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Chapter 9 Government of the Institute
Authority as Service
118. Christ, our principle of unity and peace, received all authority from the Father1, yet He chose to take the form of a slave2. He, in turn, transmitted His authority to the Church through the Apostles3. From the ranks of the People of God, some are chosen for the role of teaching, sanctifying, and governing, so that everyone may be helped to fulfil the plan of God.
Our Superiors share in this role in the Church by exercising the service of authority4, which draws the efforts of the Brothers into unity, and which inspires, directs, and sometimes corrects these efforts to make them accord with the purpose of the Institute.
Co-responsibility and Subsidiarity
119. By our religious profession, we become co-responsible for the Institute. This co-responsibility finds expression in the different tasks entrusted to us, and develops within the structures1 set up by our proper law.*
By the principle of subsidiarity, the limits of the powers proper to each level are defined and respected. The governing body makes the decisions that lie within its competence, as defined by the Constitutions. Only when a situation demands it, will a higher level of authority intervene.
In this way, the rights and duties of people and of communities are respected. Such a way of acting encourages our participation in carrying out the mission of the Institute.
Mary, our First Superior
120. In calling her our First Superior1, we acknowledge that the Institute belongs to Mary, who has done everything for us2. We obey God in His representatives, as Mary did, with a total readiness, which is not merely a passive attitude but an attentive listening to the Spirit, in order to arrive at a responsible commitment.
Those who govern us let themselves be guided by the spirit of the Handmaid of the Lord3. Like her, they listen, ponder, and act4, having in mind the spiritual growth of the Brothers. With confidence, they have recourse to her in every situation.
Father Champagnat and Authority
121. In his service of authority to the Brothers, our Founder gave us the example of prudence, dynamism, and understanding. Like a father, he was a close companion of each of them and made himself all things to all1.He consulted them frequently2, seeking with them the will of God. Before making a decision, he would spend a long time in prayer3. With kindness and firmness, he helped the Brothers to whom he had entrusted responsible positions.
The Superiors
122. Superiors are to see their task as a service1. Brothers among Brothers2, they encourage active and responsible obedience by their respect for the person, by their readiness to listen, and by developing a united effort for the good of the Institute and of the Church. They retain, however, the right to command when it is necessary to do so3.
They provide suitably for the needs of each Brother and treat everyone with patience4. They strive to build up a brotherly community in Christ, in which God may be loved before all else.
123. The major Superiors are the Brother Superior General, the Brother Vicar General, and the Brothers Provincial1 .
124. The Superiors have a Council which they must convene at regular intervals. With the help of their Council, they govern according to Canon Law and the law proper to the Institute1. The Statutes indicate the cases where they act collegially with their Council, and those where they cannot act without the consent or advice of this Council. *
Administrative Units
125. Our Institute is divided into Provinces and Districts set up by the Brother Superior General and his Council1.
125.1 Provinces and Districts which have common interests are free to work together. This may require the drawing up of Stautes, which, if necessary, will be approved by the Brother Superior General. (cf 137.4.13)
125.2 If the number of Brothers in an administrative unit becomes too small, the Brother Superior General, after having consulted those in charge, may take the initiative of joining it to another, or of bringing it under the General Administration. (cf 137.4.1)
126. The Province is an administrative unit composed of a number of houses whose personnel and material resources are sufficient to assure an autonomous existence. It is governed by a Provincial Superior1.
127. The District is an administrative unit comprising a group of houses bound by common interests, but not having the requirements necessary to become a Province. It depends directly on the Superior General or on the Provincial Superior, and is governed by a District Superior.
127.1 The District Superiorgoverns according to the Statute approved by the Brother Superior General. (cf 137.4.13; 150.2.19)
128. In addition to its function as a structure of government, an administrative unit constitutes a broad community of life, of prayer, and of apostolic work. It brings the presence of the Institute into local Churches, and remains united to the Brother Superior General who links it to the universal Church.
129. The community is the basic cell of the Institute. It lives in a house lawfully established by the Brother Provincial with the written consent of the Bishop of the diocese1. The community is directed by a Superior. The closing of a house requires the assent of the Brother Superior General, after consultation with the Bishop2.
129.1 Whenever a house is established, a contract will be drawn up between the Province, or the District dependent on the Brother Superior General, and the other authorities responsible for the foundation. (cf 150.2.14)
129.2 Certain houses depend directly on the General Administration and do not form part of any Province. Their immediate major Superior is the Brother Superior General. They have a special Statute approved by the
Brother Superior General. (cf 137.4.13)
129.3 In agreement with the Brother Provincial concerned, the Brother Superior General chooses, each for a specified time, the Brothers who make up the communities of these houses. Such Brothers remain members of their Provinces, retaining active and passive voice in elections for the General Chapter and for the consultation for the nomination of the Brother Provincial. During the time that they are at the service of the General Administration, they forego their passive voice for any other election made in their Province. The Brother Provincial can request an exception, which will be left to the decision of the Brother Superior General.(cf 137)
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