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64. Vows Page 1 64. Vows Page 1 64. VOWS Summary: 1. A vow is a promise made to God to do some good thing. Over the course of the Church's history an elaborate theology and canonical practice developed around the vows of religion, traditionally poverty, chastity, and obedience. - 2. In his writings, De La Salle speaks of speci­ fic vows made by individual saints, but not of the vows of religion. - 3. In the Founder's lifetime some Brothers made vows of obedience, stability, and association to keep gratuitous schools, all ordered to the mission of the Institute. - 4. In his writings, even though many Brothers were not bound by vows, De La Salle considers them all 10 be consecrated by their entry into the In­ stitute. - 5. It is disputed whether it was the Founder's intention that the Brothers should even­ tually take vows of poverty and chastity. - 6. The vows of the Brothers have evolved from 1725, when the Bull of Approbation introduced the vows of poverty and chastity, until 1987 when the Ruie defined the vows as chastity, poverty, obedience, association for the service of the poor through education, and stability. 1. THE MEANING OF THE WORD Christian should strive to eliminate. The tradition of "evangelical counsels" remains strong however 1.1. The dictionaries define the word vow in and is used consistently in the documents of Vati­ religious terms as a promise made to God or to can n, the 1983 Code of Canon Law, and other of­ some saint to do some specific good thing. The ficial Vatican documents pertaining to the religious solemn promises made by members of religious life, and especially to the vows of religion. nrders are known as the "vows of religion." From the 13th century on, the vows of religion were con­ 1.2. The theology of vows current in the 17th sistently poverty, chastity and obedience, derived century, and in the traditional theological manuals and motivated by the notion that these were three ever since, derives from the extensive treatment of evangelical counsels distinct from the command­ the subject by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th ments binding on every Christian. century. In this theology, to make a vow was consi­ dered an act of ihe virtue of religion. The matter of 1.1.1. Recent biblical and theological scholar­ any vow would have to be a promise to do someth­ ship has shown that there is little basis in the New ing that would be a greater good, objectively or for Testament for two classes of Christians, ordinary the person. Once the vow is made, it entails objec­ Christians who observe only the commandments, tive obligations that transcend the control of the and "perfect" Christians who practice the counsels. subject making the vow. Vows are thought to be It is stressed today that the so-called hard sayings useful for the person, as well as for the glory of of Jesus are addressed as challenges to anyone who God. Since the matter of the vow has a social as­ would be a Christian. Also, there is a sense in pect, vows can be dispensed only by the social au­ which chastity and obedience are binding on every­ thority, the natural nr the ecclesiastical society, af­ one, whereas poverty is a social evil that every fected by the vow. Only ecclesiastical authority has 64. Vows Page 2 vows 261 the power to designate certain vows as solemn. In often began, as did Ignatius and his companions, this theology, the three vows of religion constitute with vows primarily focused on the specific mis­ the religious state as a state of perfection. The vows sion of the congregation. Eventually, the Jesuits can lead to the perfection of charity since they in­ adopted the traditional vows of religion, but ad­ volve sacrifice for a higher good of personal control ded a specific vow to maintain the missionary di­ over the fundamental goods of human existence, mension of the engagement. Some of the newer namely possessions, sexuality, and power. congregations opted for no vows at all, as did the Vincentians and the Oratorians of Philip Neri and 1.3. Prior to the 13th century, the vows of reli­ Cardinal Berulle. The tradition was strong gion were simple vows, meaning that acts contrary enough, however, to have most of the rapidly mul­ to the vows do not involve invalidity, e.g. a mar­ tiplying congregations adopt the three traditional riage contracted by a person with a vow of chas­ vows, often in the form of simple rather than sol­ tity. After the 13th century, the vows of religion emn vows, with or without a specific missionary professed in religious orders were declared solemn, vow, and to