'It tU 1  S
OF TIIE
CONGREGAtTIION OF THIE liOLY CROSS.
An_<_NOTRE DAME, IND.:
AVE MARIA PRESS~
18719








:I T R ROD U C T I Oi N.
The following Rules may well be considered
the fruit of experience-the most important of all
schools-as well as the result of long meditations
and the pr6mptings of a heart profoundly impressed with the gravity of the task, and no less
with the desire to secure by them the success of
the Congregation with the happiness and sanctification of all its members.
But it may be equally well to declare at once,
and once for all, that even if a greater care could
have been bestowed upon them-if they were in
truth the best Rules by which a Community could
be governed-still they would avail but little, and
obtain no satisfactory result, either for the Congregation as a body or for its individual members,
unless they be received and studied and acted
upon with a special disposition, which alone can
give them some virtue, and such a virtue as to procure, the sanctification of each and every Religious
in the family, and the highest respectability of the




IV
Order in the estimation of the world.  What is
this precious disposition? Is it found in the fact
of having brought to the Community a fortune, an
accomplished education, a rare talent, or any other
temporal advantage? No; in none of these. It is
something far more valuable, while it is within the
reach of all. It is simply this: the spirit of faith;
of "that faith without which it is impossible to
please God".  It is that mysterious disposition
which reveals God's holy will to the eyes and to
the heart of a Religious, and makes every liae of
his Rules a source of contentment and merit; it is
that holy spirit which transforms, in a Community
truly  deserving of the name, exercises, duties,
labors, and fatigues, into as many manifestations
of Divine love; every act of obedience to superiors into a homage to God Himself; which, in
reality, ennobles every act even of a poor, illiterate,
unnoticed, and yet devoted, Religious, whose constant attention to God's.holy presence and whose
humble prayers save the House where he lives,
while by it he becomes a living edification to all,
and an object of admiration to the angels themselves.
The spirit of faith sustains him in the hour of




trial, of affliction and sickness; for, in the light of
faith, the tribulations of this life can bear no comparison with the weight of glory awaiting his
patience in eternity.
Oh! the blindness of human judgments! ITere
is a modest Religious, unheeded and ignored by
the world; or pitied by the world as one blindly
running to a state of slavery, or foolishly preferring a forlorn condition to the enjoyment of liberty and of all the comforts of life; and yet this
voluntary slave feels happier in the folly of the
Cross than the world could ever make him. One
day, by a ray of the light of Divine faith, he clearly
saw —he felt, he realized —the emptiness of worldly
joys, and the cruel bitterness of its deceptions.
B1eneath its flowery path and its glittering promises he discovered by the same ray the snares, the
perils, the enemies in wait for his immortal soul.
Hie paused in prayer.  The  Cross, the naked
Cross upon which man's salvation was consummated, rose up to the eyes of his mind; a secret
virtue drew the aspirations of his heart towards
the Divine Emblem on which he read a promise
of eternal life.  In the generosity of his soul he
resolved to leave all, and range himself among the




YI
soldiers of the Cross. From that hour'"lie found
not where his foot could rest" in the world, until
lie retired from it and entered the ark of safety.
Fr:om  that hour all his ambition was to live for
Him who had died on the Cross for love of himl.
Now he lives for Him, and for Him exclusively:
"Far be it from him to glory in anything but in
the Cross of Christ our Lord."  "For he knows
whom he has believed," that he " has chosen the
best part," and that if he "persevere to the end
lie shall be saved."  Hence his attention in all his
duties, and in whatever he does, to do all in a
spirit of faith to honor the Divine Master in the
mystery of the Cross.
The Religious of the lHoly Cross should ever
glory, like St. Paul, in their glorious Standard, asid
carry it high above all terrestrial passions and
sentiments.  They may never be called to shed
their blood for Himl  who redeemed us. on the
Cross, but they shlould  love the Cross none the
less, and never feel either ashamed or afraid of
the Cross.
There is sonmetimles a great deal in a name: is
not ours a beautiful and a suggestive one?  By
itself it reveals, even to the humblest among us,




the characteristic leatures of our peculiar vocation.
We are declared by our very name the soldiers,
the lovers of the Cross. It is in this light of faitl
we must see and estimate our duties, and receive
a direction to fulfil them  meritoriously.
Such is the aim of the present volume of the
Rules, revised with due care, and, we trust, made
practicable in all points.
We commnend their faithful observance to each
and to all of our Religious, by all that we and they
hold most sacred; upon this fidelity rests the destiny of our Congregation.  A loose Community is
a scandal; but a Community living up to its Rules
is a blessing among men, a power in the Church
fo)r the struggle in which she is engaged, and an
honest pride for its fervent members.
May they be blessed from above, and prove a
source of blessings to our dear Congregation. We
ask no other resward for our pains.
E. S.
F.EsT oDF'rT3F  PRESENTATION, 1.871.








