it raises, in the
light of the Word of God; preparation of the candidates for the transformation
of men and women into authentic partners in the task of building a human and
evangelical community, and enable them to have upright consciences so that they
may collaborate in God's work of transformation.
129.
All aspects of
the formative process are defined in the Ratio
Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae (RIVC),
approved by the Prior General with his Council. It is the task of the Prior
General’s delegate for formation to promote its implementation. The Prior
General and his Council shall convene a meeting of all the formators of the
Order, at least once every six years, to revise and update the RIVC.
130.
Finally, they are
to remember that there are no ready-made answers to the ever-changing problems
of formation. All of us must live our formation as an ongoing process of
development and growth, and seek in this way the new paths by which God leads
us. By sharing and exchanging our
experiences, we shall be better able to understand what God wants of us. Our
efforts in the area of formation must always be inspired by the words of the
Gospel: “We are merely servants; we have done no more than our
duty.”
131.
The vocation to
the consecrated life in the Carmelite Order is a gift of God; but this gift is
mediated by Carmel. The attitude of individuals and of communities within the
Order helps in discerning such vocations. Nothing promotes vocations more
effectively than the enthusiasm of the friars, which reflects their pride in
being Carmelites. This is expressed in their love for the Word of God, for the
celebration of the liturgy, for community living, for the memory of Carmelite
Saints, for being among the people in service and in ministry, and in the
interest they take in promoting Carmelite activities and publications.
Every Province
shall have at least one member responsible for promoting vocations; his task
shall be:
a) to stimulate communities,
encouraging members to become involved in the ministry of vocations and in
particular among the young;
b) to promote and co-ordinate
vocation initiatives, involving especially younger Carmelites;
c) to discern signs of a
vocation in candidates;
d) to accompany candidates as
their vocation develops.
132.
Though all our
communities are to be involved in promoting vocations nevertheless, appropriate
and specific bodies are necessary at provincial and/or inter-provincial levels.
These bodies shall organise experiences of brotherhood and prayer, in
conjunction with whatever activities are initiated by other communities and
individuals to promote vocations; in particular, they must be adequately
prepared to welcome, to discern, and to accompany those who are in the process
of discerning their vocation.
133.
Some link shall
be established in each country between our vocational promoters and local
bodies for vocational ministry.
134.
While formation
is a life-long process, it has specific and progressive moments and stages.
Initial formation consists of the following stages: the pre-novitiate, the
novitiate, and the period of first profession. Formation for various ministries
begins during initial formation and continues after solemn profession. Ongoing
formation is a life-long process.
Initial
formation and ongoing formation must be understood as stages in one continuing
process, each with its own specific goals.
135.
The goal of the
pre-novitiate is to help candidates to know themselves better and understand
their deeper vocational motives, to nourish their strength in responding to
that call, and to provide them with the opportunity to experience God’s
call in a climate of freedom and objectivity.
136.
The right to
admit to the pre-novitiate belongs to the major superior or his delegate, after
hearing the views of those in charge of the pre-novitiate.
137.
It is for the
Provincial Statutes to stipulate the form, the duration and the elements of the pre-novitiate.
138.
Candidates shall
be admitted to the novitiate in accordance with the norms of canon law, when
they have reached an awareness of being called by God and have been judged
suitable.
139.
The novitiate is
a time of initiation in Carmelite life. During this stage, candidates
shall experience our way of life in order to learn whether they are suited to
it. Novices must come to know and live the following of Christ, poor, chaste and
obedient, within the framework of the Carmelite charism.
140.
The novitiate
shall take place in a house which has been canonically designated for this
purpose. It is the right of the Prior
General, with the consent of his Council and after consulting the Prior
Provincial concerned, to designate, transfer or close any novitiate house by
written decree. In particular circumstances, he may designate more than one
novitiate house within the same Province.
In special
cases, the Prior Provincial may authorise novices who are under his authority
to reside for a certain time in another house of the Order.
141.
Before entering
the novitiate, candidates shall make a retreat for a period of at least five
full days.
142.
Candidates can be
validly admitted to the novitiate only after their seventeenth birthday.
143.
The novitiate
begins with the rite of acceptance to the novitiate according to our ritual.
144.
The whole
community in which the novice resides is jointly responsible for his formation.
However, particular guidance and direction of the candidate’s formation
are to be entrusted to one specific religious who shall possess the appropriate
gifts and a discerning judgement of modern culture which will enable him to
prepare the candidate for life within the Order, in accordance with the spirit
of the Gospel, of the Rule, and of the Constitutions of our Order.
This religious, as well as all the others who are expected to co-operate in the
formation of novices, shall be provided with the appropriate means.
145.
The programme of
the novitiate shall follow the guidelines of the RIVC.
146.
Ordinary studies
shall be suspended for the duration of the novitiate. However, the major
superior may allow, or prescribe, courses in subjects which may help to
complete the formation of the novice.
147.
To complete the
novice’s formation, if the major superior in consultation with the novice
director judges it opportune and he has the consent of his Council, he may
allow the novices to undertake, for one or more periods of time, some form of
apostolic activity, consonant with the nature of the Order, outside the
novitiate house.
148.
The time
allocated to apostolic activity outside the novitiate house may be divided into
several periods; however, the total number of days each novice spends outside
the novitiate house for such activities shall be added to the twelve months
required for the validity of the novitiate, keeping in mind that the total
duration of the novitiate shall not extend beyond two years.
Such apostolic
activity shall not begin before the novice has spent at least three months in
the novitiate house. Moreover, it must be carried out in such a way that the
novice shall live in the novitiate house for at least six uninterrupted months,
and return to the novitiate house at least one month before making his
temporary profession.
149.
With due regard
to articles 147 and 148, an absence from the novitiate house for a period
longer than three months, whether consecutive or interrupted, shall invalidate
the novitiate, which shall then have to be repeated. An absence in excess of 15
days shall be made up. Decisions concerning absences
not exceeding 15 days shall be made by the major superior in each individual
case, in consultation with the novice director and taking into account the
reasons for the absence.
150.
If a religious
who left the Order either at the end of his novitiate or after his profession
wishes to be re-admitted, the Prior General, with the consent of his Council
and in consultation with the Prior Provincial concerned, may re-admit him. The Prior General is not obliged to
require the candidate to repeat his novitiate; however, after hearing the Prior
Provincial concerned, he shall impose a probation period, after which the
candidate can be admitted to take vows. The Prior General shall also determine,
after hearing the Prior Provincial concerned, the duration of temporary vows
before solemn profession, in keeping with articles 655 and 657 of the Code of
Canon Law.
151.
Novices enjoy
all the spiritual benefits granted to the Order. The norms of canon law are to
be observed with respect to the novice’s material goods.
152.
§1. At the
end of the novitiate, candidates who are suitable and who freely ask to make
profession shall do so. This profession marks the beginning of consecrated life. Formation in Carmelite life,
however, must continue; each stage must flow from the previous one in a
systematic and balanced way.
§2. During
this period, it is important that candidates deepen and consolidate their
Carmelite consecration in order to reach a final decision maturely.
Professional and technical training for various ministries shall also take
place at this time.
If candidates
are to benefit fully from this stage of their formation, they must endeavour to
integrate their academic work and apostolic activities with a life of prayer
and brotherhood. During the period of initial formation, young religious are
not to be burdened with offices or works which might interfere with their
formation.
153.
At the end of
the novitiate, it is the prerogative of the major superior, with the consent of
his Council and after hearing the local Chapter, to admit to temporary
profession those candidates who have been found suitable.
The major
superior has the right to receive first profession and renewal of vows, or,
provided the major superior has made no other arrangements, to the local
superior who, in turn, may delegate.
154.
For a valid
reason, the major superior may allow first profession to be anticipated by a
period not exceeding 15 days. Similarly, for a valid reason,
he may permit first profession to be made outside the novitiate house.
155.
§1.
Temporary profession shall be made for a period of three years. The Provincial
Statutes can stipulate that temporary profession may be for a period of one
year, to be renewed yearly for three years.
§2. If
appropriate, this period can be extended to up to six years, during which the
candidate shall renew his temporary vows.
In special cases
however, the major superior may grant a further extension of the period of
temporary profession, but this shall not exceed three years.
§3. For a valid reason, and with due respect for the provisions
of article 657, §3 of the Code of Canon Law, the major superior may allow
the renewal of temporary profession to be anticipated, by no more than a month.
156.
Solemn
profession shall be preceded by approximately one month of spiritual preparation. Candidates shall spend this
month in prayer and recollection, reflecting and meditating on the importance
of this decisive and crucial act by which religious consecrate themselves
forever to God.
157.
§1. For a
solemn profession to be valid, the following conditions must be met:
a) the candidate must have reached the
age required by canon law, i.e. he must be at least 21 years of age;
b) the candidate
must have completed at least three years of temporary profession; for a valid
reason, the major superior may
permit solemn profession to be anticipated, but by no more than three months;
c) the major
superior shall admit candidates to profession, with a deliberative vote of his
council and a consultative vote of the chapter of the candidate’s community.
§2. Through
solemn profession, candidates are definitively incardinated into the Order,
with all the rights and obligations that this implies.
158.
With respect to
the material possessions of the professed, the norms laid down by canon law are
to be observed.
5. Formation for various ministries
159.
The various
ministries in which Carmelites engage, each according to his personal vocation,
grow out of the strength of a living brotherhood, and at the same time bear witness
to that brotherhood among the faithful.
160.
In addition to a
Carmelite formation, our religious must receive an appropriate human,
professional, scientific and technical education, according to their legitimate
desires and capabilities, and in keeping with the needs and plans of the
Province and of the Order, so that they may fulfil their tasks with real
competence, for the good of the people of God.
In order to
promote the international character of the Order, and to foster an attitude of
openness towards other cultures and other ways of thinking and feeling,
candidates will be expected to learn a second language during the period of
formation.
Special
attention shall be given to those subjects which are specifically Carmelite or in any way related to those
ministries which are most akin to our charism and to our spiritual heritage.
161.
Religious who do
not feel called to priestly ordination shall be encouraged to engage in academic
work, possibly leading to a higher degree, in order to be able to meet the
needs of the people and of the Province they serve. They shall be given the
opportunity to attend courses in theology and especially in biblical studies.
Care shall be taken to provide them with a thorough Carmelite formation, so
that
their evangelical life may grow day by day and they may transmit to others the
knowledge they acquire.
162.
§1. It is
the function of those who have received priestly ordination to co-operate with
their Bishop; to spread the Word of God; to administer the sacraments; to
provide leadership in the community; and to be Christ’s instruments in
forming the people of God and in building the Gospel community. It follows that
those of our religious who wish to receive Holy Orders should prepare
themselves appropriately, completing their studies and their spiritual and
pastoral training, in accordance with the norms established by the Holy See, by
the episcopal conference of each country, and by the RIVC.
§2. Solemn profession must precede reception
of the diaconate.
163.
Religious who
attend courses of study outside their houses shall be assisted by brethren who
are experts in the academic field and who can help them to direct their higher
education into an integrated Carmelite formation.
In our houses of
formation, candidates shall be helped to integrate their theoretical, practical
and professional studies into other aspects of Carmelite life.
164.
National and
international co-operation are recommended for the novitiate and for initial
formation.
165.
In each house,
and especially in every house of formation, there shall be a well-furnished and
up-to-date library, since this is an indispensable aid to learning and to the
study of Carmelite authors.
166.
There shall be
international study centres within the Order to promote internationality, to
undertake in-depth studies of Carmelite spirituality and of the history of our
Order, and to train formators and other specialists. St. Albert’s Centre in Rome is
such a structure - an expression of the unity of the Order. This Centre shall
have its own specific statutes, and shall be under the direct jurisdiction of
the Prior General.
167.
The Institutum Carmelitanum, to
be located in Rome, has the task of making known the spiritual heritage of
Carmel throughout the Order and throughout the modern world. It shall include
competent scholars chosen from the entire Order.
6. Ongoing Formation
168.
Ongoing
formation is a response to the call of God, who calls each of his own at every
moment and in new situations. The grace of a vocation is a seed which
constantly grows and develops; to follow Christ is to undertake an ongoing
journey.
Hence, formation
is never finished; and it requires us to be particularly attentive to the signs
of the Spirit in our times, allowing ourselves to grow in awareness and in
sensitivity, so that we may offer suitable responses to the problems of our
contemporaries. This will enable us to live our
Carmelite identity today.
169.
Ongoing
formation includes every undertaking which is designed to help us live our
charism with dynamic faithfulness through the various stages of our lives.
Thus, ongoing formation is not an option, but an essential component of our
growth.
170.
We are each
responsible for our own ongoing formation - for making space in our lives for a
sense of the living God, in order to accomplish our ministry following Christ
in a way that is ever more profound and contemporary.
171.
It is very
important that the Order should offer each of its members the opportunity for
ongoing formation, at every level and at every stage of their lives, in accordance with that which is set out
in the RIVC.
172.
Major superiors
shall provide adequate means for ongoing spiritual, theological, doctrinal and
professional formation. They shall encourage young members to undertake higher
studies in order to raise the overall academic level of the Province and of the
various ministries and activities.
173.
Our international, inter-provincial
and provincial centres shall offer all the brethren opportunities for personal
renewal and for the renewal of their gift of Carmelite life and apostolic
activity. Periodically every Carmelite shall be given the opportunity to take
part in international courses on Carmelite spirituality, in other formation
courses, especially Carmelite, or at other levels.
The Government of the Order
174.
The Carmelite Order
is included by the Church among the clerical institutes. It is composed of
friars who profess the three solemn vows of obedience, poverty and chastity,
and who share a common purpose: to live the consecrated life according to the
spirit of the Order.
For the common
good, and to provide better for the needs of the apostolate, Carmelites are
exempt from the jurisdiction of the local Ordinary and are subject to the
Supreme Pontiff alone.
175.
§1. Members are incorporated first into the
Order as a whole, and subordinately, into a Province or General Commissariat.
Membership is received through temporary profession, but only becomes final
when members make their solemn profession, having completed the period of
preparation.
§2. By virtue
of profession, all the friars are equal with respect to rights and religious
obligations, except for rights or obligations pertaining to specific offices or
ministries.
176.
Membership in
the Order confers the right to receive from the Order all that is necessary for
life. Nevertheless, the brethren remain subject
to the common law of work and are expected to promote the
development of the Order.
177.
§1. The
Order is structured into Provinces, General Commissariats, and houses under the
direct jurisdiction of the Prior General.
§2.
Whenever the life and activities of the Order so require, the General Chapter -
and, outside the Chapter, the Prior General with the consent of his Council -
may institute other entities (Delegations, Regions, etc.), and also define
their rights as well as obligations concerning persons and things. Entities
thus instituted by the Prior General and his Council shall be submitted for
approval to the following General Chapter; in the absence of such approval,
they shall cease to exist, and their members shall return to their respective
Provinces or General Commissariats.
178.
It is the
prerogative of the General Chapter, and, outside the Chapter, of the Prior
General with the consent of his Council:
a) to divide
the Order into Provinces; to unite existing provinces or redefine their boundaries; to found new
provinces or abolish existing
ones, after obtaining the consultative vote of the members concerned;
b) to dispose
of the goods belonging to a Province or to a General
Commissariat which has been abolished, with due regard for
justice and for the will of the founders.
179.
The Province is
the basic unit of the life and activity of the Order. It consists of the friars
who belong to it, gathered in several houses and governed by a Prior Provincial
with his Council, in accordance with the norms of canon law and with the
Order’s own laws.
180.
§1. The
Provincial Chapter, with the consent of the Prior General and of his Council,
and after hearing the views of those concerned, may establish a Provincial
Commissariat for the purpose of good government of the Province.
§2. The
Provincial Commissariat is part of the Province, even though it enjoys a degree
of autonomy, as defined by the present Constitutions and by Provincial
Statutes.
§3. With
the consent of the Prior General and of his Council, the Provincial Chapter may
limit or change the organisation of a Provincial Commissariat, or suppress the
Commissariat, after hearing the views of its members.
181.
§1. Where
there is the hope that a new Province of the Order might be founded in future,
and where there are at least three canonically established houses and thirty
solemnly professed members, the Prior General, with the consent of his Council,
following a careful examination of the situation and having consulted the Prior
Provincial and his Council as well members concerned, can found a General
Commissariat. Once the General Commissariat has been established, the
members’ juridical bonds to
the Province to which they originally belonged are automatically severed.
§2. The
Prior General, with the consent of his Council, and after hearing the views of
the members concerned, may change or suppress a General Commissariat.
182.
If the number of
religious should increase over
time, and a General Commissariat or a Provincial Commissariat should comprise at least four
canonically established houses and about forty solemnly professed religious
with adequate means of support, the Prior General, with the consent of his
Council and observing due process of law, may provide for the erection of a new
Province.
183.
Unless otherwise
explicitly stated, all norms contained in the present Constitutions concerning
Provinces shall also apply to General Commissariats.
184.
§1. In addition
to Provinces and General Commissariats,
the General Chapter, and outside the Chapter, the Prior General with the
consent of his Council, and after hearing the views of those concerned, may
erect General Delegations, by establishing in autonomous entities religious
originating from one or more provinces.
§2. The
decree by which a General Delegation is established shall specify its purpose
and its offices.
§3. a) A General Delegation is headed by a
superior; he shall have faculties
determined by the Prior General and his Council (ad nutum)
b) If
necessary, the Delegate General may be assisted by two Councillors.
c) The
Delegate General and his Councillors, if there are such, shall
be appointed by the Prior General with the consent of his Council.
§4. The
statutes of the General Delegation shall define the relationship between the
members of the Delegation and the Provinces from which they come, including all
matters pertaining to the exercise of active and passive voice.
185.
Canonically erected
houses are governed by canon law and by the present Constitutions; all other
houses are governed by Provincial Statutes.
186.
§1. A house
is canonically erected by means of a decree, issued by the Prior General, with
the consent of his Council, after obtaining written consent from the Diocesan
Bishop, in accordance with canon law and with the law of the Order.
§2. The
Diocesan Bishop’s consent to the erection of a house implies the right to
have a church, but in compliance with canon 1215, §3 of the Code of Canon
Law, and the right to exercise therein the sacred
ministry, in keeping with canon
law, as well as the right to use it for other activities proper to the Order,
with due respect for any conditions set forth in the consent.
187.
The consent of
the Diocesan Bishop is required in order to reassign a house, which had already
been canonically erected, to apostolic works other than those for which it was
originally established, except where such changes concern only internal
structure or religious discipline.
188.
The Prior
General, with the consent of his Council, and after hearing the views of the
Prior Provincial and those of the Diocesan Bishop concerned, may close a legitimately
erected house.
189.
In addition to
the universal law of the Church, our Order is founded on:
a)
the Rule of St. Albert;
b)
the Constitutions;
c)
other general codes of law;
d) the
deliberations of General Chapters, General Congregations,
and Priors General;
e) legitimately
established customs which are not in desuetude
190.
§1. The
Constitutions contain fundamental laws which are necessary to govern the lives
of all the friars, wherever they may be, in accordance with the Rule.
§2. All the friars undertake to observe the
laws contained in these Constitutions, knowing that it will be difficult to
attain our goals of fraternal communion and evangelical perfection according to
the charism of the Order if we do not comply faithfully with these norms.
191.
It is the
prerogative of the General Chapter to approve, amend, repeal, or revoke the Constitutions.
192.
It is the
prerogative of the General Chapter, and outside the Chapter, of the Prior
General with the consent of his Council, to approve, amend, repeal or revoke
other general codes.
193.
Authentic
interpretations of the Constitutions and of other general codes of law pertain
to the General Chapter. In accordance with canon law, outside the Chapter, interpretations are
given by the Prior General, with the consent of his Council; however, such
interpretations are only valid for the specific cases for which they are given,
and they cease to be valid with the following General Chapter, unless they are
confirmed by the same Chapter.
194.
Decisions made
by a General Chapter are considered confirmed unless they are explicitly
revoked by the following Chapter.
