Secret Constitution of Legion of Christ
In spite of teaching almost
perfect Catholic Doctrine, the testimony of many ex-Legionaries and my own
investigation has determined them to be a very destructive cult and not much
different than Moonies or those who went to their death in Jonestown. What makes a cult is total control over its subjects: control over every action, all
knowledge, all movements and in short, over the very
free will of the victim. I have
documented the abuse in: Cult - http://www.unitypublishing.com/NewReligiousMovements/Leagonaires2.html
The daily reading of its founders letters by all members is also documented,
but one thing I never could get my hands on was the secret Constitution or what
most orders call – The Rules of the Order.
The Rules of most orders are simple 5 to 10 page documents explaining
the specifics of the apostolate and published for all to see. From these rules I can learn a great deal
about an order. Because of these rules I will soon be promoting what I consider
the best new religious order of my lifetime.
For five years I have tried to
get a copy of the Constitution but never did even from ex-members and now that
I read section 417-1,2 of this document I understand why.
This is a very long document
and if you take the time to read the entire thing but do not have experience in
cults, you might conclude that they promote and teach nothing but good sound
doctrine and a strong prayer life. But
if that were true then why was the founder (and many of its superiors) convicted
of homosexual and pedophile acts strongly violating all religious vows and
Catholic Doctrine? The answer is that LC
uses the outward signs of good (sound doctrine, holy Liturgies, properly
dressed priests, holy words, massive prayers) to draw people in and then to
totally control their free will. Once
the will is controlled they can do whatsoever they want with their followers
just as the slave owners did before the Civil War.
If you read the entire
constitution you will see that every minute of every day of every year is controlled
so that there is no free time, no privacy, no independent reading and spies
everywhere.
Consider this: Section 411 commands that members must keep
their rooms open at all times. Sections
388 to 390 commands that the members separate from families and can only visit
them with other members and sometimes only every seven years. Section 50 does not allow a member to go
anywhere alone and denounce his free will.
Sections 59, 274-1-7 commands control of all personal property, even of
the dead – 195-2. One entering this cult
all other vows to man or God are void – 81.
Speaking against the order or anyone in it is forbidden even if very
sinful acts – sections 210-1-2. And anyone doing this will be reported to the
superiors: Sections 71-2, 266-1,2, 668-1,2,3, 669-1,2.
Your free will is replaced by the order,
160-1 and throughout the document it is stressed the total obedience to
superiors. In 297-1 they command “total surrender of their judgment and will”
to the order and this is repeated in 300,307 and 314. As a brainwashing method this document has to
be studied everyday all their life: 168-2,171-2,177,183-1,302,303 and 418. A cult takes total control of your free will
and most often uses good to do evil.
CONSTITUTIONS of the LEGION OF CHRIST
PART ONE:
THE PURPOSE, NATURE AND PATRONS OF THE CONGREGATION
The purpose of the Legion of Christ is to sanctify her
members by the profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the
observance of these Constitutions. Her purpose is also to build Christ's Kingdom
in society in the spirit of Christian justice and charity, through prayer, the
apostolate and a wide dissemination of Catholic doctrine, as these
Constitutions specify. This is to be
done, as best suits different times and places, in the following ways:
§1. Form select groups of leaders in the various
branches of society especially the working class, intellectuals, the industrial
community and other various professions, and train them for a person-to-person action to permeate the life of
society deeply with Christian spirit.
§2. Found educational and teaching
institutions: elementary and high
schools, colleges, universities and technological institutes, postgraduate
schools and research centers.
§3. Promote the human and Christian purposes of
the family and its values, with counseling centers and family apostolates.
§4. Disseminate the treasure of Catholic doctrine
and make it always accessible to all through schools of the faith that train
teachers of the faith and by founding editorial and publishing houses for the
research and dissemination of Catholic teaching.
§5. Open centers for reflection, prayer and
study; sports and cultural clubs; centers for formation and specific apostolic
action, and convention centers.
§6.
Generate apostolates to imbue the media (e.g.
cinema, radio, television, the press, etc.) with Christian spirit. Since the media play such a decisive role in
informing and forming the individual conscience and public opinion, the Legion
of Christ should give them primary importance as instruments of apostolate, and
use them all to the fullest insofar as it can.
§7. In the spirit of justice and charity of the
Gospel, set up apostolates for the promotion of the
entire human community, especially of the groups most in need spiritually,
morally and materially. Take every
possible step to ensure that this promotion and aid do not take on the
slightest connotation of class struggle regardless of the circumstances. On the contrary, make every effort to radiate
the spirit of unity, peace, justice and love that Jesus Christ teaches us in
the Gospel.
|n2. Priests are the members of the
Mystical Body most loved by the Heart of Jesus Christ and most involved in continuing
his redemptive work in the world. With
the approval of the General Director and the consent of his Council, the Legion
may take on apostolates for the care and perseverance
of diocesan priests.
|n3. The Legion excludes no form of apostolate. With due regard to n.1 above, the General
Director with the consent of his Council, is to select the best forms of
apostolate for each time and place. However,
he must never compromise the purpose,
priorities and methodology set forth in these Constitutions.
|n4. |p |p §1.
Our religious should foster true devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This consists in genuine piety, in personal,
manly and passionate love for Christ who is the example, way and life of the
soul, and in His imitation by the practice of all the virtues.
§2. They should value this
devotion as a very appropriate means to grow in holiness and to establish and
extend Christ's Kingdom in the world.
|n5. §1. They should refrain from directing churches and other
public oratories, unless, in the prudent judgement of
the General Director, it would serve a greater good.
§2. They
should not dedicate themselves to pastoral care in parishes. However, for serious reasons the General Director
with the consent of his Council may permit the acceptance of parishes in
exceptional circumstances.
|n6. Regarding communities of women
religious or similar communities of women:
§1. Our religious are forbidden:
1) To give them spiritual direction,
retreats or spiritual exercises.
2) To
minister as ordinary confessors to the whole community or any one of its
members.
§2. Nevertheless:
1) In isolated cases,
never habitually, the Territorial Director may permit a Legionary to give them retreats or spiritual exercises.
2) Only priests who are at least 40
years old may be appointed as extraordinary confessors, and then only rarely. These priests should never meddle in the
internal and external discipline and governing of the community.
3) The Rector or
|n7. The purpose of the Congregation may
not be changed without authorization from the Holy See.
|n8. The Legion of Christ is a
congregation of pontifical right. It is
clerical in nature, and consists of only one type of member, namely priests and
students for the priesthood.
|n9. §1. The uniform of the Legionaries is
the black cassock and cincture.
§2. The uniform may not be
changed without the consent of the General Chapter and the authorization of the
Holy See.
|n10. In the Gospel Jesus Christ teaches
the universality of God's Kingdom and proposes fellowship of life. As a visible sign of this and in order to
foster unity and charity in the Legion, our formation centers and apostolate
centers are to be integrated by members of different nationalities. This will also bring greater uniformity to
our formation and a greater enrichment of our members by living together and
sharing our diverse cultural heritages.
|n11. §1. So that all Legionaries can have
more constant, attentive and fruitful contact with the sources of the Legion's
doctrine and spirituality, Spanish
will be the official language of the Congregation.
§2. It is to be used
especially in the General Chapters of the Congregation.
§3. Consequently, the Major
Directors should see that all our religious become sufficiently fluent in
Spanish from the first years of formation.
|n12. The Congregation is dedicated to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and to Our Lady of Sorrows. It recognizes
PART TWO
DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE IN
THE LEGION
Par.2 Chap.I
Chapter I: ADMISSION TO THE CONGREGATION
Art. 1. - General Directives
|n13. Any male Catholic may be admitted to the
Congregation if he is free of lawful impediment, is motivated by the right
intention and is qualified to take on its commitments and carry out its
specific apostolates.
|n14. §1. The General Director and the Territorial Directors are
to be careful to admit only those candidates who are of the required age, are
healthy, and have the right disposition and sufficient maturity to
undertake the lifestyle of the Congregation.
§2. Their health, disposition
and maturity are to be confirmed, by experts if necessary, fully respecting the
inviolable right of every person to protect his own privacy.
Par.2Chap.IArt.2. -
Impediments to admission
|n15. As stated in Canon Law, a candidate
is invalidly admitted to the Novitiate:
§1. If he is under seventeen years of
age;
§2. If he is married;
§3. If he is bound by vow to an
Institute of consecrated life or belongs to a Society of apostolic life
safeguarding what Canon Law states in this case;
§4. If he enters the
Congregation by force, through grave fear or deceit, or if the competent
Director accepts him under the same conditions;
§5. If he
conceals his membership in an Institute of consecrated life or Society of apostolic
life.
|n16. As stated in Canon Law, the General
Director and the Territorial Directors may not admit a candidate to the
Novitiate:
§1. If he is a secular cleric,
without consulting his Ordinary, or if he has debts he cannot pay;
§2. If he has legal accounts to settle or is involved
in business matters that could cause the Congregation legal suits or problems;
§3. If he is barred from the priesthood by any canonical irregularity
or impediment.
|n17.
By the authority of these Constitutions, a candidate may not be
admitted:
§1. If he belongs or belonged to an Institute of religious life, to a
Society of apostolic life, to a Secular Institute or to a community resembling
a religious community, even if only as a candidate;
§2. If he is over forty years old;
§3. If he has sinful habits that seem virtually impossible to amend and
correct;
§4. If through insufficient control of his affections he tends toward
improper friendships, or is prone to anger and sadness, or if he has a harsh or
arrogant character;
§5. If he is given to strange devotions that can lead to error and
confusion;
§6. If he has a habit of backbiting;
§7. If he is mentally ill;
§8. If he has poor intellectual ability, or is inflexible in his judgements.
§9. If he is inconstant and weak-willed;
§10. If he cannot acquire
and exhibit complete trust in his
superiors;
§11. If he is a diocesan priest or seminarian,
notwithstanding n. 16, 1. of these
Constitutions.
|n18.
Only the Holy See can dispense from the impediments of Canon Law.
|n19. §1. Only the General Director with the
consultative vote of his Council can dispense from the impediments proper to
the Congregation.
§2. Nevertheless, he should not be too lenient when judging the
seriousness of these impediments, especially those in n. 17, §1 and §11. He should consider them carefully and
prudently, as the discernment of vocations and the good of the Congregation
warrant.
|cPar.2Chap.IArt.3. - Conditions necessary for
admission
|n20.
The General Director and the Territorial Director, with the consultative
vote of their Councils, have the authority to admit candidates to the
Novitiate.
|n21.
As stated in Canon Law, each candidate must submit his baptismal and
confirmation certificate and proof of his
|n22.
§1. Before being accepted, each candidate should undergo psychomedical testing of his personality, abilities and
aptitudes.
§2. Vocation
recruiters should be very careful and investigate each candidate's family and
personal background, and his religious, moral, intellectual, social and
physical qualities. They should send a
thorough, clear and objective report to the General and Territorial Directors.
|n23. A candidate should have or be able to
acquire the following qualities, which are very important for his religious
perfection:
§1. Above-average intelligence
and sound doctrine;
§2. A firm, tenacious will;
prudence in his decisions and decisiveness, courage and constancy in carrying
them out;
§3. Love of spiritual
perfection and of all virtues, especially obedience, humility, chastity and
charity; burning,
passionate zeal to build Christ's Kingdom and save souls; love for the Congregation;
§4. A magnanimous heart and
hatred for backbiting and hollow observances;
§5. Sociability,
good physical appearance, discretion, friendliness and good health.
|cPar.2Chap.IArt.4 - Examination of the
candidates
|n24. The Territorial Director himself or his
delegate should examine each candidate before he is admitted to the
Novitiate. After him the Instructor of
Novices should do the same.
|n25.
The examiners named above should skillfully and prudently question each
candidate about the impediments. If they
find an impediment they should suspend the investigation and submit the matter
to the General Director's decision.
|n26.
If the Territorial Director and the Instructor of Novices differ about
any candidate:
§1. The Territorial Director or his delegate and the Instructor of
Novices should each send his opinion of the candidate in writing to the General Director.
§2. The General
Director should consult his Council and appoint a third examiner with
experience, with a deep knowledge of the Congregation and of the human heart.
§3. With the opinion of the third examiner in mind, the General Director should
decide before God what seems best for the Congregation and the triumph of
Christ's Kingdom.
|n27. Any candidate
who neither has nor is able to acquire the qualities listed n. 23, should not
be admitted. For this reason, no inquiry
that will help reveal the true fitness of a candidate should be overlooked.
|cPar.2Chap.II – CANDIDACY
|n28.
Before entering the Novitiate the candidates are to have a trial period
which is ordinarily held in the
|n29.
§1. Students from our Vocational Centers who desire to enter the
Novitiate have their candidacy for three months at the
§2. All other candidates have their candidacy for at least two months in
the Novitiate, but separate from the Novitiate community. In countries where there is no Novitiate the
candidacy is held wherever the Territorial Director indicates.
|n30.
§1. Candidacy is to start with a day of spiritual retreat.
§2. Throughout the candidacy there should be monthly retreats as well as
a spiritual talk and practical exam every Sunday.
|n31.
§1. Above all, the
candidates are to be made aware that they are to respond to God's call by
professing the evangelical counsels, so that not only dying to sin but also
renouncing the world they will live only for God and consecrate
themselves to serve the Church and all people.
§2. They are to be
carefully instructed in the principal virtues of the Legion, which are charity
toward others, humility, chastity, renunciation
of one's own judgment and will through obedience, and in their duty
to strive through prayer and action to sow and strengthen Christ's Kingdom in
the souls of all people.
|n32.
The candidates should observe the Legion's norms regarding journeys,
contact with their family, use of the media and habits of dress.
|n33.
§1. Before being admitted to the Novitiate, any candidate who desires to
embrace the life of the Congregation should ask the General Director in writing for admission,
through the Territorial Director. These
petitions should be kept in the general and territorial files, and in the files
at the
§2. Before
beginning Novitiate, the candidates who have been judged as qualified should do
spiritual exercises for eight full days and make a general confession of their past
life, if their confessor thinks it prudent.
|cPar.2 – Chapter III – NOVITIATE
|cPar.2Chap.IIIArt. 1. - The
|n34
The General Director, with the consent of his Council and prior written
authorization from the local Ordinary, has the authority to establish a
|n35.
In the establishment of a
|cPar.2 Chap.III Art.2 Art.
2. - Requirements for the Novitiate
|n36.
The Novitiate begins with the reception of uniform according to the
Ritual of the Congregation or in another way defined by the General Director
with the consent of his council, as long as the date it begins is accurately
recorded. It should last two years.
|n37.
§1. According to Canon Law, for the Novitiate to be valid:
1) The novices should be at least seventeen years old;
2) It should last for twelve months;
3) It should be held in the
§2. As stated in Canon Law, the General Director may permit a group of
novices to live for a time in another
|n38. The General Director, with the
advice of his Council, may transfer a novice to another Center of the
Congregation without interrupting his Novitiate. This should only be done rarely and for serious
reasons, such as illness or a special and urgent apostolic activity, and last
only a short while, with due regard for what is stated in n. 39.
|n39.
According to Canon Law and with due regard for what is stated in n. 37,
§1.3 and §2:
§1. Absence from the community or
the
§2. Absence in excess of fifteen days should be recovered.
|n40.
§1. Although it is not a requirement for canonical validity, the
Congregation requires a two year Novitiate.
§2. The General
Director alone can exempt a novice from his second year, but only seldom
and for serious reasons.
§3. What is stated in n. 39 is not applicable to this year.
|n41.
As time goes on, if a prudent, well-founded doubt arises about the
fitness of a candidate already admitted to the Novitiate, and his unsuitability
is proven by sound evidence, the
Instructor of Novices with the consent of the General
or Territorial Director should kindly and gently guide him to serve God in
another state of life.
|n42.
§1. A novice may
freely leave the Congregation or be dismissed for any just reason by the
General Director, once he has heard the opinion of his Council.
§2. Once the Novitiate is finished a novice should be admitted to
profession if he is judged apt for it. Otherwise he should be shown kindly and
delicately that it is best he return to the world. If there is doubt concerning his fitness, the General Director may give
him more time to prove himself, though no longer than six months.
|cPar.2Chap.IIIArt.3. - Duties of the Instructor of
Novices and his Assistants
|n43.
§1. The Instructor has the right and duty to care for the formation of
the novices. Governing the Novitiate is
his sole responsibility and no
one can rightfully interfere in Novitiate affairs under any pretext except for
the General Director, the Nuncios and the Territorial Director.
§2. A novice is subject to the Instructor of his section for everything
regarding the internal governance of the Novitiate. For the community activities of a Center
everyone should punctually abide by the rules and schedule of the Center.
|n44.
The principal obligation of the Assistants is to guide the novices in
their external discipline with great charity and with the example of their
religious observance. Therefore they should be docile instruments of the
Instructor in whatever calls for their collaboration.
|n45.
The Instructor and Assistants as they reasonably combine being firmly
demanding with kindness and give examples of Gospel simplicity and of respect
for the personality of each individual novice, are to correct and rectify to
the detail the novices' defects, and channel and fortify their good
inclinations.
|n46. §1.
The
Instructor of Novices should explain the Constitutions and rules of the
Congregation to the novices every day. Occasionally, for a good reason one of the
Assistants may substitute him.
§2. This
explanation should include all the numbers of the Constitutions and the Rules
in their entirety during the first year.
§3. This
explanation should be repeated in its entirety during the second year, in order to ensure a deeper knowledge and
appreciation of the Constitutions in the novices.
|cPar.2Chap.IIIArt. 4. - Formation of the novices
|n47.
The formation of the novices is to be eminently Christ-centered so that
in all and above all else Christ the Lord is the standard, center and model of
their entire religious, priestly and apostolic life. The formators
should:
§1. Encourage the novices to live their day motivated by a fervent desire
and firm resolution to know Him, love Him and imitate Him especially in the
most outstanding aspects of his life - his absolute and unconditional
surrender to his Father's will; love for all men to the point of dying for
them; love for prayer, the cross and sacrifice; tireless preaching of the
Kingdom of God and a tender love for our Lady, the Blessed Virgin.
§2. Stress
especially that the novices clearly grasp and accept that their Christian and
Legionary vocation is essentially and specifically to be apostles and preachers
of the
|n48.
During the novitiate the novices are to:
§1. Renounce empty observances and disordered sentiments,
and root themselves solidly in a religious spirit.
They should accustom themselves to prayer and meditation so as to achieve
intimacy with God, and give themselves manfully to Him through constant
self-denial.
§2. Foster ardent love and fidelity to Christ's Church. They should
develop a fervent zeal to have all men achieve their temporal and eternal
salvation in Christ, and to adhere to the Gospel's call to perfection by the
diligent exercise of the virtues
according to the spirit of the Congregation.
§3. Strive to know and esteem the excellence of their divine vocation. They should seek to know the mind and aim
of the Congregation through the study of the Constitutions, responsibly and
methodically making them their own.
§4. Read every day from the Sacred Scriptures, principally the New
Testament, so that by reading and meditating on the Word of God they acquire
the lofty science of Christ.
§5. Receive instruction in liturgical life, the abundant source of the
Church's vitality, and nourish themselves on it.
§6. Learn to observe and love religious discipline until it becomes an
internal attitude, so that they accept
the authority of the superiors out of deeply held principle and
supernatural motivations and use their freedom, initiative and collaboration
correctly to become more like Christ in his life of sacrifice for the
redemption of the world.