}f tahe  EIinid of tle   Contgr'Cgation.
Be ye perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
-St..lCatt., v, 48.
The end of this Congregation is, in common
with all Religious Orders, the sanctification of its
members by a constant application to the acquisition of all virtues; and also the salvation of
souls, after the example of Jesus Christ, who
began to do and then to teach: or, in other words,
the first end of the Congregation is to sanctify its
members through a life of perfection; while the
second is to assist the Church in the salvation of
souls, by means of preaching and teaching.
Although composed of two distinct elements,
Ecclesiastics and Laymen-the former consecrated
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, under the name of
Salvatorists, and the latter dedicated to the glorious spouse of Mary, St. Joseph, under that of
Josephites-all its members are blended together
under the same designation of Religious of the
Holy Cross, with the same vows and obligations
and the same interests, with a training proper




to each. There is no other distinction betweeA
thema than that which is dictated by faith, and
so carefully and solemnly kept in view  by our
Holy Church.
Tile Fathers and the Brothers of the Holy Cross
have been constituted together, by the Holy See,
into a new Religious Family, that by their united
efforts they nmay the better secure what is most
needed in our age. In this union the Church has
anticipated and welcomled the double guarantee of
usefulness and efficiency.  No mlan should ever
separate, even in thought, what God's Vicar on
earth has joiled to remnvin one iii devotedless to
the same holy cause.
The special elnd of the Fathers is to preach Retreats and AMissions, and to teach Theology and
Philosophy, and other Ecclesiastical Sciences, with
classical and scientific branches in universities and
colleges.  That of the Brothers is to assist as
teachers and prefects in colleges; to conduct parochial schools (to which, whenever it is practicable, they annex boarding-schools); to take charge
of orphan asylums and industrial schools; and,
finally, to devote themselves to the various departments of manual labor attendant upon colleges,
farms, &c.
Iln proportion as they strive in earnest to reach
their first and common end, —viz., their personal
sanctification-the former by a close imitation of
the dispositions of the Sacred 1Ieart, and the latter




by ffully  repucing  t ble, meritorious
by  faithfully reproducing the humble, meritorious
life of St. Joseph,-experience shows that they
succeed in obtaining their second and particular
one, either in the pulpit or the class-room, in the
field, the workshop, &c., &c.
[I~JE  I t,
of thae'MKeaens tao IReach the End.
The first end of the Congregation, viz., the sanctification of its members, is obtained by a regular
series of religious exercises and practices for each
clay, as Meditation, Holy Mass, Particular Examen,
Spiritual Reading, Beads, and Visit to the Blessed
Sacrament; for each week, as Confession, Communions, Chapter, and Adoration; for every month,
as Monthly Retreat, Direction, and Monition; and
annually, the General Retreat.
Besides this, a considerable assistance is found
daily and hourly in the community life led by its
members, in the edifying examples of a pious and
well-regulated family, in the continual and paternal watchfulness of' Superiors, and in the faithful
observance of the three vows under which all
have chosen to live.
The seeondary and particular end is reached in




12
both branches by a special and thorough training-viz., for the Priests, by a regular classical
course, and a serious study of philosophy, dogmatic and moral theology, of Holy Scriptures, &c.,
all of which require conscientious quarterly examinations; and for the.Brothers by a proper course
of studies in all elementary branches taught in the
public schools of the land.  Not only are they
taught all the branches necessary to enable them
to sutstain successfully the competition of other
schools, but they lave to learn and practise, before
being sent out on mission, the plan of studies and
method of conducting schools of which the Congregation has charge.
Above all, the great, the special means to secure
the end of the Congregation is to seek the Kingdomr of God, and live by faith; and next to this
spiritual means comes in point of importance the
following measure, dictated by human wisdoml
and supported by sober reason and common sense,
viz.: to comllence froml the Novitiate to unite in
the bonds of respect and love all Religious destined
to live together for life, blended together by apostolic sanction as a condition of Religious acknowledgment in the Church; not that they should
permit the friendly intercourse of daily life to degenerate into familiarity and want of respect;
but the Brothers should learn how they, as laymen, should look upon the anointed of God, and
those who prepare themselves to be pastors of




