CONGREGAZIONE DELLA MISSIONE CURIA GENERALIZIA Via dei Capasso, 30 00164 ROMA Tel: +39 06 661 30 61 Fax: +39 06 666 38 31 Email: cmcuria@cmglobal.org Rome, 22 January 2014 SUPERIORE GENERALE Fr. Venerando D. Agner, C.M., Visitor and Confreres Province of the Philippines PROVINCE OF THE PHILIPPINES ENDORSEMENT OF PROVINCIAL NORMS Dear Confreres: May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ live forever in our hearts! 1
At the request of your Visitor, Fr. Venerando D. Agner, C.M., I am pleased to offer my endorsement and that of the General Council to the promulgation of your Provincial Norms. These norms are a concrete expression of your personal and communal commitment to invest in your province. Indeed, our Constitutions tell us that a central task of a provincial assembly is to: Establish norms for the common good of the province, within the limits of universal law, which obtain obligatory force after being approved by the Superior General with the consent of his Council. (C:143, No. 1) I recall with great fondness my 2012 visit to the Province to celebrate with you the 150 th anniversary of the arrival of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity in your country. The great growth of 2
your province, as seen in its expansion to new missions, is a great testimony to what the Lord and St. Vincent have done in and through each of you, as well as the confreres who have gone before you. May our Constitutions and your Provincial Norms be a source of insight and assistance to you in living the Mission of our Vincentian charism to follow Christ, Evangelizer of the poor. Your brother in St. Vincent, G. Gregory Gay, C.M. Superior General 3
Vincentian Priests and Brothers CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION Philippine Province OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL VISITOR 18 St. Martin St., Rosalia Village II Tandang Sora, 1116 Quezon City, Philippines Tel: (2) 456-3015, (2) 930-9387 Fax: (2) 930-9415, (2) 453-6944 Feb. 2, 2014 Feast of the Presentation Confreres of the Philippine Province Congregation of the Mission Manila, Philippines Dear Confreres: May the grace of God be with us always! 4
When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple, his arrival was greeted with joy and gratitude by the just and pious Simeon and the devout Anna. In joy and gratitude we, for our part, welcome the endorsement of Father General, Fr. George Gregory Gay, C.M., of our latest Provincial Norms and its subsequent release in print. These Provincial Norms are the result of our concerted effort to define our life as a Province that is both expressive of our Vincentian identity and character, and responsive to the needs of the times and of the poor we serve. In the manner of our Blessed Mother who bound herself to the mission of her Son, we continue to commit ourselves to the kind of life that corresponds best to the mission entrusted to us by Divine Providence. 5
Invoking the help of our dear St. Vincent de Paul, we reaffirm our desire to remain faithful. Sincerely yours, FR. VENERANDO D. AGNER, CM Provincial Visitor 6
PROVINCIAL NORMS 2009 7
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION In July 1862, upon the request of Archbishop Meliton Martinez of Manila and in accord with the Royal Decree of Queen Isabel II, a group of Spanish Vincentians came to the Philippines to assist in the formation of the clergy in diocesan seminaries and in the spiritual care of the Daughters of Charity. Besides the formation of the clergy, the Bishops also entrusted to the Padres Paúles the education of the youth in the Seminario-Colegio up to the early part of the 20 th century. In the second half of the 20 th century, the Province took over several educational institutions, two of which are still under Vincentian administration at the start of the 21 st century. After the Second World War, the Province gradually extended its 8
apostolate to more parishes, schools and missio ad gentes in Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Greece and Lebanon. In the Provincial Assembly of 1974, the Vincentians decided to undertake direct evangelization of the poor through popular missions. Since then, annual missions have been and are being conducted. For one hundred years, the Vincentians ran only one parish, the San Vicente de Paul Parish, located at the heart of Manila. In 2013, they established and administered parishes in Luzon, Mindanao and the Visayas with an estimated total population of 250,000 people, mostly poor. For the past 150 years, the Vincentians of the Philippine Province have contributed their share in the apostolic work of the Philippine Church. It is hoped that during the 9
next 100 years they will continue their evangelization work as they witness the flourishing of the Church not only in the Philippines but also in Asia. by: Fr. Rolando S. Dela Goza, CM 10
