Chapter 2

Desiring to see our Order grow in virtue, perfection, and religious spirit rather than in number; convinced moreover, according to the oracle of infallible Truth, that many are called but few are chosen ¹, and that—according to the prediction of our Seraphic Father on his deathbed—nothing is so harmful to the pure observance of the Rule as the multitude of useless and sensual Brothers, we order that major Superiors admit no one to the novitiate without the consent [consilio] of their respective Definitory ², or of three or four of the most prudent Fathers, selected by that same Definitory. And let said Superiors carefully inquire whether the aspirants to the novitiate meet the conditions required by common law for valid and licit admission ³, and in addition, satisfy the following prescriptions:

1. Not be in any way suspect in the faith, but firmly believe all that the Holy Roman Church believes and teaches, and shun all error and unhealthy novelty.
2. Enjoy a good reputation.
3. Be animated by a burning desire, and inspire confidence that they come to the Order with the sole aim of serving God in all sincerity.
4. Be free from any serious, contagious, or incurable disease, and be sound in mind and body, so as to bear the weight of regular observance and the austerities of our life.
5. Those to be received as clerics must have completed sufficient secondary education according to the customs of each country and successfully passed an appropriate examination; in addition, they must offer reasonable hope of succeeding in future studies. Those to be received as lay brothers must be sufficiently instructed in Christian doctrine and capable of manual labor.
6. As a general rule, no one over thirty-five years of age will be admitted, unless there results a great source of edification for the faithful.

(8) As for those coming from another religious family who wish to transfer to ours, they will be admitted only with difficulty and with the consent of the general Definitory, observing all legal prescriptions ⁴, and they shall complete one year of novitiate ⁵.

(9) The first thing that Christ, the all-wise Master, said to the young man who expressed his desire to attain eternal salvation was that, if he wished to be His disciple, he should sell all he had and give the proceeds to the poor ⁶. Saint Francis, His faithful imitator, not only observed this himself and required it of those he received into his Order, but he also imposed it on us in his Rule. Accordingly, in order to conform ourselves to the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to the will of the Seraphic Father, the provincial Superiors shall remind the aspirants, as the Rule prescribes, of this word of the holy Gospel, so that, in the time and manner determined by the Church, they may be prepared to renounce all their possessions: and thus, with greater peace of mind and strength of heart, they may dedicate themselves forever to the service of God.

(10) Furthermore, we desire that those admitted as clerics be exercised, before their clothing, in all the practices of regular observance for several days, so that their good dispositions may be confirmed, and that they themselves may undertake so grave a matter with greater knowledge, reflection, and maturity. This also applies to religious who, with permission from the Holy See, transfer to our Order. Aspirants to the lay brother state shall, according to legal prescriptions, undergo a postulancy of a full six months before being admitted to the novitiate. The major Superior may extend this time, though not beyond a second semester ⁷. Before beginning the novitiate, all postulants without distinction must complete spiritual exercises for at least eight full days, and make a general confession of their life, at the prudent judgment of the confessor ⁸.

(11) Before the profession of simple vows, the novices shall dispose of their temporal goods, ceding to a person of their choice the use, enjoyment, and administration, keeping only ownership, and this for the entire time they will be bound by the simple vows ⁹. During the duration of these vows, the professed may not change this arrangement except with the permission of the Minister General ¹⁰. Nevertheless, this does not forbid novices and those professed with simple vows from making a will at their discretion, which will remain valid until the solemn profession. As for the Brothers, avoiding any occasion to meddle in such affairs and without troubling themselves about them, they shall think only of maintaining themselves in all simplicity in the peace of the Lord ¹¹.

(12) Superiors must be careful not to receive anything from a novice or from his parents or guardians for his entry into religion or profession, nor to demand anything for his maintenance during the postulancy and novitiate; however, it is not forbidden to request a contribution for the novice’s clothing ¹².

(13) It is further ordered that the habits of novices coming from the secular state, and of religious who transfer to our Order, be kept until the day of their first profession ¹³. Then the habits of the seculars shall be distributed to the poor and those of the religious shall be returned to their Superiors.

