TITLE IV

THE PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION

46- §1. The Congregation should make every effort so that those called to the Lord’s service may attain that level of formation which is considered suitable to the needs of times and place.

§2. In formation itself all elements and natural and supernatural aids which contribute to the brother’s human, Christian, religious and, as the case may be, clerical maturity should most closely be coordinated.

47- §1. The brothers, therefore, should be trained, when and where this is possible, in seminaries of our Congregation or in other suitable institutes, always taking into account the nature of our Fraternity and of its apostolates.

§2. When the brothers are being educated in seminaries or other institutes not belonging to our Congregation, a house of formation, where this is possible, is to be established either within reasonable distance or within the same city of the seminary or institute.

§3. Seminaries and institutes are to be equipped with the necessary facilities and empowered to confer appropriate degrees upon their graduates.

§4. A directory of formation is to be published for the entire Congregation. It should be revised from time to time as necessity dictates. This directory is to be approved by the General Chapter or outside of the General Chapter by the Minister General together with his Council.

48- §1. Since the progress of the brother-students depends upon their directors and educators for their spiritual and theological formation, these should be chosen from among the best members of the community outstanding for their spirit of prayer, charity, and prudence and well-versed in the principles of formation and education.

§2. Directors of formation at all levels are to be perpetually professed members of the Fraternity. They are to be remarkable for their dedication to Eucharistic adoration and the mission of evangelization as well as for their understanding and true concern for those entrusted to them. Their responsibility is to ascertain God’s action in the lives of those placed in their care and to nourish this work of grace by solid doctrine and the practice of prayer. The directors are to evaluate the progress of those on the journey and verify whether they have a vocation and the capacity to profess temporary and perpetual vows.

§3. The directors of formation, as far as possible, should be free from other duties that would impede their work of formation. Assistant directors may be also appointed when this is deemed necessary.

§4. Among the superiors, directors, and other educators, as well as among the students themselves, harmony of mind and objectives should prevail. This is indispensable for the formation of the brothers.

§5. The effectiveness of formation depends greatly on the firmness and prudence which the directors and other educators contributing to the training employ.

§6. Within the community the young brothers should find a spirit of generosity, fervor, and harmony, so as to be able to learn together the value of mutual fraternal support, in virtue of which they will progress more easily and persevere more firmly in their vocation.

49- For the entire Congregation, a formation commission with a chairman is to be established by the General Chapter or outside of the chapter by the Minister General with the consent of his Council. This commission is to advise the Minister General and his Council about matters pertaining to the various levels of formation. The members of this commission and their competence is to be defined in the directory of formation.

TITLE V

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

50- §1. From their very entrance into the Fraternity, the brothers who share deeply in the life of the Church, should be trained progressively and continuously in the spiritual principles of Franciscan and religious life.

§2. They should master the nature and spirit of the Fraternity and its history, Rule and Constitutions that every day they become more faithful followers of our seraphic Father Saint Francis.

§3. They should also be instructed accurately in the obligations of religious profession, especially the theological, ecclesial and canonical aspects of the evangelical counsels.

§4. The young brothers who share in the company of the other brothers and who assist in their work, should learn to appreciate and always give witness to the Franciscan brotherhood.

51- §1. The primary and foremost duty of the brothers should be the contemplation of things divine and assiduous union with God in prayer (can. 663, §1).

§2. The celebration of the most Holy Eucharist is to be the center of the entire life of the community, so that the brothers may participate daily in the Eucharistic sacrifice, receive Christ, adore the same Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament, and especially draw from this richest of all sources the strength of spirit needed for their apostolic work and their spiritual life (cann. 246, §1; 663, §2).

§3. The brothers are to be trained to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours by which the ministers of God pray to God in the name of the Church on behalf of all the people committed to them (can. 246, §2).

§4. The brothers through reading and meditating on Sacred Scripture, especially the Holy Gospel, should conform themselves to the life of Christ and accustom themselves to living in the spirit of prayer and a state of permanent oblation to the heavenly Father.

