Ordination

1. The masters of novices, students, and cooperative brothers, the directors of schools and colleges, the syndic, and other officials of the province should always be present at the provincial council to be heard when matters pertaining to their office are being discussed.
2. When something of particular importance concerning his community is to be discussed, a superior should also be present.

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. 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. 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.

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 established or rejected by a majority of the voters may not be defined changed 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.

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.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors; if the prior cannot attend on account of sickness or another grave reason accepted by the prior provincial, the subprior may take his place;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in that province.
2. If the vocals at a provincial chapter, elected in accordance with the constitutions, are fewer than twenty, the statute of the province may make provision for extra voters. It is obliged to do this if there are fewer than ten voters. These, of whom there may not be more than three, are to be constituted such by election and not by personal entitlement.
3. If it has been determined in the statute of the province, a non-priorial house can send one delegate to the provincial chapter, in the manner of a convent, when that house is erected in a foreign nation where no other presence of the same province exists.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in that province.
2. If the vocals of the provincial chapter, elected in accordance with the constitutions, are fewer than twenty, the statute of the province may make provision for extra voters. It is obliged to do this if there are fewer than ten vocals. These, of whom there may not be more than three, are to be constituted such by election and not by personal entitlement. If the number of vocals of a provincial chapter according to the constitutions of the electors is less than ten, the statute of the province may provide for supplementary vocals to reach this number, provided, however, that these vocals are not constituted by personal right, but by election.
3. If determined in the statute of the province, a non-priorial house can send one delegate to the provincial chapter, in the manner of a convent, when that house is erected in a foreign nation where no other Dominican presence exists.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in his province.
2. If determined in the statute of the province, experts are directly elected by all the vocals of the province according to the norm of nn. 485-488.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in his that province.
2. If determined in the statute of the province, experts are directly elected by all the vocals of the province according to the norm of nn. 485-488.
3. If determined in the statute of the province, a non-priorial house can send one delegate to the provincial chapter, in the manner of a convent, when that house is erected in a foreign nation where no Dominican presence exists.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in that province.
2. If the vocals of the provincial chapter, elected in accordance with the constitutions, are fewer than ten, the statute of the province shall make provision for extra voters to reach this number, provided, however, that these vocals are not constituted by personal right, but by election. If determined in the provincial statute, experts directly elected by all the vocals of the province according to the norm of nn. 485-488.
3. If determined in the statute of the province, a non-priorial house can send one delegate to the provincial chapter, in the manner of a convent, when that house is erected in a foreign nation where no other Dominican presence exists.

The vocals of the provincial chapter are:

1.  
   1. regional priors;
   2. vicars provincial elected in accordance with n. 389;
   3. conventual priors;
   4. socii of priors going to the chapter, in accordance with n. 490;
   5. delegates of the brothers, in accordance with nn. 497-501;
   6. a prior provincial who immediately before the chapter completed his term of office in that province.
2. If the vocals of the provincial chapter, elected in accordance with the constitutions, are fewer than twenty, the statute of the province may make provision for extra voters. It is obliged to do this if there are fewer than ten vocals. These, of whom there may not be more than three, are to be constituted such by election and not by personal entitlement.
3. If determined in the statute of the province, a non-priorial house can send one delegate to the provincial chapter, in the manner of a convent, when that house is erected in a foreign nation where no Dominican presence none of the same province exists.