Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular

1. The offices established to cultivate vocations are to provide candidates considering the religious life the means to lead a Christian life, adapted to their age, always providing suitable contact with their families and society.

2. There should be fraternities that offer young people the opportunity of taking part in our life in order that they may know our fraternity better.

3. 1�. The Minister Provincial shall appoint a friar or a group of friars to promote vocations and give them the means to fulfill the task.

2�. Those who have the task of admitting new candidates to the Order should be aware that it is through them that the Church examines the fitness of the candidates and admits them to the religious life even though the vocation to the religious life and the priesthood is a gift from God.

4. The vocation of those who are older is to be provided for in a fitting manner as personal and local situations demand so that candidates who are older can lead a life that is suited to their age and appropriate for their human, Christian and Franciscan development.

Chapter 2
General Statutes

FORMATION IN GENERAL

Constitutions: 12

5. The directors, ministers and teachers who are responsible for the formation of the friars should wisely use the psychological and pedagogical aids which human experience and scientific research have provided.

6. Each Province must take special care that its candidates are placed in fraternities of formation which are equipped with necessary and appropriate means to provide them with a solid formation.

Each Province, through competent authority and expert friars, should formulate a program of formation to accommodate the general norms of the Constitutions to the particular circumstances of persons and places according to the spirit of the Rule and of the Church's documents.

7. All the friars are to consider the fraternities of formation as the heart of the Province. It is their duty to willingly give all possible help in accord with their position and capabilities.

8. The Provinces or Vice Provinces that establish an inter-province program of formation shall do so by written agreement and consent of the respective Ministers Provincial and their Councils.

9. The candidates are to engage in intellectual and manual work in which they can provide for the needs of their community. This program should allow them to work with their brothers and sisters, offer them service and associate themselves with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ who conferred an eminent dignity on labor by working with His own hands at Nazareth.

10. During the time of formation the directors should see that the friars engage in appropriate manual labor, physical exercise, artistic and recreational activity in accord with the talent and inclinations of each one.

Chapter 3
General Statutes

THE FORMATION
OF THE MAN

Constitutions: 13,14,15,16

11. The friars who are not studying for Sacred Orders are to be introduced to other types of professional as well as technical work which are necessary for the good of the community.

By special courses they are to receive a theological and pastoral training adapted to contemporary needs that can permit them to cultivate more fruitfully the evangelical life in themselves and in others.

12. Taking into account the particular circumstances of the place and always observing the norms of the law, the Minister Provincial with the consultative vote of his Council can decide that a brother may be called to the office of the permanent diaconate.

Chapter 4
General Statutes

FORMATION IN
RELIGIOUS LIFE

Constitutions: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Chapter 5
General Statutes

FORMATION IN THE
CHARISM OF THE ORDER

Constitutions: 24, 25

Chapter 6
General Statutes

FORMATION IN
APOSTOLIC LIFE

Constitutions: 26, 27, 28

Chapter 7
General Statutes

ONGOING FORMATION
AND EDUCATION

Constitutions: 29

13. The Minister Provincial is to provide the necessary means for the friars to develop and keep up-to-date with the new demands of the times through ongoing formation needed to carry out their obligations.

Friars shall strive to fulfill this objective through attendance at periodic conventions, the use of sabbatical leaves devoted to self-improvement and by consulting with Directors of Ongoing Formation.

14. It is the responsibility of the Minister Provincial and the Provincial Council to study which means are most suitable for promoting ongoing formation and to incorporate these means in Provincial Statutes.

15. The Minister Provincial, with the consent of his Council, shall decide which friars are permitted to go to universities to obtain degrees after having considered the quality of the friar's lives, their capabilities, the needs of the Province and their faithfulness to the Order.

Chapter 8
General Statutes

THE DIRECTORS AND
OTHER EDUCATORS

Constitutions: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35

16. At the end of each school year, the Director is to send to the Minister Provincial a report on the fitness of each candidate in formation. This report should include the opinions of the members of the local fraternity. The Minister Provincial shall present this report to the Council.

17. In each Province of the Order there is to be appointed a Prefect of Education who is in charge of the study program of the Province.

It is his duty to see that in fraternities of formation the directions given by the Church and the Order in regard to studies are faithfully observed.

Where it is necessary, local prefects of education shall be appointed.