§7. Engage deeply in some apostolic work such as catechism, open
seminars, youth clubs and similar activities even outside the
|n49.
§1. Man himself is the material with which the Holy Spirit works by means
of grace to form the image of our Lord Jesus Christ in his soul. Therefore, the
formators are to take extraordinary care to see that
the novices acquire a solid and integral human formation.
§2. Above all this formation should address:
1) The proper order between their instinctual realm, their sentiments
and emotions, and their spiritual faculties of will and intelligence;
2) The balance of their temperament;
3) The soundness and firmness of their character, to free them from
fickleness in fulfilling their baptismal commitments and those they will take
upon themselves by professing the vows of evangelical perfection.
§3. The formators are to strive to help the novices
also acquire the habit of sincerity, and to form them in firm and manly
self-control, in discretion and in courtesy.
§4. Conscience is a person's core and it guides his natural
activity. Therefore, the formators should
be extremely attentive to see that the novices form correct and mature
consciences that are God-fearing, capable of detecting sin, always open to
doing good and to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and that they avoid
insincerity, ambivalence, falseness and hypocrisy which are so contrary to the
spirit of Christ.
|n50. All the novices are to
be equally submitted to trials especially those that demand the renunciation of their own judgement
and will. In this way they are to create in themselves habitual attitudes
of abnegation, making their will one with God's in spite of the protests of
their pride and sensuality, and to train themselves to follow Christ by dying
every day to their own passions and to the old man.
|n51.
§1. Each year the entire community of novices is to spend a month in
work and service outside the
§2. This work should always be agricultural and should take place in
areas that do not endanger the novices' vocation.
|n52.
After the first semester of Novitiate each novice is to be interviewed
by the Territorial Director or his delegate about his intention and desire to
continue in the Congregation and to profess his religious vows when it is time
to.
|n53.
§1. They are to have daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament solemnly
exposed throughout the day. Each of the novices should do one half- hour turn
of adoration.
§2. In Novitiates with smaller numbers of novices the Blessed Sacrament
is to be reserved once all the novices have done their adoration. The Blessed
Sacrament should then be exposed again during evening prayer.
|n54.
While the novices' freedom to go to any duly authorized priest for
confession is always to be preserved, the following norms are to be observed:
§1. According to the norms of Canon Law one or more ordinary confessors
are to be named, depending on the number of novices.
§2. Whenever possible the
ordinary confessors are to reside in the
§3. Over and above the ordinary confessors, one or more extraordinary
confessors are to be named to whom the novices have free access.
§4.
At least four times a year the novices are to have access to an extraordinary
confessor who does not reside in the
|n55.
§1. During the first year of Novitiate the novices are to dedicate some
time to the study of classical humanities under the prudent care of the
Instructor and without detriment to their religious formation.
§2. These studies are to be intensified during the second year.
|cPar.2Chap.III Art. 5. - The rights of the novices
|n56.
The novices enjoy all the privileges and spiritual graces that have been
granted the Congregation. If a novice dies before his profession he has the
right to the same suffrages as are prescribed for the professed.
|n57.
During Novitiate no one should receive Holy Orders.
|n58.
§1. If a novice falls seriously ill and in the doctor's opinion is near
death, even though he has not finished the Novitiate he can be admitted to religious
profession by the Territorial Director, by the Rector of the Center or his
substitute at the moment.
§2. As far as possible the profession should be made according to the
formula used in the ordinary profession, but without specifying the time for
which it is made.
§3. If a novice who makes his profession in these circumstances recovers
he should continue in the Novitiate for the time laid down in the Constitutions
and repeat his profession. If he dies he receives a plenary indulgence.
|cPar.2Chap.IIIArt.6. - The possessions of the novices
|n59.
If during the course of the Novitiate a novice were to renounce or
pledge his possessions in any way, this renunciation would be invalid as well
as illicit.
|n60.
§1. Before his first profession a novice should transfer the
administration of his possessions to whomever he wishes and freely dispose of
their benefits with due regard to n.274 of these Constitutions.
§2. If he fails to make this transfer since he has no possessions but
later acquires them, or if he makes it but afterwards acquires more possessions
for any concept, he is to make or remake the transfer and disposal mentioned
above and in the manner explained above, despite the profession he has made.
§3. Written
authorization of the General Director is required to change this transfer and
disposal for a just reason, or to effect any other management of
temporal possessions permitted by these Constitutions.
|n61. §1. There should be no fee for the
expenses of the Candidacy or Novitiate.
§2. If a novice leaves the Congregation before professing, any
belongings he brought with him and have not been used up should be returned to
him.
|cPar.2Chap.IV – RELIGIOUS PROFESSION
|cPar.2Chap.IVArt.1 - Requirements for profession
|n62.
In accordance with Canon Law for his temporal profession to be valid a
novice must:
§1. Be at least eighteen years of age;
§2. Be freely
admitted by the General Director with the deliberative vote of his
Council or by the Territorial Director with the deliberative vote of his
Council if he has been
delegated this faculty;
§3. Have finished a canonically valid Novitiate;
§4. Make his
profession expressly and freely;
§5. Have his profession received by the General Director, the
Territorial Director personally or through a duly appointed delegate.
|n63.
§1. The Territorial Director and the Nuncio are to interview the novices
in the second semester of their second year of Novitiate and at the same time
as the Instructor of Novices
send to the General Director the list of those they regard
as suitable or not for religious profession.
§2. If the Territorial Director has the power to admit to temporal
profession according to what is determined in n. 69, 1 and 2 he should send
through the Nuncio the list of the novices he has admitted to profession along
with a complete report on each of them.
|n64.
§1. Before temporal or perpetual professions the novices or religious
are to send a written petition
of admission to the General Director, or to the Territorial Director
depending on the application of n. 69, 1 and 2. These petitions are to be kept
in the general and territorial files and in the files of the Center.
§2. The General or Territorial Directorate should send letters of
acceptance to those accepted.
|n65.
§1. Once he has finished the Novitiate a novice should make his temporal
profession for a period of three years in the
§2. At the end of these three years he should renew his profession for
another three depending on the judgement of the
General Director. The General Director may shorten this period.
Once it is over he is to make his perpetual profession.
§3. If the religious has not achieved the level of spiritual maturity
required for perpetual profession after finishing the periods determined in n.
1 and 2 of this number, he
is to renew his profession for one, two or three years
depending on the prudent judgement of the General
Director.
§4. The period of temporal profession
should not extend beyond nine years.
|n66.
Should the General Director decide to apply n. 65.3 and defer the
perpetual profession of a religious due to a positive doubt about his
suitability or because of his limited progress in
the exercise of virtue, the Rector or
|n67.
When the term of his temporal profession is up a religious is to either
make his perpetual profession or return to the world. But also within the span
of his temporal profession the General Director with the consent of his Council
may ask him to leave the Congregation if he is not considered deserving to
profess the vows.
|n68.
According to Canon Law for a valid perpetual profession it is required
that:
§1. The religious be at least twenty- one years of age;
§2. There was a preceding period of temporal profession of at least
three years;
§3. The religious has been freely admitted by the General Director with
the deliberative vote of his council;
§4. It be expressed and free;
§5. It be received by the General Director or
his duly appointed delegate.
|n69.
§1. Only the
General Director has the power to grant admission to temporal profession, its
subsequent renewals and perpetual profession. He needs the consent of his Council in the
case of first and perpetual professions, and its consultative vote for the
renewals.
§2. The General Director can
delegate to the Territorial Directors the power of admitting to temporal
profession or to the subsequent renewals but not to perpetual profession. A Territorial Director with this delegated
power needs the deliberative vote of his Council in the case of first
professions and its consultative vote in the case of renewals.
§3. The General Director is to delegate this faculty only to Territorial
Directors who have shown great discernment of vocations and of the human heart.
§4. All
deliberation about
admission to profession should be settled at least a month before the
profession is made.
|n70.
§1. Novices who are to be admitted to their first profession should:
1) Be suited to live religious life in the Congregation, to carry out
some form of her specific apostolate and be full of passionate zeal for the
salvation of souls.
2) Know the spirit of the Congregation. They should have a growing
appreciation for the greatness of their vocation and be sufficiently founded in
the practice of virtue.
3) Have good physical health and the required mental health and balance.
4) Should have developed all the qualities listed in n.23.
§2. Those who indulge in
slander, secret-sharing, winning others' affection for themselves or forming
splinter groups that destroy the unity or charity of the community should on no
account be admitted to profession.
|n71.
§1. So that all our religious will fulfill the ideal of sanctity and
apostolate to which God has called them as it is described in these
Constitutions to which they have committed themselves, and so that mediocrity will be
totally banished from the Congregation, those who are to make their
perpetual profession should:
1) Be an example for both their Superiors and peers in their fulfillment
of even the smallest precepts of the Constitutions, Rules and valid traditions
of the Congregation and in the daily practice of virtue, so that they may be
reasonably expected to behave likewise in more difficult events.
2) Avoid religiously small defects. If on occasion they do fall they should
receive correction and penances humbly and with a spirit of faith and try to
correct themselves.
3) Have the
necessary qualities to carry out some specific apostolate of the Congregation.
4) Be men of deep and solid
interior life, moved by living faith and genuine and active apostolic zeal.
5) Be men whose criteria, words and actions are one with the spirit,
doctrine, methodology and apostolic activities of the Congregation.
6) Have sufficient capacity for team life so
that living together and fraternal collaboration come naturally to them.
§2. Under no
circumstances should religious who tend towards slander, suspicion, secret-sharing,
and winning others' affection for themselves, and who would thus destroy the
unity and harmony of the community, be admitted to profession.
|n72.
§1. The Rectors and Superiors of the Centers are to consult their
Councils and send to the Territorial Director the list of candidates for
perpetual profession from their Center, along with their evaluation of them and
that of their Council members. Copies
are to be sent to the General Directorate.
§2. With the consent of his Council the Territorial Director through the
Nuncio is to present to the General Director the list of candidates for
perpetual profession from his Territory and send in his own evaluation.
|n73. With absolute reserve the
General Director should gather reports on all those who are to be promoted to
perpetual profession through the Investigation and Information Committee of the
General Technical Advisory Team, and forward them to his Council members,
asking them for their deliberative vote.
|n74.
Those who are to be promoted to perpetual profession are to:
§1. Have six months of special preparation during which they continue
with their habitual occupations, starting with a day's retreat.
§2. Meditate attentively on the Constitutions, religious vows
and spirit of the Congregation in their daily meditation and spiritual reading
so that they become fully identified with them.
§3. Attend a weekly spiritual talk given by a priest expressly assigned
for it and do a special practical examen if they live
in a Center for Formation. If they live in a Center for Apostolate they should
attend a monthly spiritual talk given by a priest expressly assigned for it and
do a special practical examen.
§4. Speak more frequently with
their spiritual director so that taking all the circumstances into
consideration they can decide consciously, maturely and responsibly about their
life-long consecration to God.
|n75.
§1. The faculty to
receive temporal profession belongs only to the General Director and the
Territorial Director who may exercise it either personally or through a
delegate.
Rectors of the Novitiate Centers enjoy habitual
delegation regarding their own subordinates.
§2. The power to receive perpetual profession belongs only
to the General Director who can exercise it either personally or through
a delegate. Territorial Directors, Rectors
and Superiors of Centers enjoy habitual delegation
regarding their own subordinates.
§3. The General
Director may extraordinarily delegate another of our religious to receive
perpetual professions, but he should do so rarely.
§4. The General Director should not grant the faculty to receive the
religious profession of Legionaries to persons outside the Congregation unless
they are Bishops or ecclesiastical dignitaries and only under absolutely
exceptional circumstances.
|n76. §1. The rite prescribed in the Ritual of
the Congregation is to be observed for the profession of vows.
§2. The written act of the profession signed by the professed religious
and the one who received the profession, is kept in the files of the Center
where the profession was made and
a copy is sent to the General and Territorial
Directorates.
|n77.
§1. Once the term of the vows is up they should be renewed without
intermission.
§2. According to Canon Law the General Director may:
1) Advance a first profession by not more than fifteen days;
2) Advance a perpetual profession by not more than three months.
|n78. Eight full days of
spiritual exercises should precede the profession of vows unless they have
already been done within the last year, in which case three days are
sufficient.
|n79. Every six months, following the
customary triduum retreat, all the professed religious of the Congregation should renew their vows
out of devotion. During
the retreat they are to continue with their habitual occupations but also
observe silence and dedicate more time to prayer.
|cPar.2 Chap.IV
Art. 2. - The effects of
profession
|n80.
According to Canon Law perpetual profession in the Congregation renders
all acts contrary to the vows invalid.
|n81. All devotional vows made before religious profession are suspended as
long as the religious remains in the Congregation.
|n82.
Although a religious with temporal vows is properly speaking a religious
of the Congregation he is nonetheless in a trial period until his perpetual
profession.
|n83.
The General Director is to inform the pastor of the parish where each
religious was baptized of their perpetual profession so as to have it recorded
in the baptismal registrar.
|n84. As determined by Canon Law a
religious with perpetual vows no longer belongs to his former diocese.
|cPar.2 Chapter V – THE PERIOD OF STUDIES
|cPar.2Chap.VArt.1. - General criteria
|n85.
§1. A solid, deep and select intellectual preparation is essential to
the Legionary's mission to be a messenger of the Gospel, a teacher of the
faith, a child of light and a torch that burns bright amid the encircling
darkness.
§2. Therefore, a
Legionary would betray his mission if through unmindfulness,
cowardice or laziness he were to neglect the continual cultivation of his mind
and intelligence. Moreover, the Legion would lose in apostolic efficiency if
her members were to be satisfied with a mediocre intellectual preparation.
|n86.
In view of the constant progress of human thought, our religious should
take their continual, serious, energetic and deep formation as a duty of conscience
in order to further their competence in the various fields and bring their
knowledge up to date by studying the latest investigations. They should be
aware that their mission demands of them a great spirit of responsibility and
hard work on the intellectual level.
|n87. A
general, basic program of intellectual formation or ratio studiorum
is to be set up following the criteria and directives in the Apostolic
Constitution "Sapientia Christiana" (or its
equivalent), in the documents for religious of the Apostolic See and in these
Constitutions.
|n88.
§1. While preserving the program of studies of the ratio studiorum that unifies and assures the formation of our
men, the Territorial Directors with the deliberative vote of their councils
should study any adjustments they deem necessary so that the students of our
§2. In the general program of studies and in the specific programs that the
preceding paragraph refers to, the method and content of the subjects to be
taught should be precisely specified.
|n89.
§1. The objective of the intellectual formation of our men is to acquire
a broad and solid understanding of the sacred sciences along with a general
culture in proportion with the
needs of our times, so that after nourishing their faith
with the sacred studies they will be capable of adroitly proclaiming the gospel
message to all men and establishing the
§2. This intellectual formation includes :
1) Formation in the humanities and sciences;
2) Philosophical formation;
3) Theological formation;
4) Specialization.
|n90.
For the adequate intellectual formation of our men the Legion of Christ
has:
1. Formation Centers: Vocational Centers, Centers for Humanistic and
Scientific Studies, Centers for Higher Studies in Philosophy and Theology;
2. Centers for Specialization and Specific Professional Formation.
|n91.
When religious are sent far from their own centers for study purposes
they should not live in private homes but rather rent their own house, making
sure to follow the prescriptions of Canon Law, and form a community that lives
according to the norms of these Constitutions.
|n92.
The Centers for Formation referred to in n.90 should be equipped with
all the means that can efficiently contribute to the formation of our men,
keeping up with contemporary progress. Therefore they should have modernly
equipped laboratories for teaching science, and a large library selectively
supplied with the works of the outstanding authors of different fields of
knowledge.
|n93.
The Rectors of our Centers of Formation are to:
§1. Take diligent care that the whole Center reflects a perfect
disciplinary life, without which our students cannot be promoted to Holy
Orders;
§2. Insist very especially that love for silence, prayer and study is
acquired and practiced in our Centers, and that the acts of piety and means of
perseverance prescribed for
all are diligently observed;
§3. Help diligently the students, especially the younger ones, overcome
the spells of dryness common to the period of studies.
|n94.
§1. The programs
and schedules determined for each of our Centers and communities should not be
changed without previous and express approval of the General Director.
§2. For special circumstances and on rare occasion, the Rectors and
Superiors of the Centers may make a change per modum actus once they have consulted their Council.
§3. For any fixed changes that he deems opportune, the Territorial
Director should consult his council and submit the changes to the General
Director for approval.
|n95.
§1. Ordinarily during the period of studies the students or professors
should not be given any duties not permitted by these Constitutions and which
would take them from their studies or hinder their attendance at class.
§2. With due regard for the provisions of the above paragraph, each and
every one of our students is to have one or two weekly hours of apostolate. In
view of this policy the Rectors of our Centers for Formation are to organize
and program the apostolic activities with the help of their Councils and
present the programs to the Territorial Director for his approval, with a copy to
the General Prefect of Studies. The Rectors should make sure that this
apostolic work is adapted to the age and capabilities of the religious and the
apostolic methodology of the Legion. §3. In particular cases, when
the religious in a particular Center for Formation need special times to
fulfill their study programs the General Director and the Territorial Director
have the faculty to temporarily exempt a religious from some of the community
activities as long as acts of piety and meal times are left intact.
|n96.
§1. Our men should possess a great eagerness to know and to learn, as
befits future messengers of the sacred word, fully identified with the needs of
the times.
§2. Nevertheless,
even as they dedicate themselves ardently to study they are to remember that
first and foremost they are consecrated to the mystery of salvation.
|n97. As many as
possible of our religious are to obtain academic degrees.
|n98.
If it is not possible to meet the requirements of the programs of study
within the Congregation itself, our religious are to be sent to recognized Pontifical Universities where it is certain that
instruction is in accordance with the Magisterium and discipline of the Church.
|cPar.2Chap.V– Art. 2. - Vocational Centers
|n99.
Vocational Centers are to be established in each Territory at the
discretion of the General Director after consulting his Council. They are to
provide for adolescent boys a
discipline compatible with their age and an atmosphere of
authentic inner freedom, where with the aid of tried and competent formators they can mature in their vocational interest and
opt to follow
Christ the Redeemer with generosity and purity of
intention, if their vocation is to religious and priestly life in the Legion.
|n100.
§1. From the very first day the formators in our Vocational Centers are
to make sure to inspire in the hearts of the young boys entrusted to their care
a passionate love for Christ, a tender and filial love for Mary, an unbreakable
and generous love for the Church and the Pope and an ever growing and faithful love for the Legion.
§2. The formators are also to foster in them
esteem for and practice of the virtues most characteristic of the Congregation,
namely, universal and delicate charity; prompt, motivated, joyful and heroic
obedience; generous and faithful purity; deep and solid interior life;
passionate zeal for the salvation of souls; self-denial for the Kingdom of
Heaven; sincerity and spiritual openness with superiors; spirit of work and
good use of time; order and advance planning.
|n101.
The educational process of a Legionary is based on his interiorizing
norms, values and personal behavior. Therefore the formators in the Vocational Centers right
from this early stage are to mold the students in a strong spirit of personal
conviction and sincerity so that they do not perform or do anything out of
coercion, fear or pressure from the environment, but act always out of motivations
such as love for Christ and souls, fidelity to their vocation, a sense of
responsibility, maturity, a spirit of faithfulness, and so forth.
|n102.