195.
§1. Provinces, General Commissariats, and
other bodies within the Order, whatever their denomination, shall have their
own particular Statutes, designed to meet local needs; such Statutes shall not
contradict superior codes of laws.
§2. All Statutes must be approved by the
Prior General, with the consent of his Council.
196.
The Prior
General, with the consent of his Council, may issue decrees for the entire Order;
however, such decrees lose all validity if they are not confirmed by the
following General Chapter.
197.
Priors
Provincial and other major superiors, with the consent of their respective
councils, may issue decrees for their respective jurisdictions, provided they
do not contradict a superior code of law. Such decrees lose all validity if they
are not confirmed by the following Chapter of the Province or of the
Commissariat concerned. Similarly, outside chapters, Priors Provincial and
General Commissaries, with the consent of their respective Councils, may give
interpretations of the Statutes, observing the above stipulations.
198.
§1. In matters pertaining to discipline, the Prior General, after hearing his
Council, may exempt individual friars within the entire Order from the
Constitutions and from other laws of the Order, for a just and reasonable
cause.
§2. For a just and reasonable cause, the
Prior Provincial, after hearing his Council, may exempt his friars, wherever
they may be, from disciplinary norms issued by the Order, with the exception of
those norms which are explicitly excluded; in special cases, he may even grant
an habitual dispensation.
§3. The local Prior may dispense the
friars under his jurisdiction from the disciplinary laws of the Order, except
where such authority is reserved to higher superiors.
§4. However, habitual dispensation in
favour of the members of an entire Province pertains to the Prior General, and
habitual dispensation in favour of all the members of a house pertains to the
Prior Provincial.
199.
§1. Dispensations and other concessions of
whatever kind, granted in writing by major superiors to individual members or
to communities, do not cease to be valid when the right of granting them
ceases, except where provisions to the contrary are made in a special clause.
§2. A request denied by the Prior General
or by the Prior Provincial may not be validly obtained - even if the denial is
made known - from their respective vicars, without the consent of the Prior in
question.
200.
All solemnly
professed religious have right to active and passive voice in their Province,
except where the nature of the case or the present Constitutions clearly
indicates otherwise. Provincial Statutes may, however, define other conditions
for the exercise of active and passive voice.
201.
Members who have
not yet made their solemn vows shall have neither active nor passive voice,
even though they belong to the community. Nevertheless, they must be consulted,
and their opinion must be obtained with respect to matters pertaining to the
common good, especially when these concern them directly.
202.
Religious living
in a Province that is not their own shall have active voice either in their
Province of origin, or in their Province of residence, according to written
agreements between the two major superiors concerned, based on proposals from
the religious in question; they shall in any case have passive voice in both
Provinces.
203.
The Prior
General has voice in the entire Order; the Prior Provincial in his own
Province; and the local Prior in his house, unless there are provisions to the
contrary.
204.
The competent
major superior, with the consent of his Council, may deny active and/or passive
voice to religious living legitimately outside a house of the Order, after
interviewing them and ascertaining that it is impossible for them to
participate in any way in the life of the Province.
205.
§1. Except for acquired rights, precedence
among the brethren shall be as follows:
a) the Prior
General in the whole Order;
b) the Vice
Prior General in the whole Order;
c) the members
of the General Council in the whole Order;
d) Priors
Provincial and General Commissaries in their respective
Provinces and General Commissariats;
e) Provincial
Commissaries in their Commissariats;
f) local
Priors in their house;
g) provincial
councillors in their Province.
§ 2. After the Prior General and the Vice
Prior General, the members of the General Council have precedence among
themselves according to the date of their first profession; if they made their
first profession on the same day, precedence shall be determined by date of
birth. Precedence among Provincial Councillors is determined by the order in
which they were elected, unless Provincial Statutes provide otherwise.
§3. Except
where Provincial Statutes provide otherwise, precedence among all the other
members of the Order is determined by the date of first profession; and among
those who made their first profession on the same day, precedence is determined
by age.
206.
The unity of the
Order is founded on charity and on harmonious co-operation in the fulfilment of
the ideal which we have set for ourselves. This unity is consolidated by
authority, which stimulates us both to set our goals ever higher and to put
into practice the norms issued by the Church for all religious and the
decisions made collegially “with the consent of the brethren.”
207.
The brethren are
fundamentally equal with respect to rights and obligations. However, in order
that “those things that need to be done may “be well
ordered,”, they choose among themselves some
whose task it is to ensure the common good, as defined by the Constitutions; to
foster community life and apostolic work; and to channel the strengths of all
the members so that they may converge into unity, in keeping with the
provisions of these Constitutions and with those of individual communities.
Those who are appointed to positions of authority shall seek to follow the
example of Our Lord who “did not come to be served, but to serve.” All the other brethren, for their part,
are to honour them, and willingly co-operate with them, for
authority can only accomplish its purpose if everyone strives together to build
the common good, especially through mutual communication.
208.
The religious
who has authority to govern the community is officially known as the Prior -
Prior General for the entire Order, Prior Provincial for a whole Province,
local Prior for an individual house. The Prior may be known by a different
title in the local language of each country, in keeping with local custom and
with the Provincial Statutes. The Prior is the sign of unity within the
community which he is appointed to serve. He becomes a model, in words and in
deeds, for the group which is entrusted to him; as such, he shall be at hand to
provide assistance to each and every religious; to foster community life; to
care for all, and especially for the sick and the old; to supervise communal
activities and initiatives so that these may become means by which the brethren
can authentically live “in allegiance to Jesus Christ, and serve Him
faithfully with a pure heart and a clear conscience.”
209.
The major
superiors of the Order are: the Prior General, the Prior Provincial, the
General Commissary, and their vicars. These officials are also Ordinaries, with
all the faculties which canon law confers upon Ordinaries.
210.
§1. In accordance with canon law and with
the present Constitutions, the superiors and the chapters of our Order enjoy
both internal and external jurisdiction.
§2. Only the General Chapter can issue
laws for the entire Order. The Provincial Chapter can enact Provincial Statutes
and issue decrees, provided they do not contradict in any way the Constitutions
or decrees issued by the General Chapter.
§3. The local Chapter may issue specific
norms, provided these do not contradict in any way the Constitutions or any
decisions approved by the General Chapter or by the Provincial Chapter.
§4. Priors,
assisted by their Councils, have the obligation to ensure, in the first place,
that existing regulations are implemented. They may also issue decrees
according to their competence, provided these do not contradict the
Constitutions.
211.
§1. The Prior General has ordinary power
over each and every friar; over the Provinces; and over the houses. He
exercises this authority on his own or with his Council, in keeping with canon
law and with the law of the Order.
§2. The Prior Provincial governs the
Province with ordinary power, on his own or with his Council, in keeping with
canon law and with the law of the Order.
§3. The local Prior governs the house with
ordinary power, on his own or with the local Chapter (or with his Council,
where it exists), in keeping with canon law and with the law of the Order.
212.
§1. When the law requires the consent of
the Council, the Prior General or Prior Provincial act invalidly when they go
against the vote of their respective council. The same holds true if a local
Prior acts against the vote of his council or the House Chapter.
§2. When
all that is required is consultation, the Prior’s action will be valid if
he has asked for the views of his Council or house Chapter. He is not obliged
to follow their advice, if in conscience he feels that he must act otherwise.
However, the Prior shall hold their opinion in high regard, in particular if it
is given unanimously by the Council
members, and he
shall not reject it without a reason which in his opinion is more valid. In
urgent cases, the opinion of Council members may be sought individually, by
letter or by any other means of communication.
213.
Judicial power
within the Order belongs to the General Chapter and the General Council, to the
Provincial Chapter and the Provincial Council. The Chapter exercises this power
through judges elected by the gremiales at the same Chapter; these judges
pass sentence and issue decrees on behalf of the Chapter. In special
cases, in view of the seriousness
of the matter, and at the request of the brother concerned, judges shall be
appointed by the General Council or by the Provincial Council, according to
each case.
214.
Without
prejudice to canon law, all cases may be introduced through administrative
channels unless there is an objection from the religious concerned. In every case,
the brother who is brought to justice is to be given ample opportunity to
exercise his rights.
215.
Although canon
law authorises chapters and superiors to impose penalties, no one shall be punished
ordinarily without first being admonished. If, through
human weakness, a brother commits some fault, let the Priors remember that they
are pastors, not despots, and seeking inspiration in the words of the Apostle,
let them first reprove and exhort with great patience and charity, keeping in mind that, more
often than not, for the one who has to be corrected, leniency is more effective
than severity, entreaty more productive than threats, love more efficacious
than authority.
216.
§1. When applying penalties prescribed by
canon law, the norms of the same law shall be observed.
§2. Devolutionary recourse against
penalties is possible, with due respect for the provisions of canon law.
217.
Chapters and other
collegial gatherings of the brethren are necessary to foster the spiritual and
apostolic life, updating them continuously in response to the demands of our
time; to strengthen brotherly love; and to examine and resolve common problems
in the Order, in each Province and in each house, in a spirit of cooperation.
Unless prevented
for a just reason, the gremiales
shall attend chapter meetings and other collegial meetings, to promote the
common good.
218.
At the appointed
time, the Prior or his substitute shall convene the members, observing the
norms for convening electors, as
set out in article 234.
Similarly,
whenever the consent or the opinion of several members gathered together is
required, the gremiales shall be duly
convened, in keeping with the same norms. Exceptions are listed in articles 346 a)
and 395 §2.
219.
§1. The
local Chapter and other collegial meetings shall be called whenever such a
gathering is requested by a majority of the community members or of the
college.
§2. Chapters and all other collegial
meetings, at whatever level, shall be considered valid if a majority of those
eligible to attend are present, unless otherwise stipulated in the particular
Statutes.
220.
General Chapters
and Provincial Chapters may change the number of gremiales, but only for the following chapter.
221.
§1. No person who is not a gremialis shall be allowed to vote. Should such a person cast a vote, all the acts
of the meeting shall automatically become null and void.
§2. The
college has the power to invite outsiders to a Chapter and to choose in which
sessions of the Chapter they may participate; however, these individuals shall
not have the right to vote.
222.
Unless it has
been otherwise specified, the highest ranking gremialis, according to the order of precedence, shall preside over
Chapter meetings and other collegial meetings.
223.
Gremiales and others whose consent or advice is required, shall express
their views with respect, fidelity and sincerity. The president may impose
secrecy on them, if he considers it necessary and prudent in view of the
gravity of the matter being treated.
224.
Problems in
which elections are not involved and which are to be determined collegially,
must be examined maturely and resolved according to the vote of the absolute
majority of the gremiales present, as
shown in a first or second ballot. Otherwise the vote is repeated only a third
time. If there is an equal number of votes, the president has the power to
break the tie with his vote, or call for a further meeting to arrive at a final
solution.
225.
During
elections, and in votes concerning individuals, voting shall be by secret
ballot, and any form of acclamation is excluded.
In other business to be dealt with collegially, voting need not be secret,
provided there is no objection from any of the gremiales..
226.
Offices and
positions within the Order are conferred by duly confirmed election; by
postulations made in accordance with the law, and approved by the Prior General
with the consent of his Council; or by appointments, following appropriate
consultations.
227.
All offices
shall be conferred in accordance with canon law and with the law of the Order.
228.
At the opening of
a Chapter, all offices which are to be conferred during the Chapter become
immediately vacant; however, outgoing officials continue to exercise their
functions until the newly-appointed take up office.
229.
Unless the
contrary be specified, no office which is normally conferred by election shall
remain vacant for a period of more than three effective months (trimestre utile), to be calculated from
the day of notification of the vacancy.
230.
Unless there are
norms otherwise specified for particular cases, no one shall hold two
incompatible offices, i.e. offices which cannot be simultaneously exercised by
the same person—for example, offices which demand different residences.
231.
No member of the
Order shall accept an office or function outside the Order without the
permission of his Prior Provincial or of his local Prior.
232.
For reasons
relating to jurisdiction, only those religious who have received priestly
ordination may be elected or designated to the offices of prior, vicar or
substitute.
233.
Appointments
must be made in a spirit of fraternal dialogue. Therefore, the superior, who
has the right freely to confer an office, must hear the subject on whom he
intends to confer it. It is for the superior to weigh the reasons given by the
candidate, and then accept or reject them.
234.
All who have the
right to vote must be summoned for elections. However, they need not be
summoned personally; a general convocation is sufficient, by means of a letter
addressed to each house or published in the official newsletter of the Order,
or in some other manner sanctioned by the Provincial Statutes or by custom. If
an elector is overlooked, and hence is absent at the time of voting, and the
oversight and absence are proven, the election remains valid; however, should
he so request, the election is made null by the competent superior, even if the
election has been confirmed, provided it is juridically certain that the
recourse was made within three days of the notification of the election. If
more than one third of the electors have not been notified, the election is
null and void by virtue of the law itself. If, however, those who were not
notified are in fact present for the voting, failure to notify them is no obstacle
to validity.
235.
Respecting,
however, article 238, those who are
present at the place and time stated in the convocation have the right to vote.
236.
Those who are
excluded from voting by virtue of article 171 of the Code of Canon Law, or by
the present Constitutions, cannot vote.
237.
If one or more
of the electors is present in the house where the election takes place, but is
unable to take part for reasons of health, the scrutineers shall collect his
written vote.
238.
Provincial Statutes
may permit voting by mail, provided the required secrecy is carefully observed.
239.
Voting by proxy is permitted in the following
cases:
a) for a just motive, the Prior Provincial,
the General Commissary, or
the Commissary Provincial may send a proxy to the
General Chapter or to the General Congregation from his own Province or Commissariat, who shall have the
right to vote; if,
however, the proxy is chosen from another Province or General Commissariat, the consent of the Prior General is required;
b) with the consent of the Prior General, a
delegate to the General
Chapter may also send a proxy with the right to vote, provided neither he nor a substitute delegate can attend the Chapter;
c) Provincial Statutes shall stipulate
the right to send a proxy to
a Provincial Chapter.
240.
Any one
individual may cast only one vote, even if he has the right to vote on several
grounds.
241.
§1. A vote
is null and void:
a)
if it is not free; hence it is not valid if the voter was constrained
by grave fear or by fraud, directly or indirectly, to vote for a certain person or for several
persons separately; and
b)
if it is not secret, certain, absolute and determined.
§2. Conditions attached to a vote before
the election shall be disregarded.
242.
All shall avoid
soliciting votes for themselves or for others, whether directly or indirectly. It is permissible, however, within the
boundaries of justice and charity, to discuss the suitability of candidates.
243.
Unless otherwise
provided in particular cases, the president shall appoint at least two
scrutineers and an equal number of tellers, as well as a secretary, for the
voting process. All of these, including the president, are in conscience bound
to carry out their duties faithfully and to preserve secrecy with regard to the
business done in the assembly, even after the election. On a signal from the
president, the scrutineers shall take care that the votes are cast in secret.
When all the votes have been collected the scrutineers shall verify, in the
presence of the president and of the gremiales,
that the number of votes corresponds to the number of voters; they shall
examine the votes, and announce publicly the number of votes received by each
candidate, while the tellers shall record the numbers. Should the number of
votes cast exceed the number of voters, the vote is null and void and must be
repeated. The ballots shall be destroyed immediately after each vote, or at the
end of the session if several votes take place in one session. The secretary
shall accurately record all the acts pertaining to the election in registers
for this purpose; all the gremiales,
or at least the secretary and the president, shall sign the record, which shall
be carefully preserved in the archives.
244.
With the
approval of the Chapter, a suitable interval may be allowed between elections
or between rounds of balloting in the same election.
245.
Unless otherwise
specified in particular cases, and if an absolute majority of those who must be
convoked is present at the voting, the candidate who has received an absolute
majority of the votes of those present shall be considered elected, and
proclaimed as such by the president. If the first two ballots prove indecisive,
voting shall be between the two candidates who have received the highest number
of votes. If more than two have received the same number of votes, voting takes
place between the two who are senior based on first profession, or if they were
professed on the same day, based on age. The two candidates shall have no
active voice in this ballot, and the one who receives the greater number of
votes shall be considered elected. If in the third ballot, both candidates
receive the same
number of votes, the one who is senior by first profession shall be considered
elected; or if both were professed on the same day, the one who is senior by
age.
246.
The person who
has been elected shall be notified immediately of his election. Within eight days
of the notification, he must indicate whether or not he accepts the election,
failing which he forfeits all rights deriving from this election. If the person concerned is present at the
time of the election, the proclamation mentioned in article 245 shall serve as
notification.
247.
If the person
elected does not accept the appointment, he loses all rights deriving from it
as soon as the president receives his refusal, even if he subsequently regrets
the decision to renounce the appointment. He may, however, be re-elected.
248.
In cases where
confirmation is not required, the elected person, upon accepting his election,
enters immediately into office. In cases where confirmation is required, he
acquires only the right to his office; thus, until confirmation is obtained, he
may not exercise his office by virtue of the election, be it in temporal or in
spiritual matters, and the effects of any such action shall be invalid.
249.
No confirmation
is required for the election of the Prior General or of the members of his
Council. The election of the Prior Provincial must be confirmed by the Prior
General or by the Chapter president appointed by him. All other elections must
be confirmed by the president presiding over the election.
250.
The electoral
college automatically loses its right to elect:
a) if the election does not take place
within the required time;
b) if, contrary to articles 220 and 221,
the gremiales have endeavoured to increase
their numbers and have deliberately allowed
one or more unauthorised persons to vote.
251.
The electoral
college may not be deprived of its right to vote without due process, except
for the circumstances described in article 250, or in the case of some failure
which is imputable to the college itself.
252.
When, for
whatever reason, an electoral college is deprived of its right to elect, the
right of free conferral belongs to the immediate major superior with the
consent of his Council.
253.
In the case of a
postulation to office to which there is an impediment in the laws of the Order,
the Prior General, if he considers it advisable, may dispense from the
impediment, with the consent of his Council, and admit the postulation.
254.
§1. A
candidate may be postulated only if he has obtained two thirds of the votes in
the first or the second ballot.
If no candidate
obtains the necessary majority in the first two ballots for postulation or for election,
voting shall begin again from the first ballot, and the candidate for
postulation shall lose his passive voice.
§2. If the
postulated candidate does not accept, voting shall begin again from the first
ballot and proceed according to article 245.
255.
The General
Chapter is the supreme authority of our Order; it is also the principal sign of
the unity of our Order, in all its diversity. It is the fraternal gathering in
which we reflect together, in community, to strengthen our faithfulness to the
Gospel and to our charism, and our sensitivity to the needs of time and place.
By means of the General Chapter, the entire Order, allowing itself to be guided
by the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeks to know the will of God at a
particular moment in history, so that we may best serve the Church.
256.
§1. The ordinary General Chapter shall be
celebrated every six years.
§2. Before convening a General Chapter,
the Prior General shall consult the major superiors of the entire Order
concerning the date and the place of the General Chapter; the questions and
problems to be discussed at the Chapter; and the choice of several suitable
brothers to be appointed to the preparatory commission.
257.
The Prior
General, with the consent of his Council and after consulting the other major
superiors, may convene an extraordinary General Chapter. Elections may also be held at such a
Chapter to fill vacant offices which are of the competence of the Chapter.
258.
§1. The gremiales of the General Chapter are the
following:
a) the Prior
General;
b) former
Priors General;
c) the members
of the General Council;
d) the Priors
Provincial;
e) the General
Commissaries;
f) Provincial
Commissaries of those Commissariats which on the date of the convocation have at least 20 voting
members;
g) the Prior
of St. Albert’s International Centre in Rome;
h) the
superiors of General Delegations which on the date of convocation
of the General Chapter have at least 20 voting members,
otherwise they may participate, but without the right to vote.
i) delegates
of the Provinces, as defined in the following paragraph.