Chapter 9
General Statutes

THE STAGES
OF FORMATION

Constitutions: 36

Chapter 10
General Statutes

POSTULANCY

Constitutions: 37, 38

18. During the postulancy the candidates shall be under the care of a Director appointed by the Minister Provincial after consultation with his Council.

19. It is desirable that the postulancy not be made in the novitiate. It can also be arranged that the postulancy be made, totally or in part, in the various fraternities of the Province.

20. The requisites for admission to the postulancy are the following:

1�. a right intention, free will, as well as spiritual, moral, intellectual and social fitness;

2�. average physical and mental health;

3�. sufficient emotional maturity;

4�. appropriate intellectual and professional training.

Let each Province establish other norms for admission.

21. The candidate to be admitted must declare in writing:

1�. that he is not affected by a fatal or contagious disease or other serious recurrent illness, and that he is aware that his reception in our Order and subsequent religious profession are null if he has deceptively concealed such illness.

2�. that by reason of his admission to a religious institute, he is prepared to fulfill without reservation any duty assigned to him by his ministers and that he cannot claim any recompense from the Order if, at any time, he wishes to leave the Order or is dismissed.

22. Particular provisions on admission to the postulancy, its length and organization shall be stated in the Provincial Statutes.

Chapter 11
General Statutes

THE NOVITIATE

Constitutions: 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

23. 1�. Before they start the novitiate, the postulants shall make a retreat of at least five days.

2�. Besides the certificates of Baptism and Confirmation, everything else that common law requires for liceity and validity must be fulfilled. (CN 645)

24. The novitiate starts with the handing over of the candidates to the Director of Novices and his acceptance of the novices for the purpose of beginning and completing the novitiate.

25. The Director of Novices is to be at least thirty years old and solemnly professed five years.

When there is need, the Director of Novices may be assisted by another friar who has the same qualifications. (CN 651,1-2)

26. All the duties and work which are entrusted to the novices are carried out under the guidance and watchfulness of the Director of Novices who can enlist the support of other qualified and suitable persons.

27. There should be a unity of mind and purpose among the Local Minister, the Director of Novices, the novices and the local fraternity. This accord, which is the fruit of an authentic dialogue and communion, is necessary for the formation of the novices.

28. Although the special nature and aim of the novitiate and the close bonds which should be found among the novices can be enhanced by a certain separation of the novices from other members of the Order, the novices may have contact with professed friars and other fraternities in accord with the judgment of the Director of Novices. (CN 650) It is Up to the Director of novices to determine what interaction the novices may have with professed religious and other friars.

29. A novice shall not be assigned to these formative activities unless he has completed at least three months in the novitiate. It must be arranged that the novice spends six continuous months in the novitiate as a minimum and returns to the novitiate at least one month before he makes his first profession of vows. Constitutions: 45

30. During the course of the novitiate, the Director shall be convinced that each novice, once he has made his profession of vows, will continually strengthen his formation and place himself totally at the service of the Church and the Order.

31. In the fourth, eighth and tenth months of the novitiate the Director is to present to the Fraternity Chapter a report on the conduct of each novice.

After opportune discussion, the friars who are solemnly professed, shall cast their secret vote. The Local Minister of the fraternity will send this consultative vote to the Minister Provincial, together with the written report of the Director of Novices.

If periods of apostolic formation mentioned in General Statute 29 are in effect, the previously mentioned reports with the respective votation are to take place at three different times determined by the Provincial Statutes.

32. Novices enjoy all the spiritual benefits of our Order.

Chapter 12
General Statutes

PROFESSION

Constitutions: 48, 49

1. Temporary Profession

Constitutions: 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55

33. The novice, before making his temporary profession, must make a retreat of at least five days.

34. The religious habit, as a sign of consecration, is given in the ceremony of first profession.

The Provincial Statutes shall determine whether the candidate shall receive the habit of initiation at the beginning of the novitiate.

35. Each time a friar makes a renewal of his profession of temporary vows, he must prepare himself under the guidance of the Director in a way determined by the Provincial Statutes.

Before the Minister Provincial accepts the profession, he must consider the fitness of the candidate.

36. The Minister Provincial, if he judges it opportune, can prolong the time of temporary profession according to the norms of article 53 of the Constitutions. A friar must be solemnly professed before receiving Sacred Orders.

37. 1�. Temporary profession is made for a period of three years and can be renewed for one year or for several years until the time of solemn profession. This renewal is made in accord with the judgement of the Minister Provincial in consultation with the candidate as stated above in General Statute 36.

