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Foreword
All people are called
to share, through charity, the holiness which belongs to God alone:
"You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt. 5,48)
Following Christ is the
way to attain perfection, open to all by baptism. Through Baptism
we take part in the triple mission of Jesus: kingly, priestly and
prophetic. The first is a commitment to transforming the world according
to God’s design. By the priestly mission, the baptized person
offers self and the whole of creation to the Father with Christ, guided
by the Holy Spirit. And as prophet, the baptized person announces
God’s plan for human kind and denounces all that is contrary
to it[1].
The great Teresian Carmelite
family is present in the world in many forms. The nucleus of this
family is the Order of Discalced Carmelites B the friars, the enclosed
nuns, the seculars. It is the one Order with the same charism. The
Order is nourished by the long tradition of Carmel, expressed in the
Rule of Saint Albert and the doctrine of the Carmelite Doctors of
the Church and the Order’s other saints.
The present OCDS Constitutions
are the fundamental law for its members, present in different regions
of the world. For this reason they are characterized by simplicity
of structures and moderation in rules concerning the way of life.
In this way, within a fundamental unity established by this legislation,
there is preserved openness to pluralism in expression demanded by
the various social, cultural and ecclesial contexts. To achieve this,
particular Statutes may be drawn up to complete and adapt the general
laws where permitted in these Constitutions.
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Chapter I
Our Identity, Values and Commitment
1. Carmelite Seculars,
together with the Friars and Nuns, are sons and daughters of the Order
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Teresa of Jesus. As a result, they
share the same charism with the religious, each according to their
particular state of life. It is one family with the same spiritual
possessions, the same call to holiness (cf. Ep 1:4; 1 P 1:15) and
the same apostolic mission. Secular members contribute to the Order
the benefits proper to their secular state of life[2].
2. Our membership of
the Order goes back to the relationship established between laity
and members of religious Orders born in the Middle Ages. Gradually
these relationships took on an official character, forming part of
the religious Institute and taking part in its charism and spirituality.
In light of the Church’s new theology of the laity, Seculars
live this membership with a clear secular identity.
3. The members of the
Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites are faithful members of the
Church[3], called to live
"in allegiance to Jesus Christ"[4] through "friendship
with the One we know loves us"[5] and in service
to the Church. Under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in
the biblical tradition of the prophet Elijah and inspired by the teachings
of St Teresa of Jesus and St John of the Cross, they seek to deepen
their Christian commitment received in baptism.
4. The Virgin Mary is
present in a special way, most of all as a model of faithfulness in
listening to the Lord and in service to Him and to others. Mary is
the one who preserved in her heart the life and actions of her Son
and meditated on them[6],
providing for us an example of contemplation. At Cana she counselled
to do what the Lord commanded[7].
Mary is an example of apostolic service. On another occasion, she
waited, persevering in prayer with the apostles[8],
for the coming of the Holy Spirit, thus giving witness to intercessory
prayer. She is Mother of the Order. Secular Carmel enjoys her special
protection and cultivates a sincere Marian devotion.
5. Elijah represents
the prophetical tradition of Carmel and is an inspiration to live
in the presence of God, seeking Him in solitude and silence with zeal
for God’s glory. The Secular Carmelites live the prophetic dimension
of Christian life and Carmelite spirituality by promoting God’s
law of charity and truth in the world, above all by making themselves
the voice for those who cannot, on their own, express this love and
this truth[9].
6. The Rule of Saint
Albert is the original expression of the spirituality of Carmel. It
was written for the laypeople who gathered on Mount Carmel to live
a life dedicated to meditation on the Word of God, under the protection
of Our Lady. The following principles of that Rule guide Carmelite
life:
a) Living in allegiance
to Jesus Christ;
b) Being diligent in meditating on the law of the Lord;
c) Giving time to spiritual reading;
d) Participating in the Church’s Liturgy, both the Eucharist
and the Liturgy of the Hours;
e) Being concerned for the needs and the good of others in the community;
f) Arming ourselves with the practice of the virtues, as we live
an intense life of faith, hope and charity;
g) Seeking interior silence and solitude in our life of prayer;
h) Using prudent discretion in all that we do.