VISION-MISSION STATEMENT Humbled by the experience of our personal weaknesses, community divisiveness and lack of apostolic direction; Encouraged by God s saving grace, the love of our Vincentian vocation, the affirmation of our confreres and those whom we serve; Challenged by the glaring reality of widespread material and moral poverty of our people, and the urgent calls of the Church for renewal; We, the Vincentians of the Philippine Province, with total trust in God s love and providence, rooted in Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor, following the way of St. Vincent de Paul, envision ourselves in the Church of the poor as a discerning community of disciples. 11
Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, with Mary as our model, and in collaboration with our partners, we commit ourselves and our resources to an inculturated and renewed integral evangelization of the poor, especially the more abandoned, and to a contextualized formation of the clergy and the laity. Hence, each one of us will renew his prayer life, live a simple lifestyle and be shaped by a continuing formation that will deepen his love of and commitment to the Vincentian vocation towards becoming new men. As new men, guided by the values and processes of the Basic Ecclesial Communities, we will be animated by creative ways of praying, strengthened by mutual quality presence and affirmation, faithful to and directed by community 12
plans towards becoming a new community. As new men in a new community, called to a more visible presence among the poor, we will revitalize and redirect our existing apostolates and be open to new ministries in order to be more effective in our work with the poor, the clergy and the laity towards a new evangelization. Ours will then be a province of new men and new communities journeying together towards the Kingdom. 13
PART I: EVANGELIZATION IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM 14
Chapter I: Apostolic Ministries (C 10-18; S 1-12) 1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES As our particular way of evangelizing the poor, we commit ourselves to the following apostolic ministries: popular missions ministry; ministry to the diocesan clergy; foreign missions ministry; social ministry; parish ministry; and education ministry. These are to be guided by the following: 1.1. The Visitor in consultation with his Council shall determine the composition of the ministry groups and appoint the members of these ministries. 15
1.2. The ministry groups shall formulate their manuals/ handbooks; design, implement, monitor, and evaluate their programs, and make periodic reports. 1.3. The ministry programs are to take into consideration the demands of contextualization and inculturation, fostering collaboration with the laity and with the members of the Vincentian Family, the diocesan clergy, and others who share our aspirations. 1.4. The ministry groups are to promote with our partners love for the poor and a missionary spirit. 1.5. The ministry groups shall employ social communications and innovative 16
pastoral approaches, such as Basic Ecclesial Communities. 1.6. Confreres assigned to the different ministries are to continually update themselves and explore creative ways and forms of evangelization. 1.7. We shall immerse ourselves in the lives of the poor. 2. POPULAR MISSIONS MINISTRY 2.1. The Visitor shall appoint 1. A National Director of the Popular Missions for a term of three years and may be renewed for another term. 17
2. Regional Directors of the Popular Missions who shall be supported by their local communities and be available to undertake their ministries anytime. 2.2. The Visitor, the National and Regional Directors shall strengthen the Popular Missions by 1. establishing more regional Popular Missions centers, and 2. animating confreres involved in organizing associations of Vincentian Lay Missionaries. 2.3. The Confraternity of the Popular Missions, composed of priests, brothers, sisters, seminarians, and lay collabo- 18
rators, is to be promoted in order to maintain the spirit of the mission and its program. 2.4. Every confrere shall exert every effort to join the Popular Missions once every three years. 2.5. Newly ordained priests and newly professed Brothers shall actively participate in the Popular Missions for the first three years after ordination or profession. 3. MINISTRY TO THE DIOCESAN CLERGY Our Province shall continue its tradition of ministry to the diocesan clergy in their initial and continuing formation. 19
3.1. Initial Formation 1. The Visitor and his Council shall consider seriously requests from bishops/dioceses for formation personnel and professors in their seminaries. Moreover, confreres are encouraged to offer their services as professors, spiritual directors, retreat masters to diocesan seminarians. 2. The De Paul House Community, as well as the St. Vincent School of Theology, may accept diocesan and other candidates for the priesthood as can be accommodated in their respective programs. 20