2�. In some cases a friar can grow in maturity by remaining in temporary vows for a longer period of time. In other cases a longer period of temporary profession can be detrimental since such delay in making final profession can be a cause of continued indecision.

3�. Therefore, ministers are to be aware of their responsibility in this matter and not put off until the last moment a decision to dismiss a friar from the Order when this decision could have taken place earlier.

2. Solemn Profession

Constitutions: 56, 57, 58, 59, 60

38. The length of the preparation for solemn profession is to be determined by the Provincial Statutes.

39. When solemn profession has taken place, the Minister Provincial promptly sends notice of this to the Minister General and to the pastor of the place of Baptism for the prescribed annotation. (CN 535,2)

Chapter 13
General Statutes

THE RELIGI0US HABIT AND
CLOTHING OF THE FRIARS

Constitutions: 61

40. The religious habit of our Order is one of standardized style and color with the traditional elements of tunic, capuce and cord.

The Provincial Statutes shall determine the use of the religious habit as well as legitimate adaptations in accord with local circumstances.

TITLE III:
SPIRIT OF PRAYER

Chapter 1
General Statutes

UNION WITH GOD

Constitutions: 62, 63

Chapter 2
General Statutes

THE EUCHARIST AND THE
LITURGY OF THE HOURS

Constitutions: 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70

41. The church or the fraternity chapel is a more suitable place for the common prayer of the friars.

42. In certain cases, other forms of prayer can be substituted for the Liturgy of the Hours when, for a serious reason, a friar is legitimately impeded.

43. For the Eucharistic celebration and the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, it is preferred that the friars follow the Franciscan calendar. For pastoral reasons, however, the friars are permitted to use the calendar and missal of the diocese.

Chapter 3
General Statutes

GROWTH IN PRAYER

Constitutions: 71, 72, 73

44. The friars are held to make at least a half hour of mental prayer each day. They are to be instructed in the theory and practice of mental prayer taking into consideration diverse cultural and theological traditions. Each friar may select the method he finds most suitable.

45. The friars are not to absent themselves from daily religious exercises without a serious reason because such action is destructive of common life and prayer.

46. The details of the monthly day of recollection and the annual retreat are to be in Provincial Statutes. (CN 663,5)

47. Each Province is encouraged to formulate its own book of prayers based on local culture, Provincial customs and sound Franciscan tradition.

48. Devotions that are particularly rooted in our Franciscan tradition are encouraged, such as the Way of the Cross and the Franciscan Crown.

49. It is the responsibility of the Local Minister together with the local fraternity to establish the times, place and other circumstances for prayer.

50. The friars celebrate the solemnities of the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception because she is patroness of the Order. We also venerate liturgically our blessed Father Saint Francis, Saint Clare, Saint Louis the King, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary as well as the titular feast of each Province.

51. The Provincial Statutes shall establish norms for hermitages and places of retreat.

Chapter 4
General Statutes

THE LIFE OF PENANCE

Constitutions: 76, 77, 78, 79, 80

52. In addition to the fast and abstinence established by the Church the friars are to observe fast and abstinence on the vigils of the Immaculate Conception and our Holy Father Francis. In each Province other days of fast and abstinence or other forms of penance may be established.

53. The celebration of a Penitential Chapter or some similar practice whereby the local fraternity can examine the vitality of its common life is recommended. Each Province is encouraged to develop both format and policies in this regard.

54. In accord with Church legislation, Local Ministers shall be solicitous to provide confessors for their friars most especially in houses of formation, large fraternities and in friaries which are devoted to the care of aged, infirm or handicapped friars.

55. Each friar is to have his own spiritual director to whom he can go with confidence. He can also be his ordinary confessor.

TITLE IV:
THE LIFE OF CHASTITY FOR
THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM

Constitutions 82, 83, 84, 85

TITLE V:
THE WAY TO
SERVE AND WORK

Constitutions 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91

TITLE VI:
THE LIFE OF POVERTY

Constitutions: 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99

TITLE VII:
FRATERNAL LOVE

Constitutions: 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106

Chapter 1
General Statutes

FRATERNAL LIVING

56. A brief and appropriate spiritual reading may precede the principal meal. The customs of each Province are to be followed in this regard.

57. The times and circumstances for silence and recreation are to be determined by the local fraternity chapter.

58. All the friars and especially the ministers should readily share with one another all the news of major importance both within the Province and throughout the Order.