7. The origin of the
Discalced Carmel is to be found in St Teresa of Jesus. She lived with
profound faith in God’s mercy[10] which strengthened
her to persevere[11] in prayer, humility, love for her brothers and sisters, and love for
the Church, leading her to the grace of spiritual matrimony. Her evangelical
self-denial, disposition to service and perseverance in the practice
of the virtues are a daily guide to living the spiritual life[12].
Her teachings on prayer and the spiritual life are essential to the
formation and life of the Secular Order.
8. Saint John of the
Cross was the companion of Saint Teresa in the formation of the Discalced
Carmelite Order. He inspires the Secular Carmelite to be vigilant
in the practice of faith, hope and charity. He guides the Secular
Carmelite through the dark night to union with God. In this union
with God, the Secular Carmelite finds the true freedom of the children
of God[13].
9. Taking into account
the origins of Carmel and the Teresian charism, the fundamental elements
of the vocation of Teresian Secular Carmelites can be summarized as
follows:
a) to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, supported by the imitation
and patronage of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, whose way of life
is, for Carmel, a model of being conformed to Christ.
b) to seek "mysterious union with God" by way of contemplation and
apostolic activity, indissolubly joined together, for service to
the Church;
c) to give particular importance to prayer which, nourished by listening
to the Word of God and by the liturgy, is conducive to relating
with God as a friend, not just in prayer but in daily living. To
be committed to this life of prayer demands being nourished by faith,
hope and, above all, charity in order to live in the presence and
the mystery of the living God[14];
d) to infuse prayer and life with apostolic zeal in a climate of
human and Christian community;
e) to live evangelical self-denial from a theological perspective;
f) to give importance to the commitment to evangelization: in the
ministry of spirituality as the particular collaboration of the
Secular Order, faithful to its Teresian Carmelite identity.
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Chapter II
FOLLOWING
JESUS IN THE TERESIAN SECULAR CARMEL
10. Christ is the centre
of our lives and of Christian experience. Members of the Secular Order
are called to live the demands of following Christ in union with Him,
by accepting His teachings and devoting themselves to Him. To follow
Jesus is to take part in His saving mission of proclaiming the Good
News and the establishment of God’s Kingdom (Mt 4:18-19). There
are various ways of following Jesus: all Christians must follow Him,
must make Him the law for their lives and be disposed to fulfil three
fundamental demands: to place family ties beneath the interests of
the Kingdom and Jesus himself (Mt 10:37-39; Lk 14: 25-26); to live
in detachment from wealth in order to show that the arrival of the
Kingdom does not depend on human means but rather on God’s strength
and the willingness of the human person before Him (Lk 14:33; to carry
the cross of accepting God’s will revealed in the mission that
He has confided to each person (Lk 14:33; 9:23).
11. Following Jesus as
members of the Secular Order is expressed by the promise to strive
for evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels
of chastity, poverty and obedience and through the beatitudes. By
means of this promise the member’s baptismal commitment is strengthened
for the service of God’s plan in the world. This promise is
a pledge to pursue personal holiness, which necessarily carries with
it a commitment to serving the Church in faithfulness to the Teresian
Carmelite charism. The promise is taken before the members of the
community, representing the whole Church and in the presence of the
Delegate of the Superior of the Order.
12. By the promise made
to the community in the presence of the Superior of the Order or his
Delegate, the person becomes a full member of the Secular Order. By
this commitment members strive to acquire the necessary training to
know the reasons, the content and purpose of the evangelical lifestyle
they are undertaking. The promise heightens and enriches the baptismal
commitment in Secular Carmelites. This includes those called to married
life, both as spouses and as parents. This promise in renewed once
a year at Easter time.
The commitment to the
promise to live the spirit of the evangelical counsel of chastity
13. The promise of chastity
reinforces the commitment to love God above all else, and to love
others with the love God has for them[15].
In this promise the Secular Carmelite seeks the freedom to love God
and neighbour unselfishly[16] giving witness
to the divine intimacy promised by the beatitude "blessed are the
pure of heart for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). The promise of chastity
is a commitment to Christian love in its personal and social dimensions
in order to create authentic community in the world. By this promise
the Secular Carmelite also expresses the conscious desire to respect
each person as required by God’s law and one’s state of
life, as a single person or married or widowed. This promise does
not prevent a change in state of life.
