SOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM OF RHODES AND OF MALTA MEMBERSHIP IN THE ORDER OF MALTA REGULATIONS AND COMMENTARY Promulgated by H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing and approved by the Sovereign Council on February 18, 2011 ROME 2011 Members of religious Orders are required to read and reread the Rule of their Order on a frequent basis. The Constitutional Charter and Code of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (1997) is a somewhat dry and legalistic documenT and The original Rule of Blessed Raymond du Puy is raTher difficulT To place in a modern conTexT. Members of The Order need To have a work of reference which They can use To regulaTe their lives and it is for this reason that this new edition of the Regulations and Commentary has been produced. A great deal of hard work and thought has been given to it and I and the Sovereign Council are most grateful to those who have made its publication possible. Various experts close to the Holy See have been consulted extensively so that we can be certain that it is in accordance with the teaching of the Church. I commend the use of this document to all members of the Order. Please refer to it often – rather in the way of the monasteries of the Benedictine tradition where an extract from the Rule of St. Benedict is read everyday in choir. The end of the Rule of St. Benedict contains the following exhortation: ‘Whoever you may be, then, in your eagerness to reach your Father’s home in Heaven, be faithful with Christ’s help to this little Rule which is only a beginning.’ Please use it to help you to achieve perfection in your lives as Christians and as members of the Order of Malta. Fra’ Matthew Festing 3 iaus amis, vos requerés la compaignie de la maison et avés raison, car Bmostz de gentis homes font grans prieres et ont grant joe quant il pont “metre aucuns de leur enfanis ou de leur amis en ceste religion. Et si vous avés volonté d’estre en si belle et si honorable compaignie, et en si sainte religion com cele del Hospital es, vos avés raison. Et ja soit ce que vous nos vées bien vestus et grans chevaus, et cuidiés ayens tous les aises, vos estes enginiés, quar quant vos voudrés mangier, il vous covendra à jeunier, et quant vos vourés jeunier, il vos covendra à mangier. Et quant vos vourés dormir, si vos covendra à veillier. Et quant vous voudrés veillier, si vos covenra à dormir, et vos mandara l’en desa et dela en plassa que non vos plaira pas, et vos covenra aler ia. Et si covendra que vos leisés toute vostre volontés por l’autrui faire, et pluros autres durtés que vos covenra suffrir en la religion que l’on non vos pot dire.” os prometés et voés à Dieu et à Nostre-Dame, et à monseignor saint VJohan Baptiste de vievre et de morir en obedience, et d’estre obedient à “quelque soveiran que Dyeus vos donra. Et si prometés de vievre castement jusques à la mort. Et si prometés de vievre sans propre. Encor fasons nos autre promession, que nule autre gens non fan, quar vos prometés d’estre sers et esclaf de nos seignors malades.” 4 ear friends, you demand The company of The house and you are righT, because many Dgenteel men make great prayers and have great joy when they can put one of their children or of Their friends in This religion. And if iT is your will To enTer in such a handsome and honourable company, and in such a holy religion as The one of The Hospital is, you are indeed right. And in case it is that you see us so well dressed, [with] big horses, and cared for with all eases, you are deceived, because when you will wanT To eaT, iT will be arranged for you To fasT, and when you will wanT To fasT, iT will be arranged for you to eat. And when you will want to sleep, then it will be arranged for you to vigil. And when you will want to vigil, then it will be arranged for you to sleep, and you will be sent here and there in places you will not want to go to, and it will be arranged for you to go there. And also, it will be arranged for you to loose all your will, in order to act in favour of others. And many other hardships will have to be suffered in the religion, more that what one could say. ou promise and vow unTo God and Our Lady, and unTo Monsignor SainT John YBaptist to live and to die in obedience, and to be obedient to that sovereign whom God will give you. And then you promise to live chastely till your death. And then you promise To live wiThouT properTies. And moreover, we make anoTher promise, which nobody else makes, that is you promise to be servants and slaves of our lords the sick. Jugements (esgarts) et coutumes (usances) de l’Ordre de l’Hospital, 121: “Ci dit coment l’en doit recevoir frere”, Judgements (esgarts) and customs (usances) of the Order of the Hospital, 121: “Here it says how one should treat the brother” in Cartulaire Général de l’Ordre des Hospitaliers de St. Jean de Jérusalem (1100-1310), par J. Delaville Le Roulx, E. Leroux Editeur, Paris 1894-1906 Tome II 1897, pp. 556-557 5 Index PREAMBLE TO THE DOCUMENT “REGULATIONS AND COMMENTARY” INTRODUCTION I. The Universal Call to the People of God and the Special Vocation into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . p. 23 1. “The Universal Vocation of the People of God” to Holiness (Lumen Gentium, 39-43) . p. 23 2. The Manifold Ways to Follow Christ . p. 23 3. Following Christ as a Member of the Order of Malta . p. 24 4. The Word of God . p. 25 5. The Grace of the Sacraments . p. 26 II. The Charism of the Order of Malta: Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum . p. 26 1. Hospitaller Order . p. 27 2. Religious Lay Order . p. 28 3. Sovereign Order . p. 29 4. By Tradition Military, Chivalrous and Nobiliary . p. 29 - “By Tradition Military” Order - Chivalrous Order - Nobiliary Order 5. The Patrons and the Founder of the Order . p. 31 - Our Lady of Philermos - St John the Baptist - Blessed Gerard 6. The Eight-Pointed Cross . p. 32 7. The Three Classes of Membership in the Order of Malta . p. 33 7 III. Fundamental Considerations for All Members of the Order . p. 35 1. The Word of God . p. 35 2. Knowledge of the Faith of the Church and of the History and of the Tradition of the Order of Malta . p. 36 3. Spiritual Life . p. 36 4. Obsequium Pauperum . p. 37 5. Way of Life . p. 40 THIRD CLASS IV. Fundamental Considerations for the Third Class . p. 45 1. Membership in the Order . p. 45 2. Witnessing Through an Exemplary Life . p. 46 3. A Life of Prayer and Christian Formation . p. 47 4. Participating Concretely in the Works of the Order . p. 48 V. Regulations for the Members of the Third Class . p. 48 1. The Sacraments of Eucharist and Penance . p. 48 2. Daily Prayers . p. 48 3. Annual Spiritual Exercises . p. 48 4. Church Topics . p. 49 5. Meetings and Celebrations of the Order . p. 49 6. Formation Initiatives of the Priories and Associations . p. 49 7. Serving the Poor and the Sick . p. 49 8. A Sober Lifestyle . p. 49 9. Family duties . p. 49 10. Married Members . p. 50 11. Exemplary Citizens . p. 50 8 VI. Admission to the Third Class . p. 50 1. Regulations for the Selection of Candidates . p. 51 2. The Preparatory Year . p. 52 3. Regulations for the Preparatory Year . p. 52 4. Further Determinations for Admission . p. 53 5. Ceremony of Admission . p. 55 VII. Regulations Regarding the Principal Functions of Priories and Associations Towards the Members . p. 55 SECOND CLASS VIII. Fundamental Considerations for the Second Class . p. 60 IX. Commentary to Article 9 § 2 of the Constitutional Charter and to Article 94 of the Code . ..