(14) In each Province, upon request of the provincial Definitory, the Minister General and his Definitory shall designate a convent most suitable for the spiritual life, to be erected as a novitiate, according to the rules of law ¹⁴. The part of this convent destined for novices shall, as far as possible, be separated from that inhabited by the professed ¹⁵, and a separate place shall be assigned to the lay novices ¹⁶. Moreover, the Superiors shall place in the novitiate convent only religious exemplary for their love of regular observance ¹⁷.

(15) The novitiate shall be carried out for a full and continuous year, according to the prescriptions of law ¹⁸.

(16) A priest of at least thirty-five years of age and having professed for at least ten years since his first vows shall be appointed Master of novices; he shall be distinguished by prudence, charity, piety, and faithful observance. If the number of novices, or another just cause, makes it appropriate, an assistant shall be added to the Master of novices, who will be immediately subject to him for all matters concerning the direction of the novitiate. This assistant must be at least thirty years old, have at least eight years of profession since first vows, and possess the other necessary and appropriate qualities. Both shall be relieved of any function or charge that might prevent them from dedicating themselves to the care and guidance of the novices ¹⁹. The Master of novices and his assistant shall be appointed by the provincial Definitory for three years. They may not be removed during this time without just and serious cause; however, they may be reappointed ²⁰.

(17) So that no one may reproach us as Christ Most Holy reproached the scribes and Pharisees: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to make one disciple, and when he is made, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves ²¹, the Masters of novices shall reflect on the grave obligation incumbent upon them to diligently ensure that the novices are assiduously trained in the practices of religious discipline ²²: for the year of the novitiate, under the guidance of the Father Master, aims to form the soul of the novice by studying the Rule and Constitutions, through pious meditations and frequent prayers, by teaching what concerns the vows and virtues, by exercises proper to uproot the very roots of the seeds of vice, to master the movements of the soul, and to acquire the virtues ²³. Therefore, the Masters of novices shall apply themselves to teaching not only religious ceremonies and the laws of politeness and courtesy, but above all spiritual matters, so necessary to those who truly wish to imitate Christ, our light, our way, our truth, our life ²⁴. They shall teach them what precepts, counsels, and admonitions are in the Rule, showing them the intention of our blessed Father regarding its observance, so that at the end of the year they will know perfectly what will be required of them for the rest of their lives; and they shall show by example and word what constitutes the life of the perfect Christian and the true Friar Minor.

(18) The Master of novices alone has the right and duty to provide for the formation of novices; alone he is charged with the direction of the novitiate, and no one may interfere in it under any pretext, except the Major Superiors and Visitors. But as regards the general discipline of the convent, in the choir and church during the divine office and processions, in the refectory and during all other exercises where the community is gathered, the Master of novices, like the novices themselves, is subject to the local Superior ²⁵.

(19) And so that the novices may be strengthened more in the interior spirit through recollection, peace, and silence, they shall have no communication with the professed, nor shall the professed with the novices, except for a special reason and with the permission of the Father Guardian or the Father Master ²⁶; and no one shall ever enter their cell, nor they enter the cells of others.

(20) During the year of novitiate, novices shall neither be employed in preaching, nor in the ministry of confession, nor in external duties of the religion, nor even in proper literary, scientific, or artistic studies. As for the lay brothers, they may only be assigned to the offices of lay brothers in the convent, and then only subordinate ones, to the extent that this does not prevent them from taking part in the exercises of the novitiate intended for them ²⁷. Furthermore, they must be carefully taught Christian doctrine in special conferences at least once a week ²⁸.

(21) For the confessions of novices, it is ordered that one or more ordinary confessors be designated according to their number, chosen from among the religious living in the novitiate convent ²⁹. The Father Master and his companion shall not hear the confessions of novices, unless the novices voluntarily request it in particular cases for grave and urgent reasons ³⁰. Besides the ordinary confessors, some others shall be designated, to whom novices may freely resort in special cases, of which the Master of novices shall show no displeasure. Finally, at least four times a year, an extraordinary confessor shall be given to the novices, to whom all must present themselves at least to receive his blessing ³¹.