The commitment to the
promise of living the spirit of the evangelical counsel of poverty
14. By the promise of
poverty the Secular Carmelite expresses the desire to live in accordance
with the Gospel and its values. In evangelical poverty there is a
wealth of generosity, self-denial, and interior liberty and a dependence
on Him who "Though rich, yet for our sake, became poor" (2 Co 8:9),
and who "emptied Himself" (Ph 2:7), to be at the service of His brothers
and sisters. The promise of poverty seeks an evangelical use of the
goods of this world and of personal talents, as well as the exercise
of personal responsibilities in society, in family, and work, confidently
placing all in the hands of God. It also implies a commitment to the
cause of justice so that the world itself responds to God’s
plan. In combination with these, evangelical poverty recognizes personal
limitations and surrenders them to God with confidence in His goodness
and fidelity.
The commitment to the
promise to live the spirit of the evangelical counsel of obedience
15. The promise of obedience
is a pledge to live open to the will of God, "in whom we live and
move and have our being" (Ac 17:28) imitating Christ who accepted
the Father’s will and was "obedient unto death, death on a cross"
(Ph 2:8). The promise of obedience is an exercise of faith leading
to the search for God’s will in the events and challenges in
society and our own personal life. For this reason the Secular Carmelite
freely cooperates with those who have responsibility for guiding the
community and the Order in discerning and accepting God’s ways:
the Community’s Council, the Provincial and the General.
The commitment to the
promise to live the spirit of the beatitudes
16. The beatitudes are
a plan of action for life and a way to enter into relationship with
the world, neighbours and co-workers, families and friends. By promising
to live the beatitudes in daily life, Secular Carmelites seek to give
evangelical witness as members of the Church and the Order, and by
this witness invite the world to follow Christ: "the Way, the Truth
and the Life" (Jn 14:6).
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Chapter III
WITNESSES
TO THE EXPERIENCE OF GOD
17. The vocation to the
Teresian Carmel is a commitment to "live a life of allegiance to Jesus
Christ", "pondering the Lord’s law day and night and keeping
watch in prayer"[17].
Faithful to this principle of the Rule, St Teresa placed prayer as
the foundation and basic exercise of her religious family. For this
reason, Secular Carmelites are called to strive to make prayer penetrate
their whole existence, in order to walk in the presence of the living
God (cf. 1 K 18:14), through the constant exercise of faith, hope
and love, in such a way that the whole of their life is a prayer,
a search for union with God. The goal will be to achieve the integration
of experience of God with the experience of life: to be contemplatives
in prayer and the fulfilment of their own mission.
18. Prayer, a dialogue
of friendship with God, ought to be nourished by His Word so that
this dialogue becomes that, "we speak to him when we pray; we hear
him when we read the divine word"[18].
God’s Word will nourish the contemplative experience of Carmelite
Seculars and their mission in the world. Besides personal contemplation,
listening to the Word ought to encourage a contemplation that leads
to sharing the experience of God in the Secular Order community. By
this means, the Community together seeks to discern God’s ways,
maintain a permanent energy of conversion, and live with a renewed
hope. The Carmelite Secular will be able to see through events and
discover God in everything.
19. Occupying a privileged
place in nourishing the prayer life of Carmelite Seculars will be
the study and spiritual reading of Scripture and the writings of our
Saints, particularly those who are Doctors of the Church: St Teresa,
St John of the Cross and St Therese of the Child Jesus. The Church’s
documents are also food and inspiration for a commitment to follow
Jesus.
20. The Carmelite Secular
will make sure to have special times set apart for prayer, as times
of greater awareness of the Lord’s presence and an interior
space for a personal and intimate meeting with Him. This will lead
to prayer as an attitude of life, that will "always and everywhere
recognize God ...... seek his will in every event, see Christ in all
people whether they be a relative or a stranger, and make correct
judgments about the true meaning and value of temporal things both
in themselves and in their relation to humankind's final goal"[19].