souls and the vicegerents of Christ should reproduce towards their Brothers the benignity, the
meekness and charity of their Divine Model. If
all are led by faith, the foundation of a happy and
useful life cannot fail to be laid in the common
N ovitiate.
Last, but not least, among the means by which
the Congregation reaches its end is the name each
member gives it before the public by his conduct
and his virtues, by his piety and devotedness to
its interests, and by the services he renders it.
Thus each member becomes a means to strengthen,
elevate and extend the Congregation.
Here is the question which every Religious
should ask himself at times: Am I a help to
the Community? or am I not a burden, a hindrance in it-a cross to my Superiors, a disedification to my associates?  Let all bear in mind
that whatever gift God has bestowed upon them,
whether brain or muscle, talent or ability of any
sort, was intended as a means to uphold the Congregation, to be consecrated to its service in order
to enable it to accomplish its end and to fulfil
Heaven's designs.




14
lLUTIIE  III.
Of Adlissii     to to the  Postulate.
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send
forth laborers into His vineyard.-St..Mfatt. ix, 38.
In the above sacred text every true Religions
finds the expression of one of the inmost wishes
of his soul; for, as experience clearly shows, a
true Religious is ever anxious for the increase and
development of his Congregation.  This is his
abiding desire; and in proportion as he values his
own vocation and loves his Community he prays
for new accessions; and in answer to his fervent
zeal God frequently gives him grace to awaken in
young hearts aspirations analogous to his own.
A bad Religious destroys around him all such
resolutions; but a good and exemplary one encourages and happily brings them to mlattrity:
here, emphatic:dly, both are known by their fruit.
A  choice, however, has to be made; and to
prevent deception, or imposition, the following
method shall be followed respecting applications
from strangers not personally known by any melmber of the Community.  When such a request for
admission is received, a printed series of questions,
as the following, is sent in reply:
State your name and surname; those of your father
and motther; your age; Vah plaoe of yew  birlth; that




of your residence; your profession or employment; the
t)rofession of your parents; your constitution andl
health; your natural dispositions; your proficiency in
point of education; where you acquired it; how long
you pursued your studies. Were you born and baptized in the true faith? Have you your certificate o.f
baptism, and what recommendations can you bring?
Were you ever married, or bouind by a promise of
marriage? Were you ever a member of some other
Community? Are you not necessary to your parents,
or charged with any other responsibility or debts or
obligations to anybody? Is your character blameless,
and has it always been so? Are you entirely free fiom
any hereditary or contagious disease?  Do you feel
sincerely disposed to bind yourself to a life of poverty, obedience and chastity? Are you willing to be
tried by a regular novitiate, without any dispensation from any Rule of the Order?  Can you depend
upon the firmness of your determinatioh to Save yotir
soul in Religion? Have you means to defiay the expenses of your novitiate? Can you bring an outfit of
clothes sufficient for at least one year? Do you come
to be a teacher, or to place yourself unreservedly in
the hands of your Superiors?
When conscientious and honest answers shall
have been affixed to the foregoing queries, singly
and separately, with proper date and signattlit',
the sheet thus duly filled shall be sent back to the
Secretary or Superior. If satisfactory to the Provincial Council (or Special Committee), the applicant is receivedl, and an invitation to come is imeedliately forwarde(d.




I A
When the candidate arrives he is presented to
the Very Rev. Father Provincial, by whom li he is
introduced to the Malster of Novices.
If the candidlate be a Priest, a room is given
him, through respect for his sacred character; if
he be a candidate for Holy Orders, he is placed
in a room with one or more of the samle class;
the postulants for the Brothers sleep in a common
dormitory.
Two days are given to newly arrived postulants
to prepare themselves for a general confession, or
a review of life covering an epoch of at least the
last few years,
Then an exact inventory is taken, in the Book
of Novices, of whatever they bring with them.
This is sign.ed by themselves. They deposit their
muoney in the treasury.
On another sheet of printed form they obligate
themselves, in case they should leave or be found
without a vocation, to pay for their board and
other expenses whilst in the Novitiate, if they had
studied, and that they shall never ask any remluneration for work or services performed since their
entrance.
They are immediately admitted to the exercises
of the Novitiate, where they remain as candidates,
under the especial care of the Assistant Master of
Novices, until their dispositions are fully known
and a moral certainty is obtained of their fitness
for the Congregation, or until they are of a proper