59. 1�. The Minister Provincial with the consent of his Council can for a just reason permit a friar to live outside the fraternity for not more than one year, except for illness or for reasons of study or for reasons of the apostolate. (CN 665,1)

2�. If a friar remains outside the fraternity unlawfully he does not enjoy active or passive voice.

Chapter 2
General Statutes

CHARITY TO THE AGED
AND INFIRM FRIARS

Constitutions 108, 109

60. To provide for the sick and aged it is helpful to use medical insurance and programs of social assistance. Each Province should investigate these possibilities and make norms for such procedures.

Chapter 3
General Statutes

RESPONSIBILITY TO
OUR DECEASED FRIARS, RELATIVES, FRIENDS
AND BENEFACTORS.

Constitutions: 110

61. On the death of a friar, the Local Minister sends notice to the Minister Provincial, who in turn informs the friars of the Province and the relatives of the deceased. The Minister Provincial notifies the Minister General and sends along with the notification a brief biography of the deceased friar so that all the friars of the Order can be informed. The Local Minister makes the necessary arrangements in order that the friars and relatives may attend the funeral.

62. Since it is good and beneficial to pray for the dead, the friars should make every effort to include in their prayers our friars, relatives, friends and benefactors who have left this world.

63. Every year we are to celebrate certain anniversaries to remember and honor our dead.

1�. Three times a year, the friars are to remember all the deceased friars of the Order as well as all their deceased parents, relatives, friends and benefactors.

2�. Once each year the friars remember all the deceased members of the entire Seraphic Order.

3�. On these anniversary days Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours for the Dead are to be celebrated.

4�.Once each year, in every Province, a day is to be set aside on which all the deceased of the Province are to be remembered. On this day in every fraternity of the Province, Mass is to be celebrated at which all the friars should attend.

64. 1�. For the soul of every deceased friar, each priest of the Province to which the deceased belongs celebrates one Mass. In other Provinces, one Mass for the deceased is celebrated in each fraternity.

2�. For the father and mother of a professed friar, even though the friar is deceased, one Mass is celebrated in every house of the Province. The same is carried out in the novitiate for the parents of novices.

65. For a deceased Pope, the Minister General and exMinister Generals, every priest of the Order celebrates one Mass.

66. Besides the suffrages previously mentioned all the friars shall pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a suffrage on the indicated days.

67. The Order has its own Necrology. Each Province also has its own Necrology in which are recorded the names of all the deceased friars. When their anniversaries occur, mention is to be made in all the local fraternities. In addition to this list of the dead there shall be also included a short biography.

Chapter 4
General Statutes

RESPONSIBILITY TO RELATIVES,
BENEFACTORS AND EMPLOYEES.

Constitutions: 111

68. Our employees must be persons of good character. A contract should be made with them in full conformity with the civil law of the land.

Chapter 5
General Statutes

CONDUCT OUTSIDE THE
FRATERNITY AND JOURNEYS

Constitutions: 112

69. Aside from their regular assignments, the friars shall obtain permission from the Local Minister to be absent from the fraternity according to the norms of the Provincial Statutes. (CN 665)

70. The Local Minister can give his own friars permission to remain outside the fraternity for one month.

71. The Minister Provincial can grant permission for the friars of his Province to travel abroad.

He is to inform the respective Minister Provincial if the stay of one of his friars in the region of another Province extends beyond a month. When a friar is to stay in one of the fraternities of another Province he must obtain prior permission.

72. The competence of the Local Minister with regard to journeys and vacations is to be established in the Provincial Statutes wherein the limits of time and distance are to be

73. Ministers are to give letters of permission to friars making a journey. All the friars should also be given some form of identification or credentials by which they can easily identify themselves as members of the Order and belonging to a particular Province.

74. When a friar arrives in a place where one of our fraternities is located he should visit the brothers when possible and live in one of our fraternities, thus strengthening the bond of fraternal unity.

Chapter 6
General Statutes

HOSPITALITY

Constitutions: 113

75. Let it be a pleasure for the friars to visit their confreres and let it be a source of joy to have a confrere visit them. Before going to any fraternities all should, out of courtesy, send word ahead to the Local Minister.

76. In the spirit of Franciscan hospitality the Local Minister can invite other persons to the fraternity table so that the benefits of fraternal life can be shared.