Thus they will achieve a union of contemplation and action in history,
integrating faith and life, prayer and action, contemplation and Christian
commitment.
21. Carmelite Seculars
will commit themselves daily to spending a time in the practice of
mental prayer. This is the time to be with God and to strengthen their
relationship with Him so that they can be true witnesses to His presence
in the world.
22. The way of Christian
prayer demands a life of evangelical self-denial (Lk 9:23) in fulfilling
one’s own vocation and mission, since "prayer and comfortable
living are incompatible"[20].
Carmelite Seculars accept from the viewpoint of faith, hope and love,
the work and suffering of each day, family worries, the uncertainty
and limitations of human life, sickness, lack of understanding and
all that makes up the fabric of our earthly existence. They will strive
to make all this, material for their dialogue with God, in order to
grow in an attitude of praise and gratitude to the Lord. In order
to live truly, simply, freely, humbly and completely confident in
the Lord, the Secular Carmelite observes the practices of evangelical
self-denial recommended by the Church. Of particular importance are
those days and periods in the liturgical calendar that have a penitential
character.
23. The personal prayer
life of the Carmelite Secular, understood as friendship with God,
is also nourished and expressed in the liturgy, an inexhaustible font
for the spiritual life. Liturgical prayer enriches personal prayer
and this, in its turn, gives a lively expression to liturgical participation.
In the Secular Order a special place is given to the liturgy, understood
as God’s Word celebrated in active hope, after having received
it by faith and the commitment to live it in effective love. The Sacraments,
especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, need to be lived as signs
and instruments of the freeing action of God and as an encounter with
the Paschal Christ, present in the ecclesial community. They are grace-giving
structures in opposition to the structures for sin in society. Carmelite
Seculars strives to discover in liturgical prayer the presence of
Christ and the Holy Spirit, living and demanding something of us in
everyday life. In the liturgical year, they will experience the mysteries
of redemption which inspire collaboration in bringing about God’s
plan. The Liturgy of the Hours, for its part, brings the Secular Carmelite
into communion with the prayer of Jesus and the Church.
24. The value of the
sacramental and liturgical life in the Secular Order leads its members
to take part in the celebration of the Eucharist, in as far as possible.
They will try to recite Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer of the Hours
in union with the Church spread throughout the world. When it is possible
they will also recite Night Prayer. Their participation in the sacrament
of Reconciliation and the other sacraments of the Church will assist
the process of their conversion.
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Chapter IV
Serving God's Plan
25. "The lay faithful,
precisely because they are members of the Church, have the vocation
and mission of proclaiming the Gospel: they are prepared for this
work by the sacraments of Christian Initiation and by the gifts of
the Holy Spirit"[21].
The spirituality of Carmel will awaken in Secular Carmelites a desire
for greater apostolic commitment, in becoming aware of all that their
call to Carmel implies. Aware of the need the world has of witnesses
to God’s presence[22],
they will respond to the invitation the Church directs to all Associations
of the faithful followers of Christ, committing them to human society
by means of active participation in the apostolic goal of the Church’s
mission, within the framework of their own charism. As a fruit of
this participation in evangelization, Carmelite Seculars will share
a renewed taste for prayer, contemplation and the liturgical and sacramental
life.
26. The vocation to the
Secular Order is truly ecclesial. Prayer and apostolate, when they
are true, are inseparable. The observation of St Teresa that the purpose
of prayer is "the birth of good works"[23] reminds the Secular Order that graces received ought to have an effect
on those who receive them[24].
Individually or as a community and, above all as members of the Church,
apostolic activity is the fruit of prayer. Where possible, in collaboration
with religious superiors and with the necessary permissions of those
in charge, the communities of the Secular Order participate in the
apostolate of the Order27. The Carmelite Secular
is called to live and witness the charism of the Teresian Carmel in
the local Church, that portion of the People of God in which the Church
of Christ is truly present and acts[25].
