This website is a response to a commendation of the General Chapter of the Order of Preachers in 2022 at Tultenango, Mexico which said:
- From the beginning St. Dominic understood that his friars could become one heart and one soul in the Lord if the interior unanimity required for the enterprise of preaching was expressed and nourished at the same time by the exterior unity of the customs. For this reason, in order to be able to observe and keep in mind with greater ease and perfection what was established in the Book of Customs, he had all those things that were to be observed written down, so that the writing might declare to all the form of life to be followed, lest, despising the little things, we should little by little fall away. Therefore, we recommend that the Master of the Order seek the collaboration of brothers who are able to ensure not only the updated translation of the LCO in the official languages of the Order, but also its easy accessibility according to the current technological means, and a possible continuous reflection on its updating.
The goal is to fully implement this directive and other related directives, offering a way to view the Book of Constitutions and Ordinations (LCO) of the friars of the Order of Preachers in four languages (Latin, English, Spanish and French) as it has changed through the years. At this point, we have Latin and English texts with their changes from 2010 to 2023. At the bottom of the page you can choose the language, the "Other Versions" link gives you a look at the historical changes in a particular statute, and the "Effective Date" box allows you to move through time to see what the LCO was on any particular date.