TITLE IV

THE STRUCTURE OF THE FRATERNITY

25- §1. The brothers together with their ministers should strive continuously to create and maintain the unity of the Fraternity, always faithful to the Catholic Church and bearing witness to Christ by living in the world according to the Gospel.

§2. Wherever the brothers may be in the world, by displaying fellowship to each other they should create a real family, a dynamic center, as it were, of their spiritual and apostolic life.

§3. Wherever the Lord God calls them, the brothers with their ministers live in houses called friaries.

§4. The Annunciation Friary enjoys a primacy over all other friaries since it is there where the first foundation and beginnings of our Fraternity were established by Mother Angelica Rizzo of the Annunciation, P.C.P.A. All the brothers should consider this friary the center of spirituality for the entire Congregation and realize that they have a special and spiritual bond with Mother Angelica and her Poor Clares of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Birmingham, Alabama.

§5. Therefore, it is fitting to assign a sufficient number of brothers at the Annunciation Friary so that they may strengthen the love and fidelity of all the brothers in relation to the Franciscan charism, to be able to promote and foster its vitality, and to serve the spiritual and sacramental needs of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels, their future foundations, as well as the lay people who seek spiritual guidance and refreshment at the monasteries.

26- §1. The General Chapter determines the erection and suppression of a friary with due regard for the norms of the common law of the Church. In urgent cases, i.e. outside of The General Chapter, the Minister General with the consent of his Council can erect a friary with due regard for the norms of common law (cf. cann. 609, §1; 610; 611; 1215, §3).

§2. At least three brothers should be assigned to each friary so that a genuine community life may be assured. A friary is not to be established unless it can be prudently foreseen that three brothers can work and live there. Otherwise a filial house should be established, whose organization is to be more specifically defined in the decree of foundation.

§3. To establish a friary, the following documents and information must be obtained first:

a) the written permission of the diocesan bishop
b) the reasons for establishing the friary together with a brief description of the place and of the work to be done there by the brothers;
c) the name of the saint in whose honor the new friary will be dedicated;
d) the postal address of the new friary

§4. The date of the canonical foundation is the one noted in the decree of establishment issued by the Minister General.

§5. A filial house which depends on another friary may be erected or suppressed by the Minister General with the consent of his Council, after first having consulted the Friary Chapter of the friary involved and observing the regulations of common law (cann. 609; 616, §1).

§6. The suppression of a friary is reserved to the Minister General with the consent of his Council, after first having heard those concerned and consulting the diocesan bishop (can. 616, §1).