§1. With vigilant attention the formators
should personally follow the progress of each student regarding his spiritual,
moral and intellectual suitability, his sound physical and mental health and
his ability to fulfill his religious and apostolic commitments so that the
young men convinced, well selected, prepared and ready to give themselves totally
to Christ for the salvation of souls.
§2. Throughout this period of testing and selection which should be
intensified during subsequent stages of formation, the formators
are to act with the necessary firmness even if `the chosen are few'. They are
to gently orient those who are unsuitable for the Legion to become
enthusiastically involved in a lay apostolate, fully aware of their vocation as
Christians.
|n103.
In our Vocational Centers the formators should
work to foster a happy, harmonious, family atmosphere that at the same time is
an atmosphere of discipline and order, so as to prepare mature and responsible
candidates for religious life in the Legion who are conscious of their mission
and ready to give themselves to Christ following the path of self-sacrifice and
the cross.
|n104.
Holding to what is determined in the ratio studiorum
of the Congregation, especially as regards the study of classical humanities,
the curricula of the Vocational Centers are to be organized in such a way that
the students obtain
publicly valid certificates, in accordance with what is stated in n.88.
|n105.
In our Vocational Centers the students are to be
introduced to the techniques of the Legion's specific apostolate in order to
assimilate her methods, identify with her criteria, put her methodological
principles into practice and become enthusiastic with their future
apostolic mission.
|cPar.2 Chap.V–
Art. 3. - Centers for Studies in
the Humanities and Sciences
|n106.
§1. Through their study of the classical humanities and by their contact
with those authors who have expressed man's highest ideals, especially the
ancient Greek and Latin authors, our religious should acquire a broad knowledge
and a deep assimilation of the values these men teach. This is to help them
achieve a mature, harmonious personality made up of rigorous logic in their
intelligence; correct hierarchy in their values; the development of their
imagination; the education of their sensitivity, affections and emotions;
balance and order in their lives, their faculties and passions; an appreciation
for the beauty of nature and works of art; the art of speaking and writing and
the ability to analyze problems.
§2. They should be helped so that this humanism tempered with the
Christian outlook on man and the world, becomes an effective instrument for the
transmission of the message of
salvation.
§3. Keeping what is laid out in the ratio studiorum
of the Congregation especially regarding the study of classical humanities, the studies in these Centers are
to be organized in such a way that the religious can obtain a diploma that will
permit them to enroll in accredited universities of the country they are in,
with due regard for what is stated in n. 88.
|n107.
Our students should be sufficiently grounded in natural sciences, physics, chemistry and mathematics so that in
their apostolic work they can deal with the topics and problems that scientific
and technological progress pose to culture, philosophy and religion.
|n108.
Our men are also to be given an appropriate formation in both sacred and
profane music.
|n109.
Besides their native tongue our religious are to learn those modern
languages that are necessary and useful for their intellectual formation and
their future apostolic ministry, considering as well the corresponding programs
in state schools.
|n110.
During the stage of humanistic and scientific studies all our religious
are to dedicate one week of their yearly vacation to agricultural work for the
same motives and with the same characteristics as stated in n.51.
|cPar.2Chap.VArt.4. - Centers for Higher Studies in
Philosophy and Theology
|n111.
§1. When explaining and studying philosophy and Sacred
Theology, both students and professors are to follow the doctrine of Saint
Thomas Aquinas.
§2. Everything possible is to be done so that in our schools of philosophy
and theology the principal subjects are explained and studied in Latin.
|n112 §1. In the study of philosophy particular importance
should be given to systematic philosophy and each of its parts so that above
all else our religious acquire a solid and coherent understanding of man, of
the world and of God working from the philosophical patrimony of perennial
value whose witnesses are the greatest Christian philosophers, especially Saint
Thomas, and taking into account the most recent research and latest advances of
science. In this way with a correct understanding of the mentality of our age
they will be prepared to dialogue with the men of our time.
§2. History of philosophy should be taught in such a way that the
religious, as they learn the ultimate principles of the different systems, can
retain whatever they possess of proven truth and discover and refute the
sources of their errors.
§3. They are also to be taught any related sciences whose problems have
a bearing on philosophy. This is to be done in just proportion so that they
serve as a useful complement to the principal subjects.
|n113 §1. In the study of philosophy a systematic method is to
be followed to help the religious acquire a solid mental structure through the
practical assimilation of the laws of thought and of the first principles of
reality.
§2. Our teaching
method should provoke in the religious love for the truth which must be
rigorously sought out, observed and demonstrated, while honestly admitting the
limits of human knowledge.
§3. They should bring out the relation between philosophy and the true
problems of life as well as the questions that are of most concern to
contemporary man.
§4. The courses of philosophy are to
be taught in a way that will help the religious to a deeper understanding of
their faith, prepare them for the study of theology and ready them for the
apostolic ministry in such a way that they can engage in a more fruitful
dialogue with the people of their times.
|n114.
None of the following subjects should be omitted in teaching philosophy:
basic introduction to philosophy, classic and modern logic, general
metaphysics, critics, philosophy of the physical world, philosophical
anthropology, philosophical theology, general moral philosophy, applied moral
philosophy both individual and social (to be taught with the social doctrine of
the Church) and history of the philosophical systems.
|n115.
Texts should be chosen that offer a more unified treatment of the
various subjects following the principles of perennial philosophy and enriching
this synthesis by applying these principles to the various problems and
questions that arise.
|n116.
The theology courses are to be taught in the light of faith under the
direction of the Magisterium of the Church, so that the religious receive the
Catholic doctrine of divine revelation accurately, study it in depth, transform
it into nourishment for their own spiritual lives and are in a position to
preach it, articulate it and defend it in their priestly ministry.
|n117.
With special diligence they are to form themselves in the study of
Sacred Scripture, which should be the soul of all theology. After an
appropriate introduction they should examine in depth the great themes of
revelation and find encouragement and nourishment in the daily reading and
meditation of the Holy Bible.
|n118.
Dogmatic theology is to be taught:
§1.
Arranging the programs so that the biblical topics are
considered first.
§2. Then the contributions made by the Fathers of the Eastern and
Western Church to the faithful transmission and development of all the truths
of revelation are to be explained, as well as the later history of dogma and
its relation with the general history of the Church.
§3. Then, to illustrate the mysteries of salvation as completely as
possible, the religious should be taught to go more deeply into them to
discover their interconnection through speculative thought under the guidance
of
§4. Finally they are to be taught to seek the solution to human problems
in the light of revelation, to apply its eternal truths to the changing human
condition and to communicate them appropriately to their fellow men.
|n119 §1. Moral theology finds its first principles in divine revelation
contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition legitimately interpreted by the
Magisterium of the Church. It should be
taught in such a way as to help the religious to find the connection and
harmony between nature and grace, to appreciate the excellence of the vocation
of the faithful in Christ and their obligation to give fruits of charity for
the life of the world, and to form a correct Christian and priestly conscience
that will make them docile in their conduct to the light and the inspirations
of the Holy Spirit.
§2. It is to be made sure that our religious, solidly founded in the
principles of Catholic moral theology, are able to shed light upon the moral
problems that concern contemporary man without diverging from the guidelines of
the Magisterium of the Church.
|n120.
§1. In the teaching of Catholic theology the function of the Magisterium
of the Church is to be stressed which, by Christ's decision, has the
responsibility to keep the deposit of revealed truths intact and to interpret
it authentically for the good of the faith and the life of the people of God.
§2. It is to be made sure that the students acquire an attitude of
faith, appreciation and unconditional adherence to the Magisterium of the Church,
especially the Roman Pontiff and the bishops in communion with him.
|n121.
The course of fundamental theology should be focused to give our men an
organic view of the Christian mystery, including the study of the essential
themes of the faith and Christian living that will make them sure and fruitful
in the exercise of their apostolic mission.
|n122.
§1. None of the following subjects should be omitted when studying
Sacred Theology: Revelation and its
transmission through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, the doctrine on the One
and Triune God, God the Creator, the Incarnation of the Son of God and the
Redemption of man, the Church, the Blessed Virgin, the Sacraments, Christian
Anthropology (grace and theological life), Eschatology, Fundamental and Applied
Christian Morals, the entire message of Sacred Scripture.
§2. This study of the Christian mystery is aided also by the study of
Fundamental Theology, Theological Epistemology, the Liturgy, Patrology, the History of the
Church, Canon Law, Pastoral Theology, Spiritual Theology and the Social
Doctrine of the Church.
|n123.
This theological formation should be enriched by the study of the
questions posed to man by the development of human sciences, without however
confusing these sciences with theology, diluting it or transforming it into
psychology, sociology or anthropology. Theology should be not
only understanding the Word of God is directed. It should speak of the
mysteries of Christianity in such a way as to reach an understanding of what
they are in themselves and what they mean for mankind.
|n124.
As an integral part of their theology, our religious should learn: the Pastoral Practice of the Sacraments, the Direction
of Spiritual Exercises, Spiritual Direction and Counselling,
Homiletics and Catechesis paying special attention to audiovisual presentation
and the dynamic, active methods of modern didactics.
|n125.
The following norms are to be observed in teaching and studying Sacred
Theology:
§1. Harmony between positive and systematic theology to build an organic
system of the truths of the faith beginning from the sources of revelation;
§2. The genuine Magisterium as the authoritative interpreter of the Word
of God and of the Church's living tradition;
§3. The application of the Word of God to temporal realities translating
it to terms contemporary man is sensitive to.
|n126.
In the study of theology our religious are to avoid misguided
intellectualism. They should approach it with their minds enlightened by living
and active faith so that the truths that they study become principles of
Christian and apostolic life, increase their understanding of and personal
relationship with Christ, help them to deepen their vital insertion in the
Church and awaken in them an awareness of their apostolic task.
|n127.
§1. To help each religious prepare himself more specifically for the
apostolate the Centers of Higher Studies in Theology and Philosophy are to have
seven areas of specialization: Humanities, Philosophy, Theology, Media, Youth
Education, Family Formation, and Social Doctrine of the Church. The religious
of the Center are to be assigned their area of specialization according to the
results they obtain in the intelligence, personality and aptitude tests they
are to do under the direction of specialists when they begin their philosophy
and theology.
§2. To help them acquire an initial understanding of their field, every
Center should have a small specialized library for each area.
|n128.
Without the authorization of the Sacred Congregation for Religious and
Secular Institutes it is illicit to exercise the apostolic ministry habitually
before finishing fourth year theology.
|cPar.2Chap.VArt. 5. - Ecclesiastical Universities and
Faculties
|n129.
The General Director with the consent of his Council and the approval of
the Holy See can establish ecclesiastical universities and faculties both for
the exclusive formation of our own men only and for the ecclesiastical
formation of other religious, clerics and lay people.
|n130.
With the consent of his Council and the approval of the Holy See the
General Director may establish faculties of ecclesiastical studies in the
non-ecclesiastical universities under our direction. In these cases whenever it
is possible civil recognition or validation should be sought for the degrees
conferred.
|n131.
The statutes of these universities or faculties should be carefully
adjusted to meet the directives of the Holy See and receive its approval. The
statutes of the universities and faculties are to be inspired in those
directives and in the spirit of the Congregation regarding ecclesiastical
studies according to nos.111 - 126 of these Constitutions. They must be
approved by the General Director with the consent of his Council.
|n132.
It is the General Director's task, with the consent of his Council, to:
§1. Name the Rectors, Prefects of
Studies and Deans of the universities or faculties once the necessary
investigations have been carried out, and submit them to the Holy See for the nihil obstat;
§2. Approve the nomination of professors for these universities or
faculties and submit them to the Holy See for the nihil
obstat;
§3. Retract, once the necessary investigations have been carried out,
the "canonical mission to teach" of any professor whose behavior does
not follow the statutes and by-laws of these universities or faculties.
|n133. The General Director with the
consent of his Council and the approval of the Holy See may suppress a faculty
for serious reasons.
|cPar.2Chap.VArt. 6. - Continued Education
|n134.
Even after the period of studies the formation of a priest should be
perfected and updated continuously. Therefore our men are to dedicate
themselves to serious reading and reflection on the problems of life and the
questions that concern man and exercise the greatest influence in the country
where they exercise their apostolate, and in the universal Church.
|n135.
§1. Our religious
should specialize in some field depending on their capacity, personality and
aptitudes, and they should obtain ecclesiastic or civil degrees at the
discretion of the General Director.
§2. To obtain the
degrees mentioned above our religious are to attend the best civil universities
for their civil degrees or pontifical universities for their ecclesiastical
degrees, observing what is determined in n.98.
|n136 §1. Regardless of their ministry our priests are to
pursue and review their priestly studies assiduously even after they have
finished their degree work.
§2. Therefore once they have finished their ecclesiastical studies
everyone is to be examined annually for five consecutive years by learned and
mature priests, except those exempted by the General Director for serious
reasons or those who teach Sacred Theology, Sacred Scripture, Canon Law or
Scholastic Philosophy. Director, the General Prefect of Studies is to
distribute the subject matter of the exams referred to in n. 136, 2 in such a
way that over the five-year period the principal treatises of theology and
pastoral studies are reviewed.
|n137.
§1. With the approval of the General Director, the General Prefect of
Studies is to distribute the subject matterof the
exams referred to in n. 136, 2 in such a way that over the five-year period the
principal treatises of theology and pastoral studies are reviewed.
§2. Any priest who does not pass
the annual exam is to repeat it. If for a second time he does not pass the year in not to be counted
as part of the five year period.
|n138. §1. Each year at the most convenient time
and place every territory is to hold a week of studies on various topics that
complete and update the formation of our men.
§2. As many priests from the Territory as possible are
to attend.
§3. Once the General Prefect
of Studies has consulted the Territorial Directors as to the most fitting
topics, time and place for the week of studies, he is, with the approval of the
General Director and the consent of his Council, to assign the topics and
speakers for the week.
§4. The General Director is to be extremely diligent in verifying that
the speakers, be they
Legionaries or not, are men of unquestionable and loyal adherence
to the Magisterium of the Church and the directives of the Roman Pontiff.
|n139.
§1. At least once a month in all established Centers for Formation the
case study of a moral or liturgical problem should be held. If the Rector or
§2. When it seems opportune the Territorial Director may authorize
priests and religious who have studied theology from different Centers to meet
for the case study. In this instance the Territorial Director himself is to
moderate the discussion whenever he can, or he is to designate another priest
whose ability to moderate and whose adherence to the Magisterium are clearly
known to him
|n140.
Priests assigned to teach, write or do investigation should have their
own community in which everything contributes and is oriented as its first
priority towards cultivating a fervent religious life and, at the same time,
towards a profound and fruitful investigation into thought in the different
fields of ecclesiastical studies and the specific areas of our apostolates.
|n141.
Our professors and investigators are to foster teamwork systematically
and share results.
|n142.
§1. The writing apostolate is one of the great means to communicate an
understanding of the
§2. Only the General Director can authorize the publication
of books written by our men.
§3. The publishing houses directed by our religious are not to publish
books, pamphlets or other writings that are not faithfully in line with
Catholic doctrine and morals as authentically interpreted by the Magisterium of
the Church. Neither are they to publish writings that could sow disorientation
or confusion among the faithful.
|n143.
§1. The General Director is to submit the books that our men wish to
publish to the Doctrinal Committee of the General Technical Advisory Team for a
thorough scrutiny before
handing them in to the local Ordinary.
§2. The Doctrinal Committee is to consider carefully if the book
contains any error and if it will successfully withstand the judgement of experts in the field, observing what is
determined in Canon Law.
|cPar.2 Chapter VI – INTERNSHIP
|n144.
Since by their Baptism and Holy Ordination our men are appointed to
evangelize and do apostolate it is necessary that they learn the art of
apostolate not just in theory but also in
practice, so that they will know how to work with a personal
sense of responsibility, efficiency and collaboration with others.
Consequently:
§1. Throughout their entire formation the religious are to be initiated
in apostolic ministry by means of opportune activities adapted to their age and
abilities and to the specific apostolic methodology of the Congregation with
due regard for what is determined in n.95.
§2. Ordinarily, upon
finishing second year philosophy (extraordinarily at any other time) at the
discretion of the General Director, they are to interrupt their studies and
dedicate two or three years to internship. Nonetheless, the General Director,
after consulting his Council, may dispense a religious from internship or
postpone his turn.
|n145.
It is for the General Director, having heard the opinion of his Council,
to assign the religious in our Centers for Higher Studies to the positions
where they are to do their internship.
|n146.
For internship the religious can be assigned to Centers for Apostolate
or Formation where the Constitutions and community life are faithfully
observed.
|n147.
§1. One year in advance the Territorial Directors are to send the
General Directorate the list of positions in the Centers for Formation or
Apostolate and the works of apostolate of their respective Territories which
need to be filled by interns.
§2. The General Secretariat is to forward these lists to the Rectors of
the Centers for Higher Studies. These, along with their Territorial Directors
and the Councilors of the Center, are to study the abilities and spiritual
situation of the religious and present their proposals as well as their
evaluations to the General Director.
§3. The General
Director, together with his Council, is to study the proposals made by the
different Rectors and then assign the positions for internship. He is to consider, on the one
hand, the abilities of each religious for the mission he is given and, on the
other, the best place for him and the spirit of the priests and religious that
make up the community in which he will reside, in order to safeguard his religious
perseverance.
§4. Without written
authorization from the General Director, neither the Territorial Directors, the
Rectors of the Centers for Formation, the Superiors of the Centers for Apostolate
nor the Directors of the Works of Apostolate may change the religious to
positions different from those they were assigned, even if it is within the
same Center or Work of Apostolate.
|n148.
§1. When the religious of the Congregation are assigned a task or
position, regardless of their rank, they are to do a preparatory course before
assuming its functions.
§2. The characteristics and duration of the course depend on the task or
position in question.
|n149.
Our religious learn the doctrine and theory necessary for the exercise
of their apostolates in the Centers for
Formation. The Superiors of the Centers
for Apostolate should be
aware of this and that it is up to them and the Directors
of the Works of Apostolate to train the religious with diligence and charity in
the practical exercise of the apostolate. They should not expect or suppose
them to be already practically trained in the pedagogy and workings of the
apostolate. When the religious commit errors through lack of experience, the
Superiors should encourage and understand them.
|n150. The Major Directors, Rectors and
Superiors of the Centers should understand clearly that religious who are not given a program of
apostolate that occupies them full-time are easy prey for laziness,
comfort-seeking and sensuality, which endanger their perseverance. Therefore,
with responsibility and dedication, they should watch and make sure that all
our religious and priests have a committing and demanding apostolate that
leaves no room for idleness, as well as an intense life of prayer and a
demanding life of discipline rooted in faith and love for our Lord Jesus
Christ.
|n151. Our interns are to have a major
vacation every year. During it they are
to follow a set holiday schedule that will help them recover their physical and
spiritual energies. During the time of vacation they are to very
faithfully fulfill their acts of piety and other means of perseverance
stipulated in the Constitutions.
|n152. If during the period of
internship it is seen that the spiritual formation of an individual religious
is being harmed or there are grounds to believe that the dangers of the
particular environment are too strong for him, then the General Director is to
act diligently as each case dictates to remove the danger, transfer the
religious to another Center or suspend his internship for a time.
|cPar.2Chap.VII – SACRED ORDINATION
|n153.