§2. Any Province which, on
the day of the convocation of the General Chapter, has fewer than 20 voting
members, shall send no delegate to the General Chapter. Any Province which, on
the same day, includes more than 100 voting members shall have the right to
send three delegates to the Chapter. All other Provinces may send two delegates
each. In computing the number of voting members for the purpose of establishing
the right to send a third delegate, voting members of Provincial Commissariats
may not be counted if the Commissariats in question are sending their own Commissaries.
General Commissariats are not entitled to send delegates.
§3. Members
of the General Council who are released from office continue to enjoy the right
to vote throughout the Chapter at which they are released from office. Newly
elected Councillors, if they are not already gremiales, shall be summoned immediately, and have the right to
vote at the Chapter.
§4. The
Provincial Commissaries of Commissariats with fewer than twenty voting members
and the Presidents of Regions are also entitled to attend the General Chapter,
but they shall not have the right to vote.
259.
It is the
responsibility of the General Chapter:
a) to approve the Constitutions and other
general codes of the Order’s
law for the Order in general; to foster spiritual and apostolic vitality; to draw up and
communicate to the General Council
guidelines and criteria to be used by the General Council in the government of the Order
during the following six years;
to adapt laws for the needs of the time through an appropriate updating.
b) to elect
the Prior General and the members of the General Council according to articles 276. §1. and 295;
c) to define
the means and channels through which the life of the Order may radiate, in
fraternal communication, to all the members;
d) to decide
on any other matters which the Chapter may consider
appropriate.
260.
§1. At
least one year before the beginning of a Chapter, the Prior General shall send
a letter of convocation to all the major superiors, informing them of the date and
place of the Chapter and inviting all the brethren to pray for its success.
§2. At the same time, the Prior General
with his Council shall set up a preparatory commission and a secretariat for
the General Chapter.
§3. Six
months before the celebration of the Chapter, the Prior General shall send to
all the gremiales a written report
and documentation on the state of the Order and any problems which are
expected to arise over the
ensuing six-year period.
261.
§1. Before
the opening of the Chapter, the secretariat shall act as the executive and
co-ordinating centre for all technical and administrative matters. Moreover,
the secretariat shall receive all proposals
and forward them to the Preparatory Commission.
§2. During the Chapter, the secretariat
shall place its facilities at the disposal of the gremiales, and prepare the acts of the Chapter, in collaboration
with the commission appointed for this purpose under article 271 c).
§3. The
secretariat of the General Council shall work together with the secretariat of
the General Chapter.
262.
§1. The preparatory commission will be
composed of several brethren expert in the matters to be discussed at the
Chapter.
§2. The preparatory commission shall:
a) organise
the proposals sent to it according to appropriate criteria;
b) state their
views concerning these proposals;
c) summarise
these in a formula suitable for voting.
263.
§1. All the
brethren are entitled to make proposals and to state their views on problems and
matters concerning the good of the Order, and to send these to the secretariat
of the Chapter .
§2. Throughout the Order, open meetings of
voting members should be strongly encouraged at the house level, at the
provincial level, and at the inter-provincial level, in order to discuss, in
fraternal dialogue and with sincere and loving concern for the development of
the Order, issues which might seem pertinent to the good of the Order, with a
view to presenting them to the preparatory commission. The Provincial Council
and the delegates to the General Chapter shall promote and encourage such
exchanges, in line with the Provincial Statutes.
264.
At least six
months before the opening of a Chapter, a document drawn up by the preparatory
commission shall be sent to the Priors Provincial, to local Priors, and to all
the gremiales of the General Chapter.
265.
§1. Upon receiving the letter of
convocation, the Priors Provincial shall provide, as soon as possible, for the
election of delegates to the General Chapter.
§2. Delegates shall be elected from among
all the voting members, excepting those who are already gremiales of the Chapter. Provincial Statutes may set out
particular procedures for elections, and determine the number of votes required
to be elected, provided they respect the obligation to ensure that voting is by
secret ballot, and that the candidates chosen are truly capable and expert in
the matters to be discussed at the Chapter.
§3.
Substitute delegates equal to the number of delegates shall also be elected.
§4. The
results of all the ballots, and the names of those elected, shall be
communicated at the earliest possible date to the secretariat of the General
Chapter.
266.
If, for a just
reason, a delegate is unable to be present at the Chapter, he shall be replaced
by the first substitute to be elected.
267.
As soon as
possible after every ordinary General Chapter, a catalogue of the Order shall
be published, containing a list of all the newly appointed members of the Curia
and general officials; a list of the brothers, nuns and sisters affiliated with
the Order; a list of all houses and some indication of their various
activities.
268.
The General
Council shall provide for competent individuals to be present and available to
the gremiales, during the Chapter, to
explain the issues which are to be discussed.
269.
At least three
members of the preparatory commission shall take part in the Chapter. This
shall not give them, or any other experts appointed by the General Council, the
right to vote. Should the Chapter so decide, the above mentioned may however
take part in the debates and address the Chapter on the questions to be
treated.
270.
The procedure
and the norms for the conduct of the General Chapter shall be defined in the Rules
of Procedure, to be approved in keeping with these Constitutions, and to be
considered relatively stable. The General Chapter may amend a rule only by a
two thirds majority of those present, during the session described in article
272 b); an absolute majority is required if the amendment is to apply to the
subsequent General Chapter.
271.
The Prior
General of the preceding six-year term shall preside over the first session of
the Chapter, which shall proceed as follows:
a) If an apostolic letter has been sent to
the Chapter by the Holy See, it is read following the customary prayers for the
opening of the
Chapter.
b) The
secretary then reads out the list of the gremiales.
c) The names
of the chapter officials appointed by the Prior General after hearing the views of his Council, are made
public: three
scrutineers and three tellers; three auditors for the expenses of the Chapter; the members of the
commission for the revision of the acts,
which shall include representatives of the
various language groups and whose task it is to draft the acts of the Chapter, in
keeping with article 261, # 2. These officials
must all be gremiales.
d) One of the
members is canonically elected president of the Chapter; it is
his task to preside over the Chapter until the election
and acceptance of the Prior General. The Prior General of the preceding six year period
does not have passive voice in the
election of the president.
e) The gremiales elect five judges to hear any cases
which may arise,
and to settle them on behalf of the Chapter.
272.
The second
session of the Chapter shall proceed as follows:
a) the Prior
General of the preceding six-year term shall read a report on the spiritual and
temporal state of the Order and on if and
how during the preceding six-year term, the Order has responded to directives from the
Holy See, from the previous Chapter, and
from the General Congregation; and on the reasons
which may have impeded the fulfilment of such directives.
b) In keeping
with article 270, the gremiales are
then given the Rules
of Procedure for the Chapter.
273.
The gremiales then determine the order in
which the items on the agenda are to be discussed; specify when the required
elections are to take place; and decide whether some brothers who are not gremiales may participate in the
sessions, in accordance with article 221, § 2.
274.
The judges shall
hear and examine any controversies which might arise concerning the right to
take part in the General Chapter, and reach decisions on behalf of the Chapter.
275.
The one who is
chosen to be Prior General shall be distinguished for such natural gifts and
virtues, such experience and wisdom, as qualify him to take in hand the
direction of the Order, worthily and effectively, according to the needs of the
time. It is his task to ensure effectively the common good of the whole Order;
to work strenuously so that the authentic spirit of Carmel, especially with
respect to the life of prayer, may be truly present in every Province, and
increase day by day; to promote tirelessly the growth and development of the
Order and the apostolic and academic vitality of the religious.
276.
§1. The Prior General shall be elected for
a six year term, at the end of which he may be re-elected to the same office;
he may not, however, occupy the same office for a third consecutive six-year
term.
§2. The election shall take place in
accordance with article 245.
§3. A consultative vote shall take place
before the canonical election.
277.
To be validly
elected to the office of Prior General, a candidate must have received priestly
ordination; he must be at least thirty-five years of
age; and he must have completed ten years in the Order since his first
profession.
278.
§1. In addition to the powers conferred on
him by canon law, the Prior General shall have authority:
a) to appoint, as soon as possible after the
end of the Chapter,
and with the consent of his Council, the general officers, the president of the Institutum Carmelitanum, the general
archivist, and the Priors and other officers of the houses under his direct
jurisdiction, if the above offices are vacant;
b) with the consent of his Council, and
for grave motives, to remove from
office a Prior Provincial, after hearing his views and those of the members of the
Provincial Council;
c) with the
consent of his Council, and for a just reason, to anticipate or postpone the celebration of the General
Chapter, by no more than six
months;
d) for a just reason, to transfer
religious from one house to another,
or from one Province to another, after hearing the views of the religious
concerned, and after consulting the Priors Provincial concerned.
§2. The Prior General has the right to
preside, with active voice, over provincial and local Chapters, and over
meetings of provincial and local councils, in the entire Order.
279.
In addition to
the obligations attached to his office by virtue of article 275, the Prior
General is required:
a) to reside ordinarily in the same house
with the other members
of the General Council;
b) at least once during his six-year term
of office, to make canonical
visitations to all the Provinces, General Commissariats
and other foundations of the Order, either personally
or through others;
c) to send a report on the state of the
Order to the Holy See, in accordance
with canon law.
280.
For a just
reason, the Prior General may resign from his office. Such resignation requires
no acceptance; however, to be valid, it must be made either in writing and
submitted to the General Council, or orally in the presence of two witnesses
who shall immediately inform the General Council.
281.
If the Prior
General’s health should deteriorate to such an extent that, in the
opinion of the doctors and of the majority of the members of the General
Council, he no longer has full possession of his mental faculties, the Vice
Prior General shall take in hand the government of the Order, and continue to
do so for as long as this situation continues, with all the rights and
obligations of the Prior General, except as stipulated in article 282, §
2.
282.
§1. If the office of Prior General should become
vacant less than one year before the end of his six year term, the Vice Prior
General shall assume the government of the Order until the completion of the
six year term, with all the rights and obligations of the Prior General.
§ 2. However, if such a vacancy occurs more
than one year before the end of the six-year term, the Vice Prior General shall
assume the government of the Order with all the rights and obligations of the
Prior General, and shall convene, within two months, an extraordinary General
Chapter, in accordance with articles 260, § 1, 265 and 266. This Chapter
shall elect a Prior General who shall remain in office until the end of the
above six-year term. At the end of the six-year term, an ordinary General
Chapter shall be celebrated.
283.
A Prior General
who has completed his term of office, or resigned from it, may choose to reside
in any house of the Order.
284.
Former Priors
General have the right to vote in the Provincial Chapters of the Provinces in
which they reside.
285.
Two years before
the General Chapter, the Prior General, with the consent of his Council, shall
convene a General Congregation to
discuss matters of common interest to the
whole Order.
286.
§1. The
members of the General Congregation are:
a) the Prior
General;
b) the members
of his General Council;
c) the Priors
Provincial;
d) the General
Commissaries;
e) the
Provincial Commissaries of those Commissariats which, on the day of the
convocation of the General Congregation, have at
least twenty voting members;
f) the
Superiors of those General Delegations which, on the day of the
convocation of the General Congregation, have at least twenty voting members.
§2. Each
Prior Provincial and each General Commissary may be accompanied by one
religious who is truly expert in those matters to be dealt with at the
Congregation, and who shall have the right to take part in the meetings of the
Congregation, but not the right to vote.
§3. Those
Provincial Commissaries and General Delegates who are not included under §
1.f) above, and the Presidents of Regions, participate in the Congregation, but
shall not have the right to vote.
287.
It pertains to
the General Congregation, gathered in collegial assembly,
a) to assist the Prior General and his
Council in their task of governing and
animating the Order;
b) to foster communication and contact
between the General Curia and the various
areas of the Order;
c) to ensure
the implementation of the decisions and decrees of the previous General Chapter; to
assess the effectiveness of the guidelines
provided; to make decisions and issue decrees, which shall be valid only until the following
Chapter;
d) to assist
in the preparation of the following Chapter, and to advise the Prior General
concerning the venue of the Chapter;
e) to discuss the financial matters of
the Order.
288.
The Council of
Provinces is a consultative organ established for the purpose of:
a) ensuring greater participation of the
Provinces in the central government
of the Order;
b) monitoring trends and needs within the
Order, with a view to providing
orientations to the Prior General and to his Council;
c) contributing to an evaluation of the
development of the Order,
on the basis of written reports presented by the members of the General Council.
289.
The Council of
Provinces consists of the following members:
a) the Prior General;
b) the members of the General Council;
c) the Priors Provincial;
d) the General Commissaries;
e)
the Provincial Commissaries;
f) the Presidents of the Regions;
g)
the Superiors of the General Delegations.
290.
The Council of
Provinces is convened two years after the General Chapter.
291.
Provinces,
General Commissariats and Provincial Commissariats may form Regions, with a
view to promoting greater communication and co-operation.
292.
Each Region
shall be organised in whatever manner it deems appropriate or necessary, and
shall draw up its own Statutes to regulate its activities. These Statutes, to
be approved in keeping with article 195, §2, shall specify what regional
officials are elected or appointed, and define their functions (President,
Secretary, etc.).
6. The General Council
293.
§1. As a collegial body established in
accordance with the law, the General Council consists of the Prior General, the
Vice Prior General, two General Councillors for the North (a General Councillor
for North and Central Europe and for North America, and a General Councillor
for Mediterranean Europe), two General Councillors for the South (a General
Councillor for Latin America, and a General Councillor for Asia, Africa, and
Australia), the Procurator General and the Bursar General. As the Prior General’s
Council, it consists of the same persons, excluding the Prior General. The
Prior General may however vote with his councillors.
§2. When matters of their competence are
being discussed, general officials may be invited to express their opinions at
the meetings of the General Council.
294.
The canonical
election of each member of the General Council by the General Chapter shall be
preceded by a consultative vote.
295.
All the members
of the General Council shall be elected for a six-year term of office, at the
end of which they may be re-elected to the same office; however, they may not
be re-elected for a third term, unless they have been out of the office for at
least three years.
296.
When acting
explicitly as a collegial body, the General Council must proceed according to
the law. As the Prior General's Council, its role is to assist him, and to give
consent and advice, in keeping with canon law and with the law of the Order.
297.
§1. With due regard for the prescriptions
of canon law, when discussing matters of ordinary
administration, a session of the
General Council is valid if a quorum of four members is present.
§2.
Whenever, according to law or to the Order’s own laws, the business to be
discussed requires the presence of more members than are available, the Council
itself may, for the occasion, grant voice and the right to vote to general
officers in the Curia, observing precedence and rank according to article 205
§3, or if these too should be absent, to the nearest major superiors.
298.
For more
important matters, the Prior General shall avail himself of the services of his
Council, even in those cases where he is not required to do so by law. He shall
also hear the opinion of the officers mentioned in articles 311 and 312, on
matters pertaining to their office.
299.
The Prior
General and the members of his Council shall have frequent contact with the
major superiors of the Order, so as to share in the life experience of the entire
Order.
300.
It is the duty
of the Vice Prior General:
a) to conduct the affairs of the Order in
the absence of the Prior General;
b) to represent the Prior General at his
request;
c) to organise and to co-ordinate the work
of the General Council;
d) to supervise the functioning of the
various administrative offices of the
Curia.
301.
The members of
the General Council shall be solemnly professed, and shall have the following
qualities:
a) the ability to coordinate, and the
ability to work with others;
b) the ability to implement promptly the
decisions taken by the General
Chapter;
c) to be inspirational and creative.
302.
In fulfilling
their duties, the General Councillors shall endeavour to keep the following
four elements in proper balance, according to principles of collegiality,
subsidiarity, and mutual co-operation:
a) General
Councillors are first and foremost members of the General Council, councillors to the Prior General; therefore they share in the responsibility of
promoting the common good of the entire
Order.
b) General
Councillors report to the General Council on the concerns and experiences of those regions of the Order which fall within the
geographical area of their competence. With regard
to relationships with provinces, commissariats and delegations within their particular geographical
territory, each General
Councillor shall be a link between the various local jurisdictions and the
General Council.
c) Keeping in
mind the evolving dynamics which characterise both
those areas of the Order which are already established, and those which are emerging, General Councillors for
the North
and the South are expected to follow closely the situation in their particular
areas, with a view to identifying resources and
needs and providing adequate information to the central government of the Order.
d) Within the
General Council, each Councillor shall be given an area of special responsibility. In addition, each
General Councillor shall be
involved in articulating the various areas of responsibility,
defined in article 303, within his particular
geographical territory, and
shall report to the General Council on
their concerns.
303.
The General Council
shall distribute among its members the following areas of responsibility:
a) The
Carmelite Family:
- to be a link
with the Carmelite nuns, with the sisters of Carmelite
congregations, and with the secular institutes; and to promote an ever increasing involvement
of lay Carmelites in the Order and in the
Church.
b)
Evangelisation:
- to keep the
Order abreast of contemporary problems in the Church
in the area of evangelisation, and to encourage and support Provinces in their
initiatives in this area;
- to study and
to promote new forms of service in the Order;
- to
coordinate the activities of the international Justice and Peace Commission;
- to develop
and sustain a network of contacts with the more important organisations and programmes in the area of Justice and Peace;
- to organise
and co-ordinate existing programmes in the area of Justice and Peace throughout the Order.
c)
Spirituality, Formation, Cultural and Academic Activities:
- to develop
guidelines for the vocations ministry;
- to be in
close contact with formation programmes in the different
parts of the Order, giving special attention to the needs of formation in emerging areas, and providing
assistance for exchanges
of formation personnel;
- to develop
leadership, with a view to establishing a formation system for the Order as a whole,
in keeping with the RIVC. To this end, the Councillor
responsible for this area may call on experts
and/or establish an international commission for formation;
- to develop
and organise a training programme for formators;
- to direct
formation in the Order, and to promote an exchange among Provinces of formation
programmes currently in use;
- to take a special interest in
the various formation, spirituality, and
study centres within the Order (the Institutum Carmelitanum
in Rome, the Titus Brandsma Institute in Nijmegen,
etc.);
- to call to
the Order’s attention new studies on its charism and spirituality, and to
promote interest in such studies by means of
courses, congresses, publications of original works and translations;
- to work
towards a clear strategy within the Order in the area of theological and other
studies.
d) new foundations;
e) houses under the direct jurisdiction
of the Prior General.
304.
A member of the
General Council who participates in a Provincial Chapter as socius of the Prior General has active
voice in that Chapter.
305.
If the office of
a member of the Council should become vacant in the course of the six-year
term, the General Council, acting collegially, shall replace him as soon as
possible with a suitable religious, who shall remain in office until the end of
the six-year term.
306.
It is the task of
the Procurator General to act on behalf of the Prior General in all the affairs
of the Order with the Holy See.
307.
§1. The
Bursar General shall:
a) manage the
assets of the Order;
b) administer the financial affairs of
the General Council;
c) be in communication with the bursars
of the Provinces, General
Commissariats, and Provincial Commissariats;
d) prepare estimated budgets for projects
proposed by the General
Chapter and by Councils of Provinces;
e) convene the international financial
commission, and, together with
the commission, submit a proposal to the General Council for the taxes to be paid by the
Provinces; draw up a financial plan;
examine the yearly financial reports of the Provinces; establish criteria so that the financial orientations of
the Order are
consistent with the Order’s preferential option for the poor and
the marginalized; prepare books and accounts for periodic controls
by the General Council;
f) coordinate the promotion of and the
necessary helps coming from
various provinces for communities in difficulties.
§2. In the performance of his duties, the
Bursar General may enlist the assistance of experts, whether religious or lay,
approved by the General Council.
308.
§1. The Secretary General, and the
secretaries of the Order's special priority areas, are appointed by the Prior General, with
the consent of his Council. The Secretary General is the official secretary (notaio) of the Order.
§ 2. The
Order's special priority areas are:
a)
the Carmelite Family;
b)
evangelisation;
c)
formation, spirituality, and cultural and academic activities.
309.
Should he
consider it advisable, the Prior General,
with the consent of his Council, may appoint a co-secretary to assist
the Secretary General.
310.
