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The Constitutions Capuchin Friars Minor

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The Constitutions Capuchin Friars Minor The Rule & Testament of Saint Francis of Assisi The Constitutions of the Capuchin Friars Minor The Ordinances of the General Chapters 2013 1 The following texts are taken from Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, edited by Regis J. Armstrong, J. A. Wayne Hellman and William J. Short, and are reprinted with permission of New City Press: The Bull of Pope Honorius III, The Rule of the Lesser Brothers, The Testament of Saint Francis and An Exhortation of Our Holy Father Saint Francis. 2 Table of Contents The Rule of the Lesser Brothers .................................................................................7 The Testament of Saint Francis ................................................................................15 The Formula for the Profession of Vows ................................................................18 The Exhortation of Saint Francis .............................................................................19 Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................22 The Decree of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ...........................................................................27 The Decree of Promulgation ....................................................................................29 Foreword ....................................................................................................................30 The Constitutions of the Capuchin Friars Minor ..................................................33 Chapter I: The Life of the Capuchin Friars Minor ................................................35 Article I: Our Life according to the Gospel ....................................................35 Article II: Our Life in the Church ....................................................................39 Chapter II: The Vocation to Our Life and the Formation of the Brothers.......... 43 Article I: The Vocation to Our Life ..................................................................43 Article II: Admission to Our Life .....................................................................44 Article III: Formation in General ....................................................................48 Article IV: Initiation into Our Life ..................................................................51 Article V: Profession of Our Life ......................................................................55 Article VI: Formation for Work and Ministry ...............................................57 Article VII: On-going Formation ....................................................................60 Chapter III: Our Life of Prayer ................................................................................63 Chapter IV: Our Life in Poverty ..............................................................................73 Article I: Our Commitment to Poverty ...........................................................73 Article II: Poverty in Property and Money .....................................................76 Article III: Poverty in Our Buildings ...............................................................79 Article IV: The Administration of Resources .................................................80 Chapter V: Our Manner of Working ......................................................................82 Chapter VI: Our Life in Brotherhood .....................................................................87 Article I: Our Commitment to Life in Brotherhood .....................................88 Article II: The Life of the Brothers in the World ............................................95 3 Chapter VII: Our Life of Penance ............................................................................98 Chapter VIII: The Governance of the Order .......................................................103 Article I: The Structure of the Order ..............................................................103 Article II: Superiors and Offices in General ..................................................106 Article III: The General Governance of the Order .......................................107 Article IV: The Governance of the Provinces ...............................................111 Article V: The Governance of the Custodies................................................. 114 Article VI: The Governance of the Local Fraternity ....................................117 Article VII: Collaboration in the Order, The Plenary Council, and the Conferences of Major Superiors ...............................................................119 Chapter IX: Our Apostolic Life .............................................................................122 Chapter X: Our Life in Obedience ........................................................................130 Article I: The Pastoral Service of the Ministers and Guardians.................. 131 Article II: The Loving Obedience of the Brothers ........................................134 Chapter XI: Our Life in Consecrated Chastity ....................................................137 Chapter XII: The Proclamation of the Gospel and The Life of Faith ................141 Article I: Our Commitment to Evangelization .............................................141 Article II: Our Life of Faith .............................................................................145 Ordinances of the General Chapters of the Capuchin Friars Minor .................151 Preface ...............................................................................................................153 Chapter II: The Vocation to our Life and the Formation of the Brothers ..155 Chapter III: Our Life of Prayer .......................................................................158 Chapter IV: Our Life of Poverty .....................................................................158 Chapter V: Our Manner of Working .............................................................161 Chapter VI: Our Life in Brotherhood ...........................................................161 Chapter VII: Our Life of Penance ..................................................................163 Chapter VIII: The Governance of Our Order............................................... 163 Chapter X: Our Life in Obedience .................................................................168 Chapter XII: The Proclamation of the Gospel and the Life of Faith ..........169 Analytical Index ......................................................................................................171 4 Saint Francis of Assisi: The Rule of the Lesser Brothers & The Testament 5 6 The Bull of Pope Honorius III Honorius, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God, to His Beloved Sons, Brother Francis and the other brothers of the Order of Lesser Brothers, Health and Apostolic Benediction. The Apostolic See is accustomed to grant the pious request and favorably to accede to the laudable desires of its petitioners. Therefore, beloved sons in the Lord, attentive to your pious prayers, We confirm with Our Apostolic Authority, and by these words ratify, the Rule of your Order, herein outlined and approved by Our predecessor, Pope Innocent of happy memory, which is as follows: 7 The Rule of the Lesser Brothers [Chapter I] In the Name of the Lord! The Life of the Lesser Brothers Begins 1The rule and life of the Lesser Brothers is this: to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of one’s own, and in chastity. 2Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to our Lord Pope Honorius, his successors canonically elected, and to the Roman Church. 3Let the other brothers be bound to obey Brother Francis and his successors. [Chapter II] Those Who Wish to Adopt This Life and How They Should Be Received 1If there are any who wish to accept this life and come to our brothers, let them send them to their provincial ministers, to whom alone—and not to others—is permission granted to receive the brothers. 2Let the ministers examine them carefully concerning the Catholic faith and the sac- raments of the Church. 3If they believe all these things, will profess them faithfully, and observe them steadfastly to the end; 4and if they have no wives, or if they have wives who have already taken a vow of continence and are of such an age that suspicion cannot be raised about them, and who have already entered a monastery or have given their husbands permission by the authority of the bishop of the diocese, 5let the ministers speak to them the words of the holy Gospel that they go and sell all they have and take care to give it to the poor. 6If they cannot do this, their good will may suffice. 7Let the brothers and the minister be careful not to interfere with their material goods that they may dispose of their belongings as the Lord inspires them. 8If, however, counsel is sought, the minister may send them to some God-fearing persons according to whose advice their goods may be distributed to the poor. 9Then they may be given the clothes of probation, namely, two tunics without a hood, a cord, short trousers, and a little cape reaching to the cord, 10unless, at times, it seems good to these same ministers, before God, to act otherwise. 11When the year of probation has come to an end, they may be received to obedience promising always to observe this rule and life. 12On no account shall it be lawful for them to leave this Order, according to the decree of our Lord
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