All will try to be living witnesses of God’s presence and accept
responsibility for the need the Church has of concrete help within
the pastoral concerns in its evangelising mission under the direction
of the bishop. For this reason, each one will have an apostolate either
collaborating with others in the community or individually.28. To their apostolic
commitment they will bring the wealth of their spirituality in the
various forms it takes in evangelization: missions, parishes, houses
of prayer, Spirituality Institutes, prayer groups, the ministry of
spirituality. With their particular contribution as Secular Carmelites
they can offer the Teresian Carmel fresh inspiration for "a renewed
spiritual and apostolic dynamism"[26],
with creative fidelity to their mission in the Church. The different
apostolic activities of the Secular Order will be specified and evaluated
in the Particular Statutes for the various geographical areas[27].
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Chapter V
With Mary, the Mother of Jesus
29. In the interior dynamism
of following Jesus, Carmel contemplates Mary as Mother and Sister,
as "the perfect model of the disciple of the Lord"[28] and, as such, a model for the life of the members of the Order. The
Virgin of the Magnificat proclaims the break with the old order and
announces the beginning of a new order in which God casts the mighty
down from their thrones and exalts the poor. Mary places herself on
the side of the poor and proclaims how God acts in history. For Secular
Carmelites, Mary is a model of total commitment to God’s Kingdom.
She teaches us to listen to God’s Word in Scripture and in life,
to believe in it in every circumstance in order to live its demands.
All this she did, without understanding many things; pondering all
in her heart (Lk 2:19, 50-51) until light dawned through contemplative
prayer.30. Mary is also an ideal
and inspiration for the Secular Carmelite. She lived close to people
and their needs, being concerned about them (Lk 1:39-45; Jn 2:1-12;
Ac 1:14). She, the "most perfect image of freedom and of the liberation
of humanity and of the universe"[29],
helps us understand the meaning of mission. She, Mother and Sister,
who goes before us in a pilgrimage of faith and in following the Lord
Jesus, keeps us company so that we may imitate her life hidden in
Christ and committed to the service of others.
31. While giving life
to Teresian Carmelite spirituality, Mary’s presence also shapes
its apostolate. As a result, the Secular Carmelite is committed to
knowing Mary better, daily, through the Gospel to communicate to others
an authentic Marian devotion leading to imitating her virtues. Guided
by the outlook of faith, members of the Secular Order will celebrate
and promote the liturgical devotion to the Mother of God in light
of the mystery of Christ and the Church. They will practice, in faith
and love, the devotional exercises in her honour.
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Chapter VI
Formation in the School of Carmel
32. The central object
of the process of formation in the Secular Order is to prepare the
person to live the charism and spirituality of Carmel in its following
of Christ, and in service to its mission.
33. With sincere interest
in the teachings of the Church and the spirituality of our Carmelite
Saints, Carmelite Seculars seek to be men and women who are mature
in the practice of faith, hope and love, and in their devotion to
the Virgin Mary. They commit themselves to deepening their Christian,
ecclesial and Carmelite life. Christian formation is the solid basis
of Carmelite and spiritual formation. Through the Catechism of the
Catholic Church and Church documents, Secular Carmelites receive the
necessary theological foundation.
34. Both initial and
ongoing formation in the teachings of Teresa and John of the Cross,
help to develop in the Carmelite Secular a human, Christian and spiritual
maturity for service to the Church. Human formation develops the ability
for interpersonal dialogue, mutual respect and tolerance, the possibility
of being corrected and correcting with serenity, and the capacity
to persevere commitments.
35. Carmelite identity
is confirmed by formation in the Scriptures and lectio divina, in the importance of the liturgy of Church, especially the Eucharist
and the Liturgy of the Hours, and in the spirituality of Carmel, its
history, the works of the Order’s saints, and formation in prayer
and meditation.Formation for the apostolate
is based on the theology of the Church concerning the responsibility
of the laity[30] and on understanding the role of
Seculars in the apostolate of the Order. These help to know the place
of the Secular Order in the Church and in Carmel and give a practical
way to share the graces received through the vocation to Carmel.