3.2. Continuing Formation 1. The Province shall make available to the diocesan clergy its programs, personnel and expertise for their continuing formation (retreats, spiritual direction, organizational development), and in ecclesiastical / matrimonial tribunals. 2. Our local houses shall welcome and accommodate the diocesan clergy for day/s of recollection and other purposes. 3. The Visitor and his Council shall make available a group of confreres who will give retreats to the clergy. 21
4. FOREIGN MISSIONS MINISTRY 4.1. Our Province shall be more involved in the regional and international missions particularly in partnership with other Provinces. 4.2. We shall seek partnership with Filipino diocesan priests and lay missionaries especially those of the Vincentian Family. 4.3. A program shall be formulated to prepare our confreres and partners for work in the foreign missions. 4.4. A program shall be created for seminarians interested in missio ad gentes. 22
5. VINCENTIAN SOCIAL MINISTRY 5.1. The Ministry shall engage in the promotion of social development, justice, peace, and the integrity of creation by networking with national and diocesan agencies as well as other similar organizations. 5.2. The Ministry shall consolidate, coordinate, and animate the social development initiatives of confreres and groups in the Province. 5.3. The Ministry shall draw up a program, for the approval of the Visitor with his Council, for the promotion of social development for our formation houses, schools, parishes, communities and other ministries. 23
5.4. A member of each local community shall be designated as coordinator of social development programs. 6. PARISH MINISTRY 6.1. The parishes that we shall accept must be located in poor areas and should be missionary and transitory in character. 6.2. Our parishes shall be centers of Vincentian Lay Organizations. We shall welcome, promote, support, and nurture these organizations. 7. EDUCATION MINISTRY Our schools shall be centers of Christian education, social trans- 24
formation, and Vincentian formation. Chapter II: Collaboration with Our Partners in Evangelization 8. MINISTRY TO THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY 8.1. The Provincial Director of the Daughters of Charity, in coordination with the Director of Continuing Formation, shall organize seminars for retreat facilitators, spiritual directors, and chaplains of the Daughters of Charity. 8.2. We shall collaborate with the Daughters of Charity in sharing our resources in order 25
to promote our common Vincentian objectives of responding effectively to the needs of the poor and of the local church. 9. MINISTRY TO THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY 9.1. We shall collaborate with other members of the Vincentian Family by 1. Providing National and Regional Directors for the Vincentian Marian Youth-Children of Mary, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Ladies of Charity, Young Ladies Association of Charity; 2. Promoting the Vincentian Institute of Spirituality and Apostolate; 26
3. Assisting the Vincentian Family Coordinating Council. 9.2. A confrere shall be appointed as a liaison between the Province and the alumni of the Congregation of the Mission. 27
PART II: MEN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM 28
Chapter III: Vocation Promotion 10. VOCATION RECRUITMENT / PROGRAM 10.1. The National Vocation Director shall be chosen to work on a full-time basis. Together with the Regional Vocation Directors, he shall formulate, implement, and regularly evaluate a comprehensive vocation recruitment program. 10.2. The Vocation Directors shall recruit college graduates, especially those who have been exposed to the Vincentian ministries and charism. 29
Chapter IV: Formation 11. THE COMMISSION ON INITIAL FORMATION The Commission on Initial Formation (CIF), composed of the Vocation Director, a lay Brother, the directors of the different levels of formation, and additional members who may be lay persons appointed by the Visitor, shall have the following functions: 11.1. Formulate, implement, periodically evaluate and revise the Ratio Formationis for all levels of initial formation. 11.2. Collaborate with the wider Vincentian Family in the work of formation. 30
12. STAGES OF INITIAL FORMATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD 12.1. For the Initial Formation to the Priesthood, we shall admit college graduates as candidates. 12.2. The whole initial formation to the priesthood will generally take eight years. However, a particular stage of formation may be shortened or extended as may be deemed appropriate by the formators. 12.3. The stages of Initial Formation to the Priesthood that is to be generally followed are the following: 1 Orientation Year 2 Pre-Internal Seminary 1 3 Pre-Internal Seminary 2 4 Internal Seminary 31