17
agre to receive the Religious habit-viz., 15 years.
Prudence requires that candidates be thorougllhly examined, and tried for a consideral)le time
rather than be exposed to leave after a hasty admission. In case of doubt, no action can be taken
until time has removed it.
Postulants are dismissed for the following reasons, namely: 1. The discovery of any of the impediments mentioned in Constitution V, Art. 29.
2. Any attempt against pure morals. 3. A faultfinding spirit; a habitual disposition to complain
or criticise or murmur. 4. Repeated irregularity
in attending exercises and duties, especially in
rising at the first signal; or want of zeal for discipline or piety.  5. A spirit of haughtiness or
independeve, or no inclination to Religious obedience. 6. A sickly constitution, a diseased mind,
an unsound judgment, an eccentric disposition that
can do nothing like the rest. 7. A lack of regard
for Rules, Superiors, and authority in general.
When any one of the above has been ascertained, and made known to the postulant, without
producing amendment, the same is reported to
the Provincial, who pronounces his dismissal, unless in his prudence and for some particular reason
he deem it expedient to have recourse to some
new means, and protract his trial a while longer.




Of thle Admi)ssioIn to tahe NooVix
tiate, and.  of its llaxserCis6s.
The word "novitiate" signifies either a place
or a time or a certain manner of living.  As a
place, it means a retired spot where the soul, delivered from the noise and bustle, as well as fiom
the cares and anxieties, of the world, may enjoy
a little rest in silent and undisturbed conromunioa
with God. As a time, it is one year at least, or
two at most, spent thus, as it were, away from the
gaze of the world —not in idleness, but in a new
kind of life, which forms the third meaning of the
word, and the most important and comprehensive
of the three. By it we understand a serious and
conscientious ex-amen of one's self, leading in the
end to a thorough knowledge of self; a progressive transformation into a new being; *the laying
of a broad foundation for a noble structure; a
special training for a special end, by special means,
Such is the nature or object of the Novitiate.
To.succeed in making a good Novitiate, on
which evidently depends the success of a whole
life, one must be willing to be formed —shaped and
mouldel, in a manner —by the hands of the Master
of Novices. Hence the necessity of obedience and
simplicity on the part of those who wish to be



1a
come eflicient and edifying melmbers of the Congregation. The means by which such an important result is secured are easy, and within the reach
of all who have a good will; but a good and earnest will is indispensable.
The training of Novices consists in the following exercises and practices:
Every day: half an hour of Meditation in common in the morning; Holy Mass, immediately
after AMeditation, at 6 o'clock; the Breviary or
Little Office at 7.30; Explanation of the Christian
Doctrine, and Particular Examen, from 11.30 to
12; Vespers at 1.30, Matins and Lauds at 4; Explanation of the Directory, and Visit to the Blessed
Sacrament, from 6 to 6.30; at 8 o'clock-Beads,
Spiritual Reading, Evening Prayer, and Points of
Meditation for the following morning.
Every week: One hour of Adoration, in common; Friday, Chapter-at 3 o'clock for the Priests,
and at 8 for the Brothers-and the Way of the
Cross; Saturday, Confession in the morning, and
the Litany of Loretto in the. evening.
Every month: A Monthly Retreat, Direction,
and Monition.
Studies and classes daily from 8 until 10, and
from  10.30 until 11.30, in the forenoon; from 2
until 4, and from 5 until 6 in the afternoon.
If required, the Novices may teach one or two
hours a day in the College, if there is one close
by; tke ZEel@oriaptioe  may alse follow the eourses