36. The gradual introduction
to the life of the Secular Order is structured in the following manner:
a) A sufficient period
of contact with the community for no less that 6 months. The purpose
of this stage is that the applicant might become more familiar with
the community, the style of life and service to the Church proper
to the Secular Order of the Teresian Carmel. This period also give
the community the opportunity to make an adequate discernment. The
Provincial Statutes will specify this period.
b) After the initial
period of contact, the council of the community may admit the applicant
to a more serious period of formation that usually lasts for two years
leading up to the first promises. At the beginning of this period
of formation, the scapular is given to the applicant. This is an outward
symbol of membership in the Order, and the sign that Mary is both
Mother and Model on this journey.
c) At the end of this
stage, with the approval of the Council of the Community, the applicant
may be invited to make the first promises to follow the evangelical
counsels and to live in the spirit of the beatitudes for a period
of three years.
d) In the last three
years of initial formation there is a deeper study of prayer, the
Scriptures, the Documents of the Church, the Saints of the Order and
formation in the apostolate of the Order. At the end of these three
years the applicant may be invited by the Council to make the Definitive
Promises to live the evangelical counsels and the spirit of the Beatitudes
for life.
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Chapter VII
Organization and Government
37. The Secular Order
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Teresa of Jesus is an association
of the faithful and an integral part of the Discalced Carmelite Order.
It is essentially lay in character, with the welcome participation
of diocesan clergy[31].
38. The friars and nuns
of the Teresian Carmel consider the lay community of Secular Carmel
an enrichment to their consecrated life. Through mutual interaction
the friars and nuns wish to learn from the Secular Carmelites to recognize
the signs of the times together with them. For this reason, it will
be arranged that representatives of the Secular Order are present
when the apostolic service of the Order is planned in a geographical
area, at a local or provincial level, or when serious study is made
on the situation in the Church or in society.
39. All of Christ’s
faithful have the right to make vows[32].
With the consent of the Council of the community and the permission
of the Provincial, a member of the Secular Order may make vows of
obedience and chastity in the presence of the community. These vows
are strictly personal and do not create a separate category of membership.
They suppose a greater commitment of fidelity to the evangelical life
but do not transform those who make them into juridically recognized
consecrated people as in Institutes of consecrated life. Those who
make vows in the Secular Order continue to be lay persons in all juridical
effects.
40. The Secular Order
is basically structured on the local community as a visible sign of
the Church. At the Provincial level and in the local communities,
the Secular Order enjoys juridical personality[33].
41. The Secular Order
is juridically dependent on the Discalced Carmelite Friars[34].
The Superior General establishes the local communities and makes pastoral
visitations. He may dispense, in particular cases from the Constitutions
and local statutes and can grant juridical exceptions. He has the
authority to resolve cases which are not foreseen by this legislation
and which cannot be resolved by local authorities. A general Delegate
assists the Superior General. His responsibility is to further relations
between the Religious and the Seculars and to maintain contact with
the Provincial Delegates and Assistants to each community to insure
the purpose and well-being of the Secular Order.
42. The General Definitory
of the Order approves the regional[35] and provincial
statutes of the Secular Order[36].
43. The Provincial Superior,
usually aided by the Provincial Delegate, is the Superior of the Secular
Order within his territory[37].
He is responsible for the well-being of the Secular Order within the
territory of his jurisdiction. He is to make visitations of the communities
in his jurisdiction and, after consultation with the Council, appoint
a Spiritual Assistant for communities[38].
In case of disputes, appeal will be made in the first instance to
the Provincial.
44. The Spiritual Assistant
to each community is usually a friar of the Order. His duty is to
give spiritual aid to the community so that its members may be guided
in their vocation and may correspond with it as perfectly as possible.
He will also endeavour to promote solidarity between the secular community
and the friars and nuns of the Order. At the invitation of the Council
he may attend meetings of the Council, without a right to vote. At
the different stages of formation of the candidates, he will be available
to interview them. The Council may consult him about the suitability
of the candidate to assume the responsibility of the vocation to the
Secular Order. He will support the formation of the community by his
availability to the director of formation. However, he may not be
the director of formation. The Spiritual Assistant must be well-versed
in Carmelite spirituality and well-informed in the Church’s
teaching concerning the role of lay people in the Church.
45. Only the General
of the Order for those territories where there are no friars, or the
Provincial within his territory, may appoint as Assistant one who
is not a friar of the Order, always with the consent of the candidate’s
own superior. The General Delegate or the Provincial Delegate will
assist in this appointment by interviewing the candidate. They will
look for the same qualities as mentioned in number 44 of these norms.