5 Theology 1-3 6 Preparation for Vows (2 months) 7 Theology 4 12.4. The Commission on Initial Formation shall see to it that an active participation in and a formative experience of the Popular Missions be an integral part in the formation of our Internal Seminarists and theology students. 13. STAGES OF INITIAL FORMATION TO THE BROTHERHOOD 13.1. The minimum age of candidates to the Brotherhood shall be 21. They are expected to have finished at least two years of college or a technical course. In exceptional 32
cases, the age requirement may be waived. 13.2. The whole initial formation to the Brotherhood will generally take at least seven years. However, any stage can be shortened or extended according to the judgment of those responsible for formation. 13.3. The stages of initial formation for candidates to the Brotherhood are as follows: 1 Orientation Year (Local House) 2 Pre-Internal Seminary 1 3 Pre-Internal Seminary 2 4 Internal Seminary 5 Post-Internal Seminary Formation (3 years): Basic Theology, Pastoral 33
Exposure & Specialization Studies 6 Preparation for Vows (2 months) 7 Vows 14. THE INTERNAL SEMINARY 14.1. As a rule, the Internal Seminary must be continuous. In special cases, the Visitor may permit a candidate to interrupt his Internal Seminary for a just cause but not more than three months in accordance with Canon 649.1. 14.2. At the end of the Internal Seminary, a candidate may apply for Good Purposes. 14.3. The staff of the Internal Seminary may consist of 34
the Director and at least one assistant who may eventually be assigned as Director. 15. SEMINARY FORMATORS 15.1. The Commission on Initial Formation shall propose to the Visitor and his Council the names of confreres as Superiors, Rectors, Formation Directors, and Spiritual Directors in our formation houses. 15.2. The Province shall provide for the continuing formation of formators in order to better equip them to accompany our candidates. 35
16. COMMISSION ON CONTINUING FORMATION 16.1. The Commission on Continuing Formation (CCF) composed of the Director and at least three other members appointed by the Visitor, representing the age groups, one of whom is a Brother, shall formulate and organize, for the approval of the Visitor with his Council, and then implement and evaluate a holistic formation program for confreres that shall include Vincentian Spirituality, Professional Development, assistance during transitions in life and ministry, and Theological and Pastoral updating. 16.2. A special program for the formation of young con- 36
freres within five years after ordination or vows in the case of the Brothers shall be organized. 37
PART III: COMMUNITIES FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM 38
Chapter V: Community for the Mission 17. COMMUNITY LIFE Our community life which is vital for our personal growth and effectiveness in the mission is to be guided by the following: 17.1. BEC values and processes shall animate our personal and communal discernment. 1. The Province shall enhance communication and interpersonal relationships among confreres and communities by organizing gatherings, convocations, workshops and seminars. 39
2. We shall revitalize our community life through quality presence, regular meetings, dialogues, occasional discussion on contemporary issues, fraternal fellowships, and common recreation. These may be done within the local community itself or among local communities. 3. Every community shall draw up a plan where everyone actively participates in the process of its formulation, implementation, and evaluation. 17.2. Each local community shall be a welcoming and conducive place where our 40
recruits, candidates, and lay collaborators may experience Vincentian presence and community life. 17.3. The Province shall create a Commission on Confreres Special Needs (CCSN). There shall be one chairperson and two members whose primary task is to facilitate or provide care for confreres in crisis, transition, and sickness. 18. WORK AND LEISURE 18.1. Every confrere shall take active part in the ministries of the community and may accept personal commitments with the approval of his superior. 41
18.2. Tasks shall be so arranged as to allow every confrere a day off during the week. 18.3. Each confrere is allowed an annual vacation of 30 continuous or staggered days. He is entitled to an annual vacation allowance from the local community, the amount of which shall be determined by the Provincial and his Council. 18.4. The members of our Province shall be granted a renewal period of six months to one year on the occasion of their 15 th year in the priesthood or of incorporation in the case of the Brothers. 18.5. Confreres shall be granted an extraordinary vacation on the occasion of their 42