By Holy Orders we are configured with Christ; those who prepare themselves
for this sacrament should often meditate on the absolute obligation they have
of full identification with Him. The
anointing of the Holy Spirit will consecrate them to the salvation of souls and
the extension of the Kingdom, and they should give themselves with burning and
tireless zeal to this task, mortifying the works of the world and the flesh and
applying the Gospel law of self-denial - only if the grain of wheat falls to
the ground and dies will it bear fruit - in imitation of Christ, who glorified
the Father and redeemed mankind by his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
|n154.
Those who are to be elevated to Holy Orders must understand that by the
action of the Holy Spirit they will be configured with Christ in order to enact
his mediation, above all by the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy.
Therefore they should consider themselves witnesses of the redemption that is
now being wrought, and not mere messengers of events now past. They should
recognize themselves as ministers of the One Mediator, so that in open and
serene submission to the sacred hierarchy they will freely serve the spreading
of the salvific mystery.
|n155.
§1. Only those who have the firm intention to reach the priesthood and
those who can be reasonably expected to be passionate ministers of Christ
should be promoted to the ministries.
§2. Religious with temporal vows can only be promoted to the ministries.
No one can be admitted to Holy Orders before his perpetual profession.
|n156. §1.
It is the responsibility of the Territorial Director, having heard the opinion
of his Council, to accept the candidates for the ministries.
§2. It is the sole
responsibility of the General Director with the deliberative vote of his Council
to accept the candidates for the Holy Orders of diaconate and priesthood.
|n157.
The Territorial Director should promote to the ministries only those
religious whose observance of the Constitutions, morals, piety, modesty,
chastity, desire for the priesthood, zeal, mature and firm will, sound
psychology, balanced temperament, and progress in ecclesiastical studies and
religious discipline have been verified by accurate reports.
|n158.
§1. The Rectors of the Centers for Higher Studies having heard the
opinion of their Councils, send to the Territorial Director the names of the
candidates to the ministries and Holy Orders and include with the list their
own and their Councilors' evaluation of each one. Copies are sent to the General Director.
§2. Having heard the opinion of his Council, the Territorial Director
accepts the candidates for the ministries and, by means of the Nuncio, sends
the list of the accepted candidates along with his evaluation to the General
Director.
§3. A written record of the investigations and evaluations is to be
carefully kept in the General, Territorial and Center's files.
|n159.
§1. With the consent of his Council, the Territorial Director submits
the candidates for the Holy Orders of diaconate and priesthood to the General
Director by means of the Nuncio.
§2. The General Director with the consent of his Council accepts the
candidates for the Holy Orders of diaconate and priesthood.
§3. A written report of the investigations and evaluations is to be
carefully kept in the General and Territorial files.
|n160.
§1. Upon admitting a religious to Holy Orders the General Director, the
Territorial Director, the Rectors of the Centers for Higher Studies and their
respective Councils are to be certain that the candidate for the priesthood has
acquired solid and deep convictions about the need and the practice of virtue
and religious discipline as well as a correctly formed conscience. The fruits of these convictions
and understanding in his life should be evident in the formation of deep and
authentic habits of religious life especially as regards his interior life; docility and self-giving to the will of God
through faithful observance of the Constitutions and swift, joyful obedience
full of faith; charity without favoritisms, backbiting criticism or intrigue; observance of our
discipline; spirit of work and fight for the salvation of souls; correct
order and hierarchy of values; spirit of orderliness and dedication to study.
§2. They should also be certain that secularizing criteria and habits
have not been accepted in their lives and that they have clearly discerned the
path of cross, self-denial and sacrifice that is inherent in following Christ
and in unconditional self-giving to their vocation as apostles of the Kingdom.
|n161.
Either personally or by means of a wise and prudent religious the General Director should
interview the candidate to know with certainty if he desires freely and
consciously to receive Holy Orders as a religious in the Legion.
|n162. Before the candidate is
admitted to the diaconate the General Director is to carry out another investigation.
He should go over the previous report once again and compare it with the new
report on his conduct and spiritual qualities in order to know perfectly how
the candidate has lived his religious discipline and made use of his
ecclesiastical studies since his first profession. If the General Director
finds him worthy and suitable, he should grant the dimissorial
letters for the ordination.
|n163.
§1. In order for the candidate to be promoted to the orders
of diaconate and priesthood he is to submit to the General Director a
handwritten and signed declaration in which he asks for admission to orders and
testifies that his desire to receive ordination and to dedicate his life to the
ecclesiastical ministry is free and spontaneous.
§2. The General Director should send
written notification to the candidate of his acceptance.
|n164.
§1. While a new investigation is
not necessary for the priesthood the General Director should nonetheless see if there are any new elements
that cast doubt on the vocation to the priesthood of the candidate or show that
he has no vocation. If such is the case, after a diligent investigation
he is to prohibit the ordination and refer the matter to the Sacred
Congregation of Religious and Secular Institutes.
|n165. It is the General Director who,
observing the prescriptions of Canon Law, grants to****** his subjects!***** the
dimissorial letters for the reception of Holy Orders.
|n166.
The dimissorial letters are to be sent to the
Bishop of the Diocese in which the Center where the religious to be ordained
lives is located.
|n167.
In the dimissorial letters the General
Director should certify that:
§1. The ordinand is of the age required by
Canon Law;
§2. The religious is subject to him in obedience;
§3. He is free from canonical censures or impediments;
§4. He has been baptized and confirmed;
§5. In the case of Holy Orders he has received the ministries and
observed the proper intervals;
§6. The candidate's personal morals are compatible with the Orders he is
to receive;
§7. Finally, in the case of the diaconate, the religious with perpetual
vows has definitively become a member of the Congregation.
|n168.
Those who are to be ordained priests are to:
§1. Dedicate six months to special preparation beginning with a day of
retreat but remaining in their normal occupations;
§2. Meditate attentively in their
daily prayer on the Constitutions and the spiritual and apostolic
consequences of the priesthood they are to receive in the Legion;
§3. Attend a special spiritual talk each Sunday given by a priest who
has been expressly designated for it and do a special practical examen on priestly and apostolic virtues;
§4. Go to their spiritual director more frequently so that, taking into
consideration all their circumstances they can conscientiously, maturely and
freely opt to be configured with Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim.
|n169.
§1. The religious who are going to receive the ministries are to do a
full day of spiritual retreat.
§2. Those who are going to receive Holy Orders should do eight full days
of spiritual exercises.
§3. They can do the spiritual exercises either in their own Center or
some other according to the prudent judgement of the
Territorial Director.
§4. In his report the General Director is to let the Bishop know that
the candidates have done spiritual exercises.
|n170.
The General Director is to inform the pastor of the parish where each
deacon was baptized of his ordination to the diaconate so that it will be
recorded in the baptismal register.
|n171.
§1. With untiring constancy and authenticity our priests are to
safeguard their religious fidelity to their priestly commitments and to the
Constitutions - a fidelity rooted in a passionate love for Christ, who became
charity and obedience unto death - so that their lives will always glorify the
Father, build Christ's Kingdom and strengthen the Legion.
§2. Our priests should remember that besides their own growth in holiness
by faithfully and lovingly keeping the
Holy Rules, their
principal mission must be strictly priestly in nature, whether it be
administering the Sacraments, preaching the Word of God or serving Christ in
their fellow man as God's apostles and envoys. For this reason,
1) Regardless of the specific nature of their mission in the Legion,
they should give it a clear and evident priestly dimension;
2) They should avoid indolence, laziness, mediocrity, timidity and
cowardice, and throw themselves with ardent zeal into building the
|cPar.2Chap. VIII – THE SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
|n172.
§1. After completing their curriculum of studies and the first six years of priestly
ministry, our priests are to do a year of spiritual renewal.
§2. The year of renewal is not to be postponed except in individual
cases and for very serious reasons.
§3. Priests whose spirit or conduct could disedify the other participants or hinder the process of
the renewal, should not be summoned to the year of renewal in the ordinary
Centers. They should be assigned to do it in some other Center of the
Congregation.
|n173. It is for the General Director
to summon the priests for the year of renewal and assign them to the various
Centers.
|n174.
§1. With sufficient lead time the Secretary General is to present the
names of the priests who should do the year of renewal to the General Director.
§2. At least a year in advance, the General Director is to notify the
Territorial Directors of the dates on which the specified priests should begin
the year of renewal.
§3. The General Director is also to inform the Territorial Directors and
let the participants know where and when they are to do the year of renewal.
|n175.
§1. With the consultative vote of his Council and observing Canon Law,
the General Director is to establish International Renewal Centers for the
religious of different Territories. There should be from ten to fifteen priests
in these Centers doing their year of renewal.
§2. The General Director should make sure to locate these Renewal
Centers in or near small towns, away from large urban areas.
|n176. The year of renewal is a pause in the
life of our priests so that they can:
§1. Reflect, in the light of faith and in view of their religious and
priestly experience, in an atmosphere of silence and interior freedom, free
from the pressures of apostolic activity on the fundamental truths of
Christianity and of life, on the commitments they contracted as souls
Consecrated to God, on their fidelity to those commitments and on the effort
each Legionary must make so that the Legion will accomplish the mission God
entrusted to Her at the service of the Church and of humanity.
§2. Recover spiritual and physical energies, and fortify their apostolic
zeal and selfsurrender for the years God may still
grant them to serve the Kingdom.
|n177. The renewal year is not a time
for studies; instead it should follow a pattern and schedule similar to the
novitiate. Therefore, our priests are to dedicate this time to frequent
contact with Christ in the Eucharist, to meditation, to prayer and to
reflection on Sacred Scripture, on Papal documents and catecheses and on the Constitutions and the spirituality of the Legion.
|n178.
The priests should come to the renewal with simplicity and a great
desire to make the most of it. They should seriously try to put aside anything
that might hinder the success of the Renewal and follow the Instructor's
guidance and orders with docility.
|n179.
During the renewal the priests are to be submitted to the same trials as
novices and do the acts of piety proper to the novitiate.
|n180.
§1. In agreement with the Instructor, the priests on renewal may do
apostolic work for two hours every three days, in catechesis or other apostolates of the Congregation.
§2. They may hear the confessions of those
who request it, but the Instructor is not to expressly assign anyone as
confessor.
|n181.
The spiritual renewal year is to be done under the careful direction of
the Renewal Instructor who, within his own jurisdiction, possesses the same
rights and obligations as an Instructor of novices.
|n182.
As Renewal Instructors, religious are to be chosen who stand out for
their virtue and moral prestige in the Congregation, who will be able to direct
the priests on renewal with consideration and prudence and who can make
themselves obeyed easily.
|n183.
The discipline and the formation of those doing the renewal are the
responsibility of the Renewal Instructor, under the immediate authority of the
General Director. Among other things this formation entails:
§1. Seeking their spiritual progress, helping them with opportune
guidance, talks and trials so that in light of their personal experience they
will examine sincerely and objectively the state of their soul and of their own
formation, and will renew their religious spirit with a more faithful observance of the Constitutions;
§2. Promoting the study of Church documents, especially the Supreme
Pontiffs, and the study of the
Congregation's Constitutions and spiritual tradition;
§3. Directing their ministry.
|n184.
§1. The General
Director is to send the Renewal Instructor the records of each religious
indicating the virtues and defects observed throughout his formation since his
first religious profession.
§2. The Instructor then should make each one aware of his defects and
spur him on to perfection in virtue.
|n185. The renewal year is to be
interrupted for those who give no sign of making good use of it. They should
then be sent to work for a year in apostolates that
demand greater self-denial. After this they should be offered the chance to do
the renewal year if they so desire.
|n186. Nine years after the first renewal our
priests are to do a second year of spiritual renewal.
|cPar.2 – Chapter IX – CARE OF THE SICK AND THE
ELDERLY AND THE SUFFRAGES FOR THE DECEASED
|cPar.2Chap.IXArt.1
Art. 1. - Care of the sick and elderly
|n187.
If possible, in all the Congregation's Centers, an area of the building
should be set aside as an infirmary.
|n188.
One or more religious known for their charity and spirit of service
should be assigned to attend the sick and, in agreement with the Rector or
|n189.
When anyone is sick or notices that something is harming his health, he
is to inform the Rector or
|n190.
If a religious falls gravely ill, he should be sent to any priest he
requests and and be given the Holy Eucharist if he
asks for it.
|n191.
§1. It is for the Rector or
§2. When the illness is serious, Viaticum and Anointing of the Sick are
not to be delayed. When the sick person nears death, the prayer for the
commendation of the soul according to the norms of the Roman Ritual is to be
said.
|n192.
§1. When a sick religious has to be hospitalized, the Rector or
§2. He is to make sure, therefore, that the room reserved for the sick
is suitable and decent, no matter what the monetary sacrifice.
|n193.
All our religious should have special consideration for elderly Legionaries,
who have spent their lives and their energies in service to the Kingdom of
Jesus Christ in the Legion and deserve to be cared for by everybody with
outstanding care and charity.
|n194. |p |p §1. Having heard the opinion of
his Council, the General Director is to establish continental and
intercontinental residences for religious who cannot carry out any apostolate
because of age or long-term health problems.
§2. No elderly Legionary is to be retired from active service against
his will because of his age. As long as he can take care of himself, the
General Director should try to offer him opportunities to keep on collaborating
actively as best he can.
|cPar.2Chap.IX– Art. 2. - The deceased of the Congregation and the
suffrages for them
|n195. |p |p §1. When a member dies the
Rector or
§2. In the presence
of two witnesses, the Rector or
|n196. Since a Legionary is a soldier
of Christ's Kingdom and his life is consecrated to building it, his body should
be buried in the place where he dies, according to the genuine tradition of the
Church.
|n197.§1. Upon the death of a
Roman Pontiff, each of our priests is to celebrate three Masses for him. Solemn
funeral rites are to be held in the churches that are under the care of our
religious.
§2. Upon the death of the diocesan Bishop each of the priests in the
Centers within the diocese are to celebrate two Masses for him.
|n198.
As regards prayers for the deceased of the Congregation:
§1. Upon the death
of the General Director or a former General Director, each of the priests of
the Center where he dies is to celebrate five masses for him. All the other
priests of the Congregation are to celebrate three masses. In our churches the
divine office for the deceased is to be prayed and a solemn funeral Mass
celebrated.
§2. Upon the death of the Territorial Director or former Territorial
Director, each of the priests of the Territory is to celebrate three Masses.
The priests of other Territories are to celebrate one Mass, as well as the
usual suffrages.
§3. Upon the death of members of the General Council, the General
Secretary, the General Procurator, the General Administrator, the Delegates of the General Director for the Apostolate,
the General Prefect of Studies or a Nuncio, each priest of the Congregation is
to celebrate one Mass, as well as the usual suffrages.
§4. Upon the death of a religious, each priest of the Territory is to
celebrate two Masses.
§5. Upon the death of a religious or a guest of a Center, each priest of
the Center is to celebrate three Masses.
§6. Within the octave of the Sacred Heart each priest of the Legion is
to celebrate a Mass for all the deceased of the Congregation.
|n199.
Those who are not yet priests are to pray as many Rosaries for the
deceased as Masses to be celebrated by the priests, and at the Eucharistic
celebration they are to unite their intention with that of the priest.
|n200.
§1. Once a year, within the octave of All Souls, Mass is to be
celebrated at all our Centers for the deceased relatives of our members and the
deceased benefactors of the Legion.
§2. In special cases the General Director and the Territorial Directors
may indicate other suffrages for the most outstanding benefactors of the
Congregation.
|Par.2Chap.X – DEPARTURE AND DISMISSAL OF RELIGIOUS
|Par.2Chap.X Art. 1. - Departure of a religious
|n201.
Once the time of his vows is up a religious with temporal vows may
freely leave the Congregation. Likewise, for just and reasonable motives the
General Director may exclude him from the renewal of temporal vows or from the
perpetual profession.
|n202.
With the consent of his Council the General Director may grant a
religious the indult to leave the Congregation during the term of his temporal
profession when he requests it for serious reasons.
|n203. Religious with perpetual vows
who desire to leave the Congregation for reasonable motives are to present
their petition to the General Director, who will submit it to the Holy See
along with his own evaluation. Only the
Holy See can grant this indult.
|n204. When the indult of
departure has been legitimately granted and the religious has been notified, in
accordance with Canon Law it dispenses from the vows and all the obligations
that follow from profession, unless the act of notification is refused by the
religious.
|n205. §1. If the religious is a priest
the indult is not granted until a Bishop has been found to incardinate him into
his diocese, or at least receive him ad experimentum.
§2. According to
Canon Law, if the priest is received ad experimentum,
after five years he becomes incardinated into the diocese unless the bishop
refuses to accept him.
|n206.
§1. Physical or mental illness, even when it is developed after temporal
profession, constitutes sufficient cause for non-admittance to the renewal of vows or to perpetual
profession if in the opinion of experts it renders the religious unable for
life in the Congregation, unless the illness is due to the negligence of the
Congregation or to the work the religious has carried out in it.
§2. In the case of a mental illness that in the opinion of experts would
render a religious unable for life in the Congregation, the General Director
will petition the Holy See for an indult of secularization to allow even a perpetually professed
religious to leave the Congregation.
|cPar.2Chap.XArt. 2. - Dismissal of a religious
|n207. §1.
Following Canon Law, the following are to be considered legitimately dismissed
"ipso facto":
1) Public apostates from the Catholic faith;
2) Those who marry or attempt to, even if it is
only a civil marriage.
§2. In such cases the Director General with his
Council is to collect the evidence and without delay declare the fact so that
it is juridically verifiable. The evidence is to be
kept in the General and Territorial files. In the meantime the General Director
is to notify the Sacred Congregation of Religious and Secular Institutes of the
fact that led to the expulsion and the name of the dismissed religious.
|n208. |p |p §1. In accordance with Canon
Law a religious should be dismissed for committing the following crimes:
1) Concubinage or external acts against the
sixth commandment that cause permanent scandal;
2) Homicide; kidnapping by force or deceit, or unlawful custody of
another person; mutilation or grave wounding of another;
3) Procuring an abortion that is carried out.
§2. In these cases the General Director is to collect all the evidence
of the facts and the guilt, make known the accusation and the evidence to the
religious in question, and give him the right to defend himself. All records
signed by the General Director and a notary, along with the written and signed
responses of the religious in question, are to be kept on file.
|n209. According to Canon Law, a
religious can also be dismissed for other causes, provided that they are grave,
external, imputable and juridically proven, such
as: habitual neglect of the obligations
of consecrated life; repeated violations of the vows; obstinate disobedience to
lawful orders of Superiors in a serious matter; grave scandal caused by the
reproachable behavior of a
religious; pertinacious
defense or spreading of doctrines condemned by the Magisterium of the Church;
public adherence to ideologies infected by materialism or atheism; unlawful
absence from one's Center for more than six months.
|n210. According to the Constitutions of the
Legion, those should be dismissed who:
§1. Seriously attack the unity and
harmony of the Congregation through intrigue, slander or backbiting;
§2. Choose as a method of apostolic
action in the social arena the provoking of labor union strife, public
denunciations, moral or armed violence, the systematic challenging of ecclesial
or political life, and class struggle.
|n211.
If the General Director after consulting his Council believes the
process of dismissal should be begun in the cases mentioned in n.208, 209 and
210:
§1. He is to assemble or complete the evidence;
§2. He is to
warn the religious in writing or before two witnesses with an explicit warning
of subsequent dismissal unless he reforms, stating clearly the cause
for dismissal and giving the religious full opportunity to defend himself. If the warning is in vain the
§3. If this warning
is also in vain and the General Director with the Council believes that there
is sufficient proof of incorrigibility and that the defense of the religious is
insufficient, when two weeks have elapsed fruitlessly since the last warning he
is to initiate the process of dismissal with due regard for what is stated in
n. 215.
|n212.