20
of philosophy and theology there.  But whether
they teach or be taught, the Novices shall go and
return together, in silence, and remain in the College only for their classes.
On Wednesday afternoons the 3Master of Novices takes a walk with the Ecclesiastic Novices and
Postulants; his Assistant accompanies the others.
The object of the former should be to visit the
sick or to instruct such poor and ignorant families as may be in the vicinity, as a preparation for
their future mission.
The studies and classes are left to the direction
ot the Master of Novices. There is, for all, a quarterly examination in all the branches taught in the
Novitiate, before the members of the Provincial
Council, and notes are given under the following
headings, namely: Health, aptitude, regularity
conduct, temper, Directory, Rules, Chant, progress in studies.
The Novices not intended for study recite, instead of the Little Office, seven Paler, Ante, and
Gloria, three times a day-namely, after MIass; at
1 p. m.; and after supper; in the chapel or wherever duty has called them.
All meals are taken in silence. At breakfast the
Following of Christ is read; at dinner, a portion
of the Gospel (from  ten to fifteen verses), then
the History of the Church and the Ifartyrology; at
supper, the Life of a Saint and three paragraphs
of the Ridtes.




21
For the rest, namlely the ringing of the bell, the
sweeping and cleaning of the corridors and rooms,
the care of the chapel, of' the refectory, &c., all is
left to the Master of Novices to arrange as he
may deem fit and proper.
On Sunday and Wednesday there is one hour
devoted to the practice of singing and church ceremonies.
All the exercises of the Novitiate are performed
in common, except the Chapter on Friday.
The Catechetical Instruction at 11.30 is given
by one of the Ecclesiastics in turn, by way of preparation. In the same manner the subject of Meditation is given out by one of them on Saturday
night.
Rodriguez and St. Jure should be read alternately at Spiritual Reading.
The same reasons which necessitate the dismissal
of a Postulant apply likewise to that of a Novice,
with only this difference, that the latter case being
so much more deplorable, the Provincial lays it
before his Council previous to final action.  In
either case, great charity is used towards the unfortunate subject, who is not unfrequently so blinded
as not yet to realize the misery he has brought
upon himself.




1-UIiE   V.
Orf trayer an.'d Meditation.
We ought always to pray, and not to faint.-St. Luke,
xviii, 1.
Prayer is an elevation of the soul to God. It
is the food of the soul, as bread is the food of the
body.
There are two kinds of prayer: vocal, or uttered
by the lips; and mental, or that which passes in
the mind and produces affections' in the heart.
The latter, or meditation, communlicates to the
soul that abiding spitrit of prayer so highly recommended by the Saviour, and which forms a constant elevation towards God by frequent aspirations
from the heart, by an incessant and loving attention to God's holy presence, and by a purity of
intention continually renewed throughout the various actions of the day.
Both are excellent, but as they have already
been fully explained in the Directory we say no
more here on the subject, except that whenever
a Religious of the Holy Cross betakes himself to
prayer, he ought to pray well or not at all.
The Cross being our special and glorious standard, no one among the members of the Congregation should attempt to bless himself with its saving
riga witkhnt that dur revereane by which indeed




everyi mem:ber of the Community should be known
everywhere.
To secure recollection in prayer, imagine that
you kneel at the foot of the Cross on,Mount Calvary, andl, after a pause, sign yourself, slowly,
religiously, piously-andi not hurriedly and scandalously.
The importance attached to the sign of the Cross
is more serious than is imagined by many. From
time to titme, the Religious of the Holy Cross
should make it the subject of their Particular Examen, and see how they honor the Sacred Standard under which they have volunteered to fight and
to die.  All must have the same, uniform. manner of making the sigl of the Cross, viz.: placiing
the hand on the forehead while saying "In the
name of the Father," lowering it to the breast
while saying "and of the Son," then crossing from.
the left to the right shoulder while saying "and
of the Holy Ghost," and concluding with "Amen"
as the hand is coming down again.
Whenever the Community is assembled in prayer
complete silence must be observed; no noise whatever is allowed, either in walking, rising, coughing, &c., for fear of disturbing anyone.  Whether
kneeling or sitting, a respectful and reverential
posture must always be taken at prayer.




1l tIL:U1  VYI.
()f thIe -i)i-vile ()11ic, ald. o:f th1
Little OfIice.
Seven times a day I have given praise to Thee.
—'s. cviii, 164.
In order to offer to God the sacrifice of praise
spoken of by the royal prophet, the Novices recite at stated hours the Divine Office or the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin-the Ecclesiastics
in Sacred Orders together, and the Brothers by
themselves.
Ecclesiastics and Brothers shall endeavor to discharge with attention and piety this liturgical duty,
which, after the Eucharistic Sacrifice, may prove
the imost abundant source of blessings both for
themselves and the whole Congregation.  True
Religious always. feel honored and delighted in
being thus permitted to join with the Blessed
Spirits above in the praises of God. This being
the prayer of the Church, and of the purest of her
children, attention shall be paid to pronounce
every word of it distinctly and piously, neither
too fast nor too slow, but in perfect accord and
unison of all the voices. So much for Novices at
the Novitiate.  Once acquired, the habit of reciting the Divine Office or the Little Offlce well
must be preserved for life.