25 th, 40 th and 50 th year in the priesthood or of incorporation in the case of Brothers. 18.6. Upon reaching their 65 th birthday, confreres may request for relief from regular work. They may also live in the community of their choice with the approval of the Visitor after consultation with the receiving community. 18.7. For missionaries working in foreign countries, a contract shall be drawn up describing, among other things, their rights and responsibilities, the amount of vacation time, the payment of transportation to and from their native province, health insurance coverage, their 43
monthly allotment, and their vacation allowance. 19. RELATIONS WITH OUR FAMILY 19.1. Visits to parents and relatives on special family occasions shall take into account the demands of the apostolate, the importance of the events, and the distance involved. The individual confrere is responsible for the expenses incurred during these visits. 19.2. When a member of a confrere s immediate family is in grave danger of death, the community shall help him financially and make it possible for him to be with his family especially if that sick family member 44
eventually dies. Barring excessive distance, other confreres shall attend the funeral. The community and the Province shall contribute a reasonable amount for the funeral expenses to be determined by the Visitor and his Council. 19.3. Confreres are entitled to have a novena of Masses celebrated for their deceased parents and a triduum of Masses for each of their deceased brothers and sisters. 45
Chapter VI: Spirituality (C 40-49; S 19) 20. VINCENTIAN SPIRITUALITY 20.1. Each confrere shall update himself with the life and teachings of St. Vincent de Paul in order to be imbued with his spirit and charism. 20.2. The Commission on Continuing Formation shall organize a program on Vincentian spirituality that is inculturated and contextualized, and open to the entire Vincentian Family. 20.3. Each community shall have a library where Vincentian materials and other relevant publications are available. 46
21. PRAYER 21.1. Each confrere shall continually strive to follow Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor, by renewing his prayer life, drawing strength from the Eucharist, listening to the Word of God, frequenting the sacrament of reconciliation, being faithful to the daily hour of personal prayer, sharing spiritual and apostolic experiences, and making use of the revision of life on appropriate occasions. 21.2. We shall promote new forms of communal prayer and creative ways of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Likewise, each community shall spend a day of prayer every month in 47
order to review its fraternal and apostolic life, share faith experiences, and engage in communal discernment. 22. ANNUAL SPIRITUAL RETREAT 22.1. The Annual Spiritual Retreat shall last at least five days. 22.2. The Province may organize occasional annual retreats by groups, e.g., by age, community, class or ministry. Those who cannot join these organized retreats may do so at some other time, either alone or by joining another community. 48
23. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION Every confrere shall avail of the guidance of a director who can accompany him in his spiritual journey. 24. COMMUNION WITH OUR DECEASED Every member according to his status shall offer a Mass for a deceased member of the Province including those who once belonged to it. 49
Chapter VII: Our Practice of Poverty (C 32-35, 148-155; S 17-18, 100-107) 25. GOODS THAT WE YIELD TO THE COMMUNITY 25.1. When we join the Congregation, we yield to the community everything we possess or will possess in the future except: 1 all immovable goods and their proceeds; 2 movable goods which are not of the kind missionaries may use for their apostolate; 3 money acquired through intuitu personae donation or by inheritance, and their proceeds. 50
25.2. The superior s permission is necessary in order to dispose of all those mentioned in 25.1. 26. RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF INCORPORATED AND ADMITTED MEMBERS 26.1. Superiors shall give to all incorporated members a monthly allowance that is uniform in all the houses of the Province. The amount of the monthly allowance shall be updated by the Visitor and his Council after dialogue at a meeting of the local superiors, who shall have consulted their local communities. 26.2. Every incorporated member has the right to avail of 51
two Masses every month for his own intentions. 26.3. Upon transfer to another house, a confrere may continue to use his movable goods for himself and for his ministry, the transport of which shall be shouldered by the community of origin. 26.4. The Commission on Initial Formation shall propose, for the approval of the Visitor with his Council, the rights and privileges of our admitted members including the monthly allowance. 27. ADMINISTRATION OF TEMPORAL GOODS 27.1. Each member shall seek the permission of the superior 52