(22) He who wishes to consecrate himself to the Lord must give a firm hope that he is capable of serving Him, and have the favorable testimony of those among whom he lives; therefore, we order that three times during the year of novitiate, namely in the fourth, eighth, and tenth months, the local Chapter shall give its suffrage by secret ballot for the admission of novices. Before the vote, the Father Master shall inform the Chapter of the conduct of each novice, and shall report to the Provincial Superior at least after each voting ³². After receiving the last report, the Provincial Superior, who during the course of the novitiate always has the power to dismiss novices for any just reason ³³, shall dismiss those who have not obtained the majority of votes; since he cannot, under penalty of nullity, admit to profession those who have not obtained this majority ³⁴. If any doubt remains about the aptitude of a novice, he may extend the probationary period, but not beyond six months ³⁵, and once this time has elapsed, the novice shall be again submitted to the judgment of the Chapter. And no novice shall be dismissed without the authorization of the same Provincial Superior, except for a grave reason not admitting delay.

(23) Only those religious professed with solemn vows who have been for four consecutive months, or approximately, in community with the novices may take part in the voting; others shall simply give their opinion.

(24) The first profession must be made in the novitiate convent, for three years, or for a longer term if more than three years remain for the novice before reaching the age required for solemn profession ³⁶. Once this time has elapsed, the religious must either make the solemn profession or return to secular life ³⁷. However, if there are serious doubts about their vocation, or if they have not been sufficiently tested, the Provincial Superior may, after having them renew the temporary profession, delay the solemn profession, but not beyond a second period of three years ³⁸. As for the religious professed with solemn vows or perpetual simple vows who transfer to our Order, after completing the year of novitiate, either he will be admitted to solemn profession, or he will return to his first religion; however, the Provincial Superior has the right to extend the probation, but not more than one year after the end of the novitiate ³⁹.

(25) Before admitting those professed with simple vows to solemn profession, the Provincial Superiors shall request the consultative vote of the religious of the family to which they belong ⁴⁰.

(26) Within sixty days before the solemn profession, those professed with simple vows must renounce all goods currently in their possession, conditioned on their future profession. Once this profession is made, the necessary measures shall be taken immediately so that the renunciation produces its effects, even according to civil law ⁴¹.

(27) The opinion of the Doctors of the Church ⁴² being that one who makes profession with the required dispositions regains baptismal innocence, we desire that all prepare for it with the greatest care through spiritual exercises ⁴³, sincere confession, frequent communion, and fervent prayers.

(28) For admission both to the habit and to profession, all the prescriptions, ceremonies, and rites customary in our Order shall be strictly observed ⁴⁴.

(29) It is further ordered that the act of every profession, whether simple or solemn, be drawn up indicating the age of the professed and other required circumstances. This act, signed by the professed himself, by the one who received the profession, and by two witnesses, shall be carefully preserved to serve in case of need; moreover, the Provincial Superior shall record it in the register of professions, which must be deposited in the archives. But if it is a solemn profession, the Superior who receives it must inform the pastor of the place where the professed was baptized ⁴⁵.

(30) Provincial Superiors who would receive a novice aspirant, or admit someone to profession against the prescriptions of law or these Constitutions, shall be punished by the Minister General according to the gravity of their fault, even by deprivation of their office ⁴⁶.

(31) To better accustom the new professed to bear the yoke of the Lord, it is ordered that they be placed in convents of full regular observance and perfect community life ⁴⁷. There, clerics shall be formed, until the end of their course of studies, under the dependence of the Father Guardian and the guidance of the Director appointed for this purpose by the Provincial Definitory ⁴⁸. And so that, far from losing the newly acquired interior spirit, they may be strengthened more and more therein and take deeper root in the love of Jesus Christ, they shall practice all the exercises of the novitiate: they shall say the coulpe every day and do the discipline every Friday, unless sometimes dispensed for a reasonable cause. After their solemn profession, they shall say the coulpe only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The lay brothers shall observe the same practices for six entire years, under the dependence of the local Superior or another Father of the greatest seriousness, who will serve as their spiritual Director.

