Ordination

1. When a prior provincial ceases to hold office in accordance with n. 344, § I, the vicar of the province, as laid down in the statute of the province, will be: either the prior of the convent where the next provincial chapter is to be held or, if that convent does not have a prior at that time, the prior of the convent where the last chapter was held and so on, retrospectively, or the prior who is senior by profession in the province; or the prior provincial himself who has left office.
2. When a prior provincial leaves office for any other reason, the vicar of the province will be the socius of that prior provincial up to the day immediately before the vigil of the provincial chapter, from which day the vicar will be the conventual prior where the next provincial chapter is to be held, or if that convent does not have a prior at that time, the prior of the convent where the last chapter was held and so on, retrospectively. The latter ruling should be observed even if there is no socius.
3. When a prior provincial is prevented from exercising jurisdiction, the Master of the Order must be approached. If this is not possible, the socius of the prior provincial becomes the vicar of the province, as set out above in § II.
4. A prior provincial who, without hope of recovery within six months, is prevented by illness from properly fulfilling his duties, shall resign from office.
5. If he is unable or unwilling to resign, the socius of the prior provincial must summon the provincial council and preside over it even without the prior provincial. This council has power to approach the Master of the Order who shall either convoke an extraordinary elective chapter (see n. 351, § II) or appoint the vicar of the province as the vicar of the Master of the Order.

The prior provincial:

1. at the end of a visitation, shall convey to the brothers his observations and ordinations in writing;
   2. After visitation he shall report to the Master of the Order, both on the brothers, whether "they are persevering in peace, assiduous in study, fervent in preaching," and faithful in regular observance, and on the relationships between the province and the convents and the ecclesiastical authorities.
2. 3. during the three months before leaving office, shall send a report on the state of the province to the Master of the Order, ensuring that it reaches him before the new election. In this he shall report both on the brothers, whether ‘they are persevering in peace, assiduous in study, fervent in preaching and faithful in regular observance,’1 and on the relationships between the province and convents and the ecclesiastical authorities.

1. Any brother with active voting rights may be appointed syndic of the convent provided he is truly quali­fied for this office.
2. He is appointed by the prior with the consent of his council and with the approval of the Prior Provincial.
3. II. He is appointed for a three-year term and can be appointed immediately for another three years but not for a third time except in case of necessity with the consent of the prior provincial.

The council shall meet at least once a month and shall conduct its business according to the rules laid down above for the conventual chapter, nn. 312 and 313.

1. In reaching decisions a simple majority of votes is sufficient, not counting abstentions.
2. If the votes are tied, the chairman can postpone the decision for a short time before he settles the matter without prejudice to CCL 127, § I.
3. Ordinarily matters shall be decided by secret vote.

1. The chapter shall have a secretary, whom it elects in a single ballot.
2. If the prior wishes, he may from time to time and with the consent of the chapter invite professed brothers to attend and be heard without however their having a vote.

A prior who is prevented by illness from properly fulfilling his duties shall resign from office if there is no hope of recovering his health within six months.

1. Ordinations which have remained in force through five successive chapters and in the sixth have been approved, shall be inserted in the Book of Constitutions and Ordinations.
2. Ordinations in the Book of Constitutions and Ordinations can be revoked by a general chapter until the next chapter; if, however, the second chapter confirms the previous one, they are definitively abrogated (see Appendix n. 2).

1. A general chapter or the Master of the Order may freely assign brothers to any province or convent, but the provincial chapter or a prior provincial may make assignations within their own province.
2. A brother who has been simply assigned to a province by the master of the Order or by the general chapter needs, in addition, an assignment to a specific convent.
3. Direct or indirect assignations by reason of study must be made in writing (see Appendix, n. 12)

The brothers should always remember that their public statements (in books, newspapers, on radio and television) reflect not only on themselves but also on their brothers, on the Order and the Church. For this reason, in reaching a judgement they should be careful to foster a spirit of dialogue and mutual responsibility with their brothers and superiors. If their speaking or writing is about controversial issues, they should give special attention to this crucial dialogue with major superiors.