§1. The Secretary General shall:
a) prepare the meetings of the General
Council; attend the meetings,
without voice or vote; and prepare the acts of the meetings;
b) send and receive official letters and
other documents;
c) be responsible for the technical and
administrative preparation of
the General Congregation, of the Council of Provinces,
and of all other meetings convened by the competent authority;
d) facilitate communication between the
General Council and the
various Provinces of the Order, in the best way possible.
§2. The
secretaries for special priority areas shall, together with the respective
Councillors:
a) prepare
assemblies, meetings of commissions, and any other gatherings dealing with their
particular area;
b) develop
projects in their particular area to promote the development of the Order;
c) submit to
the Bursar General estimates of expenditures for the projects
mentioned under b) above;
d) at the end
of each year, submit a report to the General Council
on the activities of their area.
311.
Other offices
attached to the General Curia are the following:
-
the office of the Postulator General for the promotion of causes of beatification and
canonisation;
-
the office of the Delegate for social communication.
312.
The Prior
General, with the consent of his Council, shall appoint officials to fill the
general offices mentioned above and any other offices which may be created, and
define their rights and responsibilities.
313.
The Provincial
Chapter is the fraternal gathering in which local communities strengthen their sense
of belonging to the provincial community, through shared concern for common
problems.
314.
The ordinary
Provincial Chapter shall be celebrated every three years, during the month
chosen by the preceding Chapter and approved by the Prior General.
315.
The
extraordinary Provincial Chapter shall be celebrated in accordance with article
353, §2 of these Constitutions.
316.
Provincial
Chapters shall be conducted according to these Constitutions and the
prescriptions of the Provincial Statutes.
317.
Provincial
Statutes shall clearly define who are the gremiales of the Provincial Chapter, keeping in
mind that the number of delegates must be at least equal to that of the members
who attend by right, without prejudice to the norms set out in articles 278. §
2, 284, and 304.
318.
Where the number
of religious and other circumstances permit, Provincial Statutes may stipulate
that all religious who have active voice in the Province shall be gremiales of the Provincial Chapter.
319.
For the election
of delegates to the Provincial Chapter, only voting members of the Province who
are not already gremiales of the
Provincial Chapter shall have active and passive voice.
320.
On the occasion
of the celebration of the first Provincial Chapter of a newly erected Province,
it is the prerogative of the Prior General, after hearing the views of his
Council and of the interested parties, to decide who shall be the gremiales of the Chapter; to convene the
Chapter, either directly or through another person; and to do what is set out
in articles 316, 319, 324-331.
321.
It is the
responsibility of the Provincial Chapter:
a) with due regard for the norms set
forth in article 322, to elect by
canonical election the Prior Provincial and the Provincial Councillors,
and, if the Provincial Statutes so provide, a Vice Prior Provincial and an Assistant
Provincial;
b) to
draw up and amend Provincial Statutes, and issue other decrees;
c) to establish guidelines and criteria
to be followed in the government of the Province;
d) to decide, if appropriate, the sharing
of the goods of the whole Province,
with due regard for justice and charity;
e) to determine the contributions to be
made by some or all of the
houses of the Province towards common needs;
f) to make other decisions, as
appropriate, for the proper functioning
of the entire Province or of any house within it.
322.
Provincial
Statutes may decree that all religious who have active voice in the Province
shall take part in the election of the Prior Provincial and of Provincial
Councillors. The Statutes shall specify precisely the manner in which voting
shall take place, and the number of votes that must be obtained so that a
person may be declared elected.
323.
At least six
months before the celebration of the Provincial Chapter, the Prior Provincial
shall send a written convocation to individual houses, indicating the place and
the date of the opening of the Chapter, and inviting the religious to pray for
the success of the Chapter.
324.
§1. Within
a month of the convocation of the Chapter, the Prior Provincial, with the
consent of his Council, shall institute a secretariat and a preparatory
commission. Where circumstances advise it, only a preparatory commission may be
established, and this will also serve as secretariat.
§ 2. In addition to the preparatory
commission for the entire Province, a special commission may also be instituted
for the Provincial Commissariat.
325.
The preparatory
commission shall consist of several religious knowledgeable in the matters to be
discussed at the Chapter. However, major superiors shall not be members of the
commission. All necessary means shall be put at the disposition of the
commission to fulfil its task.
326.
Before and
during the Chapter, the secretariat shall be the executive and coordinating
centre for all technical and administrative matters.
327.
Both local
chapters and individual members of the Province have the right to send to the
preparatory commission proposals to be examined at the Provincial Chapter.
328.
It is the
responsibility of the preparatory commission:
a) to
organise the proposals it receives, according to appropriate criteria;
b) to
express its own views with regard to the proposals;
c) to
summarise the proposals, in a form suitable for voting.
329.
The documents
prepared by the preparatory commission shall be collated in a single file and
sent to all the gremiales of the
Chapter, and to all the houses of the Province, at least one month before the
opening of the Chapter.
330.
As soon as the
Chapter is convoked, delegates shall be elected. The results of all the ballots
and the names of the elected candidates shall be published immediately.
331.
If the
Provincial Statutes so require, the preparatory commission, as soon as it is
established, shall arrange for all the voting members of the Province to give
their consultative vote on the candidates to the office of Prior Provincial and
on the candidates to the office of provincial councillor. The results of this
consultation shall be made public at the first session of the Chapter, in
accordance with article 333, f), unless Provincial Statutes stipulate
otherwise.
332.
§1. The Prior General has the right to
preside over the Provincial Chapter, in person or through a delegate.
§2. If the Prior General is absent, and
has not designated a president, the Chapter shall canonically elect one of the gremiales to the presidency. The
outgoing Prior Provincial shall preside over this election, but he shall have
no passive voice.
§ 3. The president, elected according to
§2 above, has the right and the obligation to preside over the Chapter
until the new Prior Provincial is elected and has accepted the office. In this
case, the election must be confirmed by the Prior General in accordance with
article 249.
333.
The first session of the Chapter shall
proceed as follows:
a) The Prior General, or the president
designated by him, or, in the
absence of both, the Prior Provincial of the preceding three- year term, shall give an appropriate address;
b) If the Prior General has sent a letter
designating the president of the Chapter,
the letter is read.
c) If necessary, the president of the
Chapter is elected, in accordance
with article 332, §2.
d) After hearing the views of the
Provincial Council, the president
appoints the following Chapter officials from among the gremiales: a secretary, two revisers of the acts, two scrutineers, and two tellers.
e) If they consider it advisable, the gremiales elect three judges to hear and
settle, on behalf of the Chapter, any legal conflicts or other cases which may arise. The judges must report
to the gremiales on the outcome of their work,
at the appointed time.
f) The ballots of the consultative vote,
mentioned in article 331, are
opened and their contents made known, if this has not been done
beforehand.
334.
During the
second session of the Chapter, the outgoing Prior Provincial shall present a
written report on the spiritual and temporal state of the Province; the other
provincial officials shall report on their activities, in accordance with the
Statutes of the Province.
335.
The gremiales shall next determine:
a) the agenda of Chapter, and the days on
which elections are to
take place;
b) whether some religious who are not gremiales may take part in the sessions, in
accordance with article 221, §2.
336.
The gremiales shall next examine the
document drafted by the preparatory commission, and discuss it in chapter
commissions; they shall then return to the plenary assembly to discuss and
ratify whatever conclusions might best serve the good of the Church, of the
Order and of the Province.
337.
Decisions made
by the Provincial Chapter are valid for the entire Province until such time as
they may be revoked; they may be revoked or amended in subsequent Provincial
Chapters.
338.
The acts of the
Provincial Chapter shall be recorded in a special book, and shall be read at
the last session; they shall be sealed with the seal of the Province, and
signed at least by the president and by the secretary. As soon as possible, the
Prior Provincial shall send a copy of the acts to the Prior General, whose
prerogative it is to approve them, with the consent of his Council. After the
acts have been approved, copies shall be sent to all the houses of the
Province.
339.
Other meetings
either of a particular category of religious or of all the voting members of
the province are to be encouraged. These meetings are to study more carefully
and to resolve problems affecting the whole province, and to increase common
responsibility.
340.
§1. To be
validly elected to the office of
Prior Provincial, the candidate must be one who has received priestly
ordination, has had five years of solemn profession in the Order, and is at
least 30 years of age.
§2. Only a religious belonging to the
Province can be elected Prior Provincial. In exceptional cases, for a good and
grave reason, and with the consent of the Prior General, the Provincial
Chapter, with due regard for article 322, may elect a friar from another
Province to the office of Prior Provincial.
341.
Provided the
Provincial Statutes do not stipulate otherwise,
a) for the election of the Prior
Provincial, only the three candidates
who have obtained the largest number of votes during
the consultation mentioned in article 331, shall have passive voice.
b) If at least
two of the above candidates declare that, if elected, they have the intention of not
accepting the office, the Provincial Chapter
has the power of deciding how to proceed in this case.
342.
§1. The
Prior Provincial is elected for a three year term, at the end of which he may
be re-elected to the same office; he may not be re-elected for a third
three-year term, unless he has been out of office for at least three years.
§2. A Prior Provincial who has come into
office to complete his predecessor’s three-year term in accordance with
article 353, §2, is eligible for two further consecutive three-year terms.
§3. a) The
Prior Provincial, if the Provincial Statutes allow it, may be
elected for a six-year term. However, he may not be re- elected thereafter, unless
he has been out of office for at least three
years.
b)
If the office should become vacant before the end of the three-year
term, the Prior Provincial who fills the vacancy in accordance
with article 353. § 2, shall remain in office only until the completion of
the same three-year term.
343.
The election of
the Prior Provincial shall take place as specified in article 245, unless the
Provincial Statutes provide otherwise.
344.
The Prior
Provincial has full authority of office once he has accepted election and it
has been confirmed.
345.
The Prior
Provincial shall send a report on the state of the Province to the Prior
General, in accordance with the Prior General’s instructions.
346.
In addition to
the rights conferred on his office by canon law, the Prior Provincial has all
the faculties attributed to local superiors by the present Constitutions.
Ordinarily, however, he shall not interfere in the government of individual
houses. Moreover, with due regard to article 350, for a just motive
commensurate to the action, the Prior Provincial has the following power:
a) with the consent of his Council, and
after hearing the views of
the persons concerned, for a grave reason, to remove from office provincial and
local officials; in the case of local officials, he shall first hear the views of the Priors concerned,
and/or separately those of the
voting members of the houses concerned;
b) with due regard for articles 283 and
348, to transfer religious from one house to
another;
c) with the consent of his Council, to
allow members to live outside
their community for just reasons, but not for longer than one year. For reasons
of study, health, or apostolate in the name
of the Order, such authorisation may be given for as long as there is need;
d) to
dispense individual religious, even habitually, from the obligation to recite the Divine Office, and
from laws concerning fast
and abstinence;
e) without prejudice to article 201,
§4, to dispense individual religious
and specific houses, or even the entire Province, from specific provisions of the Provincial Statutes, provided
the dispensation
concerns purely disciplinary matters;
f) in accordance with canon 832 of the
Code of Canon Law, to authorise
members of his Province to publish writings on moral or religious matters.
347.
The Prior
Provincial shall visit frequently the houses of his Province, in particular
houses of formation, and the monasteries of nuns under the jurisdiction of the
Order. During visitations, in keeping with canon
628, §3 of the Code of Canon Law, he shall enter into dialogue with the
brethren and with the nuns on all matters pertaining to the observance of the
consecrated life.
348.
§1. Before transferring religious from one
house to another, the Prior Provincial shall, as far as possible, hear their
views and those of the local Priors concerned; moreover, he shall take into
consideration the circumstances and abilities of individual friars.
§2. Transfers shall be made by a precept,
given at the opportune time in writing.
349.
When the two
Priors Provincial concerned agree, and with due regard for article 202, religious
who agree to it or request it, can be transferred from one province to another;
the Prior General must be previously informed.
350.
Once the
Provincial Chapter has been convened, the Prior Provincial may not, without the
consent of the Provincial Council, act in any way which would result in changes
to the voting members of the Chapter or which would increase or diminish their
numbers.
351.
§1 If the
Prior Provincial is absent or otherwise impeded, he may appoint as vicar any
member of the Province who has received priestly ordination, with due regard
for article 321, a). If he does not appoint a vicar, the Prior Provincial shall
be replaced by the first provincial councillor, according to the order of
precedence.
§2. The vicar shall have the same duties
and the same faculties as the Prior Provincial, but he shall make no changes in
the Province without the consent of the Provincial Council.
352.
§1. The
Prior Provincial ceases to be in office at the end of the time for which he was
elected, if he is removed from office by the Prior General, in accordance with
article 278 §1, b), or if he resigns from office.
§2. To be valid, his resignation must be
made in writing, or orally in the presence of two witnesses, and accepted by
the Prior General, after hearing the views of his Council.
353.
§1. If the office of the Prior Provincial
becomes vacant less than six months before the end of the three-year term, the
vice Prior Provincial or the first provincial councillor, according to
precedence, shall govern the Province until the end of the three-year term,
with all the rights and obligations of the Prior Provincial.
§2. If, however, the office becomes vacant
more than six months before the end of the three-year term, the vice Prior
Provincial or the provincial councillor mentioned in §1 above shall take
in hand the government of the Province with all the rights and obligations of
the Prior Provincial; however, within one month of the date of the vacancy,
with due respect for the provisions of article 322, he shall either convene an extraordinary
Provincial Chapter, which shall have the same gremiales as an ordinary Provincial Chapter, in accordance with
articles 317 or 318; or, if the Provincial Statutes allow, he shall convene the
electors in accordance with article 322. In either case, a Prior Provincial
must be elected who shall retain the office until the end of the three-year
term, when an ordinary Provincial Chapter shall be celebrated.
354.
The Prior
Provincial of the preceding three-year term shall communicate to the Provincial
Council any and all information which might be necessary or useful for the good
government of the Province.
355.
The office of
Prior Provincial is not compatible with the office of local Prior.
356.
§1. The Provincial Council, as a collegial
body, in keeping with the law, is composed of the Prior Provincial, the
Provincial Councillors, the Vice Prior Provincial and the Assistant Provincial ,
where these offices exist, except where, with respect to the latter office, the
Provincial Statutes stipulate otherwise. As the Council of the Prior
Provincial, it is composed of the same persons excluding the Prior Provincial.
The Prior Provincial may however vote with his councillors.
§ 2. The provincial secretary is the
official secretary (notaio) for all
the sessions of the Provincial Council.
357.
The Provincial
Council, as a collegial body, must act according to the norms of the law. As
the Prior Provincial’s Council, its task is to provide assistance and
give consent and advice, in accordance with canon law and with the law of the
Order.
358.
The Provincial
Council is the collegial court of first instance in legal controversies and
penal cases within the Province.
359.
§1. Without prejudice to article 322, four
provincial councillors shall be elected at the Chapter by all the gremiales. As soon as the elections have
been proclaimed, accepted and confirmed, the provincial councillors shall have
voice in the Chapter and in the Provincial Council.
§2. In a General Commissariat, if the
Provincial Statutes so provide, only two councillors may be elected,
§3.
Provincial Councillors are elected for a three-year term, at the end of which
they may be re-elected for a further three-year term; they may only be
re-elected for a third term after an interval of three years, unless Provincial
Statutes stipulate otherwise.
§4. Should
a vacancy occur in the Provincial Council in the course of a three-year term, the
Provincial Council shall elect a substitute who shall hold office until the
following Provincial Chapter, unless Provincial Statutes stipulate otherwise.
360.
To be validly
elected to the Provincial Council, a friar must be solemnly professed.
361.
The main task of
the Provincial Council is to provide effectively for the common good of the
Province by implementing existing norms and by other appropriate means; and
furthermore to promote cooperation and co-responsibility among all the
religious. To this end, the Provincial Council may issue decrees for the
Province as a whole or for any individual house, with due respect for canon law
and for the law of the Order. In order to accomplish their tasks more
effectively, the Councillors, in their particular areas of activity, may call
upon the assistance of other religious and of lay people, experts in law, in
economics, in technical matters, etc.
362.
During the
Chapter, and after the Chapter if the Provincial Statutes so provide, it is the
prerogative of the Prior Provincial, with the consent of his Council, to
appoint:
a) a Provincial Commissary , where this
is required, in keeping with
article 375 §1, and after consultation with those concerned;
b) Priors and other officials in each
house, where this is required
by the Provincial Statutes;
c) the director of novices;
d) one or more formators;
e) the provincial bursar;
f) a delegate for the nuns and sisters of
the Order;
g) other officials for those offices
which concern the Province as a
whole.
363.
In addition to
the faculties conferred on him under article 362, it is the prerogative of the
Prior Provincial, with the consent of his Council:
a) without prejudice to article 370, to
appoint officers for the province
whenever such offices become vacant before the completion
of the three-year term;
b) in special cases, and after hearing the views of the persons
concerned,
to determine extraordinary contributions to be paid by individual
houses;
c) to give
authentic interpretations of the Statutes of the Province; such
interpretations are no longer valid after the following
Provincial Chapter, unless the Chapter confirms them;
d) with the previous consent of the Prior
General, and at the request of the
majority of the electors of the Province, to postpone
or anticipate the celebration of the Provincial Chapter, but not by more than
three months.
364.
For a session of
the Provincial Council to be legitimate, the Councillors must be present
together, according to the norms of article 219, §2.
365.
In keeping with
Provincial Statutes, the Prior Provincial must convene his Council whenever
matters which are the competency of the Provincial Council need to be
discussed, or when the consent of the Council is required.
366.
At every
session, following a prayer for divine assistance, the minutes of the previous
meeting shall be read; thereafter, the Council shall proceed to a thorough and
careful discussion of the affairs of the Province. The bursar’s accounts
for the Province shall be examined at least once a year.
367.
§1. The minutes of every session of the
Council shall be recorded in a special book, signed by all the gremiales, and sealed with the seal of
the Province. The Prior Provincial shall take care that adequate information
concerning the matters discussed should be made available, from time to time,
to all the houses of the Province.
§ 2. Copies of the minutes mentioned in
§1. above shall be sent to the General Council solely for information. (pro informatione)
368.
A Provincial
Councillor may also hold the office of local Prior if the Provincial Statutes
allow it.
369.
Those religious
who are chosen to fill provincial offices should be outstanding for their prudence,
learning and experience, since they will be collaborators of the Prior
Provincial, who will avail himself of their work and advice in the government
of the province.
370.
All the
officials of the Province (secretary, bursar, etc.) shall be designated for a
three-year term and may be re-appointed to the same offices. Should any of
these provincial offices become vacant before the end of the three-year term,
another friar shall be designated to fill the office, but only until the end of
the three-year term.
371.
§1. The Prior Provincial may appoint a
religious to be his assistant and help him to fulfil his obligations, as so
directed. This religious shall remain under the authority of the local Prior in
all matters pertaining to the common life, insofar as his responsibilities to
the Prior Provincial allow it.
§2. The Assistant Provincial can also be a
local Prior, unless otherwise stated in the Provincial Statutes.
§3. If the office of Prior Provincial
should become vacant at any time during the three-year term for whatever
reason, the office of Assistant Provincial shall immediately also become
vacant.
372.
The Prior
Provincial shall entrust the archives of the Province to the care of a
qualified religious. The archives shall be kept with the utmost care, if
possible in the house in which the Prior Provincial resides; all business files
and important documents shall be preserved therein, in an orderly fashion.
373.
§1. Other offices, functions and
commissions shall be created in every Province, whenever they seem necessary or
useful to the life and activities of the Province.
§2.
The offices, functions and commissions mentioned in §1 above
are governed by the Provincial Statutes.
374.
Without
prejudice to article 371 §3, provincial officials cease in office at the
end of the three-year period for which they were designated, as provided under
article 346 a); or by means of a
written resignation or in the presence of two witnesses and accepted by the Prior
Provincial, after hearing the views of his Council.
375.
§1. Unless otherwise stipulated in the
statutes of the province, it is the prerogative of the Provincial Council,
after obtaining the consultative opinion of the voting members of the
Commissariat, to elect by canonical election to the office of Commissary one of
the three candidates who has received the largest number of votes in the above
mentioned consultation.