The teaching Brothers shall recite it in com-mnnon
in each establishment, and will find it everywhere
at rich source of consolations and graces.
Each  Ecclesiastic recites it generally by himself.  Tle most fervent amorg them  alw-ays say
their Office at the first moment permitted by the
rublrics, while the less regular postpone it to the
last -llhours of the day, when their mind is wearied
and they are half sleepy.  Proper time and place
and position should be taken  to discllarge this
illmportan t  duty,
II ILIE   VlI.
O"f  lol-y  Mlas s ariid  Com)nlll iniiioii.
Do this in commemloration of  [c. —St. Luke, xxii, 19.
lHere again we refer to the Directory, in which
the same subjects are treated of at length, with appropriate prayers for preparation and for thanksgiving.
Such should be the holiness of a Priest's life,
even in the world, as to permit him daily to ascend
the altar; and such is, indeed, the general practice
among pious priests everywhere.  With greater
reason is the same piety looked for in a Religious
Priest.




t26
The Priests of tlie Congregation slhall celebrate
at the altar and at the hour assigned them, and
foithe inteeti0os handed them monthly, with the
exception of five days each month, the disposition
of which is left to themselves.
No one is at liberty to go and celebrate outside
of the premises, without a special leave or appointment.  All honoraries or stipends received f)r
Masses  must be handed in full to the Secretary.
Unless MIass be celebrated  immediately after
Meditation or the Divine Office, a preparation for
it is made during at least ten miiutes: and a
tllanksgiving after Mass for fifteen minutes or
muore.
As much as possible, the Superiors shall officiate on solemn festivals and on the feasts of tle
Patron Saints of the Congregation. At low Malssevs
celebrated by the Superior General, the Provincials in their Province, or the Visitors in their
official visits, two Ecclesiastics in cotta, or two
Brothersl'   with the Roman cloak, slall serve, and
f)ur candles shall be lilghted on the altar instead
of two. In boarding-schools it is edifying to see
the students serve Mass daily.
The Ecclesiastic Novices and Scholastics attendd
Holy MAass every day, and receive HIoly Communion oftener as they approach nearer the timne of
their ordination.  If any act upon earth require
attention, recoliection and piety, undoubtedly it is
the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, A sainlt relates tfhat




27
whenever. St. John Chrysostom  celebrated Mass,
crowds of angels descended from heaven, and that
the Saint usually saw them clothed in white, with
feet bare, prostrating themselves before the altar
with  profound respect till the end of the Holy
Sacrifice.
A Priest does wrong if he fail to offer this Divine Sacrifice, because he deprives the Holy Trinity of infinite praise and glory, our Lord of great
joys, the blessed of new delights, the souls in purgatory of relief in their ~uffcrinlgs, and himself of
very great advantages.
It is true that the Priest alone offers the sacrifice of the Mass to God; but it is equally true
that all the faithful who attend it are invited to
join with him  in spirit and offer it with him; for
the minister represents the assistants, and holls
theni in his person.  It is fi)r tlihem  lie ascends
the steps of the altarr; it is their cause he is going
to plead. He alone consecrates; but they all participate in the fruits of the offering.  This is fully
realized by the  sacramental Comlmunion-lthat
precious practice which was general among the
Christians of the first ages, and which has been
preserved to a certain  extent among Religious,
even  in our days of indifference and coldness.
Three times a week, and sometimes oftener, the
Professed thus unite themselves to the Priest in
this great act; and when they are not allowed
to receive sacramentally they do it spiritually