§1. The General Director should give the warnings in person or through a
delegate.
§2. Along with the
warnings he should add the exhortations and motivations he thinks opportune,
and impose the penance he thinks best for the reform of the religious or to
make up for the scandal. Likewise the General Director is to remove the
religious from the occasion to fall again even if it means transferring him to
another Center where he can be helped to rectify his ways.
§3. With each
warning he is to remind the religious of his possible dismissal.
|n213. In all the cases
referred to in nos. 208, 209 213 and 210 the religious always retains the right
to speak with the General Director and directly express his defense.
|n214. The General Director
with his Council is to examine carefully the proofs, arguments and defense, and
if a secret ballot results in dismissal, the decree of dismissal is to be
issued. For
its validity it must indicate at least in summary fashion
the motives for dismissal found in the law and in the fact.
|n215.
A decree of dismissal does not take effect unless it has been confirmed
by the Holy See, to whom the decree and all the records are to be sent. The
decree, to be valid, must indicate
the right which the dismissed religious has to appeal to the competent authority
within ten days from receiving the notification. An appeal stays the result of
the decree.
|n216.
Rights and obligations derived from religious profession cease ipso
facto with the lawful dismissal. However if the religious is ordained he cannot exercise
sacred orders until he finds a bishop who receives him after a suitable
probationary period in the diocese or at least allows him to exercise the
priestly ministry.
|n217. §1.
A religious who lawfully leaves the Congregation or is lawfully dismissed
cannot demand compensation for any work done while a member.
§2. The General
Director should deal kindly and charitably with a religious who for any reason
leaves the Congregation. If he has no supportive means of his own and cannot
acquire them otherwise he is to be given charitable aid to support himself for
a certain time. This aid is to be given to him through the Bishop of where he
has taken up residence.
|n218.
§1. In the case of serious public scandal or very grave imminent harm to
thecommunity the General Director, or, if there is a
danger in delay, the Territorial Director or the Rector or Superior of the
Center can expel a religious with the consent of the respective Council.
§2. If necessary the General Director should initiate the process of
dismissal according to the norm of Canon Law, or refer the matter to the Holy
See.
|n219.
The General Director in his periodic report to the Holy See is to
mention the religious who have left the Congregation for whatever reason.
|n220.
§1. Once a
religious has left the Congregation for a just reason he cannot be readmitted
unless after mature consideration the General Director decides that it would be
very
much to the advantage of the Congregation. Readmittance is to be granted only in trulyexceptional
cases.
§2. However, a
religious who has been dismissed from the Congregation can never be readmitted.
The Rector or
|n221.
§1. To ensure the spiritual serenity of their subordinates the Rectors
and Superiors of the Centers are to take care that dismissals are rare
occurrences, and, if possible, that they are avoided all together.
§2. Having
dismissed a religious, they are to care for the spiritual serenity of the rest
by prudently explaining the reasons, especially the spiritual ones, that prompted the dismissal.
P A R T T H R E E
THE SPIRIT AND DISCIPLINE
OF THE CONGREGATION
|cPar.3Chap.I
Chapter I
THE
SPIRIT OF THE CONGREGATION
|cPar.3Chap.IArt.1
Art. 1. - Fundamental lines of the Legion's
spirituality
|n222.
As a compendium of the Legion's spirituality, a Legionary should be: a
faithful follower of Jesus Christ; great and little; distinguished and at the
same time humble servant of all; a leader of souls and rank-and-file soldier of
the Legion; dignified in his poverty; contemplative and conquering; an enemy of
laziness; sincere in his self-giving; constant in his decisions; faithful in
the little things; faithful in his dealings with God and with his fellow-man; trusting in his Superiors; a man of
deep, personal love for the Pope and the Church; grateful to those who serve
him; a friend to his enemies; simple with the upright and simple; sagacious
with hypocrites; sincere, a realist and thoroughly practical; prudent in his
decisions, energetic and diligent in carrying them out; moderate and discreet
when speaking; a man who loves silence, justice and moderation; persevering up
to death in his duty; a faithful son of Mary; a man of the Kingdom; another
Christ.
|n223.
Christ-centeredness is the fundamental and specific characteristic of
legionary spirituality. Therefore, our religious are to strive with all their
strength to put on Christ, in their heart and in their deeds, earnestly seeking
the highest degree of abnegation, especially of their judgement
and will. They should strive to know and experience Christ intimately in the
Gospel and in the Eucharist. They should love Christ with a real, personal,
virile and passionate love and make Him the standard, center and model of their
religious, priestly and apostolic life.
|n224.
Preaching and extending the
|n225.
For each Legionary the Blessed Virgin Mary should be the most perfect
model of the new creature brought forth by the redemptive power of Christ, and
the most eloquent witness to the newness of life brought to the world by the
resurrection of Our Lord. Therefore our religious should foster true devotion
to the Blessed Virgin, most loving Mother of the Church, which consists
especially in imitating her virtues, above all her faith, hope and charity, her
obedience, her humility and her cooperation in Christ's redemptive plan.
Likewise they should have a tender, son's love for her as Mother of the Congregation and of
their own vocation.
|n226.
The Legion of Christ only has meaning within the Church, for the sake of
the Church and by reason of the supernatural and human mission of the
Church. Accordingly our religious
should:
|p §1. Love the Church passionately, for she continues Christ's
mission and is the beginning of his Kingdom on earth. They should identify with
her sufferings and her joys. They should strive to be active and effective
members within her. In a spirit of service they are to give themselves to the
Church and be deeply aware of their mission within her.
|p §2. Be devoted and loyal to the Roman Pontiff, Vicar of
Christ and visible head of the Church with ardent, personal love. They should
study and spread his teachings and desires, and courageously defend the charism of his primacy and magisterium.
|p §3. Honor in a spirit of faith bishops teaching in
communion with the Roman Pontiff, as successors of the Apostles and witnesses
to divine and catholic truth.
|n227. The
heart of the Legion's charism is the charity Christ
preached and demanded in the holy Gospel. Accordingly, Legionaries should
cultivate and maintain a spirit of unity above and beyond differences of
language, race or culture. They are to take up the way of true charity which
entails universal and considerate self-giving to their neighbor for the Lord's
sake. They should learn to pardon what is bad, praise what is good and cast
aside envy. They should detest slander as the denial of Christianity. They should
always be willing to help and collaborate joyfully with their neighbor. They
should foster a creative and self-sacrificing spirit of service and treat
everyone with kindness and simplicity.
|n228.
The Legion of Christ is a contemplative and conquering institute.
|p |p §1. Because of its contemplative nature Legionaries
should seek to be men who love prayer, the interior life, union
with God, silence and reflection. They should diligently control their internal
and external senses, above all their imagination, memory, sight, speech and
hearing.
|p §2. Because of its conquering nature our religious should
give themselves with great love and zeal to the task of spreading Christ's
Kingdom throughout society and of bringing the light of the Gospel to the
consciences of all people. They should
consider themselves messengers of the mystery of God, sparing neither time, fatigue nor difficulties, and energetically
discarding laziness and cowardice.
|n229.
The primary objective of the Legion's apostolic action is to build the
new man. Therefore all Legionaries in their personal life should assiduously
explore the richness and depth of their baptismal commitment. In their
apostolic activity they should strive by every possible means to bring about
man's inner renewal by means of grace, by living out the Gospel, through
liturgical and sacramental participation, prayer, moral and ascetic growth and
service to others out of love for the Lord.
|cPar.3Chap.IArt.2
Art. 2. - Virtues most recommended in the Congregation
|n230.
Our religious are to practice the theological virtues and make them the
source of their interior life and their apostolate in order to tread always the
path of a living, active and luminous faith that will enable them to be
faithful and persevere until death amid the difficulties and struggles that the
faithful fulfillment of the will of God for their lives demands; the path of a
joyous, unwavering hope that will fill them with the sureness that only God can
give; and the path of an ardent, generous love that will make them understand
God's goodness and will lead them to heroic self-sacrifice for the triumph of
his Kingdom and the salvation of souls.
|n231.
They should base their holiness on total, generous surrender to God and
on courageous, continual self-denial in order to imitate Jesus Christ. They are
to do this above all through the practice of heroic, prompt, joyful obedience,
motivated by faith; deep, serene humility; joyful and faithful chastity;
universal delicate charity towards superiors and subordinates, members and non
members of the Legion; and through authentic simplicity.
|n232.
Our religious should cultivate a steadfast sincerity in their relations
with God and the Legion, and strive to achieve an ever-greater identity between
their life and their mission. They should be faithful to the word they have
pledged, avoid any kind of ambivalence in their behavior, and always follow
their conscience properly formed according to the ethical principles of right
reason, the Christian principles of the Gospel and the principles found in these Constitutions.
|n233.
They should work to increase in their own lives their faith in and love
for the Holy Spirit, sweet Guest of the soul, Guide and Craftsman of their
growth in holiness. They should be docile and faithful to his divine
inspirations so that with the light and strength of His grace, they will walk
the path of God's will in fidelity, after Christ's example, and accomplish to
the full their mission to give glory to God and save souls.
|n234.
The first law of holiness and apostolic effectiveness is that we must
die in order to have life. Based on this
our religious are to seek and love self-denial and sacrifice, principally in fidelity to the commitments
of their consecrated life, and in giving themselves full of faith and love
to God's will and the salvation of souls.
|n235.
They should foster interior and exterior silence as a means to achieve
union with God, interior life, peace and serenity of soul and a deep encounter
with themselves. They are to fight against the frivolity of their imagination,
against the dissipation of their internal and external senses, against irreflection and against wasting their time on empty talk.
|n236.
In his apostolic activity and in his personal life each Legionary is to
seek the heavenly Father's glory and not his own, and seek the salvation of
souls, striving to edify all his brothers and sisters by the witness of his
holy life.
|n237.
They should always hold in highest esteem their vocation to the Legion
which God has planned for them with eternal love. They should nourish an ever-growing love for their call that embraces
the Legion's spirit, mystique, discipline and methodology, so as to bring
their vocation to perfection by identifying themselves and becoming one with it
spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, in their criteria and in the reality
of their lives.
|n238.
Since it is a principle of the Congregation to form whole men endowed
with all the human virtues and values, our religious should work assiduously
for their total human development so it can be a solid base on which the Holy
Spirit can form them into apostles of Jesus Christ.
|n239. |p |p §1. All
our men are to form themselves selectively in a spirit of tenacity and
perseverance, aware that one of the most damaging evils for consecrated souls
is weakness of will, sensuality and inconstancy in their struggle for sanctity
and in their apostolate. To achieve this they are to work to avert any failures
in their spiritual, intellectual or apostolic endeavors, by reflecting
thoroughly and deeply before they make decisions and persevering in their
undertakings until they have carried them through to completion.
|p §2. As a basis for this tenacity and constancy at their
work they are to place a firm, well-disciplined will solidly founded on the
theological virtues and on a habit of self-denial, not on feelings, emotions or
impressions.
|n240.
Legionaries are to pursue their human maturity which consists in
consistency in their lives between what they are and what they profess to be.
Its most convincing external expression is fidelity and a sense of
responsibility in fulfilling the duties they have assumed towards God, the
Church, the Legion and their fellow man. To achieve this maturity they should
strive to acquire: the ability to make prudent decisions and definitive
options; spiritual stability; the serene integration of their sentimental and
emotional energies under the control of their faith, reason, will and love; an
attitude of openness and constant self-giving to God and others without
favoritism, and uprightness in judging events and individuals.
|n241.
They should strive to achieve in their lives a spirit of conviction,
sincerity and authenticity. They should especially detest hypocrisy, the
assassin of all authenticity and uprightness, which makes a man hateful to God
and repugnant to his neighbor. It is the mother of deceit, insincerity,
duplicity and inner meanness and its father is the devil, the lord of lies. Its
presence in one's life causes personal dissatisfaction and the loss of one's
human identity; it annuls the possibility of spontaneous and simple dialogue with
the Creator and of a cordial, honest relationship with others; and it destroys
every possible source of love for God and neighbor.
|n242.
Legionaries should endeavor to form a sturdy spirit, a firm and vigorous
will, control of their character, and all the virtues that vouch for a true
man, such as prudence, sincerity, responsibility, self-discipline, constant
concern for justice and charity, fidelity to one's word, good manners and
moderation and prudence in speech.
|n243.
Legionaries should never neglect their growth in the social virtues such
as distinction in their dealings with others and their dress, politeness,
gentlemanliness, disinterested service, loyalty, gratitude, a sound cheerfulness,
serenity, a balanced temperament.
|n244.
Our religious should always be noble and discreet; they should foster
true humility and never show impatience or pride. They should be exemplary in
their speech, modest in their facial expressions and mature and manly in their
movements. Forgetting themselves, they
should do everything with such simplicity that, by their example, they draw
others to praise and glorify God.
|n245. |p |p §1. Legionaries are to be able
to channel correctly and firmly the valuable potential of their passions, not
repressing them blindly, but rather elevating them through the light of faith
and reason so that the drive of their passions will spur them on to great
undertakings in their lives for the salvation of souls, for the triumph of
Christ's Kingdom and for the good of the Church.
|p §2. Likewise they are to be able to turn the strength of
their emotions and imagination to good use by channelling
them towards the service of their mission following reason enlightened by
faith.
|n246.
Through an ascetic training of their intellect, Legionaries are to
develop their capacity to analyze, summarize and discover conceptual relations
so that they form a clear and solid mental structure. They should inure
themselves to a disciplined, organic way of thinking that allows them to
express themselves clearly and precisely, to discover what is essential, to
have a correct hierarchy of values and to emit correct, prudent personal judgements.
|n247.
With all the strength of their heart Legionaries are to form an ardent
zeal for the salvation of souls vitalized by intimate contact with Jesus Christ
and expressed in fervent prayer, and an untiring struggle and constant concern
to bring as many souls as possible to
know and love Jesus Christ.
|n248.
Aware of the greatness of their mission and the responsibility it
imposes on them, our men are to work at molding themselves into authentic
Christian leaders - guides of their brothers and sisters, effective in their
work, alert to opportunity, generous of heart, tireless fighters, realistic in
their goals, tenacious in the face of difficulty and supernatural in their
aspirations. They are to rid themselves of anything that has the air of
irresponsibility, selfishness, fear, laziness, cowardice, timidity or
discouragement.
|n249.
Aware that we have but one life and only one chance to live it, our men
should dedicate themselves to acquiring a spirit of fight, of hard work, of
conquest and perseverance rooted in a passionate love for Christ and an ardent
zeal for the spread of his Kingdom. This spirit should make them rid themselves
of all spiritual, intellectual, apostolic or physical laziness; put an end to
all cowardice, false prudence and comfort seeking; encourage them to be always
on the offensive, rejecting all bitterness, dissatisfaction and useless
complaints; and make them love to spend themselves for Christ and his Kingdom wherever
obedience assigns them.
|n250.
Legionaries are always to work in an orderly and efficient way by always
following a program they first draw up according to a concrete plan, guide and
calendar. They are never to resign themselves to let their lives waste away
fruitlessly day after day out of improvisation, laziness, banality or
disorganization. Likewise they are to master the art of work which is the art
of efficiency, of total accomplishment, of gaining time, of doing more in less
time.
|n251.
On the apostolate Legionaries are to discard vain words, empty rhetoric,
hollow agitation, and usher in actual accomplishments: sincere, personal, passionate and objective
love for Jesus Christ, the Church and the Pope; and selfless, effective service
to their neighbor following the axiom, "Say little, do much."
|n252.
All things being equal, after considering the needs and the possible
drawbacks our men should always choose and carry out the apostolates
that by their nature and scope are most effective and, by the same token, will
offer the Legion the greatest influence in her efforts to establish and spread
Christ's Kingdom.
|n253.
On the apostolate Legionaries are always to apply and practice the
methodological principle, promote initiative (`hacer hacer'), arousing in those who work with them a sense of
responsibility and an awareness of the mission, since this principle is one of
the mainstays of our apostolic methodology.
|n254.
Our men should entrust their apostolic life to Mary's motherly care and
feel her close to all their work and efforts. They should all learn and expect
a great deal from her as Mother and Queen of apostles for she cooperated in a
unique way with the Savior's work and was in her own life an example of the
motherly affection that has to animate all those who collaborate in the
Church's apostolic mission to save mankind.
|cPar.3 Chap.I Art.3
Art. 3. - Unity and charity in the Legion
|n255.
Mutual unity, which is an indispensable condition for preserving and
governing the Congregation and for attaining her purpose, should be carefully
fostered among our men, both Superiors and subordinates.
|n256.
Legionaries should foster unity as a fruit of love because the Father
with eternal love created us and called us to be his children, the Holy Spirit
through the vows has gathered us together in unity, and Christ has sent us to
fight for his Kingdom, giving us the Eucharist as food and Mary as our Mother.
|n257.
They should all remember that the Legion will be able to accomplish the
mission entrusted to her by God only on condition that all her members come
together in a monolithic unit where everyone's efforts converge on the sole,
unanimous fight for the
|n258. |p |p §1. To foster this unity the
General Director, his Council and the General Chapter are to elect to govern
and direct the Legion only religious that they are sure will positively watch
over the internal unity of the Congregaton in their
words and actions.
|p §2. They should remember, too, that religious prone to
anger or harshness greatly endanger charity, which is so important to conserve
the spirit of the Congregation. Therefore these religious are to be assigned to
Centers and ministries where they cannot wound the harmony and good of the
communities.
|n259.
To better achieve this unity all Legionaries should commune with and
become a part of the Legion. This means:
|p |p §1. They should
assimilate the spirit of the Congregation, live it and make it the permanent
reference point of their life, making their own its criteria, discipline, and
its methodology for formation and apostolate, giving thanks to our Lord for our
charism.
|p §2. They should
know, love and live the Legion's spirituality. They should actively
participate in her inner life and her apostolic action and feel themselves as
living and working members of this great family, integrating their own
qualities into her mission at the service of the Church and humanity,
and collaborating sincerely and efficiently with all those who form part of the
Legion.
|n260.
Bearing in mind that we all form a single mystical body in Jesus Christ
and in the Congregation, each one must learn to carry his brothers' burdens and
to promote with interest their good name, especially
among those outside the Legion. He should ignore their mistakes and defects and
comment on their qualities and virtues. He should share as a brother in the
successes and failures of his companions, sincerely
recognize their competence in their respective fields and, if necessary, defend
them with prudence, firmness and decision.
|n261.
All our religious are to remember that the authenticity of any virtue,
any knowledge, any piety or any apostolic zeal is based on the spirit of real
charity. Therefore in everyday living they should strive to live according to
the greatest commandment, charity, both towards Legionaries and others,
exercising their faith in the mystical body of Christ. As a consequence of
this, esprit de corps will follow as an essential requirement of the Legion.
|n262.
All our religious are to do their all to make the Legion one large
family where deference, gentlemanliness, cordiality, courtesy and selfless
Christian service to others triumph over selfishness and individuality.
|n263.
Since unity depends principally on the virtue of obedience, all are to observe perfect obedience and
practice close dependence, subordinates towards Superiors and Superiors
among themselves.
|n264.