§2. Unless otherwise determined by the
Provincial Statutes, two councillors shall be elected by canonical election by
all the voting members of the Commissariat.
§3. The Provincial Commissary shall be
elected for a three-year period, to coincide with the term of office of the
Prior Provincial, in accordance with article 342.
376.
Although the
Provincial Commissary is not included among the major superiors, he is
nevertheless bound by the same obligations as the Prior Provincial, and, by
delegation, enjoys the same faculties as the Prior Provincial, with the
exception of those which the Prior Provincial may explicitly reserve to
himself.
377.
§1. If
necessary, a director of formation, a director of novices, a bursar for the
Commissariat, and other officials may be appointed within the Provincial
Commissariat, in accordance with the statutes of the province.
§2. The
above officials shall be appointed by the Provincial Commissary, with the
consent of the councillors, and with due respect for article 370.
§3. With the consent of the councillors,
and for a just motive, the Commissary may remove the above officials from
office and/or appoint new ones.
378.
The statutes of
the province may include specific norms for the government of the Provincial
Commissariat, provided they are not contrary to these Constitutions.
379.
§1. The local Chapter, over which the
Prior or the one who takes his place presides, is the fraternal governing body
of the house, in keeping with these Constitutions and with the Provincial
Statutes.
§2. In houses where there is no council,
the local Chapter will act as the Prior’s council.
380.
§1. In individual houses, all the solemnly
professed brethren are members of the local Chapter.
§2. The manner in which brethren who are
not yet solemnly professed are to participate in the local Chapter shall be
defined in the Provincial Statutes.
381.
It is the
responsibility of the local Chapter to evaluate, especially through dialogue
and to choose according to common criteria, the initiatives of the community;
to encourage and stimulate responsible cooperation by all members; to examine
and assess any commitments made by the community or by individual members; to
draw up specific norms for the house and to amend or revoke them for acceptable
reasons; to discuss the more important matters; when this arises, to express to
the relevant superiors opinions concerning the admission of candidates to
profession and to ordination.
382.
Except as provided
in article 390, the local Chapter of each legally established house, in which
at least four solemnly professed religious reside habitually, may elect the
Prior, the bursar and other local officials, provided the Provincial Statutes
allow it.
383.
§1. On a suitable date after the
Provincial Chapter, the local chapter of the houses treated in article 382
shall meet to carry out the matters specified in that same article. The chapter
is also to decide other questions which seem necessary or opportune to it.
§2. Other meetings of the local Chapter
shall be held at times set by the Provincial Statutes.
384.
§1. Besides
meetings of local Chapters, in accordance with the format and times set out by
Provincial Statutes, gatherings of all the religious of a community, including
non-voting members and, if necessary, experts not belonging to the community,
shall be held to discuss matters pertaining to the consecrated life, the
apostolate, etc. These meetings are to be planned in advance and discussions
should take place even if the Prior, or some of the brethren, are absent.
§2. Different points of view concerning
the consecrated and Carmelite life of the community should be discussed at these
meetings, keeping in mind the teachings of the Gospel and the form of life
which the religious have freely embraced through profession.
385.
In houses where
more than ten voting members are assigned a Council of the Prior shall be set
up, if the Provincial Statutes so provide.
386.
Where it exists,
the Council shall have the task of assisting the Prior in the fulfilment of his
office as leader and animator of the community. Moreover, the Council shall
give advice and consent, in the most simple and effective way, in accordance
with the norms of canon law and of the law of the Order, concerning those
matters, as determined by Provincial Statutes or by the local Chapter.
387.
§1. The number of council members, and the
manner in which they are to be designated, shall be specified in the Provincial
Statutes; they shall remain in office for a three-year term, and may be
immediately re-elected for successive three-year terms.
§2. If the common good demands it, and for
grave reasons, the Prior Provincial may remove the councillors from
office, or accept their
resignation.
388.
§1. Every house of the Order, even if not
canonically erected, in which at least three brethren habitually reside, shall
be headed by a Prior, designated in accordance with either article 362 or
articles 382, 390, and 392.
§2. A house which depends on another main
house shall be governed in accordance with the Provincial Statutes.
389.
To be elected
Prior, a religious must be solemnly professed for at least five years and must
belong to the Province, except as provided in article 202.
390.
When the Prior
and other local officials must be elected by the local Chapter:
a) the voting member who is first by
order of precedence shall preside
over the election of the Prior. Without prejudice to article 355, the Prior Provincial shall have no voice in this election,
except in the house in which he resides.
b) The election shall take place in
accordance with article 245 and
must be confirmed by the Prior Provincial.
391.
When the local
Prior is nominated by the Prior Provincial with his Council, the appointment
shall be preceded by appropriate consultations.
392.
§1. The Prior shall be designated for
three years; if his office should become vacant before the end of the
three-year term, another person shall be elected to complete the term.
§2. At the end of the three-year term, the
Prior may be re-elected to the same office; however, he may not be elected for
a fourth successive three-year period, even in a different house, without an
interval of at least three years.
393.
The Prior shall:
a) direct the activities of the brethren
and promote their active and
responsible obedience in a climate of authentic brotherhood;
b) reside in his house, and not absent
himself except for a just reason;
c) ensure that his community know and put
into practice the directives
of the Holy See, of the Conference of Bishops, and of the Conference of Major Superiors; and that it observes these Constitutions and any
directives issued by the Order and by the Province;
d) convene the local Chapter, in
accordance with articles 218 and
219, §1 whenever matters arise which pertain to the competence of the Chapter as
such, or which cannot be decided without
the advice or the consent of the Chapter.
394.
In addition to
the faculties conferred on him by canon law, the Prior and his vicar or
substitute may, for a just reason:
a) on a case
by case basis, dispense individual members or the entire community from the
obligation to celebrate in common the
Divine Office, in whole or in part. The obligation to recite the Office privately shall remain in force;
b) on a case
by case basis, dispense individual members or the entire community from
obligations concerning fast and abstinence
imposed by canon law or by the laws of the Order;
c) allow individual members to live
outside the community on a temporary
basis, in accordance with the conditions set forth in the Provincial
Statutes;
d) grant
permission to clerics to preach in the community’s church.
395.
§1. For a just reason, the Prior may
resign from office before the end of his three-year term. However, to be valid,
his resignation must be made in writing, or orally in the presence of two
witnesses, and must be accepted by the Prior Provincial with the consent of his
Council.
§2. For a just reason, and with the
consent of his Council, the Prior Provincial may remove a Prior from office before
the end of his three-year term. Before doing so, however, he shall hear the
views of the Prior himself and of each of the voting members in the house,
individually.
396.
§1. The
Provincial Statutes shall decide whether the office of sub-prior (vice priore) should be instituted, and
determine the extent of his authority.
§2. With due regard for the prescriptions
of canon law, the Provincial Statutes shall stipulate who is to govern the
house in the absence of the Prior.
397.
§1. The offices of sacristan, bursar and
secretary, and those of other officials, shall be defined by the Provincial
Statutes.
§2. Provincial Statutes
shall determine the manner in which these offices are to be filled, and their
duration.
398.
The Order, the
Provinces and the houses as juridical persons can acquire, administer, alienate
and use temporal goods, in accordance with canon law and with the law of the
Order.
399.
§1. It pertains to the General Chapter,
and outside the Chapter, to the Prior General with the consent of his Council,
to approve the Financial Directory of the Order containing norms concerning the
ordinary and extraordinary administration of goods, and the duties and
requirements of bursars.
§2.
National and regional financial directors, where they exist, must meet the
requirements of the civil legislation in their respective countries.
400.
§1. There shall be a bursar or financial
administrator for the Order as a whole, and one for each Province and house.
The office of bursar or financial administrator shall not be held by the Prior
General, the Prior Provincial, or, where possible, by the local Prior.
§2. To assist bursars in their duties,
boards for financial affairs are to be instituted, in accordance with the
Financial Directory and with Provincial Statutes.
401.
Every Province
and General Commissariat shall make an annual contribution to the ordinary and
extraordinary expenses of the General Council, to the institutions which depend
from the General Curia, and to common projects of the Order approved by General
Chapters and General Congregations, in accordance with the percentages assigned
to them by the General Council immediately after the Chapter. These percentages
may be adjusted, if necessary, by the General Congregation or by the Council
itself, in extraordinary circumstances, always on the proposal of the General
Financial Commission.
402.
The bursar shall
exercise his office in the service of the brethren, with attentive concern for
all their needs, as the administrator of goods belonging to all, in a way that
will help them to observe their vow of poverty.
403.
§1. For the execution of any
administrative, legal, or financial act, the official representatives of the
Order, of a Province and of a house shall be, respectively, the Prior General,
the Prior Provincial, and the local Prior. The Prior, for the area which is his
competence may, if he so wishes, delegate this authority to his bursar,
§2. When
for the purposes of civil law the office of legal representative is necessary
to execute acts valid in the civil forum, such persons shall be nominated in
accordance with the Financial Directory and the Provincial Statutes.
To execute acts
in accordance with his office the legal representative must obtain the
authorisation of the competent authority.
404.
It is the
responsibility of the respective Prior to supervise with care the
administration of all property belonging to the Order, to the Province, and to
the houses under their authority. Moreover it is their responsibility to ensure
the orderly management and administration of temporal goods.
405.
The Financial
Directory determines the frequency with which the Bursar General and his board
shall meet with provincial bursars to discuss financial and economic matters of
the Order.
406.
With regard to
temporary separation, that is, exclaustration, whether freely requested or
imposed on a religious by the Holy See against his will, the norms of canon law
and of the law of the Order shall apply.
407.
§1. A friar who, for a grave reason, requests
to leave the Order during the time of his temporary profession may be granted
the appropriate indult by the Prior General, with the consent of his Council.
§2. At the end of his temporary
profession, the friar is free to leave the Order. Likewise, for a just reason,
and following consultation with his Council, the Prior Provincial may deny him
further profession.
408.
§1. Any physical or psychological
infirmity which, in the opinion of experts, renders the friar mentioned in the
previous article unsuited to life in the Order, even if such infirmity was
contracted after profession, is sufficient reason for not admitting the friar
to the renewal of temporary profession or to solemn profession, unless the
infirmity was contracted through negligence on the part of the Order or because
of work performed within the Order.
§2. If, however, a professed member in
temporary vows should become insane, he shall not be dismissed from the Order,
even if he should be incapable of making his profession.
409.
A solemnly
professed brother shall not request an indult to leave the Order except for
very grave reasons, pondered before the Lord. He shall submit his request to
the Prior General, who shall forward it, together with his opinion and that of
his Council, to the Holy See, to which is reserved the concession of such an
indult.
410.
The indult
itself, once made known to the brother concerned and not rejected by him at the
moment of notification, constitutes by force of law dispensation from vows and
from all obligations deriving from profession.
411.
§1. A member is ipso facto dismissed from the Order in cases specified by canon
law.
§2. In such cases, if the facts are known with certainty, it is sufficient for the
Prior Provincial with his Council to issue a statement of the facts. He shall
take care, however, to inform the dismissed member, and to ensure that the
evidence collected is preserved in the archives of the Province. The notice and
a summary of the documents shall be sent to the General Curia.
412.
A brother may
also be dismissed from the Order for other reasons, provided they are serious,
external, imputable and juridically proven as required by canon 696 of the Code
of Canon Law, and provided the norms of canon law are observed.
413.
With legitimate
dismissal, the vows and any rights and obligations deriving from profession
cease ipso facto. However, if the
dismissed brother is a cleric, he may not exercise Holy Orders until he has
found a bishop who will accept him, or at least permit him to exercise his
ministry.
414.
Brethren who
have left the Order shall have no claims on the Order for any activity
performed in its favour. Superiors, however, should feel themselves bound in
charity to contribute to their needs, in keeping with the statutes, especially
at the beginning of their new way of life.
415.
It is
recommended that Provincial Statutes, with the help of experts in local civil
law, set out agreements to be signed by each candidate before he is admitted to
the pre-novitiate or the novitiate.
416.
The brethren should make every
effort to ensure that the Carmelite ideal, as outlined in the Rule and in these
Constitutions, becomes the very wellspring of their lives. Engaged in a single,
fleeting journeyon this earth, they are to be
like exiles in a foreign land; their homeland is in heaven. They should join then with all the saints
in striving to understand every measure of Christ’s love, which surpasses
all knowledge,and aflame with burning love
and ardent desire, in aspiring to reach that place which the Lord, on leaving
this world, promised to prepare for us. Let them be rooted and strengthened in
love, ever vigilant, lighted torches in their hands; increasing their talents
so that, at the hour of their death, they may be worthy to hear the consoling
words of the Lord as he returns: “Well done, good and faithful
servant!”
Index of
Subjects
Index of
Passages from Scripture
Index of
Canonical Sources
Abstinence from meat: a penitential
practice: 40; dispensation from obligation: 346, 394
Acceptance of election: 246, 248, 334
Acquired rights: are confirmed in order of
precedence: 205
Activities: connection with common life:
32; distribution and choice of tasks or activities: 33; avoidance of excessive
activity and life styles not in harmony with community: 34; formation activity
of novices: 147-148; list in catalogue of the Order: 267. See also Apostolic Mission of Carmel.
Acts, administrative, financial, legal: 403
Administration of goods: 398-405. See also Material Goods
Advice: when required from people they must
be summoned: 218; must give their opinion: 223; superior acts invalidly if he
has not consulted them: 212
Affiliates of the Order: belong to the
Carmelite family, 28; affiliation through the scapular, 89
Age limits: 30 years for prior provincial:
340; 35 years for prior general: 277
Agreement, written: between local Ordinary
and prior provincial for erection of a parish: 100; for a religious who lives
in another province: 202; to be made on admission to postulancy and novitiate:
415
Aims, for community life (progetto comunitario): 31
Albert, St., law giver: 8, 14
Allegiance to Christ: “living
in”: 2, 11, 14
Annual vacation for religious: 33
Apostolate: see Apostolic Mission of Carmel
Apostolic life: demanded of Order: 9;
characteristic of charism: 10; see also
Apostolic mission of Order
Apostolic mission of Carmel: general considerations:
91-96; apostolate is integral part of charism: 91; various forms of apostolic
service (diakonia) and harmonisation
with charism of Order and community: 92; criteria for discernment: 93; response
to needs of the people: 94; promotes growth in search for God and life of
prayer: 95; example of Mary: 95; example of Elijah the prophet: 96; commitment
to ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue: 96; in the local church: 97-105;
motivation and purpose of service in the local church: 97-99; mission in parishes:
100; acceptance of parishes: 100, 101; office of pastor (parish priest):
102-104; religious with diocesan posts: 102-103; missionary activity ad gentes: 105; concern for Carmelite
family: 106-109; apostolic mission and application of justice and peace in the
world: 110-116; to be discussed in meetings of religious: 384
Apostolic works: see Apostolic mission of Carmel
Application of decrees of Holy See or local
Episcopal Conference in communities: 393
Assignation of house for other purposes:
187
Assistant Provincial: may be elected by
Provincial Chapter: 321; may be nominated by Prior Provincial: 371
Audit of expenses of general chapter: 271
Authentic interpretation: of the
Constitutions and other codes of proper law: 193; of provincial statutes: 197, 363
Authority: 206-216; strengthening unity:
206
Autonomy of provincial commissariat: 180
Baptism: charismatic nature developed in
the religious life: 5
Belt, leather: part of habit: 41
Bible: see
Sacred Scripture.
Bishop, diocesan: pastor (parish priest)
must be presented to him: 102; can appoint a religious to a diocesan post: 102;
parish priest and religious who hold diocesan offices are subject to his
jurisdiction in pastoral matters: 103; every religious in priest’s orders
is a collaborator with him in pastoral work; gives written consent to found a
house: 186; to change its purpose: 187; is consulted regarding the suppression
of a house: 188; see also Local
Ordinary
Brothers living outside a house: 35, 346
Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Mount Carmel: 6, 12, 29
Bursar General: task: 307, 400; member of
General Council: 293; elected by general chapter: 294; length of term of
office: 295; procedure in case of vacancy: 305; prayers in case of death in
office: 39; see also Bursar
Bursar: requirements and duties: 399;
assisted by finance commission:
400; carries out his duties as service: 402; can be delegated to represent in
administrative, juridical and financial affairs
Calculation of votes: in elections: 245; in
election of local prior of a canonically erected house: 390; in election of
prior provincial: 343
Candidates for the religious life in the
Order: guidelines for formation and relationship with religious: 120;
accompanied by mature formators: 121; responsibility for the formation process:
126; criteria for their formation: 127; admission to the pre-novitiate: 136;
admission to the novitiate: 138; their capacities to be taken into account:
140; pre-novitiate retreat: 141; admission to simple profession: 152; see also: Formation, Dismissal and
Departure from Order.
Cappuce: part of habit: 41
Carmel: mountain in Palestine, birthplace
of the Order: 7, 9; first church dedicated to Mary: 12
Carmelite family: members: 28; fraternal
links in sharing: 37; concern by the brothers for it: 106-109; special area of
responsibility in General Council: 303
Carmelite spirituality: characteristics:
12; study centres: 166, 167, 173; special area of responsibility for general
council: 303
Carmelites: gathered together by patriarch
Albert from whom they receive a formula for living: 8; transfer to the west and
approval of formula for living as a true rule: 9-10; study the way to match
their ideal with the current needs of the Church: 13; dimensions of
contemplation, fraternity and service in their charism: 14-24; inspired by
biblical figures of Elijah: 25, 26 and Mary: 25, 27; the process of formation:
117-188; engaged in permanent conversion of the heart and spiritual
transformation as a life-long process: 118; see
also Order of Carmelites
Cases: must be introduced through
administrative channels: 214; in provincial chapters: 333; in general chapter:
271, 274
Catalogue of the Order: 267
Centres of spirituality and study: to be
established and developed: 68; at various levels: 166, 173; General
Council’s attitude to them: 303
Cessation: from the office of prior
provincial: 352; from the posts of provincial officials: 374; see also Removal from office,
renunciation.
Chapter commissions of provincial chapters:
336
Chapters in general: jurisdiction: 210; with
reference to penalties: 215; as collegial acts: 212, 217-225
Characteristics of formators of novices:
144
Charism and mission of Carmel: 1-24;
relationship between common charism and personal gifts: 30
Chastity: call and gift to God and the
kingdom: 59; Christ’s example: 60; transformation of our love: 61; its
mystical, social and political value: 62; attitudes to cultivate: 63
Church on Mount Carmel: built by Carmelites
and dedicated to Mary: 12
Church: as sacrament of God’s unity
and that of human race: 1; the Spirit works in it: 13; exemplary role of early
Christian community: 8, 30
Co-operation: in chapters: 217; to be
promoted by provincial councillors: 361;
Co-operation: in formation at various
levels: 164; with superiors: 206
Co-ordination: by provincial councillors:
361
Co-responsibility: in formation: 125, 126,
144; in encouraging vocations: 131;
Collegial Acts: 212, 217-225; see also general chapter Acts,
Provincial Chapter Acts, Provincial Council Acts.
Colour of habit: 41
Common good: the goal of all acts of
superiors: 207; must be promoted in chapters and other collegial acts: 217; all
priors must ensure it: 208; the special duty of the provincial council to
promote it: 361
Common table: 31
Communication: mass media: 34; to increase
common good: 207
Community, Carmelite life: its nature and
expression: 29-42; its centre and high point is the Eucharist celebrated in
common: 70; to be lived in the spirit of Elijah and under the protection of the
Virgin Mary: 30; tends to a deeper union: 31; its moments of greater intensity
and their importance: 31; community meetings: 31; link between activities
outside the house and community life: 32; favours personal growth at all
levels: 33; harmonises the distribution and taking on of work: 33; mass media:
34; each community must have a sufficient number of religious: 35; association
with religious who live outside the house: 35; must have an authentic and
meaningful life-style for vocations: 119; responsibilities of formation
communities: 126, 144; must be promoted by superiors: 207; see also Prayer, Fraternity, Apostolic mission
Community, of goods: witness to unity in
Christ and fraternal harmony with the brothers: 4; according to the Rule: 11; attention to and sharing of
Order’s goods: 37; distribution of province’s goods can be
determined by provincial chapter: 321
Community: as Carmelite life: 29-42; must
co-operate in formation of candidates: 144; service in parishes: 104; see also Local chapter, Fraternity,
Prayer. Apostolic mission, Community life.
