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370

  1. The bursar of the province shall always be called to take part in the deliberations of the council without, however, having a vote unless he is already a member of the council.
  2. Whenever the agenda includes matters pertaining to their duties, the masters of novices, of students, and of cooperator brothers, the directors of schools and of colleges, and other provincial officials shall always be present so that they may be heard.
  3. When something of particular importance concerning his community is to be discussed, a superior should also be present.
Ordination
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369

  1. In cases of greater urgency when more are unable to be present, it suffices that at least two councillors be present with the chairman.
  2. Whenever the agenda includes matters pertaining to the studium, the professors, and the students, or even to an apostolic school, the regent and the moderator of institutional studies shall always be present.
Ordination
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368

  1. Councillors may not be removed or may not resign their office, except with the consent of the Master of the Order. If it should happen that a councillor ceases to be in office outside the duration of a provincial chapter, a new councillor designated by the provincial chapter shall be substituted for him with the approval of the Master of the Order.
  2. All members must be summoned to the council and all must be present at its deliberations unless they are dispensed by the prior provincial for a just cause.
Ordination
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367

The secretary of the council is elected by the council in a single ballot; he does not have a vote if he is not one of its members and is bound to secrecy just as the other members. He shall record in a book reserved for this purpose the matters discussed and the resolutions of the council.

Ordination
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364

A prior provincial may not change or rescind the acts of a chapter, nor may such authority be delegated to him by the diffinitors; he may, however, interpret the acts of a chapter and in a particular case dispense from them.

Ordination
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363

  1. The acts may not be published before they have been approved by the Master of the Order. After approval, however, they shall be printed either in Latin or the vernacular, promulgated by the prior provincial, and sent to the convents of the province. Moreover, they shall be read publicly in each convent as the chapter itself may determine.
  2. The authority of the acts begins from their promulgation and ends with the promulgation of the acts of the following chapter.
Ordination
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362

  1. The official transcript of each session shall be prepared by the secretary. When it has been approved by the chapter and signed by the president and the secretary, it shall be placed in the archives of the province.
  2. The place and date of the next provincial chapter shall be indicated in the acts.
  3. The names of the deceased brothers, to which brief accounts of their lives are added, shall be published in the acts.
  4. The acts shall be written in Latin or a modern language accepted by the general council. Five copies, signed by the president, the diffinitors, and the secretary, and bearing the
    seal of the province, shall be sent to the Master of the Order as quickly as possible so that they can be examined and approved.
    If the acts are not written in one of the languages accepted by the general council, a translation shall be made into Latin or into one of those languages and five copies of the translation shall be sent to the Master of the Order with the addition of two copies in the original language.
    After corrections have been made, the Master shall send a letter of approval along with the text to the province. One copy of the acts shall be sent to the archives of the Order and another for publication in abbreviated form in the Analecta of the Order.
Ordination
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361

  1. The chapter shall end within a month. However, with the consent of the Master of the Order, it may, in a special case, be extended for fifteen days.
  2. For a reasonable cause, approved by the Master of the Order, the chapter may be interrupted, but not beyond fifteen days. During the interruption, the power mentioned in n. 360 belongs to the prior provincial.
Ordination
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359

In a provincial chapter all matters shall be decided ordinarily by secret vote. If at any time the votes are tied, the president shall break the tie.

Ordination
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358

A provincial chapter must be celebrated in the following manner:

  1. on the day designated for the commencement of the chapter, or on the previous day:
    1.  the testimonial letters shall be examined by the three voters senior in the Order: serious difficulties shall be referred to the chairman and voters of the chapter;
    2. after the voters have been approved, a secretary, – or two, if needed – shall be appointed by the chairman with the consent of the voters;
    3. the chairman and the voters shall form chapter commissions from among the voters;
    4. each commission shall elect its chairman in a single ballot and shall choose its secretary.
  2. The chapter shall begin with the Mass of the Holy Spirit. In the prayer of the faithful after the homily, petitions shall be made for the successful outcome of the chapter, and for the living and the dead, mentioning by name those who have died in the Lord since the last chapter. 
  3.  
    1. Among matters to be dealt with by the commissions are apostolic activity, the state of the province with regard to personnel, disciplinary and economic matters – all this as shown in the reports presented by different superiors as determined in the statute of the province;
    2. the conclusions of each commission, set down in writing, shall be made available in a suitable place so that they can be examined by all the voters before the plenary sessions;
    3. afterwards, under the direction of the chairman of the chapter, the plenary sessions of all the voters shall begin, and it will be the duty of the voters to decide which conclusions of the commissions are to be retained so that they can be defined by the diffinitors.
  4. When all these things have been done, the chairman and the diffinitors shall decide whatever they judge to be necessary or useful; whatever has been rejected by a majority of the voters may not be defined by the diffinitors.
  5. It also pertains to the diffinitory:
    1. to make admonitions, ordinations, declarations and petitions;
    2. to issue assignations, to fill offices or positions, and to attend to other matters in accordance with our laws.
Ordination
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