-28
that is to say, they endeavor to draw our Blessed
Lord into their hearts by the fervor of their desires, feeding on the Sacrament in spirit by acts
of lively faith and true charity, repeating in all
humility the words of the centurion: D)omine, nob
suni diynZs-O Lord, I am not worthy; but say
the word and my soul shall be cured. Each
Communion day, for a true Religious, is a festival
clay, filling up his heart with unspeakable joys,
and prompting him  to an undying gratitude to
God and a perfect fidelity to all his duties.
Day and night Jesus Christ resides in our tabernacles to give audience to those who visit Him,
to receive and to grant their petitions, to enrich
them  with His most precious favors: "Come to
3Me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I
will refresh you." *  Who could remain indifferent
to such a loving invitation?
No Religious in the Congregation will ever let a
single day pass without paying his homlagee to our
Blessed Lord in the Sacrament of His love, for at
least fifteen minutes.  There cmn be no practice
mlore consonant with reason, more useful, or mlore
honorable and deliglhtful.  To visit Jesus Christ
in the tabernacle has always been the sweetest
joy of His true lovers.  Some devout persons
would remain almost constantly in the church, in
order not to lose sight of the object of their love.
* St. Matth. xi, 28.




29
They make the church their cell and their chamber: a friend loves to dwell in the same room with
the one he loves; a spouse can never be so happy
as she is when with her bridegroom.
St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the Indies,
lodged as near the church as lie could, and slept
in the sacristy.  In the midclcle of the night he
would go into the church and prostrate himself
before the Blessed Sacrament.  If, after praying
for a long time, weariness and sleep overpowered
him), he sank on the steps of the altar and took
a little repose at the feet of his beloved Lord and
Master.
RIUL E   V'III.
Of Sillene.
Every word that men shall speak, they shall render
an account for it in the day of judgment.-St. 3Matth.,
xii, 36.
Among the various causes that disgust sensible
souls with a worldly life, the boisterous noise and
incessant agitation, in which its votaries have to
live, undoubtedly occupy a prominent place; and
one of the principal charms with which a Religious life presents itself to their wearied imagination is the idea of peace, of solitude and silence,
which will afford them rest, and facility to com



30
mune with themselves and with God, undisturbed
and at leisure.  A soul strongly impressed with
the thought and conviction of the emptiness of
the world, in which her nobler aspirations cannot
be satisfied, feels the necessity of silence, that she
may not be forced to live continually out of herself, but for herself and of her own life.
Such is the way by which most of us were
induced to leave the world, and to seek God
where we fancied we could find Him, "not in commotion," but in solitary and silent walks.
Such is indeed the inducement. held out in a
Community, and therefore such is the right of
every Religious.
For the love of Jesus, who, to instruct us, and
especially to show us the severity of His judgment
against the abuses of the tongue, kept so long a
silence at Nazareth, the members of the Comlllunity shall abstain from all unnecessary conversation at times and in places reserved for silence.
In regular Houses it is permitted to speak only
during  recreations.   From  night prayer ui;til
after Mass the next morning is the Great Silence.
which can scarcely be violated without direct
scandal.
The church or chapel in which the Blessed
Sacrament is kept requires strict silence at all
times. Then comie in order, as places of silence,
the vestry room, the Chapter room, the dormitories, refectories, corridors, private rooms, &c.




A Religious really a lover of silence will never
listurb anyone unnecessarily, but will show his
attention to it by the noiseless way he moves and
acts, even in his walk, in opening or shutting a
door; and in everything he does he will be eminently a man of silence-which means an interior
man, living in God's holy presence-a man of
faithl, and whose every imovement will be edifying to all around him.
Seldom has a mran reason to fear for the silence
he has kept; but many will find that an unbridled
tongue is full of dangers, a source of remorse, and
a prolific cause of sins.
Experience has long since clearly demonstrated
that conversations not authorized by the Rule are
not blessed, and not unfrequently sinful. Among
the ordinary results of such indulgence are a loss
of the spirit of recollection and union with God,
the entering upon a sptrit of dissipation, the lowering of respect for authority, the beginning of
complaints and murmurs, an indifference for Religious regularity, and sometimes the ruin of vocations.
Silence favors serious and pious dispositions,
but proves almost insupportable to frivolous, inconsistent and light heads.