Concelebration: see Eucharist
Conditions: when attached to a vote render
it null and void: 241
Confession: see Reconciliation
Confirmation: of elections: 248; not
required for election of prior general and members of his council: 249;
required for election of prior provincial and other elections: 249;
Congregations of sisters: see Affiliates of the Order
Consecration to Christ in the religious
life: 5
Consent: when required those to give it
must be summoned: 218; and give their opinion: 223; a superior acts invalidly
if he does not have consent: 212;
Constitutions: are part of proper law: 189;
contain fundamental norms for life: 190; their observance: 190; general chapter
approves, modifies, suspends or abrogates them: 191; must be observed to ensure
the common good: 207; are like a living spring which nourished Carmelite life:
416; who can dispense from disciplinary provisions in them: 198
Consultation, for candidates for offices of
prior provincial and provincial councillors: 331, 333, 341
Contemplation: characteristic of the
Order’s tradition: 17; its evangelical and ecclesial value: 18; attitude
of openness to God: 79; is strengthened by silent prayer: 80
Contemplative dimension: 14, 15, 16-18
Contributions: to be made to a province:
321; to be made by provinces to the Curia: 401; percentages assigned by General
Council: 401; changes to them: 401
Conversion to the gospel: 40
Convocation of gremiales: by whom: 218; who must be convoked and procedure: 234;
for general chapter: 260; for provincial chapter: 323; for local chapter: 218,
219, 393
Council of local prior: when to set one up:
385; its function: 386; see also Local
councillors
Council of Major Superior: gives consent
for the removal of active and passive voice: 204; see also Council, General Council, Provincial Council.
Council of prior general: composition: 293;
must give its consent to the prior
general: to erect, transfer or suppress a novitiate house: 140; or to allow
more than one novitiate house in a province: 140; to readmit to the Order one
who has left: 150; for the institution of various bodies (delegations, regions,
etc.) 177; for the institution of a general delegation: 184; for the granting
and naming of a superior and councillors to it: 184; for the institution of a
region: 177;
for the institution, change or suppression
of a general commissariat: 178, 181; for the erection of a province: 178, 182;
for union or changes in boundaries of them: 178; for suppression of them: 178;
for the distribution of goods in a suppressed province or commissariat: 178;
for the erection of a provincial commissariat: 180; for its redefinition or
suppression: 180; for the erection of a new house: 186; for the suppression of
a house: 188; outside the general chapter, to approve, modify, suspend or
abrogate general codes of the Order’s law: 192; for its authentic
interpretation: 193; to approve the statutes of various bodies in the Order:
195; to issue decrees for the whole Order: 196; for the acceptance of a
postulation: 226, 253; to convoke an extraordinary general chapter: 257; to
anticipate or defer a general chapter: 278; to remove a prior provincial from
office: 278; to nominate the president of the Institutum Carmelitanum: 278; the
General Archivist: 278; the Secretary general: 308; the secretaries for the
special areas of interest: 308; possible co-secretaries: 309; the Postulator
General: 312; the delegate for social communications: 312; other general
officials: 312; replacements for any of the general offices which become
vacant: 278; to transfer religious: 278; to convoke a General Congregation:
285; to approve the acts of a provincial chapter: 338; to approve the
Order’s Financial Directory: 399; to allow a provincial chapter to elect a
brother from another province to the office of prior provincial: 340; to
dispense from temporary vows: 407; must
give its opinion to the prior general: to dispense in disciplinary matters:
198; to designate officials of the general chapter: 271; to issue decrees for
the celebration of a provincial chapter in a newly erected province: 320; to
accept the resignation of a prior provincial from office: 352. See also Council of the Major Superior,
General Council.
Council of Provinces: a consultative organ
for specific subjects: 288; members: 289; convocation: 290
Council of the Prior Provincial: 356, 357; must give its consent to the prior
provincial: to make an agreement with a local Ordinary for the erection of
a parish: 100; for the inclusion of apostolic activities in the novitiate: 147;
gives a deliberative vote for
admission to solemn vows: 157; for the authentic interpretation of provincial
statutes: 363; for the institution of the secretariat or preparatory commission
for a provincial chapter: 324; for the removal from office of provincial or
local officials 346; to give permission to a religious to live outside a house:
346; to change those with voice before a provincial chapter: 350; to nominate a
provincial commissary, priors, and local officials according the provisions of
the provincial statutes: 362; the novice master: 362; one or more people in
charge of formation: 362; the provincial bursar: 362; the delegate for the nuns
and sisters: 362; other provincial officials: 362; to replace officials in case
of vacancy: 363; to establish an extraordinary contribution from the houses:
363; for the authentic interpretation of provincial statutes: 363; to
anticipate or defer a provincial chapter: 363;
to accept the resignation of a local prior
from office or his removal before the end of the three-year term: 395; must give its consent to the vicar prior
provincial if he wishes to make some change: 351; must give its advice to the prior provincial for the presentation
of a friar to the local Ordinary
for a diocesan office: 102 §2; to dispense from disciplinary laws:
198; to accept the resignation of provincial officials: 374; to deny renewal of
temporary profession: 407 §2; must
give its advice to the provincial chapter president for the nomination of
chapter officials: 333; see also Council
of Major Superior, Provincial Council.
Councillor of provincial commissary: 375,
377
Courses: theological and biblical to be
attended: 161; formation, especially Carmelite: 173; see also Formation
Criteria: for adaptation of way of life:
13; for new candidates: 127, 144; for formators: 128, 130; in government of
Order must be indicated by general chapter: 259
Cultures: ways of incarnating life-style in
them: 13, 91; open attitude to them: 160;
Deceased, prayers for: 39; information to
be given: 39
Decrees issued by prior general and his
council: 196; confirmation by following general chapter: 196; issued by prior
provincial and other major superiors: 197; by provincial council: 361; by the
Council of Provinces: 288; by the General Congregation: 287; by the general
chapter: 259
Decrees of the Holy See and local Episcopal
Conference: to be made known to religious: 393
Delegate for formation: of the prior
general for formation: 125; responsibilities: 126; promotes application of RIVC: 129; of prior provincial for
formation: 125, 126
Delegate for lay Carmelites: 109
Delegate for social communication: 311
Delegate for the Carmelite nuns and
sisters: provincial: 107, 362; general: 107, 305, 311
Delegates: to provincial chapter: 317; 319;
330; to general chapter: 258; 263; 266
Departure from Order: 406-415; see also Dismissal, Dispensation,
Exclaustration
Devolutionary recourse: 216
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary: see Veneration of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
Diaconate: solemn profession must precede
reception: 162
Diakonia: see Service in the midst
of the people
Dialogue: searching for God’s will:
11; fraternal meaning: 19, 30; part of community life: 31; way to reach mature and
responsible obedience: 48; education in it: 63; before making appointments:
233; in preparation for proposals to send to general chapter: 263; prior
provincial’s visitations: 347; in community meetings and gatherings: 31,
384
Directions for government: given by
provincial chapter: 321; by general chapter: 259
Discernment: guide for virtues: 16; in the
incarnation of charism: 28; community exercise: 31; on activities: 33;
life-long: 40; education in it: 46; means for fraternal dialogue: 48; on its
presence: 54; criteria for apostolic mission: 93, 94; vocations: 131
Dismissal from the Order: 406, 411, 412,
413
Dispensation from temporary vows: 407; from
solemn vows: 409; notification of indult: 410; effects: 413; help to be given
to those who leave the Order: 414
Dispensation in disciplinary matters: given
by: 198; procedure for granting: 199; validity: 199; from fast and abstinence:
346, 394; from recitation of Liturgy of the Hours: 346, 394; from some
provision of provincial statutes: 346
Divine Office: see Liturgy of the Hours
Doctor: opinion on health of prior general:
281
Documents of the Holy See, local Episcopal
Conference or of the Order: study of them: 31; must be known and acted upon:
393; must be preserved in provincial archive: 372
Documents, of preparatory commission for
provincial chapter: 329, 336; for general chapter: 262, 264
Duties of formators: 128
Ecumenism: participation in ecumenical
movement and inter-faith dialogue: 96
Education: professional and technical: 160;
a special area for General Council: 303
Effective period of time (tempo utile): for news of vacancy in an
office: 229; for acceptance of election: 246; to hold an election: 250
Election by acclamation (is prohibited):
225
Election to offices: 226; confirmation: 226
Electors: must be summoned: 218, 234
Elijah’s well: birthplace of Order: 7
Elijah, prophet and saint: model and source
of inspiration: 25-26; other references to his example: 7, 12, 30, 79, 96, 115;
liturgical celebration: 88
Elisha, prophet and saint: liturgical celebration:
88
Episcopal Conferences: religious must know
their decisions: 393; regarding works of penance: 40
Erection of a house, commissariat,
province: see under various entries
Eremetical life: that of first Carmelites:
7, 8, 10
Eremetical trait in Order: 7, 8
Eucharist: celebrated in common: 11, 31,
69, 73; centre and high point of community: 70
Evangelical counsels: see Religious vows
Evangelical life: is a gift of the Holy
Spirit: 3
Evangelisation: area of special
responsibility in General Council: 303
Ex-prior general: 258, 284; prayers for
deceased: 39
Exclaustration: requested or imposed: 406
Exemption from jurisdiction of local
Ordinary: 174
Exercise of office: prohibited before
confirmation of election: 248
Experiences, mutual exchange: 31, 130
Experts, lay: co-operation with: 307
Experts: in preparatory commission for
provincial chapter: 325; members of preparatory commission for general chapter:
262; in subjects to be discussed by general chapter: 268, 269; accompany prior
provincial to General Congregation: 286
Facilitators, or experts: 33
Faculties: see under entries for various superiors
Familiarity with life of Mary: 12, 27
Fast: 40, 394; dispensation from: 346
Faults: to be corrected in charity: 11
Flos
Carmeli or other Marian anthems to be sung each
day: 87
Following of Christ through evangelical
counsels: 4, 43
Formation: Carmelite: 117-120; ministry of
formation: 121-130; vocation ministry: 131-133; general considerations on the
process of formation: 134; pre-novitiate: 135-138; novitiate: 139-151; period
of simple vows: 152-155; from solemn profession onwards: 156-158; formation for
various ministries: 159-167; specifically Carmelite: 137, 139, 144, 152, 163,
169, 171, 173; cultural and technical: 160, 161; integrated with other areas:
163; co-operation at various levels: 164; aided by library: 165; ongoing
formation: 168-173; area of special responsibility in the General Council: 303;
see also Pre-novitiate, Novitiate
Formators: responsibility for formation:
121; appointment: 122; support which they need: 122; assisted by a team: 123;
by the prior provincial and council: 124; criteria for ministry: 128, 130; in
the novitiate: 144; to be consulted for inclusion of apostolic activity in
novitiate programme: 147; nominated by prior provincial and council: 362; see also Formation
Formula for living given by St. Albert: 8;
approved as a Rule by Innocent IV: 9; new inspiration: 14
Fraternal correction: according to the Rule: 11; see also Fraternity
Fraternal life: witness to an intimate
union with Christ: 3; characteristic of Order’s charism: 10; see also Fraternity
Fraternity: part of charism of Order: 11,
14, 15, 19-20; the Holy Trinity is source and model: 29; fraternity and
dialogue: 30; community is an authentic expression of it and a place for human
growth: 32; fraternal openness to others: 29, 30; sharing of feelings: 31;
hospitality to brothers, relatives and others: 36; sharing of Order’s
goods: 37; personal and community conversion: 40; relations with religious
living outside the house: 35; see also Community,
Carmelite life, Eucharist, Community life
General Archivist: appointed by prior
general with the consent of his council: 278
General Chapter Acts: drawn up by general
chapter Secretariat: 261, together with commission for the revision of the
acts: 271
General Chapter: has supreme authority in
the Order: 255; its nature and aims: 255-174; ordinary: 256; extraordinary:
257; members: 258, 239; tasks: 259; rules for its celebration: 270; validity of
its prescriptions: 194; approves, amends, suspends and abrogate the
Constitutions: 191; other codes of law: 192; gives authentic interpretation:
193; way of making law: 210; judicial power: 213; determines erection, limits
and suppression of provinces and purpose of goods: 178; can institute new
General Delegations, Regions, etc. Or confirm their institution: 177, 184;
confirms decrees issued by prior general and his Council in previous six years:
196; approves Financial Directory of the Order: 399; see also General Chapter Acts, Chapters in general
General Commissariat: has its own structure
in the Order: 177; erection and suppression: 180-181; when it may become a
province: 182; norms for provinces to be applied except where otherwise
indicated: 183
General Commissary: is a major superior:
209; is a member of the General Congregation: 286; is a gremialis of the general chapter: 258; can send a proxy: 239; place
in order of precedence: 205
General Commissions: meetings prepared for
by General Secretariat: 310
General Congregation: 285-287; convocation:
285; members: 286; tasks: 287; can modify provinces’ contributions to the
Curia: 401
General Council: 293-299; composition as a
collegial body: 293; composition as council of the prior general: 293;
distinction between acting as one or the other: 296; has judicial, executive
and legislative power: 213; members elected by general chapter: 259, 294; no
confirmation of election required: 249; quality of it members: 301; length of
term of office of members: 295; members are gremiales
of general chapter: 258; of General Congregation: 286; of Council of Provinces:
289; meetings are prepared by Secretary general: 310; required quorum and
procedure for making up a quorum: 297; other general officials may participate
in it: 293; hears the opinion of officials and other experts: 293, 298, 299;
encourages contacts with major superiors of the Order: 299; criteria for
operation of various offices: 302; areas of responsibility: 303; participation
of a member in a provincial chapter as socius
of prior general: 304; must be informed of resignation of prior general: 280;
contributions from provinces: 401; can change these contributions: 401; prayers
for a deceased member: 39. It is the
prerogative of the General Council with the prior general to see that norms
are put into practice: 210; to approve
the RIVC: 129; to set up the
preparatory commission and Secretariat for a general chapter: 260; to nominate
judges for a general chapter: 213; to replace one of the members of the council
is case of vacancy: 305
General Councillor for Asia, Africa and
Australia: 293; see also General
Councillor
General Councillor for Latin America: 293; see also General Councillor
General Councillor for Northern-Central
Europe and North America: 293; see also
General Councillor
General Councillor Mediterranean Europe:
293; see also General Councillor
General Councillor: number: 293; member of
General Council: 293; election by general chapter: 294; once elected does not
require confirmation: 249; is a gremialis
of General Council: 293; of general chapter: 258; of General Congregation: 286;
of Council of Provinces: 289; place in order of precedence: 205; length of term
of office: 295; qualities: 301; criteria for carrying out tasks: 302; can have
an area of responsibility: 303; can take part in provincial chapter as socius of prior general: 304; in case of
vacancy how to be replaced: 305; prayers in case of death while in office: 39
General Curia: list of members in
Order’s catalogue: 267
General Delegate, of a General Delegation:
nomination and office: 184; is a gremialis
of general chapter: 258; conditions for and participation in General
Congregation: 286; member of Council of Provinces: 289
General Delegation: structure that can be
instituted by general chapter or prior general with consent of council: 177;
erection, purpose, offices, proper statutes: 184
General Financial Commission: 400; suggests
changes to percentage contributions in extraordinary circumstances: 401;
frequency of meetings: 405
General Financial Directory of the Order:
content: 399; approval: 399; gives norms on composition of General Financial
Commission: 400
General Secretariat: 260, 261, 263, 265
Gift and mission of Order: 1-13
Gospel: is the norm for living: 1, 2;
following it: 2, 54, 144, 255, 384; basis for renewal: 13; for discernment: 13,
40, 81; requires conversion to it: 40; its demands: 47, 109; present in
community: 48; need to proclaim it: 105, 113; is yeast of society: 109; in
religious formation: 128, 144
Government: levels of participation in
Order: 175; direction must be given by provincial chapter: 321; and by general
chapter: 259; see also under
Chapters, Advice, House, Province, local prior, Prior Provincial, Prior
General, Superior, Major Superior
Gremiales: obliged to take part in chapters: 217; of local chapter: 203; of
provincial chapter: 317-, 318, 320, 322, 329, 332, 338; of general chapter:
258, 273, 294
History and spirituality of the Order: some
historical notes: 7-11; study and research: 166, 167;
Holy Land: re-conquest of by Crusaders: 7;
love of Carmelites for: 8
Holy Roman Pontiff: Carmelites are subject
to him alone: 174; prayer for deceased: 39;
Holy See: decrees must be known by
religious: 393; letter from it to general chapter: 271; removal of prior provincial:
278; report on state of Order to be sent to it: 279; procurator general deals
with it: 306
Holy Spirit: gives gifts gratuitously: 2
Hospitality: to be offered to relatives and
others: 36
House (convento):
its aim: 32; authentic expression of fraternity: 32; place of human
development: 32; erection and suppression: 185-188; canonically erected houses
are governed by universal law and Constitutions: 185; directly under the prior
general: 177; part reserved to religious alone: 42; must have a climate of
silence and recollection to encourage prayer, study and work: 67; to have a
library, especially if a formation house: 165; to be included in catalogue of
the Order: 267; ordinarily prior provincial does not intervene in its
operation: 346; to be visited frequently by prior provincial: 347; as a
juridical person administers goods: 398; its representative for administrative,
financial or legal acts: 403; see also
Administration of goods
Houses not canonically erected: governed by
provincial statutes: 185
Ideal of Order: set out in Rule and Constitutions: 416; to be
incarnated in life: 416
Incardination, definitively in Order: 157
Incompatibility of offices: 230
Incorporation in Order: in the first place in
the Order and secondarily in a province: 175; is temporary with simple
profession: 175; is final with solemn profession: 175; brings with it the right
to receive what is necessary: 176
Individual talents: must be developed: 127;
416
Innocent IV: approval of Rule: 9, 10
Institutes affiliated or associated with
Order: members of the Carmelite family: 28; must promote mutual co-operation
with them: 108; listed in catalogue of Order: 267
Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome: 166;
president is nominated by prior general with consent of council: 278; interest
of general council in it: 303
Intent, of Carmelites: in the beginning
eremetical: 8; participation of others: 28; of mendicant orders: 10
Internationality of Order: 160
Interval in elections: 244
Intimacy with the life of Mary: 12, 27
Investigation of religious and social
needs: 94
Irregularity in elections through failure
to summon electors: 234
Issues, non-electoral: procedure for
dealing with them: 224
Jesus Christ: his mission: 1; invitation to
follow him: 3; living in allegiance of him: 2, 11, 14; Lord and Redeemer of the
Holy Land: 8; came to serve: 206
Joachim and Anne (saints): liturgical
celebration: 88
Joseph, St.: liturgical celebration: 88
Judges: in provincial chapter: 213; elected
by gremiales: 332; in general
chapter: 213; elected by gremiales:
271; must report to general chapter: 274
Justice and Peace: sign and prophetic
witness of Order in this area: 24; preferential option for the poor: 24;
apostolic mission of Carmel: 110-116; special area of responsibility in general
council: 303
Kingdom of Christ: to spread in the whole
world: 5
Languages to be learnt: 160
Law, universal, common or canon: must be
observed for fasting: 40; for obligations: 294; for agreements on parishes:
100; subjection to jurisdiction of Ordinary in pastoral matters: 103; for
admission to novitiate: 138; for administration of material goods: 151; by
those in temporary vows: 158; in government by provincial and his council: 179,
211; in operation of houses: 185, 396; procedure for erection of a house: 186;
exercise of holy orders: 186; decrees of Order cannot be contrary to it: 197,
361; faculties of major superiors as Ordinaries in Order: 209; jurisdiction of
superiors and chapters: 210; jurisdiction of prior general: 211; and his
faculties: 278; superiors’ councils at various levels: 212, 293, 296,
356, 357; provisions in it for cases: 214; application of canonical penalties:
216; indications and norms for conferral or offices: 226, 227; prohibition on
voting: 236; jurisdiction and faculties of prior general: 211, 278; obligations
of the office of prior general: 279; report on state of the Order to the Holy
See: 279; possession of material goods: 398; exclaustration from Order: 406,
410; dismissal from Order: 411, 412
Lay Carmelites: part of Carmelite family:
28; concern for them: 109;
Lectio
divina: part of community life: 31; practised in
community form: 82
Legal representative: in civil cases: 403
Legislation of the Order: to be revised in
general chapter: 259
Legitimacy: of chapters and other collegial
acts: 219; of provincial council meetings: 364
Length of term of office: see entries for various office holders and
also Removal, Resignation
Letters of convocation: for provincial
chapter: 323; for general chapter: 260
Library: aid to formation and education:
165
Life of prayer: characteristic of
Order’s charism: 10; to be nourished in the midst of the people as part
of apostolate: 95; see also Prayer
Liturgical prayer: 69-76; nature and
connection with personal prayer: 69; daily celebration of the Eucharist: 70;
preparation and participation a central element of Rule: 71; Liturgy of the Hours: participation in and manifestation
of praying Church: 72; community celebration of Liturgy of the Hours: 73; with
the faithful: 74; frequent sacramental confession: 75
Liturgy of the Hours: part of community
life: 31; celebrated in common: 69; and with the faithful: 74; preparation and
participation: 71; manifestation of the praying Church: 72; dispensation from
community recitation: 394
Liturgy: Marian feasts to be celebrated:
87; Marian antiphon to be sung every day: 87; liturgical celebrations in memory
of Order’s saints, of St. Elijah the prophet, of St, Elisha the prophet,
of St. Joseph, of Saints Joachim and Anne: 88
Local bursar: can be elected by local
chapter if so provided by provincial statutes: 382, 390; office is determined
by provincial statutes: 397; see also Bursar
Local chapter: its nature and president:
379; functions as Council in houses this is not present: 379; members: 380;
task: 381; convocation: 218, 393; gives consultative vote for admission to
solemn profession by one of its members: 157; issues specific norms: 210; draws
up proposals to be sent to preparatory commission for provincial chapter: 327;
can elect its official if so provided in provincial statutes: 382; see also Chapters in general.