(32) Those professed from any other religion who come to us, as well as secular priests who don our habit, shall be formed with special care in the seraphic spirit and the traditions of our Order. To this end, the Superiors shall subject them during the novitiate to the full discipline of the novices, and to that of the new professed during the three years following the end of the novitiate, with due respect, however, to their sacerdotal dignity.

(33) Upon the expiration of their simple vows, the professed with simple vows is free to leave the religion; likewise, the religion may refuse to admit him to the renewal of simple vows or to solemn profession, for just and reasonable causes, though not for reasons of health unless there is certain proof that the religious had fraudulently concealed or hidden his illness before profession ⁴⁹. Even during the term of simple vows, if the professed is not judged worthy to make solemn vows, he may be dismissed by the legitimate Superior, in accordance with the law ⁵⁰.

(34) Since it was not without reason that our Savior praised the roughness of the garment of Saint John the Baptist, when He said: Those who are softly clothed live in kings’ houses ⁵¹, we ordain that the Brothers who have chosen to be abject in the house of the Lord use the vilest and most austere cloth they can conveniently procure in their region; remembering well that the sacks with which Saint Francis wished our habits to be patched, and the cords he gave us for belts, are ill-suited to the rich and refined fabrics of the world.

(35) Our habit includes the habit with the cowl and the cord, the second tunic without cowl permitted by the Rule for those who wish to wear it ⁵², and, if needed, the cloak, which has been in use in the Order since its origin.

(36) So that poverty, so dear to the Son of God and given to us by the seraphic Father as our mother, may shine in all things that are in our use, we ordain that the cloaks shall not extend beyond the fingertips and shall be without a cowl. The length of the habits shall not exceed the foot joint; their width shall be about three meters; the sleeves shall be only wide enough to conveniently pass arms in and out, and shall reach about halfway down the hand. Let the cowl be square, just as those of Saint Francis and his companions were, which are kept today as relics, as may be seen in old paintings and as is written in the Book of Conformities ⁵³, so that our habit has the shape of a cross, to teach us that we are crucified to the world and the world is crucified to us ⁵⁴. The belt shall be only a cord, with the simplest knots, without any refinement or singularity. Let the tunics, or undergarments, be poor and simple, as well as the handkerchiefs and underpants, of which only the necessary number for use shall be had.

(37) So that uniformity may prevail in all the Provinces of the Order regarding the form, material, and color of the habit, we desire that the Superiors carefully ensure that the Brothers do not use other garments and that they punish those who, without true necessity and without authorization, make use of linen or other materials not fitting with our state. And that the Brothers wear the habit both inside and outside the convent, unless dispensed for a serious cause, judged as such by the major Superior, and in cases of urgency, by the local Superior ⁵⁵. It is forbidden to give our habit to secular persons ⁵⁶, except to those who, out of special devotion, wish to be clothed with it to be buried, and even then this shall be done rarely, and only due to the piety and condition of the deceased.

(38) In all our houses, there shall be a room where a brother, appointed for this office, will keep the community’s linen clean and mended, ready to serve the needs of the religious. Those who use any of it shall return it to him properly and with humble thanksgiving.

(39) The rosary of the Most Holy Virgin shall be uniformly worn, suspended from the cord; the beads and the cross composing it shall be made of wood. Likewise, in accordance with evangelical teaching and the example of our ancient Fathers, the Brothers may wear sandals, because they cannot be regarded as shoes; but they shall be simple, vile, and poor, without any refinement. And the Brothers shall wear neither bonnet nor hat; however, priests who have completed their course of studies may wear a modest skullcap, according to the custom of the Provinces; as for clerics and lay brothers, they shall not wear one without necessity or the permission of the provincial Superior.

(40) Following the example of our divine Savior, the seraphic Father Saint Francis, some Saints, and our ancient Fathers, the beard shall be worn, which is a manly, natural, and austere thing, but without giving it the affected care of secular persons.