TITLE VIII:
THE OBEDIENCE OF LOVE

Constitutions: 114,115,116,117

TITLE IX:
APOSTOLIC LIFE

Chapter 1
General Statutes

THE APOSTOLIC
LIFE OF THE FRIARS

Constitutions: 118,119,120,121,122

77. The friars shall cultivate relationships with Christians who share with us "one Lord and one baptism" (Eph. 4:5) and cooperate with them in efforts which foster works of mercy and the welfare of humanity.

78. In imitation of Saint Francis, the friars should excel in sentiments of human solidarity by respecting the followers of other religions and by engaging in dialogue with them as a form of evangelization.

Chapter 2
General Statutes

MEANS OF EVANGELIZATION

1 Ministry of Witness

Constitutions:123, 124

2. Ministry of the Word

Constitutions: 125, 126, 12 7

79. The Minister Provincial should identify those friars who have a special talent for the ministry of the word. They should be well trained and assigned to the exercise of this ministry in parish missions, retreats and catechetical work.

80. When the friars preach, they should adopt the style of Francis natural, simple and popular. The friars should mirror in their lives the words that they speak, so that they "may teach what they believe and put into practice what they teach." (Ordination Ritual)

81. The friars are to endeavor to identify specific human concerns to which the word of God can be addressed. They should treat the questions of our time in the light of Christ and apply the perennial truth of the Gospel to the concrete circumstances of life in such a way as to invite all to conversion and holiness of life.

3. Ministry of the Sacraments

Constitutions: 128, 129, 130, 131

82. The friars in celebrating the sacraments, should provide an adequate catechesis so that those who receive them will experience their transforming power.

83. The friars should celebrate the sacraments in such a way as to bring the people to a full, conscious and active participation.

84. In the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the friars should realize the importance -of the homily as an integral part of the celebration enabling the people to become aware of their mission to be apostles and witnesses.

Chapter 3
General Statutes

ORGANIZATION OF EVANGELIZATION

I . Competency of the Ministers

Constitutions: 132, 133, 134

85. The ministers, especially the Minister Provincial, should take care to identify in the individual friar particular talents and interests for the apostolate and use that knowledge to train him for ministry.

Each Province should develop a process of dialogue to assist the Minister Provincial in assigning friars to the various works of evangelization, especially in the difficult and innovative ones.

86. In appropriate cases the Minister Provincial should permit the assignment of friars to another Province to aid in the apostolate and also the interchange of friars. This process can promote both mutual growth and fraternal friendship.

87. A friar who exercises an apostolic activity by reason of contract is responsible to the employer for the faithful performance of the contracted services. As a Franciscan, he is under obedience to his ministers.

2. Choice of Apostolates

Constitutions: 135, 136, 137, 138

88. The friars should not cling to those types of work practiced for a long time to such an extent that they reject new forms of the apostolate. They should have the generosity of heart to try new ministries especially among the poor and needy.

89. The Minister Provincial should promote gatherings of the friars to discern collectively as a fraternity the character of the current apostolates in light of our charism.

90. The ministers shall offer cooperation to bishops and diocesan clergy in the care of souls.

Chapter 4
General Statutes

CONCRETE FORMS
OF EVANGELIZATION

1 Ministry in the Parish

Constitutions: 139, 140, 141

91. It belongs to the office of the Minister Provincial, after consulting his Council, to propose a pastor to the Ordinary of the place or to remove him from office in accord with the norms of universal law. (CN 682)

The pastor of a parish and the parochial vicars are subject to the local Ordinary in accord with the norms of universal law. (CN 678,2-3,681)

92. The Provincial Statutes determine the way the common life of the friars in parochial ministry can be adapted to the needs of the apostolate but in a manner that the spiritual life of the people suffers no detriment.

93. Whatever comes to the pastor from the faithful for the parish or for the works of mercy belongs to the parish. Any other funds that are given to the pastor or the other friars belong to the fraternity. The pastor must render an account of his administration in both areas in accord with the norms of universal law and the proper law of the Province.

2. Ministry to the
Sick and Abandoned

Constitutions: 142, 143

94. The friars should willingly serve as pastoral ministers to the physically and mentally ill in hospitals, prisons and homes for the aged.

The friars, in celebrating the Anointing of the Sick, should keep in mind its potential to transform suffering and infuse it with redemptive qualities.

95. The friars should be encouraged to care for the spiritual and bodily needs of the outcasts of society as a true work of mercy.

The friars who volunteer for this ministry should be prepared to show great respect for the human dignity of these persons and to unite themselves to their suffering.