§5. They should be accustomed to approach the sacrament of penance frequently. It is also recommended that each brother have a spiritual director who has been freely chosen and to whom he can open his conscience with confidence (can. 246, §4).

§6. Brothers who aspire to Sacred Orders should intimately and continually join together religious profession with clerical life and learn to strengthen their spiritual life in the exercise of Sacred Orders and pastoral activity.

52- With filial devotion all the brothers shall always venerate the most Blessed Virgin, Mary Immaculate, model of perfect charity and Mother of the Church. They should especially remember how very helpful it is in strengthening one’s religious vocation to foster an intimate communion of life with her, mindful also of their total consecration of themselves to her in the spirit of St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion.

TITLE VI

DOCTRINAL, TECHNICAL, AND PASTORAL FORMATION

53- §1. The brothers should receive that doctrinal, technical, and pastoral formation which is appropriate both to the spiritual maturity of their vocation and to the special grace of working and of exercising the apostolate of our Fraternity.

§2. From the very first year of probation the brothers should accustom themselves to manual labor after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with the instructions of our Seraphic Father, Saint Francis.

54- §1. The brothers who are not proceeding to Holy Orders should receive suitable theological training throughout the entire time of their probation in a friary established for this very purpose.

§2. They should also learn the sciences and trades to the extent that their religious and apostolic formation or the needs of the Fraternity require.

55- §1. Prior to beginning their theological studies the brothers aspiring to Holy Orders should have acquired that level of education in the humanities and sciences which is normally expected of young men in today’s society as a requisite for higher studies.

§2. Philosophical and theological courses should be so coordinated as to facilitate the gradual opening of the minds of the students both to the treasures of human wisdom and to the mystery of Christ, and to encourage them to fix and permeate their own lives in faith and to embrace their vocation with personal dedication and a joyful heart.

56- The directors and educators should regularly call the students’ attention to the apostolate and in accordance with the directory of formation introduce them gradually to various ministries by way of practical assignments outside of the seminary.

57- With a view towards the needs of our Congregation and taking into account the particular character and ability of each brother, superiors should send brothers to institutes of learning for specialized studies in order to obtain degrees. The study of the sacred sciences and advanced research in which the traditions of the Franciscan school are laudably stressed should be strongly fostered.

58- §1. After completion of regular studies, formation should always be continued and adapted to the needs of the times. Therefore, chapters and superiors should make provision that periodicals, books and other useful aids are available to the brothers.

§2. Superiors should encourage the participation of the brothers in programs of formation for religious.

§3. Taking into account the community needs, superiors should grant a leave of absence from assignment to the brothers whose request is reasonable, either to renew themselves through the contemplation of the divine mysteries or to prepare themselves by special study and training for a more fruitful apostolate and religious life.

TITLE VII

ADVANCEMENT TO SACRED ORDERS

59- After proper preparation, candidates for the ministries, with the consent of the Minister General and his Council, shall make a written request to the Bishop of Birmingham to allow them to be installed as lectors and acolytes.

60- §1. A candidate for sacred orders must be perpetually professed and must submit a written petition to the Bishop of Birmingham and to the Minister General. Before a deacon is promoted to the priesthood, upon completing his course of theological studies he must participate in pastoral care, exercising his diaconal order for a suitable period of time to be defined by the Minister General (can. 1032, §2).

§2. The Minister General shall require a report on the suitability of the candidate from the Director of Formation in consultation with his assistants and at least before ordination to the diaconate have heard the views of each brother of the friary to which the candidate has been assigned de familia.

§3. The Minister General shall share all information with his Council and obtain its consent before proceeding to recommend any candidate to the Bishop of Birmingham for ordination to the diaconate and priesthood. This same information shall likewise be submitted to the Bishop. The Bishop's jurisdiction is required to admit the candidate to Sacred Orders. Ordination to the diaconate effects the candidates incardination into the Diocese of Birmingham with the consent of the Bishop of Birmingham (cann. 1018 and 1019).

61- A testimonial of any sacred orders received should be recorded in the book of ordinations and kept in the archives together with other documents pertaining to the individual brother.

62- A testimonial of ordination to the diaconate and priesthood should also be sent to the parish of baptism.