46. The Council, composed
of the President and three Councilors and the Director of Formation,
constitutes the immediate authority of the community. The primary
responsibility of the Council is the formation and Christian and Carmelite
maturing of the members of the community.
47. The Council has the
authority:
a) to admit candidates
to formation, the Promises, and the Vows;
b) to reduce, for adequate reasons, the period of formation before
temporary Promises, with the permission of the Provincial;
c) to convene the community for the triennial elections;
d) to replace, for a serious reason, a member of the Council itself[39];
e) to dismiss a member of the community, should this be necessary,
after consulting the Provincial[40];
f) to receive a member transferring from another community;
g) if a matter should arise that is outside the competence of the
Council, it is the obligation of the President to bring it to the
attention of the Provincial. The Council meets frequently and always
when necessary in reference to taking care of formation programs
and the growth of their own community.
48. The General Superior,
the Provincial Superior and the Council of the community are the legitimate
superiors of the Secular Order.
49. For the establishment
of a new community it is necessary to present to the General Secretary
of the Secular Order the following documents:
a. a list of the current
members, at least 10 members are required to form a community, two
of whom must have made definitive promises;
b. a letter from the Provincial Delegate requesting the establishment
of the community;
c. the permission of the Ordinary of the Diocese in writing[41];
d. the title of the community;
e. the place of the community meeting.
50. Every three years,
each local community of the Secular Order elects its President and
three Councilors[42].
These four officers, after consulting the Assistant, elect the Director
of Formation from among those who have made definitive promises. The
Council then names a Secretary and a Treasurer. The procedure for
the elections is to be determined by the Provincial Statutes, respecting
the complete liberty of the electors, the preferences of the majority
of the members. For the President to be re-elected to a third term
as President, the permission of the Provincial Superior is required.
51. The President, elected
from among those who have made final promises, has the duty to convoke
and preside over the meetings of the community. He should show fraternal
service to all the members of the community; foster a spirit of Christian
and Carmelite affability, being careful to avoid any demonstration
of preference for some members over others; coordinate contacts with
those members of the community who because of age, illness, distance
or other reasons, are not able to attend meetings; aid the Director
of Formation and Spiritual Assistant in carrying out their responsibilities;
in their absence, but only temporarily, he may take their place or
designate another to do so from among those who have made definitive
promises.
52. The responsibility
of the three Councilors is to form, with the President, the government
of the community and to support the director of formation. Generally
they are community members with definitive promises. In particular
circumstances, members with first promises can serve as councilors.
53. The Director of Formation,
elected by the Council from among those who have made definitive promises,
has the responsibility of preparing the candidates for first and definitive
promises. The Director works in collaboration with the Assistant and
with the support of the President. In the absence of the President,
the Director of Formation is his substitute for any function.
54. The Secretary of
the Council has the responsibility of keeping up-to-date the register
of the community, recording the elections, admissions, Promises and
dismissals. The Secretary is to present the register to the Council
when it meets and to the community at the time of the elections. The
Secretary attends the Council meetings and records the minutes of
the meeting, without the right to vote.
55. The duty of the Treasurer
is to take charge of the administration of the funds of the community.
The Treasurer is to present a report of the funds to the Council every
six months, to the community and the Provincial, or Superior of the
Circumscription, once a year[43].
The local statutes are to determine how the community attends to the
needs of the poor.
56. Members of the Secular
Order, who for reasons of distance, age, or illness cannot participate
in the regular meetings of a community, remain members of the Secular
Order and, under the authority of the Provincial Delegate, are to
be associated to a particular community. It is the responsibility
of the President of the community to establish contact with those
members and the responsibility of these members to maintain contact
with the community.
57. Where there is an
organized circumscription of the friars of the Order, the Secular
Order is to form a Provincial Council to assist one another better
in formation and the apostolate, but not for intervening in the government
of the local communities. The President of the Provincial Council
ought to be a member of the Secular Order with definitive promises.
The Provincial Council must submit its statutes to the General Definitory
for approval.