3. Ministry of Peace and Justice

Constitutions: 144,145,146,147

96. Each Province shall establish a Justice and Peace Commission which shall collaborate with the commissions of the other Provinces and with local churches for the purpose of developing general, regional and local programs.

In consultation with these commissions each Province shall develop appropriate programs to promote awareness of Justice and Peace issues with guidelines for the various levels of formation in the Order.

4. Ministry of Renewal
and Reconciliation

Constitutions: 148,149

97. The friars should be in the forefront in promoting efforts to renew the Church through innovative programs.

They should willingly make themselves available for individual and communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They should also reach out to those people who are in need of reconciliation, especially those who have ceased to practice the Catholic religion.

98. The Ministers Provincial should encourage all the friars to develop those talents which are essential and vital to the ministry of renewal and reconciliation.

They should also identify those friars who have a talent for the press, the radio and television and provide for their training in the means of social communication.

5. Ministry of Education

Constitutions: 150, 151, 152

99. Each Province which engages in the ministry of education should develop statutes to ensure the quality of both Christian and human education.

100. The Minister Provincial should assign to the ministry of education only those friars who are adequately prepared and are exemplary Franciscans. The friars who teach should remember that their example speaks more powerfully than their words.

101. The friars in educational institutions should make a concerted effort to create a sense of community so that the students have a real feeling of belonging. In such an atmosphere of trust and confidence, the friars can more easily help the students discern their vocation in life and develop in them a responsible sense of Christian freedom.

102. The friars in education should see their apostolate as extending beyond the walls of their schools. They should offer to the people of the surrounding community programs of Christian formation for adults and innovative programs to reach the youth of today with their special needs.

Chapter 5
General Statutes

MISSIONARY EVANGELIZATION

Constitutions: 153, 154, 155, 156

103. The Minister General shall promote a missionary spirit of the Order. He shall appoint a General Secretary of the Missions to assist him in coordinating the Order's missionary efforts.

The Minister Provincial shall cultivate this missionary spirit in the Province especially in the fraternities of formation. He can be assisted by a Provincial Secretary of the Missions whose duties will be determined in the Provincial Statutes.

104. Friars who freely desire to evangelize people outside their native country should seek the permission of the Minister Provincial whose competency it is to judge the friar's fitness for the mission under consideration. If the friar does not receive the approval of the Minister Provincial he may have recourse directly to the Minister General. Friars who are approved for a specific mission shall receive special training in the language and culture of the people and especially in mission studies.

105. The Province shall determine in the Provincial Statutes the role of the Vice Provincial, his relationship to the friars in the mission and all other matters which concern the welfare of the mission and the friars.

106. At the beginning of each year, the Vice Provincial shall send to the Minister Provincial an accurate report concerning the state of the mission and any noteworthy events which have occurred during the past year. A copy shall be sent to the General Secretary of the Missions.

107. The friars in the Province should support their confreres who are laboring for the reign of God outside their native land by frequent prayer, by fraternal communication and by encouraging people to support friars in their needs.

108. A Province which has no mission of its own shall make a special effort to send friars to one of the missions entrusted to the Order. It may collect funds in its own territory and send them to the mission of its choice or to the General Secretary of the Missions for distribution.

Chapter 6
General Statutes

THE SECULAR
FRANCISCAN ORDER

Constitutions 157, 158, 159, 160

109. The Minister General shall nominate a friar as the General Assistant to the Secular Franciscan Order to animate and coordinate the Spiritual Assistants of our Order.

110. The General Assistant is to collaborate with the General Assistants of the other Franciscan families. He is also to exercise a pastoral ministry toward the Secular Franciscan fraternities which are united to the Order.

111. The Minister Provincial shall nominate a Provincial Assistant to animate and coordinate the Spiritual Assistants of the Province.

112. The Provincial Assistant shall visit the fraternities of the Secular Franciscans periodically to encourage them in their efforts of living the Gospel values of peace, justice, fellowship and service.

He should unite the Spiritual Assistants and offer them and the other friars opportunities to prepare themselves for pastoral ministry among Secular Franciscans.

113. It is the competency of the Minister Provincial to appoint Provincial Assistants at the request of the Minister of the particular fraternity.

114. The friars shall explain to people the dignity and value of the Secular Franciscan Order and should promote groups which orient young people toward membership in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Fraternities are more complete with the presence of the Secular Franciscan Order which participates in our charism of conversion.

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