build the theory and practice of reli­ with serious consequences for the validity of cer­ gious life around them. tain ecclesiastical and civil acts, such as marriage, ordination, legitimacy of birth, inheritances, flight from the monastery etc. As a result, legal conflicts 2. VOWS IN THE WRITINGS OF in dealing with individual cases arose between sec­ DE LA SALLE ular and ecclesiastical authorities, between bishops and the religious clergy. To address these prob­ 2.1. In his catechetical wntmgs, De La Salle lems, by the 17th century there had developed, summarizes the traditional teaching on the nature side by side with a theological casuistry on the ob­ of a vow. Thus, a vow is a promise made to God ligations of the vows, extensive jurisprudence on to do some good thing, but it does not prevent do­ questions relating to the validity of monastic ing something better, e.g. a vow to make a pilg­ vows, their annulment and dispensation. rimage would yield to a vow to enter religious life (Da 117-118). A vow is an act of religion since 1.4. Religious vows were high on the list of thereby a person recognizes the sovereign domi­ targets for the Protestant reformers of the 16th nion of God over the self (Da 118 B). Vows are century. Part of the reason was that the scriptural made only to God because a vow is an act of reli­ basis for the structure of religious life was seen to gion hy which we consecrate to the worship and be weak. More important, perhaps, were the wide­ service of God all the things we promise by the spread abuses that had developed in the late mid­ vow (Db 88 C). A vow made to the Blessed Virgin dle ages, especially the forced entrance into reli­ Mary is in fact a vow made to God in honor of gious life of persons underage, those who were an Mary (Da 118 C). A solemn vow of chastity is an embarrassment to their families, or an obstacle to impediment to marriage (Da 393 A) and the basis the rights of primogeniture. In addition, there for dispensation from a solemn engagement to were flagrant violations in some orders and mon­ marry (Da 394 C). asteries of the letter and the spirit of the vows. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) and the subsequent 2.2. De La Salle's meditations provide many tightening of Catbolic discipline did much to eli­ examples of vows, all of them evidently private minate these abuses and to engage the religious or­ vows, made by various saints, especially the vow ders, both old and new, in the reform of the of virginity made by Mary (MF 191.1), Saint Ge­ Church. nevieve (MF 95.1), Saint Catherine of Siena (MF 118.1), Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi (MF 1.5. In the post-Tridentine period there were 130.1), Iphigenia, the daughter of the King of Eth­ new challenges from within the Church to the tra­ iopia (MF 167.3), and Saint Francis de Sales (MF ditional monastic approach to religious life and 101.1). Significantly, De La Salle notes the mis­ the vows. The founders of the new active institutes sionary vows made by Ignatius and his first follo- 64. Vows Page 3 262 LASALLIAN THEMES wers, namely, a vow to leave all their goods, to 3. THE VOWS OF THE BROTHERS work for the salvation of souls and their own spi­ IN THE FOUNDER'S LIFETIME ritual advancement, and to submit entirely to the Pope (MF 148.3). Saint Teresa of Avila made a 3.1. In the course of the first assembly of the vow to do anything she knew to be more agreeable principal Brothers of the young Society, 1686 seems to God (MF 177.3). The strangest reference to a to be the best date, discussion took place on the vow is the story De La Salle relates about the possibility ofgiving stability to the enterprise by tak­ body of Saint Severns. When tbat saint's casket ing vows. The vow of obedience was mentioned was being moved to the cathedral of Rouen, in prominently and it seems that some Brothers also every place where it rested overnigbt, the weight of suggested a vow of chastity. after the Founder cau­ it became so heavy that it could not be moved un­ tioned prudence, the Brothers finally decided to take til a vow was made to build a church on the site only the vow of obedience. The biographers disagree (MF 103.3). on the duration: Blain says for three years, MaiUefer and Bernard say for one. In the light of subsequent 2.3. Nowhere in this writing does De La Salle practice, Brother Maurice Hermans suggests that discuss the vows of religion as such. Although the this first vow would have been made for three years, Brothers were expected from the beginning and by but annuaUy renewed (CL 2,35).
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