58. The Provincial statutes
are to determine the following:
- the development of
an adequate program of formation;
- the acceptance and formation of those new members who do not live
near an established community; in every case these new candidates
must be identified with and formed by an established community.
They are considered members of that community;
- the procedure for elections and the responsibilities of the three
councilors;
- the remembrances for the deceased members of the community;
- the circumstances and the conditions for taking vows;
- the minimum and maximum age to accept new members;
- the maximum number of members of a community before dividing the
community to form another;
- the coordination of apostolic endeavours within the community or
Province;
- the form and use of the external signs of membership in the Secular
Order;
- the practices of mortification and expressions of devotion to our
Blessed Mother and our Carmelite Saints.
59. If a Secular Order
community does not belong to any particular Province, the community
is to establish its own statutes to determine the above matters. This
community submits its statutes to the General Definitory for approval.
60. Other structures
may be introduced at national levels where there is more than one
Province, or at an international level, should they be thought useful
or necessary for formation, coordination of apostolates of the Order,
and for organizing Congresses. They do not, however, have any jurisdictional
authority. These regional councils are to submit their statutes to
the General Definitory for approval.
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Epilogue
The Constitutions of
the Secular Order were drawn up to strengthen the life purpose of
its members, who form part of the Order of the Teresian Carmel. They
are called to "to testify how the Christian faith constitutes the
only fully valid response to the problems and hopes that life poses
to every person and society"[44].
This they fulfil as Carmelite Seculars if, beginning with a commitment
to contemplation, they succeed in giving daily witness in their family
and social life to "an integrated approach to life that is fully brought
about by the inspiration and strength of the Gospel"[45].
As Carmelite Seculars, sons and daughters of Teresa of Jesus and John
of the Cross, they are called to "stand before the world as a witness
to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the
living God"[46],
by means of a life of prayer, of service to evangelization and by
means of the witness of a Christian and Carmelite community. "All
the laity as a community and each one according to his ability must
nourish the world with spiritual fruits (cf. Gal 5:22). They must
diffuse in the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek,
the peace makers - whom the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed
(cf. Mt 5:3-9). In a word, Christians (and Carmelites) must be to
the world what the soul is to the body"[47].
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_____________
[1]. LG 31-35.
[2]. LG 31; CL 9.
[3]. CIC 204-205.
[4]. Rule 1.
[5]. L 8:5.
[6]. Cf Lk 2:51.
[7]. Cf Jn 2:5.
[8]. Cf Ac 1:14
[9]. Cf 1 K chapters 17-19.
[10]. L 7:18, 38:16.
[11]. WP 21:2.
[12]. IC V:3:11, VII:4:6.
[13]. Cf. Sayings 46; LF 3:78; II A chapter 6, 29:6; Collect
of the votive Mass of St John of the Cross.
[14]. Sayings: 123; Letter 12/X/1589: 19.
[15]. Cf. III A 23:1.
[16]. Prec 1 and 6
[17]. Rule 2 and 10
[18]. DV 25; WP 21:4; M 1: 6, 11.
[19]. AA 4.
[20]. WP 4:2.
[21]. CL 33.
[22]. See AA 4 and 10; CL 16-17, 25, 28-29.
[23]. IC V:3:11; cf. VII:3.
[24]. Cf. AA 2-3.
[25] (cf Christus Dominus, 11; Apostolicam Actuositatem, 86;
Chirstifideles Laici, 25)
[26]. VC 55.
[27]. OCDS Rule of Life (1979) art. 8
[28]. MC 37.
[29]. RM 37.
[30]. AA 28-29.
[31]. CIC 298, 301.
[32]. Ritual, Instruction: 9; 30-49.
[33]. CIC 301, 303-306, 313.
[34]. CIC 305, 311-315.
[35]. "regional" refers to nations or a geographical territory
of more than one province of the friars.
[36]. CIC 307 '1; 314.
[37]. CIC 328-329. Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelite
Friars 103, Norms 56.
[38]. CIC 317.
[39]. CIC 318.
[40]. CIC 308 and 316.
[41]. CIC 312 '2.
[42]. CIC 309.
[43]. CIC 319.
[44] CL 34
[45]. CL 34.
[46] LG 38
[47]. LG 38.
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