Ordination

1. Where appropriate, aspirants should be prepared for some time before being admitted to the novitiate.
2. The duration, form and place of this preparation shall be decided by the provincial chapter, or the prior provincial with his council.
3. For this purpose, the province may establish a time of pre-novitiate as the first step on the journey towards the religious life. The aim of this is to prepare the aspirant for the novitiate especially through catechetical instruction, and provide an experience of living community life. It also gives the Order an opportunity to discern the aspirant’s suitability for Dominican life.

The right order of society, which the task of preaching urges us to promote, should be considered as a requirement for the spread of the kingdom of heaven, which, begun by the Incarnation of the Word of God, must be fulfilled in the universal community of men.

A province should draw up a plan of its overall apostolate and prepare the brothers for it and should coordinate its energies, taking into account the unity, the vigour and the continuity of the apostolate. The needs of the Church, and of the province, together with the problems likely to arise in the future should be kept in mind.

1. It is principally the responsibility of the conventual superior:
   1. to arrange that at suitable intervals, conferences and community discussions take place with professors from the houses of study or other experts from the Order or from elsewhere. Doctrinal questions should provide the subject matter, particularly those relevant to the brothers’ ministry and
   2. to ensure that the library is provided with the necessary books and that an adequate amount of money is spent annually for its  improvement.
2. There shall be a conventual lector of studies to assist the superior in fostering the intellectual life of the community. The superior himself may undertake this task.

When a brother dies:

1. The convent where he dies and the convent of his assignation shall celebrate for him the Office and Mass for the dead.
2. Throughout the province of his affiliation:
   1. each priest and each convent shall celebrate one Mass;
   2. each brother who is not a priest shall participate in one Mass. The same shall be done in the convent of his assignation if a brother was assigned outside his province of affiliation.
3. Throughout the Order:
   1. when a Master of the Order dies, each priest shall celebrate one Mass and each brother who is not a priest shall participate in one Mass.
   2. when a Master or ex-Master of the Order dies, each convent shall celebrate a Mass for the dead.

1. In every convent strictly so called, the conventual Mass shall be celebrated weekly for the deceased mentioned above. The Prayer of the Faithful with petitions for the dead shall be included. Where, however, the conventual Mass cannot be said (see n. 61, § II) one Mass shall be offered for the dead.
2. The following weeks are excluded: Holy Week, Easter Week, the week in which Christmas falls; also excluded are weeks during which an anniversary Mass (n. 70, § II), Mass for a deceased brother (n.73) or for a pope (n. 74) are celebrated.
3. A third part of the rosary shall be recited weekly by all the brothers for the deceased mentioned above.

1. In every convent strictly so called, the conventual Mass shall be celebrated weekly for the deceased mentioned above. The Prayer of the Faithful with petitions for the dead shall be included. Where, however, the conventual Mass cannot be said (see n. 61, § II) one Mass shall be offered for the dead.
2. The following weeks are excluded: Holy Week, Easter Week, the week in which Christmas falls; also excluded are weeks during which an anniversary Mass (n. 70, § II), Mass for a deceased brother (n.73) or for a pope (n. 74) are celebrated.
3. A third part of the rosary shall be recited weekly by all the brothers for the deceased mentioned above.

All are elected one after the other, by all the vocals at the chapter. Each election ends on the seventh ballot, in which case a relative majority is sufficient, without prejudice to n. 450 § III.

The provincial chapter or the prior provincial with his council shall divide the voters into several colleges according to number and regions, ensuring that no college has fewer than ten voters or more than twenty. If in a particular region there are fewer than ten voters, they shall be added to another electoral college.

1. It is for the provincial council or the regional council to determine whether the voters must come together specially to hold the election or may vote by post.
2. If the election is carried out in a special assembly:
   1. the president and the place of the election shall be as in n. 477;
   2. in the actual process of the election, n. 464 shall be observed (see Appendix n. 18).
3. If, however, the voters cannot gather together conveniently, the following norms shall be used:
   1. within the time determined by the president (n. 477, § II), each voter shall write his vote on a ballot-paper in accordance with n. 452, 6;
   2. then, after placing the ballot-paper in an envelope, he shall write in his own hand his name and place of residence on the envelope and seal it carefully. After that, he shall enclose the first envelope in another envelope and send it to the president with a special marking so that it can be easily recognized.
4. When the time determined for receiving ballot-papers has elapsed, the president with the regional council shall conduct the count:
   1. when all the external envelopes have been opened in the presence of the council, the names of the electors written on the outside of the inner envelopes are examined to see whether each of them has the conditions required for active voice; if anyone does not, his vote shall be considered null and void;
   2. the number of voters and of envelopes is compared;
   3. the envelopes are opened and burned before the ballots are unfolded;
   4. the votes are then examined in accordance with n . 452, 9, 10, 11;
   5. if the majority required for election or postulation is obtained, a decree of election shall be drawn up by the president, and an authentic document of the election shall be prepared and sent to the prior provincial in accordance with n. 453, § I (see Appendix n. 24). All the voters shall be notified by letter of the result of the election;
   6. if, however, an absolute majority is not obtained in the first ballot, the president with the council shall fix the time for holding a new and final ballot; and shall inform by letter both the prior provincial and the voters of all that has taken place;
   7. a provincial chapter, however, may determine that a third or even a fourth ballot may be held if in the second or third an absolute majority is not obtained;
   8. if in the last ballot, whether it is the second (n. 6°) or the third (n. 7°), only those two who received the greater number of votes in the previous ballot may be presented, without prejudice to n. 450 § III. In this case, for the elected, if he coincides with the postulated one, a relative majority is sufficient, but for the postulated one, two-thirds are required.