Documents pertaining to the actual government and administration of a province shall be kept either in the secretariat of the province or by the officials concerned. (See Appendix n. 15.)

The prior provincial shall have a secret archive in which are kept secret documents, the import of which he is bound to convey to his successor. These documents shall be burned seventy years after the death of the brothers mentioned in them, provided this can be done without prejudice to those who are still alive, with due regard to civil law taking into account the requirements of civil law.

An archivist, appointed by a provincial chapter, has charge of the archives of the province in which are stored:

1. documents which have been kept in the office of the prior provincial or of other officials and are no longer needed for ordinary government;
2. documents of convents which have been suppressed;
3. unpublished writings, letters, or other documents of deceased brothers or of other people which appear to be of value for the history of the province.

It is the task of the provincial chapter to appoint various officials according to the needs of the province and to determine their duties.

Neither the prior provincial nor a local superior may hold the office of provincial bursar.

Ordinarily the socius should not be a local superior or a parish priest.

1. Two years after a prior provincial has been confirmed in office, he must summon to the next provincial council, in addition to its members, regional priors, vicars provincial, and conventual priors, unless the provincial chapter has determined otherwise regarding regional priors, vicars provincial, and priors in remote regions.
2. At this council meeting, all topics are to be dealt with that seem to be useful for the good of the province; first of all, there shall be a review of whether the ordinations and exhortations of the last provincial chapter and general chapter have been put into practice.

Matters which by our law are within the competence of the diffinitory of a provincial chapter may be dealt with and decided by the prior provincial with his council if necessity arises outside the duration of the chapter, except for nn. 279, § II, 358, § IV.

Among other things, the following must be dealt with in the provincial council:

1. the appointment or removal of a regional prior and of a conventual prior;
2. the presentation or removal of a pastor, after consulta­tion with the chapter of the community to which the parish is entrusted;
3. the erection of a house as a convent, in accordance with n. 262;
4. the cassation of a decision of a conventual chapter or council, councillors assigned to that convent being excluded from taking part in the cassation;
5. the transfiliation of a brother;
6. temporarily excluding a brother from active voting rights for a grave reason;
7. a declaration of the fact for the dismissal of a brother in accordance with common law (CCL 694, § 2).

So that nothing will be abruptly put forward for decision, councillors should be informed of the agenda in good time unless a particular decision is urgent.