in order to dispose of any community goods or make any loan from community funds to non-members. 27.2. The local superior may make the following extraordinary expenses: 1 on his own authority: PhP10,000.00 2 having heard his community or council: PhP20,000.00 3 with the consent of his community or council: PhP30,000.00 4 with the unanimous consent of his community or council: PhP50,000.00 53
5 for expenses involving greater amounts than the above, the local superior needs the permission of the Visitor. 27.3. The Visitor may make the following extraordinary expenses: 1 on his own authority: PhP50,000.00 2 having heard his Council: PhP200,000.00 3 with the consent of his Council: PhP1,000,000.00 4 with the unanimous consent of his Council: PhP5,000,000.00 54
5 for expenses involving greater amounts than the above, the Visitor needs the permission of the Superior General. 27.4. Every local community shall share with the poor at least 10% of the proceeds of the confreres ministerial and apostolic works. This solidarity fund shall give preference to developmental programs that empower and liberate the poor. 27.5. No confrere shall give of his money to the poor, make personal expenses, or accept personal gifts in amounts greater than the monthly allowance without the superior s permission. 55
27.6. Every incorporated member shall execute a last will and testament. 27.7. In case there is no last will and testament, patrimonial property shall pass on to legal heirs. Any money, certificates of ownership and shares acquired with non-patrimonial money shall pass on to the Congregation. 27.8. A confrere should inform the superior concerning expenses incurred in the necessary administration of his personal immovable goods. 27.9. Administrators of Vincentian corporations and special works funded by sources other than by the Congregation of the 56
Mission, shall make an annual report to the Visitor. Provincial commissions and ministry groups that receive funding from the Province shall do likewise. 28. COLLECTIVE WITNESS TO POVERTY To give collective witness to poverty, we shall: 28.1. live a simple lifestyle; 28.2. acquire only goods useful for the mission; 28.3. take necessary care to maintain community properties; 28.4. carefully implement the appropriate provisions 57
found in the Finance Administration Manual. 29. HEALTH AND RETIREMENT 29.1. Every member shall be covered with the Health Care and Retirement Program of the Province. 29.2. The local superior shall encourage his members to have a regular health executive check-up. 58
Chapter VIII: Provincial Government (C 120-134, 143-146; S 64-79, 80-83, 91-99) 30. THE VISITOR 30.1. The Visitor is elected for a term of three years by all members of the Province with active voice. He may be elected for a second and a third term. 30.2. His term shall begin on the 25 th of January and shall end on the same date three years thereafter. 30.3. The Visitor, with the consent of his Council, appoints a confrere as Secretary to the Visitor. 59
31. ELECTION OF THE VISITOR 31.1. Four months before the end of his term, the Visitor, with his Council, shall appoint three confreres to constitute the election committee. 31.2. The Committee shall send each confrere with active voice a list of confreres with passive voice, asking each to signify the name of the candidate he judges best fit to exercise the office of the Visitor. After the indicative voting, the committee consults the confreres concerned and publishes the names of willing candidates for the next balloting. 31.3. If after the second ballot, no one has received an 60
absolute majority of the votes, discounting the invalid ones, the committee shall send out the results of the second ballot and shall propose for a third ballot only the names of the two confreres who received the greater number of votes in the second ballot. Then, the confrere who receives absolute majority of votes shall be the Visitor- elect. 31.4. In the event of a tie vote on the third ballot, the candidate who is senior by vocation or age shall be considered elected. 31.5. The name of the Visitor-elect shall be sent to the Superior General, while maintaining secrecy, for confirmation. 32. ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL 32.1. The Assistant Provincial is one of the Provincial Consultors and is elected 61
by the Visitor and his Provincial Council. His official functions shall be determined by the Visitor and his Council. 32.2. With due regard to Statute 54, when the office of the Visitor becomes vacant, on account of death, permanent disability, resignation or removal from office, the Assistant Provincial assumes the rights, obligations, and special faculties of the Visitor. Among his first duties shall be, with his Council, to appoint a Committee on Election, which shall begin immediately the election process. 62
33. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL 33.1. There shall be four Provincial Consultors elected for a term of three years among confreres with passive voice. They may be elected for a second and third term. 1. Three months before the end of the incumbent Consultors term, the Visitor, with his Council, shall appoint an election committee who starts the election. 2. Each confrere with active voice shall write the names of four candidates in the ballot provided for this purpose by the election committee. 63
3. The result of the canvassing is made public to the whole Province. Considered elected will be those four confreres who receive the highest number of votes. Their names will be submitted to the Visitor for confirmation. 4. Once the Provincial confirms the Consultors-elect, he immediately informs the Superior General and the Province. 5. In case of a tie for fourth place, the person is deemed elected who is senior by vocation or age. 64
33.2. In case of vacancy, the Visitor shall appoint a confrere as consultor to serve the unexpired term. 34. PROVINCIAL TREASURER The Visitor with the consent of his Council appoints the Provincial Treasurer. He is to be assisted by the Finance Council (cf. PN 35.1). Aside from those mentioned in our Statutes (#77), he has the following functions: 34.1. To submit to the Visitor and his Council the following reports: 1 Financial report of the Province every three months; 2 consolidated financial report in May; 65
34.2. To update the Visitor and his Council concerning ongoing projects and to supervise such projects. 35. FINANCE COUNCIL 35.1. The Finance Council, whose members are appointed by the Visitor, shall be headed by the Provincial Treasurer. There shall be at least three members in this council. Its functions are to: 1. Prepare the annual budget of the Province; 2. Devise and recommend a Fund Development Program for the needs of the Province; 66
3. Assist the Visitor in the Administration and maintenance of the temporal goods of the Province (money, real estate properties, investments); 4. Study and make recommendations to the Visitor and his Council regarding projects proposed by local communities, ministries and committees exceeding Php100,000.00. Such projects will be managed and supervised by the proponent community, ministry or committee in coordination with the Finance Council. 67
35.2. Undertake any other task which may be entrusted by the Visitor. 36. AD HOC COMMITTEES Ad Hoc Committees shall be created by the Visitor and his Council to assist them in the particular needs of the Province (e.g., planning for the Provincial Convocation and/or Assembly, revision of the Provincial Norms, etc.) 68
Chapter IX: Offices of the Local Administration 37. THE LOCAL SUPERIOR The local superior is appointed according to the prescriptions of our Constitutions. When possible, local superiors are not to be appointed parish priests, rectors of seminaries and schools, and vice versa. 38. CONSULTORS OF THE LOCAL SUPERIOR 38.1. In local communities with 10 or less members, all shall be consultors of the Superiors, and they shall exercise their function 69
during the monthly dialogue. 38.2. In communities with more than 10 members, there may be a Domestic Council composed of four members chosen by majority vote of the community members. Their term of office shall be three years. The superior and his council shall meet at least once a month. 39. OTHER OFFICERS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY The other officers of the local community, especially the Assistant Superior and the Treasurer, shall be appointed by the Superior after consultation with his confreres. In larger communities, these officers may be elected. Their term of office 70
will depend upon the needs and convenience of the local community and of the Province. Chapter X: Provincial Assembly and Convocation 40. REPRESENTATION IN THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY In accordance with article 146 of the Constitutions and Statutes 94, representation to the Provincial Assembly shall be as follows: 40.1. The following shall be delegates ex officio: The Visitor, the Provincial Consultors, and the Provincial Treasurer. 71
40.2. There shall be as many delegates as canonically instituted houses plus one delegate for each 10 members with active voice or any remaining part thereof; 40.3. If there is no Brother in the assembly, the Brothers shall elect a delegate from among themselves; 40.4. In the event that a house is not represented in the assembly, the Visitor shall declare its local superior as delegate. 41. PROVINCIAL CONVOCATION In order to discuss provincial matters, the Provincial may call a convocation wherein all confreres participate including represent- 72
atives from the different levels of formation. 73