Local church: pastoral choices: 31;
apostolic mission of Carmel: 97-105
Local councillor: provincial statutes
decide on number, designation and length of term of office: 387; possible
removal from office: 387
Local language: for title of house
superior: 208
Local Ordinary: exempt from jurisdiction:
174; rights regarding the wearing of the habit: 41; can confer canonical
possession of a parish on a province: 100; see
also Bishop
Love of Christ: 416; in the spirit of
Carmel: see Prayer, Fraternity,
Service, Apostolic mission
Major superior: has same faculties in
universal law as a local Ordinary: 209; responsibility for appointing
formators: 122; for formation of candidates and religious: 126; for providing
means for formation at all levels: 172; those who reside near the general curia
can make up a quorum for meetings of general council: 297; frequent contacts
with prior general and council: 299; may not be a member of preparatory
commission of provincial chapter: 325. It
is his right: to admit to pre-novitiate: 136; to novitiate: 138; decide on
making up of absences of fewer than 15 days from novitiate: 149; receive vows
and renewals: 153; admit to simple vows: 153; can anticipate simple profession:
154; can allow simple profession outside novitiate house: 154; can prolong
period of simple profession: 155; can allow anticipation of renewal of simple
profession: 155; stipulate agreements regarding a religious living in another
province: 202; can be consulted by prior general regarding place, date and
subject matter of a general chapter: 256, 257; receive letter summoning a
general chapter: 260; be consulted regarding transfer of religious from one
province to another by prior general: 278; send every year a report on the
state of the province to the general council: 279. Other faculties: can give a command (praeceptum) in virtue of the vow of obedience: 49; can permit or
prescribe academic studies during novitiate: 146; can allow novices to engage
in apostolic works outside the novitiate house for one or more periods of time:
147; can anticipate first profession: 154; renewal of profession: 155 and
solemn profession: 157; can allow first profession to be made outside the novitiate
house: 154, 155; can extent period of first profession: 155; can dispense from
disciplinary laws: 198; procedure for granting dispensations: 199. With the consent of his council: having
consulted the local chapter: admits to simple vows: 153; to solemn vows: 157;
can issue decrees and outside the chapter interpret the statutes: 197; can
deprive those religious who live outside a house of active and/or passive
voice: 204; has right to confer offices freely when an electoral body is
deprived of its right to elect: 252
Marian antiphon: to be sung every day: 87
Marian devotions and practices: 86
Marian shrines: operation and pastoral
guidelines: 89
Mass media: reality and potential: 34; use:
34
Material goods: attention to and sharing of
goods of the Order: 37; norms on material goods of novices: 151; material goods
of professed: 158; of a suppressed province or general commissariat: 224;
provincial chapter to determine distribution: 321. See also Contributions.
Meetings of religious: community: 31; must
be held twice a month: 369; must be encouraged: 339; provincial statutes
determine timing and procedure: 384; non-chapter: 219
Meetings, provincial council: information:
367
Meetings: to be held periodically in all
houses: 384; of those with voice in a province to draw up proposals for general
chapter: 263; Secretary general to
prepare them: 310; see also Collegial
acts, Centres of spirituality and study, On-going formation, Community life
Members of collegial bodies: see under entries for Provincial
Council, Provincial Chapter, General Chapter, General Congregation, General
Council, Regions, General Delegation, Council of Provinces
Mendicants, orders of: 10, 22
Ministries: specific vocation to each one:
159; formation for them: 160; formation and ministries of non-ordained: 161;
formation for priesthood: 162
Mission ad
gentes: see Apostolic mission of
Carmel
Mystics: reading and study of their works:
31
National or Regional Financial Directory: 399;
gives norms for representative in civil cases: 403; determines frequency
bursars’ meetings at general level: 405
Necrology: to be communicated: 39
New forms of life: must increase: 31; in
Marian devotion: 86
New forms: need to find them in formation of
young Carmelites: 128
Notification of election: 246
Novice master: nominated by prior
provincial and council: 362; in provincial commissariat: 377; directs and
guides formation of novices: 144; evaluates with major superior desirability of
engaging novices in apostolic activity: 147; to be consulted on cases of
absence from novitiate: 149; see also:
Formation, Formators, Novitiate
Novices: enjoy spiritual benefits of the
Order: 151; norms regarding their material goods: 151; see also Novitiate
Novitiate houses: to be designated in
accordance with the Constitutions: 140
Novitiate: period of introduction to
Carmelite life: 139; purposes: 139; to be carried out in house canonically
designated: 140; candidates to do a retreat: 141; admission to it is prerogative
of major superior: 142; agreement to be made before entry: 415; begins with
rite of acceptance: 143; role of community and formators: 144; programme to be
carried out: 145; ordinary studies suspended for its duration: 146; integration
with apostolic activity: 147, 148; absence from the novitiate house: 149
Nullity: of an election for failure to
summon gremiales: 234; of acts of one
who is elected but not confirmed in office: 248
Number of religious in a community to
ensure fraternal life: 31; of gremiales
in provincial and general chapters: 220, 221, 250, 350
Nuns: members of the Carmelite family: 28;
prayers for deceased: 39; concern for them: 107; canonical visitation of those
under the jurisdiction of the Order by prior provincial: 347; and prior general:
279; list of them in catalogue of Order: 267; monasteries to be visited
frequently by prior provincial: 347
Obedience, religious: motivation and
characteristics: 45-49; is a full self-giving to the will of God to realise his
Kingdom: 45; requires discernment, commitment and internalisation: 46; implies
personal and community commitment: 47; service of prior as guide, stimulus,
sign and bond of unity with the will of God: 48; major superior may give a
precept (praeceptum) in virtue of it: 49
Office of BVM on Saturday: is recommended:
87
Offices in regions: 292
Offices: in Curia or general: 308-312;
secretaries for priority areas: 308, 310; postulator general: 311; delegate for
social communication: 311; others according to need: 311
Offices: procedure for conferral: 226, 227;
outside the Order: 231
Official letters and other documents of the
general council: responsibility of Secretary general: 310
Official publication of the Order,
necrologies to be published in it: 39
Officials, general: nominated by prior
general with consent of his council: 278; those resident in Curia can make up
quorum for sessions of general council: 297; consulted in matters pertaining to
them: 298; list of them in catalogue of Order: 267
Officials, in provincial commissariat: 377
Officials, local: can be elected by
provincial chapter if provincial statutes so provide: 382, 390; three-year term
of office: 392; duties determined by provincial statutes: 397; see also Removal, Resignation
Officials, provincial: 369-374; nominated
by prior provincial and his council: 362
Order of business: provincial chapter: 316;
general chapter: 270, 272, 273
Order of Carmelites: origin, structure and
characteristics: 6-13; charism:
14-27; basic constitution: 174-188; among the clerical institutes: 174; members
profess evangelical counsels: 174; exemption from jurisdiction of local
Ordinary: 174; structure: 177; founded on universal law of the Church and
proper law: 189; proper legislative texts: 189; proper law: 189-199; catalogue
and statistics: 267; administers material goods as a juridical person: 398-405;
representative for administrative, financial and legal acts: 403
Order of precedence: 205
Orders of apostolic fraternity: see Mendicants
Ordinary studies: suspended for novitiate:
146; see also Formation
Outsiders in collegial meetings have no
vote: 221
Parish: apostolate in: 98; agreement for
operating a parish: 100-101; see also
Pastor (parish priest)
Pastor (parish priest): appointment: 102;
under jurisdiction of local Ordinary for pastoral activity: 103; holding of
offices of prior and pastor (parish priest) together: 104; maximum length of
term of office: 104; relations between parish and religious community: 104
Pastoral work: see Apostolic mission of Carmel, Marian shrines
Patrimony of Order: criteria for updating
Carmelite life: 13; fidelity and elements of apostolic work: 95; see also Gift, Charism
Penalties: application: 215; universal law
to be observed: 216; appeals: 216
Penitence: sacrament: see Reconciliation
Penitential life: “holy
penance” of Carmelite life: 8; personal and community conversion: 40;
practices: 40
Percentage contributions to Curia: assigned
by general council: 410; modifications: 401;
Personal prayer: 77-84; continuous prayer
and the practice of the presence of God: 77, 84; prayer and daily life: 77;
invitation to develop forms of prayer more in harmony with Carmelite
spirituality and new forms: 77; formation in prayer and the religious dimension
of reality: 78; contemplation as a gift from God: 79; daily silent prayer: 80;
effects of prayer on daily life: 81; Lectio
divina in community: 82; spiritual reading, especially of Carmelite
authors: 83; annual retreat: 84; days of recollection: 84
Pilgrimage to Holy Land: spirituality: 8
Pious practices: see Veneration
Place for celebration of chapter:
provincial: 323; general: 256, 260
Poor: preferential option for: 24;
consideration in discernment: 40; sharing of goods and solidarity with: 53;
listening to cry of the poor and application in field of justice: 110-114; retrace
the steps of Elijah: 115; re-read the Bible from their perspective: 116
Postponement of provincial chapter: 363; of
general chapter: 278
Posts outside Order: 231
Postulancy: see Pre-novitiate
Postulation: to offices: 226; requirements:
254
Postulator general for causes of saints:
311
Poverty: biblical basis: 50; link between
fraternity and sharing of goods: 51; example of early Church: 52; is a complex
and ambivalent reality: 53; style of evangelical life: 53; awareness of
injustice and commitment to cause: 54; effect of solemn vow on own material
goods: 55; legal acts in civil cases and solemnly professed religious: 56;
responsibility in using goods at a personal and community level: 57; faithful
carrying out of law of work: 58
Power (potestas):
see Authority in the Order
Practical requirements of the Church in
formation of young religious: 127
Prayer for the dead: 39
Prayer: according to the Rule: 11; in general: 66-69; nature and
view of it in Carmelite tradition: 64-65; various forms: 66; requires atmosphere
of solitude and silence: 67; connection with liturgical prayer: 69; see also Personal prayer, Liturgical
prayer
Prayers for successful outcome of
provincial chapter: 323; for general chapter: 260
Pre-novitiate: part of process of
formation: 134; objectives: 135; admission to it is prerogative of major
superior: 136; agreement to be made on admission: 415; length and content: 137;
admission to novitiate: 138
Precedence: order of: 205
Precept (praeceptum) for transfer of a religious: 348
Precept (praeceptum) in virtue of obedience: 49
Preparatory Commission for general chapter:
260, 262, 263, 269
Preparatory Commission for provincial
chapters: 324, 325, 327, 328, 329, 331
Presence of God: witness of: 18; example of
Elijah: 26; example of Mary: 27
President of chapter or other collegial
entity: 222; in elections: 243; confirmation or not of elections: 249; election
of local prior: 390; of provincial chapter: 316, 332; of general chapter: 271
President of Institutum Carmelitanum:
nominated by prior general with consent of council: 278
President of Region: election and role in
statutes: 292; participates as non-voting member of general chapter: 258; and
of general congregation: 286; member of council of provinces: 289
Priesthood: adequate preparation for
ministry: 162; required to be prior, vicar or substitute: 232; to be prior
provincial: 340; to be prior general: 277
Prior General: characteristics and purpose
of office: 275; sign of unity and model for the Order: 208; has authority in
the whole Order: 208; office is of service: 208; is a major superior: 209; has
ordinary jurisdiction: 211; have voice in whole order: 203; place in order of
precedence: 205; validity of election: 277; procedure for election: 245, 276;
no confirmation required: 249; length of term of office: 276; responsibility in
formation: 125, 126; delegate for formation: 125; approves RIVC with council: 129; CISA under immediate jurisdiction: 166;
other houses under immediate jurisdiction: 177; a requests denied by him cannot
be obtained from his vicar without consent: 199; acts invalidly when contrary
to consent required from others: 212; actions requiring advice of others: 212;
grants permission for others to send proxies to general chapter or general
congregation: 239; consults superiors on date, place and subject-matter of
general chapter; is gremialis of
general chapter: 258; of general congregation: 286; of council of provinces:
289; sends letters convoking general chapter and reports on state of Order:
260; at end of term of office presides over inauguration of general chapter:
271; no passive voice in election of chapter president which he inaugurates:
271; makes report on state of Order to general chapter: 272; presides with
active voice over provincial and local chapters, as well as provincial and
local councils: 278; transfers religious: 278; ordinarily resides with other
members of the general council: 279; canonical visitation of all houses and
provinces of the Order during six-year term: 279; sends report on state of
Order to Holy See: 279; sends instructions for report by priors provincial on
state of provinces: 345; resignation and procedure for it: 280; loss of mental
faculties: 281; vacancy in office in six-year term: 282; can choose residence
on termination of office or resignation: 283; has vote in chapter of province
where he resides: 384; is assisted in government by general congregation: 287;
and by council of provinces: 288; is assisted by general council in problems,
even those not provided for in law: 298; has frequent contact with major
superiors of the Order: 299; in case of absence Order’s business is dealt
with by vice prior general: 300; can have a socius
in provincial chapters: 304; procurator general deals with the Holy See in his
name: 306; members of the general council and other general officials are his
collaborators: 301; approves in advance the date of provincial chapters: 314,
332; presides over provincial and local chapters as well as provincial and
local councils: 332; makes opening speech in provincial chapters: 333; must be
informed in advance of transfer of religious from one province to another: 349;
gives permission to anticipate or defer a provincial chapter: 363; is legal
representative of Order for administrative, legal or financial acts: 403; must
supervise administration of Order’s goods: 404; gives vote on request to Holy See for
definitive exclaustration or reduction to the lay state by a solemnly professed
friar: 409;
receives notification of death of a
brother: 39; prayers for him if he dies in office: 39; see also Major superior. Must
have the consent of his council: to erect, transfer or suppress a novitiate
house: 140; or to allow more than one novitiate house in a province: 140; to
readmit to the Order one who has left: 150; for the institution of various
bodies (delegations, regions, etc.) 177; for the institution of a general
delegation: 184; for the granting and naming of a superior and councillors to
it: 184; for the institution of a region: 177; for the institution, change or
suppression of a general commissariat: 178, 181; for the erection of a
province: 178, 182; for union or changes in boundaries of them: 178; for
suppression of them: 178; for the distribution of goods in a suppressed
province or commissariat: 178; for the erection of a provincial commissariat:
180; for its redefinition or suppression: 180; for the erection of a new house:
186; for the suppression of a house: 188; outside the general chapter, to
approve, modify, suspend or abrogate general codes of the Order’s law: 192;
for its authentic interpretation: 193; to approve the statutes of various
bodies in the Order: 195; to issue decrees for the whole Order: 196; for the
acceptance of a postulation: 226, 253; to convoke an extraordinary general
chapter: 257; to anticipate or defer a general chapter: 278; to remove a prior
provincial from office: 278; to nominate the president of the Institutum
Carmelitanum: 278; the General Archivist: 278; the Secretary general: 308; the
secretaries for the special areas of interest: 308; possible co-secretaries:
309; the Postulator General: 312; the delegate for social communications: 312;
other general officials: 312; replacements for any of the general offices which
become vacant: 278; to transfer religious: 278; to convoke a General Congregation:
285; to approve the acts of a provincial chapter: 338; to approve the
Order’s Financial Directory: 399; to allow a provincial chapter to elect
a brother from another province to the office of prior provincial: 340; to
dispense from temporary vows: 407; must
have opinion of his council: to dispense in disciplinary matters: 198; to
designate officials of the general chapter: 271; to issue decrees for the
celebration of a provincial chapter in a newly erected province: 320; to accept
the resignation of a prior provincial from office: 352. See also Council of the Major Superior, General Council. Must have advice of prior provincial
concerned to erect, transfer or suppress a novitiate house or to permit
more than one in a province: 140; to readmit religious who have left the Order:
150; must also have advice of
provincial council and others concerned for the erection of a general
commissariat: 181; and its suppression: 181; and of local Ordinary for
suppression of a house: 188; to transfer religious: 278
Prior provincial: person: definition: 208;
is a major superior: 209; qualities: 232, 340; consultative vote: 331;
procedure for election: 245, 321, 322, 343; passive voice in election: 341; can
be elected for three or six years: 342; election must be confirmed: 249, 344;
member of province must be elected: 340; in case of particular difficulty a
friar from another province: 340;
one elected to bring to a close the
three-year term of his predecessor: 353; cessation, removal or resignation from
office: 352; must be interviewed before being removed: 278; governs the
province and brothers in it with his council: 179; has ordinary power (potestas): 211; has voice in province:
203; place in order of precedence: 205; gremialis
of general chapter: 258; of general congregation: 286; of council of provinces:
289; faculties to send proxy to general chapter or general congregation: 239;
acts invalidly when he goes against required consent: 212; procedure when
advice is required: 212; can nominate a vicar: 351; can nominate an assistant:
371; is assisted in government by provincial council: 357; required to summon
provincial council: 365; officials of the province are collaborators: 369;
receives notification of death of a brother and informs other houses in the province
and the prior general: 39; nominates formators: 122; responsibility together
with council for formation of candidates: 124, 125, 126; delegate for
formation: 125; must be consulted for erection, transfer, suppression of
novitiate houses as well as erection of more than one house: 140; is to be
consulted regarding the re-admission of candidates who have left the order:
150; must be consulted with council and other interested parties for erection
of a general commissariat: 181; must be consulted, together with diocesan
bishop for suppression of a house: 188; summons gremiales of provincial chapter: 218, 323; gives permission to
accept post outside Order: 231; must be consulted by prior general when
transferring religious: 278; at end of term of office cannot be elected
provincial chapter president: 332; can address the chapter: 333; reports on
state of the province: 334; recommends to council for good of province: 354;
sends chapter acts to prior general: 338; sends report on state of province to
prior general: 345; transfers religious from one house to another: 346;
consults priors concerned: 348; dispenses individuals from obligation to recite
Divine Office: 346; and from laws on fast and abstinence: 346; dispenses in
disciplinary matters: 346; gives permission for writings to be published: 346;
must visit houses frequently: 347; cannot be local prior or provincial bursar:
355; provides information about meetings of provincial council to be sent to
houses: 367; sends copy of provincial council acts to prior general: 367;
appoints a suitable person as provincial archivist: 372; delegates faculties to
provincial commissary: 376; can remove local councillors from office or accept
their resignation: 387; has no voice in election of local prior, except where
he resides: 390; with council conducts adequate consultations before appointing
local priors: 391; can accept resignation of local prior or remove him from
