Ordination

1. Projects which require major financing should not have to depend on financing from ordinary taxation but must be provided for in an extraordinary budget. The resources needed to carry out such undertakings must be arranged for in the kind of planning described in n. 585 and following.
2. With regard to the expenses of a general chapter, the following must be kept in mind:
   1. travelling expenses are to be met by what is known as the ‘paraequatio’ method, whereby each person pays an equal share of the expenses
   2. lodgings and general expenses for a chapter must be shared proportionately by the general curia and by each province, in such a way that equity and proportion are observed, the details to be determined by the chapter itself;
   3. six months before the convocation of a general chapter, the syndic of the Order and the syndic of the convent where the chapter is to be held must prepare a budget of the chapter expenses to be submitted to the Master of the Order with his council. Afterwards, this must be sent to each province for consultation.

Priors Provincial, Vice Provincials, Vicars General and heads of institutions under the immediate jurisdiction of the Master of the Order, assisted by their Syndics, are responsible for sending to the Master of the Order by 31 August each year the following two documents:

1. an Annual Economic Report. This is a comprehensive presentation of the economic situation of the entity. It shall include details of income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and annual budgets as well as major projects undertaken or planned. If, however, it has several vicariates, convents, houses, or institutes, the same is to be done for each. The format of this report may vary according to local custom but must include all of the information requested above. A sample format shall be available from the Syndic of the Order.
2. a Contributions (tax-deduction) Questionnaire. This is used to calculate the annual contributions from the entities of the Order. On the basis of this questionnaire entities claim their allowable deductions for formation expenses and donations to other entities of the Order. The questionnaire shall be sent out each year by the Syndic of the Order and its format shall be the same for every entity.

1. Each year, the respective bursars of a province, and a vice-province and a general vicariate must present to their councils accurate and complete accounts of the revenues and expenses, debits and credits of their respective entities, the transactions they have made, and the economic condition of their respective entities; they must also propose budgets or estimates for the following year. Each of these accounts must be approved by the respective council. Furthermore, a bursar must submit his economic report to the superior of the entity each month.
2. Similarly, all regional priors and vicar provincials must send to their prior provincials an accurate report of their economic status, in the manner outlined in paragraph § I. These reports must be approved by their respective councils.

1. Each month, the convent syndic must give an account to the council of all revenues and expenses, debits and credits.
2. Each year, the superior of a house, the conventual prior, and the vicar provincial, and the regional prior must send to the prior provincial an accurate and complete account, prepared by the syndic. It must include a budget for the following year, prepared after consultation with the conventual chapter–if the provincial chapter shall have so determined–and approved by the council of the convent or the vicariate. Copies must be kept in the files of the respective syndic.

1. Entities of the Order are to define in their chapter legislation and/or statutes the proper procedures for financial operations (administration, safe keeping of valuables and negotiables, investments and banking) in a manner suitable to their local conditions.
2. In each province ethical norms shall be established for the assessment and investment of monies. The prior provincial together with his council should see to this task, having consulted the economic council and promoter or provincial commission for Justice and Peace. Taking these norms into account, the provinces and houses should consider in which banks it is right to deposit their funds (cf. § III) and in which companies it is right to invest.
3. Only in banks of assured security may money be deposited and, in accordance with n. 555, it must be deposited in the name of the respective moral person or institute to which it belongs.
4. The bank must be chosen by the administrator himself with the consent of the superior.

1. The consultation of the voters shall be done by means of a letter which each of them shall send to the prior provincial, containing three names in order of preference.
2. The prior provincial shall appoint as vicar provincial one of the three who received the greater number of votes, unless he judges it to be more conducive to the Order’s good to appoint another brother.

I. It is the duty of the promoter general for nuns:

1. to assist the Master of the Order and the procurator general in matters concerning the nuns;
2. to collect information concerning them or for them and to communicate it to them and the different provinces.

II. It also belongs to him to take care of the aggregated or aggregating secular institutions of the Order.

A general chapter, under the presidency of the Master or vicar of the Order, shall be conducted in the following manner:

1. on the day before the commencement of the chapter:
   1. the credentials of the voters shall be examined by three of the brothers designated by the president. Serious difficulties shall be referred to the voters of the chapter;
   2. at least two secretaries shall be appointed by the president and they may be assisted by other secretarial staff;
   3. three revisers shall be designated from the voters with the consent of the chapter. It will be their task to verify in due time the texts that have been approved;
   4. the president, having consulted the chapter, shall confirm the allocation already made of chapter members to the various commissions, which may be modified if he deems it opportune.
2. The chapter shall begin with the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit. After the homily, in the prayer of the faithful, petitions shall be made for the successful outcome of the chapter and for the living and the dead.
   1. In the first plenary session of the general chapter, the method of procedure shall be discussed;
   2. the commissions begin their work. The chairman of each commission, having heard the preference of the other members, shall appoint a secretary from among the voters or other participants who shall record accurately the minutes of the commission; a commission shall conduct and conclude all business by public or secret votes; the chairman of a commission shall report to the president of the chapter as well as to the chapter itself in plenary sessions. The written resolutions of each commission shall be distributed to all the voters as well as the other participants before the plenary sessions;
   3. the Master shall give a report on the state of the Order;
   4. the Master shall give a report on his personal receipts and expenses to the commission on economic administration which shall inform the chapter about it;
   5. in an elective chapter, the election of the Master of the Order shall be conducted on the fifth day from the beginning of the chapter;
   6. the voters with the Master shall discuss chapter matters and shall make decisions by majority vote; there shall be a secret vote when the president or a significant number of the voters request it. If the votes are equal, the matter shall be remitted for further examination and a new vote. If the voting is still equal, the president of the chapter shall break the tie with his vote. Questions shall be resolved by way of admonition, declaration, or ordination, and if a new constitution is to be formulated, this shall be done without ambiguity;
   7. voters may propose questions for discussion even while the chapter is under way, and they shall determine the schedule for discussing them;
   8. a session must be held of the voters alone if a third of the capitulars have either previously requested this, or have approved this by vote at the request of a member of the chapter.
   9. 8. within two days after every session, the minutes as well as the approved texts verified by the revisers shall be set out in a suitable place so that they can be examined by all. If a doubt is raised about an approved text, the revisers shall refer the matter to the chapter as soon as possible;
   10. 9. the time and place of the next chapter shall be noted in the acts;
   11. 10. during the chapter, the acts shall be prepared and signed by the president, the revisers, and the secretaries.
3. If the Master happens to be away from the chapter, he shall appoint a vicar from among the vocals who will take his place in all matters.

1. Conferences of priors provincial and regional priors as well as vicars shall be established according to nations or regions so that fraternal collaboration is truly organized and has a permanent character. These conferences shall meet regularly according to norms drawn up by the members of the entities and approved by the Master of the Order.
2. To foster these mutual relationships, the socii of the Master of the Order shall visit these regions frequently and remain there for some time. At an opportune time, they shall inform the Master of the Order and the general chapter about the activities and progress made there.

Where the conditions for a regional vicariate indicated in n. 384 above are lacking, a provincial chapter has power to establish a provincial vicariate and to draw up a special statute for it. If there are at least ten voters, they have the right to elect a vicar provincial; otherwise, having consulted the brothers, a vicar provincial shall be appointed by the prior provincial.