Superiors should keep always before their minds how fundamentally necessary it is to maintain great respect for the
principle of authority among our men in order to ensure the proper
functioning and government of the Congregation. They must be aware, too, of the
very important role that their persons play in preserving this principle
through the witness of their life and the respect, charity, and kindness with
which they treat their subordinates, as also the extremely serious damage they
can do to this principle if they are inopportune, harsh or partial in giving
orders.
|n265.
Respecting the natural diversity of persons, times and places, they should cultivate both internal
uniformity (in criteria and will) and external uniformity (the way they dress,
celebrate the Eucharist, etc...).
|n266.
In order to promote both internal unity and effectiveness in our apostolates Legionaries should:
|p |p §1. Foster rapid, constant and efficient
intercommunication at all levels of government;
|p §2. From their
entry into the novitiate, cultivate and foster the habit of intercommunication
by informing the Rector, immediate Superior, or when the occasion warrants it
also the major Directors either by word or in writing about everything that
happens;
|p §3. When working on the apostolate, never neglect
frequent communication with their Superiors so as to keep them informed on the
progress of their apostolic work and of other matters entrusted to them;
|p §4. Foster frequent mutual communication, the exchange of
ideas and materials for the apostolate, fraternal help and collaboration
putting in evidence the bond of their common mission above individual
interests.
|n267.
In order to increase unity and charity among all the members of the
Congregation and encourage their fervor and apostolic zeal each religious
should make the effort to communicate by letter with some other Legionaries at
least once or twice a month.
|n268. |p |p §1. Our religious should hate slander as the worst of all evils and the
greatest enemy of unity and charity among our members.
|p §2. If any
religious seems to seek the internal division of our members through backbiting
or any other means he is to be immediately removed from the Center where he
lives in and stripped of any office he holds. Furthermore, if the case in
question calls for it, he is to be dismissed from the Congregation observing
the prescriptions of Canon Law.
|p §3. The Superiors
are to be willing to cut off decidedly any member infected by the deadly cancer
of slander and intrigue unless they want to responsible for ruining the
Congregation.
|n269. |p |p §1. If anyone dares directly or indirectly to oppose or change the
life-style, Constitutions and decrees of the Congregation or like matters
outside of the General Chapter, he is to be severely warned and punished. If he
does not mend his ways he is to be dismissed from the Congregation, observing
the prescriptions of Canon Law.
|p §2. If someone
notices that a religious is plotting against the Congregation, or is using
other companions to unsettle her internal peace, or is attacking the
Congregation, her life-style, mode of government and her Superiors through
manuscripts or in print he is seriously obliged in conscience to inform the
General Director immediately.
|cPar.3Chap.II
Chapter II
RELIGIOUS VOWS
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.1
Art. 1. - The vows in general
|n270.
Legionaries, by professing the religious vows:
|p |p §1. Consecrate themselves more intimately to follow
Christ who, virgin and poor, redeemed and sanctified humanity by his obedience
unto death on the cross.
|p §2. They dedicate their entire lives consciously and
eagerly to the service of the Lord, the Church, the
Congregation and humanity.
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.2
Art. 2. - The vow of poverty
|n271.
Our religious, by professing voluntary poverty out of love for Christ:
|p |p §1. Consecrate themselves to the
internal and external exercise of Christ's poverty, who, although rich, became
poor in order to enrich us with his poverty. They channel all the desires of
their heart towards the goods of the spirit and the treasures of heaven
entrusting themselves to the heavenly Father's providence.
|p §2. Bind themselves to an affective and effective,
internal and external detachment from all material goods, and total dependence on the legitimate
|p §3. Renounce as a
consequence their licit right to use and administer any material good without
the permission of their legitimate Superiors.
|n272. |p |p §1. Our religious should love
poverty and practice it faithfully. They should be spiritually detached from
everything they use; leaving in God's hands all concern for temporal things and
living in this world like pilgrims on the road to the eternal possession of
God. They should know that poverty of spirit opens one's heart to God and to
others; it creates a favorable spiritual climate for interior docility, prayer,
dialogue and collaboration; it nourishes hope; engenders justice and mercy;
increases love and bestows serenity and spiritual joy.
|p §2. Our religious should make especially sure that this
spirit of poverty molds them in self-detachment so as never to allow in their
hearts the growth of worries, preferences or ambitions which would prevent the
Superiors from availing of their lives and their qualities for the sake of
Christ's Kingdom through obedience, or which would divide their hearts causing
anxiety and dissatisfaction that could destroy their inner peace and their
vocation as consecrated souls.
|n273.
They should rejoice when they experience the effects of poverty knowing
that, as Christ promised, they will never be without God's providence.
|n274. |p |p §1. Every professed religious in the Congregation retains the ownership of
his goods and the capability to acquire others, but he cannot administer them
personally.
|p §2. With the
express permission of the General Director religious who possess temporal goods
can use income from them for works of charity or to help the Congregation.
|p §3. Whatever a
religious acquires through his own work or by donation and whatever he receives
by way of pension, subsidy or insurance no matter how he obtains it, must be
put at the disposition of the Congregation.
|p §4. If a
religious has not made out a will before his perpetual profession he must do
so, for his present possessions or those he foresees might lawfully come to
him. If possible it should be legally
valid before the State. In countries
where the law does not allow such a will to benefit the Congregation or a work
of the Church, religious who wish to do so may donate their goods to the
Congregation directly instead of through a will.
|p §5. After
fifteen years of religious life the religious must donate half of his
possessions to the Congregation and after twenty-five years, all present and
future possessions.
|p §6. During the
lifetime of each religious the Congregation cannot use the goods he has donated
to her, but solely and exclusively the income they generate.
|p §7. In the
event a religious leaves the Congregation for whatever reason and wants back a
part or all of the possessions he donated to the Congregation in accordance
with paragraphs n. 4 and 5 above, the Congregation is obliged to give it to
him.
|n275. |p |p §1. Retaining what is
determined in n. 274, 5 a professed member of our Congregation is not allowed
to freely abdicate the ownership of his goods by acts "inter vivos".
|p §2. For a just reason a religious can change the will he
has already properly made with the express permission of the General Director.
|n276. No one is allowed to use anything as his
own. This norm does not apply to possession of the Crucifix that our
religious receive on their profession day.
|n277. |p |p §1. In the observance of
dignified and reserved poverty all our religious should consider themselves
subject to the common law of work.
|p §2. They are to be provided daily with sufficient,
healthy food without it being either exquisite or too expensive.
|p §3. Their room should be simple, have whatever is necessary
and nothing superfluous.
|p §4. By no means are the Superiors to permit our religious
to have things that are special, ostentatious, superfluous or contrary to
religious simplicity.
|p §5. In the Center for formation as well as the Centers
for Apostolate their clothing should be poor but dignified, above all because
of their dealings with others. However they are to avoid totally the customs
and liberties of the world.
|n278.
While they observe Gospel poverty in the construction of the
Congregation's Centers, in our religious' clothes, living quarters and personal
effects - our Superiors are to make sure our religious have whatever is most
effective for their formation or apostolate. Superiors therefore should spare
no cost to obtain what is necessary in each case.
|n279. |p |p §1. Without permission from the
1) Move things from one part of the Center to another or to bring things
he had been allowed to use with him when he is transferred to another Center;
2) Receive or give away anything to another religious or people outside
the Legion;
3) Keep books as his own or write notes in the ones he is loaned, except
for his textbooks,
which our religious can keep for life.
|p §2. 1) Priests who
exercise a ministry or are dedicated to study or research may, with the prior
authorization of the Rector or
2) At the discretion of the Rector or
|n280. |p |p §1. Gifts or donations received
in cash, check, bank deposit or similar form are to be handed in to the Rector
or
|p §2. Gifts received from people outside the Legion are
allotted for common use unless the Rector or
|p §3. When religious in one of our Centers or apostolates receive gifts which in the judgement
of the Rector or
|p §4. If these gifts are precious objects or are very
valuable the General Director should be informed and the gifts handed in
immediately to the Territorial Director.
|n281. |p |p §1. Our religious should
observe common life faithfully even as regards their food, clothes and
furniture.
|p
§2. Nevertheless common life is not broken when something
special is needed for illness or another sound reason, at the discretion of the
Rector or
|n282. All our religious, whether Superiors or subordinates, are to strive
for complete uniformity regarding the necessities of life.
|n283.
No one is permitted to keep money or entrust any object to another for
safekeeping without permission from the Rector or
|n284. |p |p §1. No one may buy the things he needs
for himself. He is to receive them from the Vice-Rector of the Center where he
is permanently or temporarily residing.
|p §2. Without permission from the Rector or
|p §3. Without express, written permission from the General
Director no one is to borrow or accept money on loan from persons outside the
Legion for themselves or others, even if it is destined for works of
apostolate.
|n285. |p |p §1. Religious who have to
travel for any reason are to render an exact, detailed account of the expenses
incurred to the Rector or
|p §2. On his part, the Rector or
|n286. |p |p §1. Superiors should
insistently promote the perfect observance of poverty out of faith and love for
Jesus Christ both in their own life and in the lives of their subordinates.
|p §2. Superiors should vigorously put an end to anything
that looks like the tastes of the world as regards food, clothing, relaxation,
trips or other similar things, and reinstate the proven customs of the
Congregation.
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.3
Art. 3. - The
vow of chastity
|n287.
By the vow of chastity:
|p |p §1. Our religious freely embrace and firmly commit
themselves to the charism of celibacy in order to
consecrate themselves totally, definitively and exclusively to the one and
supreme love of Christ; to be fully unhindered, both emotionally and
practically, for the service of his Kingdom, and to be an invitation for all
people to contemplate and yearn for the gifts of the next life.
|p §2. They renounce, consequently, the state and benefits
of marriage.
|p §3. They also commit themselves to the interior and
exterior practice of the virtue of chastity.
|n288. |p |p §1. Independently of false
doctrines they should always regard their living of the sublime ideal of
chastity as a gift coming from God's love. It is a sign of one's love for Him
and its incentive as the utmost expression of love and self-giving to our
fellow men, and as a source of authentic personal fulfillment and of special
fruitfulness in the world.
|p §2. They should foster a total, firm, patient and strict
control of their internal and external senses. This will help them to
discipline their passions and affections, not as a repression, but as an
elevation and a loving, fruitful channeling of all they are and do, as a
safeguard of virtue, and as the means to foster a spiritual atmosphere of profound,
active dedication to the love of God, to their own growth in holiness and to
the good of mankind.
|n289.
They should acquire a clear awareness and knowledge of the serious and
constant dangers that threaten their observance and practice of consecrated
chastity due to the frequent incitement and provocation of a secularizing
environment with its ways and life-styles. They should especially practice
recollection of their imagination and sight, and develop a deep esteem and
sense of prayer, following Christ's advice, `watch and pray lest you fall into
temptation'.
|n290.
In community life, they should foster fraternal, universal charity and
sincere mutual understanding, which are so helpful for the faithful and perfect
observance of chastity, and are incompatible with frivolity, familiarity,
particular friendships and inordinate emotional attachments.
|n291.
Our religious should be kind and friendly but not overly familiar when
dealing with children, especially those whose intellectual or moral formation
has been entrusted to them. This norm
should be considered and observed carefully, especially by those who are in
charge of studies or discipline at our Vocational Centers.
|n292. |p |p §1. Our religious are to dedicate
themselves fervently and zealously to their apostolates
and avoid wasting their time superficially on matters or business outside their
field and profession. They should strive:
1) To set aside and dedicate their time completely to either
prayer, silence, study, the apostolate, or their necessary rest,
according to what the Constitutions and regulations establish.
2) To refrain from frivolous and unnecessary dealings with lay people in
the exercise of their apostolates.
3) Not to be deceived into identifying the apostolate with mere
socializing whether in frivolous conversations, in seeking out people just out
of human congeniality and not out of true zeal for the good of souls, or in
having meals with persons outside the Legion, going on trips, or other such
things.
|p §2. Failure to observe this can greatly expose our
religious and priests to risks against the progress and faithful preservation
of their vocation. It can induce them to think, want, feel and live not in
agreement with the demands of their consecration, but according to the habits
of the secular, worldly life, and drag them to mediocrity and laziness.
|n293. |p |p §1. Woman plays an important
role in human society and is particularly sensitive to the values of religion
and faith. Our religious should
recognize and honor her dignity and, following the Lord's example, be able to
deal discreetly with them in the exercise of their ministry, with the dignity
and restraint that befits a celibate and apostle.
|p §2. In order to carry out the above, our religious and
priests:
1) Should not travel in the company of women, not even under the pretext
of pilgrimages or transportation to retreats, spiritual exercises or seminars;
2) In apostolic activities they should not mix with women whether
married or unmarried, especially during breaks, recreation, or meals. They should rather keep themselves to their
work of preaching, individual spiritual guidance and administering the
sacraments;
3) Should not take group or individual shots of women; nor should they
let their own picture to be taken by them or pose for group pictures with them,
not even when they request it at the conclusion of seminars, spiritual
exercises or any other event;
4) Should always give moral orientation in a suitable place that meets
all the conditions mentioned in n. 368, and never while walking about outside
in the gardens or inside in the corridors;
5) When administering the sacrament of Penance, they should follow
strictly the norms given by the Holy See.
They should always have permission from the General Director and from
the local Ordinary, and use a confessional with a grille;
6) Should not visit women in their quarters, except for brief visits
because of serious illness or to bring them the sacraments, in which case they
should just stay long enough to perform this act of priestly ministry.
|n294.
The term affective maturity entails their self-oblation and their
identification with the love of Christ's virgin heart. Superiors should skillfully and prudently
instill it in our religious both during formation and at the outset of their
priestly ministry, so that all our religious will deal with people of any age
or sex in a manner befitting the state and mission of a priest.
|n295.
Our religious should be mindful that in order to observe the vow of
chastity faithfully they have:
|p |p §1. All the supernatural aids and all the means of
perseverance - humble prayer; frequent and worthy reception of the sacraments;
special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Joseph, her most
chaste spouse; spiritual direction; the advice of Christ about vigilance;
apostolic action and mutual charity;
|p §2. Their own self-sacrifice and control of their senses,
and the systematic avoidance of all occasions of fault;
|p §3. A profound, balanced knowledge of woman that is
permeated with the Christian perception of her;
|p §4. The natural means, such as physical
and intellectual rest, physical work, the contemplation of nature, the minute
programming of time and the systematic avoidance of improvisation and idleness.
|n296.
Our religious are to abstain from any public spectacle, from frivolous,
sensual movies and television shows, from books, pamphlets, magazines and music
that might arouse their passions or give rise to dissipation and loss of the
interior atmosphere of serenity and peace in which they should grow in their
consecration to God and their self-giving to their neighbor in apostolic
activity.
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.4
Art. 4. - The
vow of obedience
|n297.
By the vow of obedience our religious:
|p |p §1. Offer God the
total surrender of their judgement and will as a
sacrifice and holocaust of themselves out of love. As Christ, they unite themselves more fully,
firmly and constantly to the salvific will of God;
|p §2. Accept the
obligation of obeying the mandates of their legitimate Superior in everything
that has to do directly or indirectly with the life of the Congregation, in other
words with the observance of the vows and the Constitutions;
|p §3. Voluntarily renounce the use of their free
self-determination independently of their legitimate
|n298. |p |p §1. All the religious of our
Congregation are subject to the Roman Pontiff as their highest
|p §2. They should always be closely united to the Holy See
and attentively do their best to carry out not only its mandates, but also its
desires.
|n299.
With a spirit of faith and love for the will of God all our religious
should practice humble submission to the Superiors. They are to employ all the
force of their intellect and their will as well as the gifts of nature and
grace to carry out their orders and fulfill the assignments they receive from
them, aware that they are working to build up the body of Christ and the body
of their own Congregation according to the plan of God.
|n300. |p |p §1. Our men should practice not
only an external obedience, but also an internal, that is, supernatural and
perfect obedience which includes equally all the Superiors in order to achieve
more easily their own religious perfection and apostolic fruitfulness and
contribute to the efficiency and stability of the Congregation.
|p §2. They should see Jesus Christ in all their Superiors
and obey their orders with reverence and love. They should not examine the nature of the order, even if it is
difficult and unpleasant so that they will truly practice internal renunciation
of their own judgement and will.
|n301.
Their obedience should never be blind. It should be fully conscious and loving, with the same characteristics as the obedience our
Lord Jesus Christ lived and practiced before his heavenly Father: motivated,
prompt, joyful and heroic.
|n302.
The Superiors will be held accountable by God for the souls they have
been entrusted. Therefore they should:
|p |p §1. Exercise their authority in a spirit of service to
their brothers so that they express God's love for them;
|p §2. Govern their subordinates as sons of God, respecting
their persons and encouraging in them a spirit of sacrificial submission and
the dynamism of personal initiative;
|p §3. Motivate the religious to respond actively,
responsibly and with a spirit of faith as they fulfill the tasks and accomplish
the undertakings that obedience assigns them. They are not to give orders
without a spiritual motivation encouraging their subordinates to exercise their
faith.
|p §4. Listen attentively and respectfully to the religious
and encourage their collaboration for the good of the Congregation and the
Church.
|n303. |p |p §1. Rectors and Superiors of
our Centers should take an interest in each of their subordinates and his
concerns. They are to participate in
their joys and healthy interests, inspiring and encouraging them. They are to be firm as they insist on their
consecrated life in the following of Christ, but are to combine this wisely and
in a Gospel way with gentleness, humility, thoughtfulness, understanding, warmness,
friendliness, joy and oneness of heart.
|p §2. And so for those under him each Superior should be a
man of God, a teacher, a father, a friend and a brother who is able to welcome,
listen to and understand him. Above all
he should be able to take the first step when a troubled soul is not able, does
not know how or does not dare to open himself up on his own. But on no account is he to tolerate their
faults or defects and allow them to deform their consciences or start on the
road to spiritual tepidity which could lead them to the destruction of their
vocation.
|n304.
Superiors are never to exercise their authority when their spirit is
troubled by their irascible passions. When necessary they are to postpone their
decisions and actions until they are able to motivate those under them with a
calm and humble spirit to accept their orders and decisions with serenity out
of love for our Lord Jesus Christ and for the Congregation.
|p §2. Before giving an order or reprimanding a religious,
the
|p §3. Superiors are to avoid disagreements and arguments
with those under them. They should
always be open to dialogue with a congenial attitude that motivates them in
faith to fulfill the demands of their consecrated life.
|n305.
Those under authority are to be docile and reverent with their
Superiors, as Christ before his heavenly Father. They should ask the necessary permissions for
anything that these Constitutions or the Chapter norms do not permit. However
if for some special circumstance they cannot get to the
|n306. |p |p §1. Our religious are
prohibited to act as go-betweens to deal another's business with the
|p §2. If they accept to bring such a matter before the
|n307. In their apostolate and work as
priests they are to be ever conscious of the need for total subordination to
the will of the
|n308.
A religious who is assigned by the superior to handle business with
persons outside the Legion should act always in dependence and according to the
mind of the
|n309.
Our religious are to ask the
|n310.
It is illicit to ask a
|n311. |p |p §1. Aware that the stability
and survival of the Congregation is built on the observance of the
Constitutions, the Superiors should not be quick to grant permissions or
exceptions at odds with them.
|p §2. For the same reason, our religious should abstain
from asking this type of permission except in cases of overriding necessity.
|n312.
They should often meditate and fervently contemplate Christ's submission
to the will of his heavenly Father. Inspired by his admirable example they
should practice perfect, supernatural, motivated, joyful, steadfast and heroic
obedience in their understanding and in their actions.
|n313.