office: 395; representative of province in administrative, legal and financial
acts: 403; must supervise administration of province’s goods: 404; issues
with council declaration of dismissal ipso
facto from Order: 411; see also Major
superior. Must have consent of provincial
council: to make an agreement with a local Ordinary for the erection of a
parish: 100; for the inclusion of apostolic activities in the novitiate: 147;
gives
a deliberative vote for admission to solemn vows:
157; for the authentic interpretation of provincial statutes: 363; for the
institution of the secretariat or preparatory commission for a provincial
chapter: 324; for the removal from office of provincial or local officials 346;
to give permission to a religious to live outside a house: 346; to change those
with voice before a provincial chapter: 350; to nominate a provincial commissary,
priors, and local officials according the provisions of the provincial
statutes: 362; the novice master: 362; one or more people in charge of
formation: 362; the provincial bursar: 362; the delegate for the nuns and
sisters: 362; other provincial officials: 362; to replace officials in case of
vacancy: 363; to establish an extraordinary contribution from the houses: 363;
for the authentic interpretation of provincial statutes: 363; to anticipate or
defer a provincial chapter: 363; to accept the resignation of a local prior
from office or his removal before the end of the three-year term: 395; must have advice provincial council for
the presentation of a friar to the local Ordinary for a diocesan office: 102 §2; to
dispense from disciplinary laws: 198; to accept the resignation of provincial
officials: 374; to deny renewal of temporary profession: 407 §2; see also Council of major superior
Probation: for those who have left Order
and then re-enter: 150
Problems: to be dealt with in chapters: 217
Process of removing right to vote from an
electoral college: 251
Proclamation of election: 245. 246
Procurator general: member of general
council: 293; elected by general chapter: 294; length of term of office: 295;
task: 306; is gremialis of general
chapter: 258; of general congregation: 286; of council of provinces: 289;
prayers in case of death in office: 39
Promulgation of acts of provincial chapter:
338;
Proposals to be sent to provincial chapter
preparatory commission: 327, 328; to general chapter preparatory commission:
261, 262, 263
Protectors of Order: celebration of feast
of St. Joseph and Sts Joachim and Anne: 88
Province of the Order: a structure in the
Order: 177; constitution and government: 179; erection and suppression: 182,
178; must establish and develop centres of spirituality and study and retreat
houses: 68; contributes to expenses of general council, bodies and projects
which depend on the Curia: 401; as a juridical person administers goods: 398; see also Administration of Goods,
Provincial statutes
Provincial archives: responsibility for it
to be given to a suitable person by the Prior Provincial: 372; acts relating to
elections to be placed in it: 243; documents from the Holy See and the local
episcopal conference to be preserved in it: 372; documents regarding one
dismissed ipso facto to be placed in
it: 411
Provincial bursar: takes part in general
finance meetings: 405; nominated by prior provincial with consent of his
council: 362; cannot also be prior provincial: 355; see also Bursar
Provincial Chapter Acts: 338
Provincial Chapter: nature: 313; ordinary:
314; extraordinary: 315; in case of vacancy in office of prior provincial: 353;
gremiales determined by provincial
statutes: 317, 318, 239; tasks: 321; validity of its prescriptions: 337; ex-Priors
General have voice in the provincial chapter where they reside: 284; the socius of the prior general has active
voice: 304; has faculty to instruct judges: 213; can draw up provincial
statutes and issue decrees: 210; can erect a provincial commissariat: 180; can
establish new limits or suppress the same: 180; confirms previous decrees: 197;
nominates suitable formators: 122; how and when it can elect as provincial a
brother from another province: 340; confirms or not authentic interpretations
of statutes: 363; see also Provincial
Chapter Acts, Chapters in general
Provincial Commissariat: erection and
suppression: 180, 182; government: 375-378; may have its own preparatory
commission for a provincial chapter: 324; when it can send a delegate to a
general chapter: 258; can have only two councillors: 359
Provincial Commissary: duties and
responsibilities: 375-378; must be nominated by prior provincial and his
council, unless statutes provide otherwise: 362; can vote by proxy: 239; place
in order of precedence: 205; participates without voice in general chapter:
258; and in General Congregation: 286; is a member of the Council of Provinces:
289; can have only two councillors: 359
Provincial Council Acts: must be read: 366;
must be recorded in a special book: 367; informing the Province about them:
367; copy of them must be sent to the General Council: 367
Provincial Council: members: 356; their
election: 321, 322; as a collegial entity and as the council of the prior
provincial: 356, 357; its task: 361; responsibility in formation: 124; issues
decrees to promote the good of the province: 361; works to translate norms into
practice: 210, 361; areas of responsibility to be given to councillors and
assistants: 361; has judicial power
213; is collegial tribunal of the first instance: 358; nominates judges for
specific cases: 213; quorum for its meetings: 364; convocation: 365; provincial
secretary is official secretary (notaio)
for meetings: 356; its acts must be read: 366; signed and a copy of them sent
to the General Council: 367; information about meetings to be sent to the
houses in a province: 367
Provincial councillor: to be elected by
provincial chapter: 321 or by all electors in the province if so provided in
provincial statutes: 322; four councillors: 359; two councillors for a
provincial commissariat: 359; confirmed by chapter president: 249; length of
term of office: 359; procedure in case of vacancy: 359; must be solemnly
professed: 360; place in order of precedence: 205; responsible for a specific
area with collaborators: 361; can be a local prior if so provided by provincial
statutes: 368; role of first councillor in case of vacancy in office of prior
provincial: 353
Provincial secretary: official secretary (notaio) in meetings of provincial
council: 356
Provincial statutes: drawn up or amended by
provincial chapter: 210, 321; approved by general council: 338; interpreted
authentically by prior provincial and council: 363; prior provincial can
dispense from their provisions: 346; see
also Statutes. Subjects which
provincial statutes must or may provide on : frequency of community
meetings: 31; length of annual vacation for religious: 33; prayers for the
dead: 39; fasting and abstinence as prescribed by the Rule: 40; penitential practices: 40; wearing of the habit: 41;
material goods acquired by religious go to house or province: 55; personal
allowances for religious: 57; silence and recollection in houses: 67; retreats
and days of recollection: 84; criteria for acceptance of parishes: 100; offices
of prior and pastor (parish priest) held together: 104; length of term of
office of pastor (parish priest): 104; relations between parish and community:
104; designation of provincial delegate for nuns: 107; designation of other delegates
for Carmelite family: 109; form, duration and content of pre-novitiate: 137;
autonomy of provincial commissariat: 180; other conditions for exercise of
active and passive voice: 200; local name for house superior: 208; procedure
for summoning to elections: 234; permission to vote by mail: 238; right to send
proxies to provincial chapter: 239; exchange of ideas previous to sending
proposals to general chapter: 263; particular norms for election of delegates
to general chapter: 265; celebration of a provincial chapter: 316; gremiales of a provincial chapter: 317,
318; may provide for vice prior provincial and assistant provincial: 321;
election of prior provincial and provincial councillors; reports to be made by
provincial officials to chapter: 334; vacancy in office of prior provincial
before end of term: 353; timing and appointment of local priors and other house
officials: 362; timing and appointment of other provincial officials: 362, 377;
convocation of provincial council: 365; can allow provincial councillor to be a
local prior: 368; can prohibit assistant provincial from being a local prior:
371; setting up of other provincial offices and commissions according to need:
373; special norms for provincial commissariat: 378; participation of simply
professed in local chapter: 380; election of local prior and other officials of
the local chapter: 382; frequency of collegial meetings of local chapter of
canonically erected houses: 383;
frequency and procedure for community meetings: 384; establishment of local prior’s
council: 385; subjects on which local council must give opinion or be consulted
by local prior: 386; determine number and procedure for designating local
councillors: 387; government of house dependent on another: 388; permission to
reside temporarily outside house: 394; establishment of local sub-prior (vice priore): 396; tasks of local
officials: 397; establishment and norms for finance commission: 400;
appointment of legal representative in civil cases: 403; how to deal in charity
with the needs of brothers who leave the Order: 414; establish guidelines for
pre-novitiate and novitiate agreements: 415; norms already fixed which can be modified by provincial statutes:
colour of habit: 41; annual renewal of simple (temporary) profession: 155;
order of precedence among provincial councillors: 205; number of gremiales at provincial and other
chapters: 219; passive voice in election of prior provincial: 341; six-year
term for prior provincial: 342; can provide for election of prior provincial
differently from Constitutions: 343; participation of assistant provincial in
meetings of provincial council: 356; length of term of office of provincial
councillors: 359; replacement of councillors in case of vacancy: 359; election
of provincial commissary: 362; election of provincial commissariat councillors:
375
Proxy: right to have one when participation
is impossible in general chapter or general congregation: 239
Public church or oratory: permitted with
the foundation of a house: 186
Quorum: in chapters and other collegial
bodies: 219
Ratio
Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae (RIVC): 129, 145, 162, 171; area of
special concern in general council: 303
Re-admission to the Order: 150
Recollection: atmosphere of silence and
solitude to encourage prayer, work and study: 67
Reconciliation: sacrament: to be celebrated
frequently: 75; can be made with any priest in communion with the Church: 76
Recreation in common: 31
Region: can be instituted by general
chapter or prior general with consent of council: 177; aims: 291; election and
role of president to be specified in statutes: 292; organisation: 292;
president is non-voting member of general chapter: 258; of general
congregation: 286; member of council of provinces: 289; must establish and
develop centres of spirituality and study and retreat houses: 68
Religious Federal Assistant for Nuns: 107
Religious Habit: 41
Religious life: a calling and a gift from
God: 5; service of brothers and consecration to God: 5; to be treated in
meetings: 384
Religious profession: is basis for basic
equality of all religious: 175
Religious vows: nature: 43-63; radical form
of witness to and following of Christ: 43; gift of God: 44; obedience as
listening and discernment of God’s plan: 45-49; poverty as sharing and
solidarity: 50-58; chastity or celibacy for the kingdom: 59-63; who dispenses
from temporary vows: 407
Religious: living outside house: 35; older
members deserve respect and care: 38; their contribution: 38; prayers for the
dead: 39
Removal from office: of local prior: 395,
346; of prior provincial: 278; of various elected officials: 346
Removal of active and passive voice: 204;
of right to elect by electoral college: 250, 251, 252
Renewal: brought about in Constitutions:
13; of service in the Church: 91; constant commitment in chapters: 217
Report: on state of province to be made to
provincial chapter: 334; sent to general council: 345, 279; on state of the
Order to be sent to the Holy See: 279
Resignation: at time of election: 246, 247;
from post of local prior: 395; of prior provincial: 352; of provincial
officials: 374; of prior general: 280
Responsibility: of the community for
formation: 144
Retreat Centres: to be established and
developed: 68
Retreat: annual: 68; before novitiate: 141;
before solemn vows: 156
Retreats: 68
Revision of provincial chapter acts: 333
Rights and duties: same for all religious
through profession: 206; acquired by election: 247, 247; in order of
precedence: 205; of the Ordinaries in the Order: 209; see also entries for various
superiors
Rite of admission to novitiate: see Ritual
Rosary: recitation: 86
Rule of the Order: is the soul of Carmel: 416; approved by Innocent IV:
10; guidelines for Carmelite life: 11; new inspirational dimensions: 14; source
of inspiration for Carmelite family: 28; study of it: 31; guide for formation:
144; see also Life-style
Sacred Scripture: prayerful listening
according to the Rule: 11; listening
in community: 31, 91, 95; must dwell in the heart of Carmelites: 11, 82; discernment
by its light: 128; love for it: 131; spread of it: 162; reading it from the
perspective of the poor: 116; see also Gospel,
Lectio divina
Sacristan: 390, 397
Saints of Order: feasts to be celebrated:
88
Salve
Regina or other Marian anthem to be sung every day:
87
Scapular of Carmel: sign of Marian
consecration and means of association with Order: 27; traditional form of
Marian devotion: 86; sacramental, symbol of devotion, reminder of Marian
virtues: 89
Scrutineers: in elections: 243, 237; in provincial
chapter: 333; in general chapter: 271
Scrutinies: for elections to offices: 245;
other procedures provided for by provincial statutes: 343; results and names of
delegates for provincial chapter to be published: 330; of delegates for general
chapter: 265
Seal of province: for acts of provincial
chapter: 338; for acts of provincial council: 367
Search for God: characteristic of the
evangelical life: 3; part of charism of Order and guide for apostolic activity:
95
Secrecy: of subjects discussed in collegial
meetings: 243; can be imposed by president: 223
Secretariat for preparation of provincial
chapter: 324, 326
Secretaries: in Curia for priority areas:
appointment: 308, 312; tasks: 310
Secretary general: appointment: 308; can
have collaborators: 309; tasks: 310; must co-operate with general chapter
secretariat: 261
Secretary of region: appointment and role
to be specified in statutes: 292
Secretary: in elections: 243; of house:
397; of provincial chapter: 332; of general chapter: 271; see also Secretaries in Curia, Provincial secretary, Secretary
general, Secretary of region
Secular Institutes: members of the
Carmelite family: 28; co-operation and concern for them: 108, 109
Service to God and humanity through the
religious life: 5; reciprocal to brothers and others: 2; the Church requires it
from Carmelites: 10; in the midst of the people: 14, 15, 21-24; to be exercised
as a form of apostolate: 98
Sick and infirm: care and concern for them:
35
Signs of the times: criterion for
discernment: 13, 18, 30, 31, 40, 47, 91, 99
Silence: according to the Rule: 11; openness to the Spirit: 67
Silent prayer: every day: 80
Simple (temporary) profession: begins
consecrated life: 152; incorporates in Order: 175; who admits to it: 153; can be
anticipated: 154; can be made outside novitiate house: 155; is made for at
least three years: 155; renewal: 155; dispensation from simple vows: 407;
physical or mental infirmity and renewal of
simple vows: 408; consequences of dispensation from simple vows: 410
Simply professed: regarding active and
passive voice: 201; participation in local chapters: 380; see also Simple profession
Sisters, associated with Order: in
catalogue: 267
Solemn profession: spiritual preparation
before: 156; validity: 157; made at earliest three years after simple
profession: 157; must be made before receiving diaconate: 162; minimum age:
157; anticipation: 157; who admits to it: 157; definitive incorporation into
Order: 157, 175; effect regarding material goods: 158; is required for office
of local prior: 389; of provincial councillor: 360; of prior provincial: 340;
of prior general: 277; physical or mental infirmity and admission to solemn
vows: 408; dispensation: 409; consequence of indult: 410
Solemnly professed: regarding voice: 200;
order of precedence: 205; compose local chapter: 380; see also Solemn profession
Soliciting votes: is forbidden: 242
Solitude: according to the Rule: 11; openness to the Spirit: 67
Spiritual Armour: to be put on in
accordance with the Rule: 10
Spiritual Benefits: granted to novices: 151
Spiritual reading: especially of Carmelite
authors: 83
Spiritual writers of Order: reading their
works: 83
Spiritual, fraternal and apostolic life:
fundamental basis for the Order’s charism: 14-24; intensified through
chapters: 217; must be developed by general chapter: 258;
St. Albert’s International Centre
(CISA) in Rome: expresses the Order’s unity: 166; is under the direct
jurisdiction of the prior general: 166; has its own statutes: 166; prior is
member of general chapter: 258
Statistics of Order to be published: 267
Statutes: which bodies may have them: 195;
approval: 195; authentic interpretation: 197; can determine quorum for chapters
and other collegial meetings: 219; general delegations: 184; regions: 292;
CISA: 166; see also Provincial
statutes
Sub-prior, local (vice priore): establishment of office determined by provincial
statutes: 396
Substitutes: of delegates to general
chapter: 265, 266
Superior of general delegation: 184; is gremialis of general chapter: 258;
conditions for being gremialis and
exercising vote in general congregation: 286
Superior, local: is officially called
prior: 208, 288;
Superiors: have jurisdiction: 210; must
apply norms: 210; see also Major
superior
Suppression: of a house: 188; of a
commissariat: 189, 181; of a province: 182, 179
Teachers of spirituality in the Order: God
raised them up: 10
Tellers: 238, 271
Teresian reform: members are part of
Carmelite family: 28
Theological and other studies: interest of
general council: 303
Third Order Regular: see Affiliated Institutes
Third Order Secular: part of Carmelite
family: 28; concern for them: 109
Timing: of provincial chapter: 314, 353; of
general chapter: 256, 260, 282
Titus Brandsma Institute, Nijmegen: interest
of general council: 303
Transfer of religious from one house to
another: 346, 348; from one province to another: 349, 278
Tunic: part of habit: 41
Union with God and neighbour through Jesus
Christ: 1; see also Fraternity,
Prayer, Service
Updating of plan for life-style: 13
Use of material goods: responsibility to
God: 57
Vacancy in an office which is usually
filled by election: 232; local prior: 392; prior provincial: 342, 353;
provincial councillor: 359; provincial officials: 370; assistant provincial:
371; general councillors and general officials: 295, 305; prior general: 282
Validity of novitiate: 140
Veneration: of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
reasons: 85; is a characteristic of Order: 86, 95; practices and exercises of
Marian devotion: 86; recitation of the rosary: 86; liturgical celebrations: 87;
daily anthems Flos Carmeli, Salve, Regina, or some other antiphon:
87; devotion to the Scapular: 27, 86, 89; pastoral guidelines to be followed in
Marian shrines: 90
Vicar prior provincial: 351
Vice prior general: member of general
council: 293; is elected by general chapter: 294; length of term of office:
295; task: 300; is gremialis of
general chapter: 258; of general congregation: 286;
of council of provinces: 289; takes over
government of Order if prior general is seriously ill: 281; if office of prior
general is vacant and summons extraordinary general chapter: 282; prayers in
case of death in office: 39;
Vice prior provincial: elected by
provincial chapter: 321; obligations in case of vacancy in office of prior
provincial: 353
Vigilance in prayer: according to the Rule: 11
Virgin Mary: familiarity with her life: 12;
source of inspiration for Carmelites: 27; other references to her example: 30,
58, 79, 86, 95; see also Veneration,
Scapular
Visitation: by prior provincial: 347; by
prior general: 279
Vocation: to the evangelical life: 3, 4;
presupposes acceptance of the evangelical counsels: 4; must be fully lived: 416
Vocations promoter: task: 131, 362; links
with communities at various levels: 132; and with other bodies: 133
Vocations: vocation activities: 131; task
of vocations promoter: 131; commitment of the community: 132; links between vocation activities: 133;
special area of interest of General Council: 303
Voice, active and passive: general principles:
200-205; exercise of it in a general delegation: 184
Votes: requirements: 241, 242, 243, 245;
blank votes: 245; procedure for votes in non-electoral decisions: 224;
admission of candidates: 225; elections: 225; consultative for candidates for offices
of prior provincial or provincial councillor: 331
Votive masses of Our Lady: recommended on
Saturdays: 87
Wearing of habit: 41
White cloak: part of habit: 41
Word of God: see Sacred Scripture, Lectio
divina
Work: re-reading the Rule: 58; carried out together: 31, 95; see also Activities