(41) And so that our beds resemble that on which He who said: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head ⁵⁷ died, and at the same time to be more watchful, more zealous in prayer, and more conformable to the seraphic Father who often had no other bed than bare earth, or rather to Jesus Christ, the Holy of Holies, who had no other bed in the harshness of the desert, we ordain that the Brothers sleep, clothed in the habit, on a straw mattress covered with a coarse sheet. If any Religious, stronger and inclined to greater austerity, desire to sleep on mats or bare boards, they may do so with the permission of their Superiors, who shall grant it if they see no harm for them.

(42) To prevent, at the instigation of the devil, some Brother from taking disgust at the solitude and tranquility of our life and returning to the pleasures of Egypt from which he was withdrawn, all must keep before their eyes what is written in the second chapter of the Rule: It shall not be permitted in any way to the Brothers, after their profession, to leave this religion ⁵⁸. And let those who commit the crime of apostasy ⁵⁹ know well that, by law itself, they incur the excommunication reserved to the major Superior, that they are excluded from legitimate ecclesiastical acts and deprived of all privileges of the Order ⁶⁰.

(43) The fugitive, that is, one who, without the permission of the Superiors, leaves the religious house with the intention of returning to the religion, incurs ipso facto the deprivation of any office he might hold in the Order, and, if he is in sacred orders, the suspension reserved to the provincial Superior ⁶¹. By virtue of these Constitutions, the religious fugitive who is not in sacred orders incurs ipso facto the penalty of interdict, likewise reserved to the provincial Superior ⁶².

(44) The Superiors have the duty to diligently seek out apostates and fugitives ⁶³; those who return, moved by sincere repentance, must be received by the Superiors and absolved according to the rules of the law ⁶⁴. They shall be subjected to the penalties customary in the Order, proportionate to the gravity of their fault, the duration of their absence, the offenses committed outside the convent, and the scandal caused. Moreover, by law itself, apostates remain forever deprived of both active and passive voice ⁶⁵.

(45) It is not permitted for the Brothers to leave their residence, even under the pretext of resorting to their Superiors, unless sent or summoned by them; therefore, it is ordained that the religious who needs to visit his provincial Superior must request obedience through his local Superior; and the provincial Superior shall grant it only for reasonable causes and when the matter cannot truly be communicated by letter. Whoever departs without this obedience to visit the provincial Superior shall be regarded as a fugitive. Likewise, those who, without obedience, go and come either within the Province or outside shall be considered fugitives.

(46) Let the Brothers beware of falling into that apostasy which Saint Bernard calls the apostasy of the heart ⁶⁶, which happens when, turning away from the spirit and love of his Order, the religious lets himself be dominated by the spirit of pride and sensuality prevailing in the world, but remembering the Apostle’s words: Do not be conformed to this world ⁶⁷, they shall avoid all things of the earth and the world.

(47) Furthermore, it is ordained that the religious who, at his request, has left his Province to be lawfully aggregated to another shall not be promoted to any office or superiority, nor shall he participate in any election until he has led an exemplary life there for three years; and he shall ipso facto lose the titles and privileges he enjoyed in his former Province, as well as the precedence derived therefrom. And if, persevering in his inconstancy, he asks to return to the Province where he made profession, he shall remain deprived of the same privileges and shall not be elevated to any superiority or office without the permission of the general Definitory.

(48) When a religious, having obtained an indult of exclaustration, returns to the Order, until the Minister General and his Definitory decide otherwise, it is declared that he shall be ineligible to any superiority or office, even that of local or chapter discreet; it is further ordained that he shall lose all precedence, even that of seniority, for all the time spent outside the cloister. As for secularized members, they can never be received into the Order without an apostolic indult; and if received, they must begin the novitiate anew, renew their profession, and shall take rank among the professed from the day of their new profession ⁶⁸. Moreover, they shall remain ineligible to any superiority or office. Only the Minister General and his Definitory may dispense them from this ineligibility, in whole or in part.