The Territorial Director is to spiritually motivate any religious who is
reticent, insolent or arrogant before the warnings of his
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.5
Art. 5. - The private vows
|n314. Everyone who professes the evangelical counsels temporally or
perpetually in the Congregation is also to take other, private vows on the same
day. These are:
|p |p §1. Never to desire, seek, nor scheme to obtain or retain
responsibilities or positions in the Congregation for himself or for others,
and to inform the General Director if he finds out another religious has done
so;
|p §2. Never to
criticize externally either the acts of government or the person of any
Director or
|n315. |p |p §1. The vow not to criticize
does not deprive any religious of the freedom to approach the General Director,
the Territorial Director, the Rector or his own
|p §2. If the Rector or
|p §3. Our religious should never comment on the defects or
shortcomings of the actions of those who have positions of government in the
Legion either among themselves or with Superiors who are not in a position to
remedy them. This is so that we never
introduce into our communities disrespect for the principle of authority and
backbiting which destroy the peace and internal charity that are the perennial
source of the unity and effectiveness of the Legion.
|n316.
Any religious that is known with certainty to have sought or acted to
obtain any distinction or responsibility is to be considered ipso facto
unqualified for any position or responsibility in the Congregation. If he
already holds a position, he should be deprived of it, seriously warned and
punished.
|n317.
These vows on which the harmony, peace, tranquility and progress of our
Centers and the whole Congregation largely depend should be lived by our
religious out of love for Jesus Christ.
|cPar.3Chap.IIArt.6
Art. 6. - The vow of fidelity and charity
|n318.
In the Congregation there exists a special vow of fidelity and charity.
|p |p §1. The vow of fidelity consists in a special
consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that commits those who take it to
fight unconditionally to establish the Kingdom of Christ in the world by means
of the spirit, doctrine and methods of the Congregation; to consolidate,
strengthen and expand the Congregation; and to lovingly, attentively and
effectively preserve her genuine spirit, doctrine and methods.
|p §2. The vow of charity commits one to live faithfully the
esprit de corps, the spirit of charity and of unity with all the members of the
Congregation. It commits him who takes it to guard especially his words; to
avoid criticism and backbiting; to cast aside any favoritism or intrigue; to
create an atmosphere of esteem for those around him; to speak always well of
them, praise them, and when necessary, defend them with prudence, firmness and
decision before Legionaries and non-Legionaries alike.
|n319.
The General Director will invite to take the vow of fidelity and charity
those priests who stand out for their deep knowledge and practice of the
spirit, doctrine and methods of the Congregation, for their love for the
Legion, for the witness they have given in their observance of the
Constitutions, and for the gifts of prudence and counsel that the Lord has
given them to govern. These priests should be at least thirty-five years old,
with ten years as professed religious and have collaborated actively,
faithfully and efficiently in the life and apostolates
of the Congregation.
|n320. |p |p §1. After examining with his
Council the private reports elaborated by the Investigation and Information
Committee of the General Technical Advisory Team on the possible candidates for
the vow and the observations of the Territorial Director and his Council on
those reports, the General Director is to send a handwritten letter inviting
the priests he judges qualified to take the vow of fidelity and charity.
|p §2. Upon receiving the invitation of the General Director
the candidate is humbly to make a written petition for admission to the vow of
fidelity and charity.
|n321.
It is the exclusive duty of the General Director with the consent of his
Council to invite a priest to take the vow of fidelity and charity.
|n322.
Before taking the vow of fidelity and charity the candidate should do
eight full days of spiritual exercises.
|n323.
The candidate when he recieves the invitation
to take the vow of fidelity and charity informs the Territorial Director and
receives from him the means to travel to see the General Director within three
months. He does spiritual exercises
where he assigns him, makes his vow of fidelity and charity before the General
Director and receives his blessing.
|n324.
The General Director is to receive the vow of fidelity and charity
personally. Only on rare occasions can he delegate this faculty to the
corresponding Territorial Director.
|n325.
All the priests who are called to take the vow of fidelity and charity
should live it in a spirit of total service out of love for Christ and for
their fellow man. They are to be a
living sign of God's fidelity and charity towards humanity among their brothers
in the Legion and among all people.
|cPar.3Chap.III
Chapter III
ACTS OF
PIETY
|n326. |p |p §1. Knowing that their
perfection and apostolic fruitfulness depend principally on their union with
God, each and every one of our religious should live his acts of piety with
fervor and intimate belief.
|p §2. The Superiors are to see to it that those under them
fulfill the acts of piety established in the Constitutions faithfully at the
prescribed times and dedicate themselves to them diligently.
|n327.
For their piety to be solid they should found it neither on empty words
nor on their emotions of the moment, for this encourages only sentimentality.
Rather they should build on a deep, robust faith and a filial attitude of love,
trust and adoration so that their spirit of piety becomes active in their
acceptance and fulfillment of God's will.
|n328.
They should all learn the excellence of the knowledge of Christ by
frequently reading Sacred Scripture. They should approach the texts especially
through the Sacred Liturgy which is full of the language of God, through
personal prayer, spiritual reading and diligent study, for ignorance of
Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
|n329.
They should ready their mind and soul for active and conscious participation
in the Liturgy so that it becomes the source that nourishes their apostolic
life and charity. In communion of faith
with the life of the Church they should join her in the celebration of the
different cycles of the liturgical year that reenact the mysteries of
redemption.
|n330.
These are the acts of piety:
|p |p §1. Morning offering of the day's activities and examen of prevision;
|p §2. Mental prayer in the morning for an hour;
|p §3. Daily Eucharistic Celebration;
|p §4. A ten-minute examen of
conscience at midday except on the days when there is a practical examen;
|p §5. Angelus and hymn before lunch according to the norms
of the Ritual of the Congregation;
|p §6. A visit to the Blessed Sacrament after lunch and
dinner;
|p §7. Holy Rosary in honor of the Mother of God;
|p §8. Spiritual reading for fifteen minutes for those who
do not yet have to pray the Liturgy of the Hours;
|p §9. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed
for a half-hour during which they do the examen and
night prayers, prepare their mental prayer and receive the Eucharistic
Benediction.
|n331. |p |p §1. Every Sunday there is to be
a spiritual talk given by the Rector or
|p §2. Every Sunday there is to be a practical examen lasting forty-five minutes on the Christian virtues
and the preservation and growth of religious spirit.
|p §3. Both the talk and the practical examen
are omitted on Sundays which are first class feastdays
of the
Congregation.
|n332.
Those who do not have to pray the Liturgy of the Hours should pray the
full fifteen decades of the Rosary, omitting the midday examen,
on the following great solemnities : Solemnity of the
Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, the Assumption, and
the Solemnity of the Virgin of Sorrows.
|n333.
They are to pray the Way of the Cross every Friday as an especially
beneficial means of uniting themselves spiritually to the mysteries of Christ's
Passion.
|n334.
Every month they are to have a spiritual retreat.
|n335.
All our religious and priests should do a special hour of meditation
before the Eucharist on the anniversary of their Baptism. This is in order to thank God for this gift
and to renew the commitments of Christian perfection and apostolate that derive
from it.
|n336.
Every year our religious should do eight full days of spiritual
exercises in the authentic tradition of the Congregation. They are to observe
absolute silence during these days and completely exclude discussion groups,
study circles or round table discussions. They should not leave the house and
should dedicate themselves to their spiritual activities leaving aside all
other occupations.
|p |p §1. They should strive to attain an inner dialogue with
God by which to grow in knowledge of and personal love for Him and in
passionate zeal to extend his redemptive message to all humanity. They should
grow, too, in self-knowledge that will help them avoid any sophism or illusion
that could lead them to mediocre, superficial or tepid surrender in their
intimate relationship with God, and to an apostolic zeal that would respond to
what their passions dictate at the price of God's saving plan in their lives.
|p §2. If possible, when the group of priests doing
exercises is large enough there are to be separate exercises for priests and
religious.
|p §3. A group of priests fully identified with the spirit
of the Congregation should be dedicated to preaching spiritual exercises to her
members. On the contrary, directors whose approach to the themes or their
development focuses on a psychological, sociological, social or exclusively
anthropocentric slant are to be absolutely and systematically excluded.
|p §4. The directors of spiritual exercises for the
religious of the Congregation are to be proposed by the Territorial Directors
and named by the General Director. Through the Nuncios the Territorial
Directors should send the General Directorate each year a list of three names
for each set of exercises to be held in the territory. They should also
indicate the best dates and places for them so that the General Director may
make the corresponding appointments.
|n337.
Spiritual exercises should be held annually for the Superiors in each
Territory. The members of the Territorial Council, the Rectors or Vice-Rectors
of the Centers for Formation, the Superiors of the Centers for Apostolate and
the Nuncios at the Centers for Formation should all be present to do them.
|p |p §1. The Territorial Director and the Territorial Nuncio
should always be at these exercises to attend to the religious in personal
dialogue and hear the confessions of those who request it.
|p §2. Whenever possible the General Director is to send a
special nuncio to these exercises to be at the service of those doing them as
his representative. The special Nuncio is to preach the closing talk of the
exercises in the light of the spirit and dispositions he has seen in the
participants. He is to preside at the
evening ceremony on the last day when the participants renew their baptismal
promises according to the Ritual of the Congregation. If no special Nuncio is
present the task falls to the Territorial Nuncio or, in his absence, to the
Territorial Director.
|p §3. After these exercises all the participants are to
spend a complete day together in fraternal exchange before going back to their
places of work. The Territorial Director should not grant exceptions to this
except for overriding circumstances.
|n338. |p |p §1. During the summer break
after first year theology and at the beginning of the first year of spiritual
renewal, there are to be a month's spiritual exercises.
|p §2. These exercises take the place of the annual exercises prescribed in
nos. 336 and 337.
|cPar.3Chap.IV
Chapter IV
THE
SACRAMENTS OF RECONCILIATION AND THE EUCHARIST
|cPar.3Chap.IVArt.1
Art. 1. - The sacrament of Reconciliation
|n339. Since
Christians unite themselves intimately to Christ through the fruitful reception
of the sacraments the Rectors and Superiors should promote the weekly confession of those under them.
Prepared by the daily examination of conscience, by a spirit of repentance and
a purpose of amendment their confession will promote most intensely the
necessary conversion of their hearts to the love of the Father of mercy.
|n340.
All should make their weekly confession a vital personal encounter with
Christ and with the Church, in a profound attitude of faith and simplicity so
that the sacrament becomes in their lives a source of inner renewal and
progressive identification with Christ.
|n341. |p |p §1. Only the General Director,
observing the prescriptions of Canon Law, can grant the faculty to hear the
confessions of novices, religious and guests of the Centers for Formation, the
Centers for Apostolate and the Works of Apostolate. This refers not only to priests of the
Congregation but also to any priest so authorized by his Ordinary or by his
Major Superior. He may also limit this faculty.
|p §2. The General Director in accordance with Canon Law
should name several ordinary and extraordinary confessors for each Center
depending on the number of its members, respecting always the freedom of the
religious to go to confession with any duly authorized priest.
|p §3. At least four times a year our religious should be
given an extraordinary confessor who does not live in the Center and is an
experienced, faithful, observant, prudent religious, a man of God with a gift
for counsel.
|n342. |p |p §1. By reason of the position
they hold, the following enjoy the faculty to hear the confessions of the
Legionaries and the guests of the Offices, Centers and Works of Apostolate that
fall under their jurisdiction: the General Director, the Territorial Directors,
the Nuncios, the Assistants to the Territorial Director for religious life, the
Rectors of the Centers for Formation, the Superiors of the Centers for
Apostolate, the Instructors of novices, the Renewal Instructors and the
Directors of the Works of Apostolate.
|p §2. The General Director with the consent of his Council
may delegate the faculty mentioned in no. 341, §1 to the Territorial Directors.
|p §3. The faculty to hear confessions may be granted for a
specified or unspecified period of time. If habitual faculty is granted it
should be done in writing.
|n343.
The Rectors and Superiors of the Centers should not hear the confessions
of their subordinates unless these request it spontaneously. This also applies
to the Instructor of novices and his Assistants.
|n344.
If, for his peace of conscience, a religious goes for confession to a
priest who has the approval of the Bishop but is not included among those
listed above, the confession is valid and licit.
|cPar.3Chap.IVArt.2
Art. 2. - The
sacrament of the Eucharist
|n345.
Since the Eucharist contains Christ the invisible Head of the Church,
Redeemer of the world and Center of all hearts under the veil of the species,
our religious should make it the spiritual Center of the community and render
it fervent and assiduous devotion.
|n346. |p |p §1. The Eucharistic Sacrifice
is the center of Christian life and the
|p §2. This participation will be more complete if our
religious nourish themselves daily in a pure and holy way with Holy Communion,
so that united to Christ through the sacrament they will be strengthened and
grow in sanctity by giving themselves to God and to their fellow man.
|n347. |p |p §1. A priest participates in a
special way in the priesthood of Christ.
They should therefore celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice devotedly and
reverently as befits such a great mystery, so that the testimony of their faith
will bring all those present to a greater participation. They should prepare
themselves to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice with fervent prayer and, upon
finishing, give thanks to God for this great gift.
|p §2. The celebration of the Sacrifice should last
approximately half an hour.
|p §3. Our priests should celebrate the Eucharist and the
other liturgical offices uniformly, fulfilling with care the liturgical norms
prescribed by the Church.
|n348.
With sincere love all our religious should spend an appropriate length
of time after Holy Communion in thanksgiving for so great a gift to express
their gratitude, love and adoration to Christ in the Eucharist. They should
withdraw from the altar giving testimony of having valued the Body of our Lord
as it deserves.
|n349.
They should often visit Christ in the Eucharist. Full of grace and truth
He corrects our habits, forms our character, nurtures virtue, consoles the
afflicted, strengthens the weak, invites all who draw near to imitate Him, and
fills his priests with grace to enlarge and sanctify the Mystical Body.
|n350. |p |p §1. Every Thursday there is to
be a Eucharistic hour in a spirit of reparation and gratitude, as homage of
faith and love to our Lord Jesus Christ for his gift of the Eucharist. During
the hour they are to pray for the Church, the Congregation and all those do not
know Christ, or who knowing him do not accept his plan of redemption.
|p §2. On Holy Thursday, the day the Church commemorates the
institution of the Eucharist, the Eucharistic hour is to be held at midnight.
|n351.
Our priests and deacons are to extend the praise and thanksgiving they
offer during the Eucharistic celebration throughout the day by attentively and
devotedly praying the Liturgy of the Hours at the proper times. They should be
aware that this canticle of praise is truly the voice of the Church speaking to
her Spouse; further, it is the prayer of Christ with his Mystical Body to the
Father.
|cPar.3Chap.V
Chapter V
MEANS OF
PERFECTION AND PERSEVERANCE
|n352.
Our religious should greatly esteem and appreciate the Congregation's
means of perseverance and observe them faithfully. They are: daily mental prayer,
sacramental life through daily participation in the Eucharist and weekly
confession, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, spiritual direction with the
established frequency, examination of conscience, weekly spiritual talks,
practical examen, monthly retreat, spiritual
exercises, daily Rosary, the Way of the Cross, the `encounter with Christ',
team balance, fraternal charity, unconditional and self-sacrificing dedi-cation to the apostolate, and programmed, demanding
use of their time.
|n353. |p |p §1. To preserve their religious spirit
integrally all our religious should have full trust in their superiors. This
should be motivated by their faith and love for Jesus Christ and they are never
to compare their own wisdom, age and perfection with the superior's, but rather
base their mind and heart on the words of the Gospel, "he who hears you,
hears me."
Therefore:
1) Novices, students of humanities and sciences and religious who go
directly from the Novitiate to the Centers of Higher Studies during their first
year of philosophy, should have personal dialogue with the Rector or Instructor
every week.
2) The other religious should have personal dialogue with their own
Rector or
3) Our priests should have it
at least every month.
|p §2. Aware of the fundamental importance that the
observance of this norm has for the formation and perseverance of our
religious, the Rectors, Superiors of Centers, Instructors of novices and
Instructors of renewal should fulfill this duty of conscience punctually and
responsibly. They should motivate those
under them to do it voluntarily and be concerned to invite those who neglect or
forget it.
|p §3. The Superiors referred to in the preceding paragraph who do not
fulfill this norm, or who neglect it should be admonished and, if they persist
in their attitude they are to be removed from their position.
|n354.
Teamwork is to be used as a specific aspect of the Legion's pedagogy
throughout the life of our religious in the Congregation within the essential
framework of community life. It greatly
favors their personal formation and sanctification, their spirit of initiative,
their charity, their spirit of collaboration and service, and their apostolic
affectivity.
|n355. |p |p §1. Every two weeks they are to
have their "encounter with Christ" as a means of perseverance and
growth in perfection and apostolic life.
It is done in teams and following the dynamics laid down in the Ritual
of the Congregation.
|p §2. The aim of this activity is to help our religious to
walk more intensely every day in search of Christ the living Savior, by reading
and meditating the Gospel, by the analyzing of one's personal fidelity to the
commitments of religious life in the Congregation, and by reevaluating in the
light of the Gospel the events that fill the lives of the people we are called
to evangelize every day.
|n356. |p |p §1. No one is to correct another
except with the express permission of the
|p §2. In order to help the personal fervor of the religious
and to maintain the Congregation's spirit and apostolic effectiveness the team
balance is to be held every two weeks. In it the religious are to correct each
others' defects with charity and humility, and suggest with simplicity the best
means to foster and live the spirit of the Legion.
|n357.
Twice a month in every Center for Formation or Apostolate, the Rector or
|n358. |p |p §1. They should go to the rector or
|p §2. At least three times a year they should go to the
|n359.
In their dress and personal presentation our religious should not allow
themselves to be influenced by secularizing trends. They should always use the
clerical dress specified by the Holy See for religious and priests, and follow
not only the orders of the Roman Pontiff, but also his desires.
|n360.
In intimate union with the redemptive mystery of Christ, they should
observe abstinence every Friday except the Fridays after the following
Feasts: Easter Sunday, Pentecost,
Christmas, Feast of the Sacred Heart, and the Fridays that coincide with holy
days of obligation or first class feast days of the Congregation.
|n361. |p |p §1. Since we must bear the
suffering of Jesus in our own body so that his life can be manifested in our
mortal flesh and thus make up for what is lacking in the Passion of Christ for
his body, the Church, even though the Constitutions do not prescribe any
particular penance it is recommended that the religious practice some corporal
penance under the prudent judgement of the Rector,
Superior of the Center, or the Instructor.
|p §2. The Rectors, Superiors of the Centers and Instructors
of novices or of renewal for their part should not allow their subordinates to
do penances that tire the body excessively.
|n362. |p |p §1. It is good for the religious to bring to the attention of the Rector or
|p §2. A report of
this type is to be made ordinarily to the Rector or immediate
|n363. Our religious should sincerely thank God if
their errors or defects are reported to superiors by another person who has
come to know of them outside of confession, personal dialogue or private
consultation.
|n364. |p |p §1. Our Centers for Formation
and Apostolate should stand out for their good taste, restraint, cleanliness
and silence.
|p §2. Our religious should keep silence outside the times
of recreation. In case of necessity they should speak in a low voice.
|p §3. Outside of the designated days our communities are not permitted to
speak during lunch or supper. The Rectors and Superiors should choose the books
to be read at mealtime: during lunch, history or documents dealing with the
present national or international situation, during lunch and at the eavening meal, papal documents or catechesis and books of
spirituality.
|p §4. The Rectors and Superiors of the Centers should see
that silence is observed in the sacristies of the chapels under the care of our
religious and that not even ministerial matters are discussed there.
|n365. |p |p §1. In conversations our
religious should speak in a moderate tone of voice. They should make sure that
each one of their words in public or in private is full of prudence and truth
for the glory of God and the benefit of souls.
They should spread in them the fragrance of Christ as befits perfect
religious.
|p §2. If there is ever a difference of opinions they are to
refrain from arguing, which does more harm than good to their perfection and
charity.
|p §3. They should discreetly avoid whatever might bother
others.
|n366.
If the Rectors or Superiors of the Centers notice that their
subordinates tend to touch frivolous or dangerous topics in their conversations
that are unbecoming of consecrated souls, or that they are excessively prone to
superficiality, the Rectors or Superiors of the Centers are to correct them and
if the religious persist they should inform the Major Directors.
|cPar.3Chap.VI
Chapter VI
SOME NORMS
OF RELIGIOUS DISCIPLINE
|cPar.3Chap.VIArt.1
Art. 1. - Cloister and norms for leaving the Centers
|n367.
Only the General Director can set the limits of the cloister in Centers
of the Congregation or change these for valid reasons.
|n368.
Parlors for receiving visitors, especially women, should be arranged so
that what goes on inside is readily visible.
|n369.
one is to visit people in their home, meet habitually with them or speak
to them on the phone without the special or habitual permission of the Rector
or Superior of the Center, and then only for apostolic reasons.
|n370. |p |p §1. Only the General Director can
permit priests or religious to take international trips.
|p §2. Permission for these trips should be requested
through one's Territorial Director.
|n371. |p |p §1. The priests who reside in
the Centers for Apostolate should take their annual vacation with their
respective communities, although on some occasions the Territorial Director can
authorize them to take their vacation with another community.
|p §2. However only the General Director can allow any of
our priests to spend his vacation outside a Legionary community or in another
country from where he works.
|n372. |p |p §1. Inspired by Christ's command to his apostles, "watch so as not to
fall into temptation", the Rectors and Superiors are to see that our
novices, religious in period of studies and our interns always go out in twos.
|p §2. By the same token, whenever possible, our priests,
Rectors and Superiors of the Centers should bring a religious with them when
they go out. If for special reasons this
is not feasible they are to take someone with them whose maturity and
responsibility are sufficiently well known.
|p §3. In view of the
very grave dangers that today's world presents for the preservation of our
vocation, our priests and religious are to observe this norm with faith and
humility. They should remember the love with which Christ gave his disciples
the command for vigilance and never use as an excuse that because of their age
or personal sanctity they are exempt from the dangers that threaten a religious
and priestly vocation.
|n373. |p |p §1. Without permission of the
Rector or
|p §2. Unless their priestly or apostolic ministry demands
otherwise, our religious are to return to the Center before supper time,
following the schedule of their community.
|n374. |p |p §1. Before leaving on a journey
all our religious should have an itinerary approved in writing by his
|p §2. They cannot change this itinerary unless due to
overriding necessity and they should inform the proper
|n375. |p |p §1. When our religious travel
they are to have whatever they need to cover the needs of the trip with dignity
and poverty and to prudently avoid any spiritual danger.
|p §2. Where the Congregation has Centers our religious
should stay in the one assigned them by the Territorial Director of the
place.
|p §3. If they go to a place where the Congregation has no
Center and there is no residence for visiting priests, they should find
dignified and decent lodgings.
|n376. |p |p §1. Religious who are guests in
any
|p §2. While carrying out the program approved by their own
|n377. |p |p §1. Our religious can organize
national or international pilgrimages to shrines or places of devotion.
|p §2. Nevertheless, these pilgrimages should be organized
so that the participants are accompanied by parents or qualified persons who
give guarantees of dependability and responsibility, but never by Legionary
priests or religious.
|p §3. The norm given in the above paragraph does not apply
to religious who are to accompany the annual pilgrimages that the Movement
organizes for its members. Under no condition are these pilgrimages to be
turned into mere excursions.
|n378.
When there is sufficient reason for it, our religious may be permitted
to go on hikes with students from our schools but they must return the same
day.
|n379. |p |p §1. Our
priests and religious who carry out their apostolate in educational centers and
have to organize trips within the country for interscholastic sporting events should
only be with these groups during the trip and the competitions. They
should refrain from going with them to public places, leaving this to the
teachers or the parents. For their lodgings they are to follow what is
prescribed in n. 375,2 and 3.
|p
§2. None of our religious or priests are to attend public
spectacles or sporting events especially under the pretext of accompanying
persons or groups who are not Legionaries, above all if they are mixed.
|n380.
§1. None of our religious or priests are allowed to attend banquets
without express permission of the Territorial Director. He will rarely grant
this permission, and only for overriding circumstances in special cases to
reliable religious.
|p §2. No one may eat with lay people outside the Center
without express permission from of the Rector or
|p §3. If because of friendship or apostolate with a family
the Rector or Superior of the Center grants this permission, the religious
should not eat out with the same person or family more than once a year.
|cPar.3Chap.VIArt.2
Art. 2. - Correspondence
|n381.
All our religious may freely send closed letters to the Holy See and its
representative in the nation, to the General Director, the General Secretary,
the Territorial Director, the Nuncio, the Territorial Assistant for religious
life and the Rector or
|n382. |p |p §1. They are to write to their
parents at least once a month.
|p §2. Since a Legionary is committed by his vows and his
consecration to spend all his time building the
|p §3. Nevertheless whenever a Legionary thinks a letter
will help achieve a spiritual or moral good he may write it with the necessary
permission of the Rector or
|n383. |p |p §1. The Rector or
|p §2. In the works of apostolate this is not for the
Director of the apostolate to do but for the
|n384. |p |p §1. Without special permission
from the Rector or
|p §2. Priests whose responsibilities entail spiritual
direction of male members of the Movement who are far away because of business,
studies or apostolate are exempt from this norm.
|n385.
The Superiors or the religious they assign are to keep secret all the
news they obtain through the inspection of the letters. They are not to make
mention of anything they learn without the express permission of the religious
involved unless they have to refer something to a Major Superior for a higher
good.
|n386.
Our religious are to be allowed to answer the letters they receive as
long as it is not a regular exchange or a friendship that, in the opinion of
the Rector or
|n387.
Without a just and serious cause the Rector or
|cPar.3Chap.VIArt.3
Art. 3. - Dealings
with family
|n388. |p |p §1. Our religious are to live their consecrated life in a spirit of
detachment regarding their relations with their families and they should strive
to direct these relations fundamentally towards winning over their families for
Christ.
|p §2. They should love their own families honestly and
express this through a healthy concern for their proper Christian living. They
should pray for their families often.
|n389. They should never compromise the Legion or
the Superiors in situations where the demands of their families are not in
harmony with the discipline of religious life. Therefore they are to let
their families know about the norms that govern their dealings with them, and
motivate them to accept these norms in good spirits lest their parents or
families fall out with the Legion through lack of information.
|n390. |p |p §1. Religious and priests who
live in the same country as their parents may visit them twice a year on the
occasion of their birthdays or name days with the authorization of the Rector
or Superior of the Center.
|p §2. Priests who are engaged in apostolates
outside the country
where their family lives may visit them for two weeks between every seven to ten years observing what is
determined in n. 370.
|p §3. When our religious have to make a trip to the country
where their family lives to pay an extraordinary visit, only the General
Director cam grant the permission and determine the
length of the visit. When it is a trip
within the same country the extraordinary permission is given by the
Territorial Director.
|n391.
Aware that in the Congregation they participate in a higher communion of
life founded by Christ, they should
mortify inordinate affection for their relatives, and elevate their love to
a supernatural level that testifies to the ultimate and fullest meaning of
their family ties.
|n392. |p |p §1. Without express permission
from the Rector or
1) To deal more frequently with
their relatives than prescribed;
2) To get directly or indirectly
involved in the affairs of their family seeking recommendations, money or other
things for them;
3) To bother their relatives or
other people for clothes or other things for their personal use even when these
are necessary things and they observe what is determined in n.280.
|p §2. The Rectors and Superiors should only grant these
permissions under exceptional circumstances and for overriding concerns.
|cPar.3Chap.VIArt.4
Art. 4 - Media
use
|n393. |p |p §1. Our religious should regard
the means of social communication as one of the most efficient external
instruments for the struggle to bring Christ to the hearts of all people and to
extend his Kingdom in the world because of the effect they have on the minds,
hearts and morals of people. Therefore they are to use them as often as
possible as instruments of great importance for their apostolic mission.
|p §2. However they should also be aware that the
indiscriminate use of them in their personal life is a serious obstacle for
fidelity to their religious commitments. They lead to inner dissipation,
frivolity, loss of discipline, wasted time, the assimilation of secularizing
criteria and the deformation of religious conscience through life-styles
incompatible with a soul consecrated to God.
|n394.
When using the means of social communication our religious are to observe
the following norms that result from what is stated in the previous number and
from the conviction that our vocation implies total dedication of our time and
energies to the extension of Christ's Kingdom:
|p §1. No more than six movies a year are to be shown to our
religious. The age, stage of formation and state as consecrated souls are to be
seriously taken into account when showing a movie to the religious.
|p §2. Television is to be used only:
1) To watch the news so as to keep up with
national and international events;
2) To watch debates, panels, and
round table discussions on church, political, historical, economic or similar
topics;
3) To follow extraordinary
ecclesia or scientific events;
4) To watch scientific or
cultural programs and classical music performances, but not theater or similar
performances (opera, zarzuela, operettas, ballets, etc...) nor
festivals of popular music;
5) To watch five sports events a
year, unless there is an extraordinary world sporting tournament (Olympic
Games, Soccer World Cup, etc...) in which case they can view six events during
the course of it.
|p §3. Radio is to be used as an alternative to television,
following the same norms.
|n394. |p |p §1. Our religious are
absolutely forbidden to have radios, televisions or similar instruments in
their rooms or offices.
|p §2. If anyone needs one of these instruments in their
office because of their responsibilities they are to request authorization from
the Territorial Director through the Rector or
|p §3. The Territorial Director is to consult each case with
the General Director and never grant permission without his consent.
|n396. |p |p §1. Movies and television
programs, except for the sporting events mentioned in n.394, should be
organized for times of recreation or vacation with punctual respect for the
schedules of the Center.
|p §2. To do this our Centers for Formation and our Centers
for Apostolate should have the necessary equipment to record the programs and
play them back at the appropriate times.
|n397.
Having heard the opinion of his Council and of the Doctrinal Commitee of the Territorial Technical Advisory Team, the
Territorial Director should give written authorization for the newspapers,
weeklies, and other periodicals that our religious receive in each Center.
Every year he should send the General Prefect of Studies, through the Nuncio, a
list of the publications he has authorized.
|n398.
A community area should be set aside in each Center so that at the
approved times our religious can see television programs, listen to radio or
music and read the newspaper.
|n399.
The Territorial Director, having heard the opinion of his Council, is to
name in each Center for Formation and Apostolate committees headed by the
Rector or
|cPar.3Chap.VIArt.5
Art. 5 - Certain things our religious should avoid
|n400. |p |p §1. Keeping in mind the
indications of the Holy See, none of our religious are to be let read newspapers,
magazines or books which, although not prohibited, threaten their faith or
their religious spirit and habits. Moreover, none of our religious, least of
all our students, are to read novels or other worldly
compositions unless it is for legitimate and weighty reasons that the Rector or
|p §2. Even if he has obtained permission from the Rector or
Superior of the Center a religious in no way exempted from the prohibitions of
natural law against reading or browsing through books or publications that are
a proximate occasion of spiritual harm.
|n401. |p |p §1. Rectors and Superiors are
to be especially careful when directing religious who are dedicated to writing,
keeping them punctually abreast of the norms and warnings issued by the
Apostolic See and the Doctrinal Committee of the General Technical Advisory
Team.
|p §2. In order to guarantee sound doctrine, faithful
adherence to the Magisterium and true love for the Church, our religious should
voluntarily abstain from writing about ambiguous philosophical or theological
theories that cast doubt on the authority of the Magisterium, the Constitution
of the Church, the truths of faith, ecclesiastical discipline, etc... or that could sow disorientation or confusion among the
faithful.
|p §3. The General Director and the Territorial Directors,
within the scope of their respective authority, are to immediately withdraw
permission to publish their writings from any priest or
religious who does not abide by the criteria expressed in the previous
number. If, regardless of this prohibition, the religious continues to publish
his writings or has others publish them, he is to be dismissed from the
Congregation following the indications of Canon Law.
|n402.
Without express permission from the Rector or
|n403. |p |p §1. They should not permit
themselves to criticize the behaviour of religious
from other Congregations or Institutes, or the behaviour
of the clergy.
|p §2. If anyone by word, in writing or some other form does
an injustice to a person outside the Legion-above all to a religious, an
ordained minister, or a Church dignitary-he must immediately retract his words
and make satisfaction.
|n404. |p |p §1. If possible the Centers for
Apostolate should be made up of no less than twelve members and no more than
eighteen in order to foster fervor, a healthy team life and religious
discipline.
|p §2. At least three members of the community should remain
in the Center for Apostolate when, for apostolic reasons, other members are
absent for days at a time or longer. The Territorial Director is to confer on
one of them the faculties of Assistant Superior for such times.
|n405. |p |p §1. Our religious are not to
take part in the games of the students, even those of our Vocational Centers,
above all when monitoring their recreation periods.
|p §2. However Superiors may permit the religious to play occasionally
with the students when there is a good reason.
|p §3. If the the religious are
seen to disedify the students with their lack of
control in the game, the permission is to be revoked.
|n406. |p |p §1. Ordinarily the Superiors
are not to participate in the games of their subordinates.
|p §2. However the Territorial Director may permit them to
do so occasionally or habitually when there is a good reason.
|p §3. If the Superiors are seen to disedify
their subordinates with their lack of control in the game the permission is to
be revoked.
|n407. |p |p §1. In their games they should
avoid anything improper to religious modesty.
|p §2. Without permission from the General Director no one
may attend public spectacles or introduce new sports in the Congregation.
|p §3. Under extraordinary circumstances, religious in
different stages of formation may play together.
|n408. |p |p §1. Our religious are not
allowed to accept Mass foundations. Moreover, without permission from the
General Director they may not ask for Mass intentions.
|p §2. Our religious may accept Mass intentions and stipends
when these are spontaneously requested by the faithful.
|p §3. If these petitions exceed the number of Masses that
can be celebrated in the Center, the Mass intentions and stipends should be
sent to the General Director for distribution.
|p §4. In all our Centers there should be a register with
the exact account of the intentions for which Masses are offered. The Rector or
|n409. |p |p §1. Inasmuch as possible our
religious are to abstain from secular matters such as the duties of an
executor, a legal agent or representative in civil matters and similar
responsibilities.
|p §2. Therefore our religious are not to
:
1) Take upon themselves the fulfilment of confidential testamentary bequests;
2) Get involved in legal
litigation for persons outside the Legion except as a witness;
3) Administer
the belongings of another person;
4) Work to advance the career of
others.
|p §3. Only the General Director may dispense our religious
from these prohibitions, but should do so very rarely.
|n410.
Our religious are not permitted to engage or meddle in politics, labor
unions, war or similar affairs.
|n411. Without permission from the Rector or
|n412.
Without special or habitual permission from the Rector or
|n413.
Without permission from the Rector or
|cPar.3Chap.VII
Chapter VII
THE
OBLIGATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONS
|n414.
Each and every one of our religious, whether Superiors or subordinates,
should not only faithfully and integrally observe the vows they have professed,
but also configure their lives according to the spirit of the Constitutions,
seeking and tending towards the specific perfection of the religious state in
the Legion.
|n415. |p |p §1. The prescriptions of the
Constitutions that contain divine or Church laws retain the obligatory nature
of these laws.
|p §2. The prescriptions of the vows,
or those that define the matter of the vows or how they should be fulfilled
derive their obligation from the vows themselves.
|p §3. The prescriptions that specify the rights and
obligations of the directors and Superiors in their government, and those that
determine the nature and objective of the Congregation and her formative and
apostolic methodology, oblige in conscience depending on the gravity of the
matter.
|p §4. Finally, the disciplinary or ascetic prescriptions
different from the above do not oblige under pain of sin, although they can be
matter for the vow and virtue of obedience. But the infringement of even the smallest of these prescriptions is a
sin against the virtue that is violated, if it originates from formal contempt
or incorrect motives or objectives, if it causes scandal, or if it provokes the
decadence of religious life.
|n416.
All the Superiors of the Congregation are to use every possible means to
promote and demand observance of the Constitutions prudently and effectively.
They should always keep before their eyes that for our religious to reach the
ideal of sanctity and fulfill the mission they are called to they must observe
the Constitutions with utmost fidelity. For this reason :
|p §1. A religious who violates any norm of the
Constitutions is obliged to carry out the penance he is given in a spirit of
reparation;
|p §2. No contrary custom or disuse can prevail over what is
prescribed in the Constitutions.
|n417. |p |p §1. All our religious should
read the Constitutions often and do all they can to
put them faithfully into
practice.
|p §2. They should
never give the Constitutions to anyone outside the Congregation.
|p §3. Anyone who
leaves or is dismissed from the Congregation is to return the Constitutions to
the Rector or Superior of the Center.
|n418. |p |p §1. Every day before the evening meal there
should be a brief reading from the Constitutions for the community in such a
way that in the course of the year they are read in their entirety.
|p §2. There is to be a fifteen minute reading from the
Constitutions each week. In Centers for
Formation it is done in teams, in Centers for Apostolate in community. This may
be done more frequently with the approval of the Territorial Director if the
Rector or
|p §3. Once they have finished reading the Constitutions as
stated in the previous paragraph, they are to read the decrees of the General
Chapter or the Canonical Visitation, if there has been one.
|n419. |p |p §1. No one can innovate,
change, temporarily suspend, or delete any principle, criterion or norm
contained in these Constitutions. The Holy See authentically interprets these
Constitutions.
|p §2. A legitimately convoked General Chapter can legislate
by chapter decrees on the pastoral and methodological applications of the
Constitutions, as long as it is based on and does not deviate from these. Such
a decree requires that a serious and mature analysis has taken place in the
Chapter and that the decree has been approved by a two-thirds majority of the
chapter fathers.
|p §3. If a chapter decree approved in a General Chapter
does not give sound results it can and should be annulled in the following
General Chapter.
|p §4. In order for a chapter decree to acquire definitive legal value for
the Congregation it must be confirmed by the authority of two ordinary General
Chapters and, when submitted to a third ordinary General Chapter, it must
receive approval by at least two-thirds of the chapter fathers and be ratified
by the Holy See.
|n420.
Regard these Constitutions as the specific charism
given by God to the Congregation, especially in all that refers to her nature,
her specific objectives, her own methods of apostolate, her spirituality and
her ascetic and sacramental means of spiritual perseverance. All of this
uniquely constitutes the raison d'etre of the
Congregation and bears the seal of divine assistance received by the Founder
and the judgement of the Church. No one except the
Holy See has the power to sanction the introduction of any modification or
change in the Constitutions of the Congregation.
PER REGNUM CHRISTI AD GLORIAM DEI
This first English translation of the Constitutions of
the Legion of Christ was finished in