TZ IITJTFlJ IX.
Of Iltum nlil ity.
Learn of AMe, that I am lhumble of heart. —S. 3L'titth.
xi, ~9.
Humility is the principle of all good, as pride
is the origin of all sins.  -Tence it may be safely
asserted  that the Congregation will flouri.sh or
fail according as its mnlelbers are unmble or proud
in the sight of God.
For their pIersonal safety, they shall often meditate upon the humble and hidden life of Jesus
Christ: on the astonishing annihilation of Ilis Incarnation, of His Nativity, His Circumcision, His
Presentation in the temple, His flight into Egypt,
TIis sojourn at Nazareth, IIis Baptism, His temptation in the desert; on th'e manner Hie permitted
men to judge Him and to treat Hini through Ihis
public life, and especially during Ilis Passion. In
all temptations of vainglory and self-love they
will have recourse to the Divine Master, saying
from their hearts: "Jesus, humble of heart, have
mercy on me."
In order to acquire humility they will accept
with gratitude any little humiliations obedience
may impose.  Honors and dignities having been
renounced by Profession, no one should ever attempt to take back with the left hand what lhe




has offered with the right.  No elevated post
shall be sought or desired.  No one will permit
vainglory to follow and eat. away the merit of his
little successes, but all glory will be referred to
God alone.
They will carefully avoid all manner of ostentation, and will ever cultivate modesty, as becomes
Religious, in their countenance, in their dress, in
their language, and, above all, in their heart,
tOf thle Spirit of ]Faith.
O Lord, do Thou increase my faith. —St. Lnke, xvii, 5.
There is nothing so important, so absolutely
necessary for the preservation and development
of the Congregation, as the spirit of faith, especially in these days of indifference and apostasy,
when those really possessed of that spirit are becoling so rare that we might well fear we had
reached the time of which Jesus Christ once said:
When the Son of man cometh, will He find, think
you, faith on earth?'  "Faith is the root and
foundation of our justification,",says the Council
*: Luke, xviii, 8,



of Trent; hence without it we can da niobtlfng foour own salvation or for the salvation of others
for withlout roots a tree can drlaw vno sap from  the
earth, and without a foundation a building cannot
be raised, or it falls.  We must, therefore, frequently and fervently pray far an increase of laith,
and then keep it alive by regular  exercises and
practices of piety, and especially by speaking of
holy things in our conversations  wlhich, alas r are
so often timrned on scandalous instead of edifying
topics), and by spiritual readings. By these means;
faith may be kept alive, and bright~ like a burning lamp which we always keep ready and well
trimmedl to enlighten our atetps in the path of
righteousness.
He who possesses the spirit of faith is led in all
things by the maxims and examples of the Saviour; the sense of GodCs presence animates hif
thoughts, his affections, his worc s, and all his acts
ancd movements    l "he lives by faith."   Oh  the
treasure —oh! the blessing suclh a Religions is in
his Community!  Let everyone often repeat the
words of' the Gospel:- "I do believe~ Lord - help
Thou my unbelief."'~
* Mark, ix, 29.




Thf Cho eLo rity.Thou shalt love the Locrd Thy God with thy whole
heart, and with thy whole soul,....and thy neighbor
as thyself.-MSt. MIattA. xxii, 37, 39.
This Divine virtue consists in loving God, the
Sovereign Good, for Hiimself, and ourself and our
neilghbor for God's sake. To fulfil this obligation
as Jesus Christ has prescribed, each one shall
endeavor as far as he can, with the aid of Divine
grace, to perfect that love until it fills up his
whole mind, his whole heart, and  his whole
strength. In regard to himself, a Religious would
eflend more or less should he neglect the care of
his soul, or take an undue care of his body to the
detrimlent of his soul.  Therefore each one must
follow obedience with regard to both his spiritual
ald bodily needs.
In reference to our neighbor, Jesus Christ has
not ordained to love him as much as ourselves,
but with a love similar though not equal to the
love each has for himself, because we must always
prefer our own eternal salvation to that of others.
To accomplish the precept, no one should ever
do to others what he would not like to have done
to himself, and on the same principle should do
to others precisely what lie would wish to be
done to himself.




Furthermore, as our Blessed Lord recommended
to His disciples, the Congregation shall always try
to render good for evil, whatever harm or injury
may have been inflicted on its property or subjects.
"Charity," St. Paul says, "is patient, is kind:
charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not
puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own,
is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the
truth: beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity
never falleth away."*
"Peace be to the brethren, and charity with
faith," says the same Apostle, to the Ephesians..
And again, to the Philippians: "This I pray,
that your charity may more and more abound in
knowledge, and in all understandingg"t; and in
his second epistle to the Thessalonians he gives
thanks to God because the charity of every one
of them towards each other aboundeth. ~
"Now," says he, (1 Tim. i, 5,) "the end of the
commandment is charity from a pure heart."
What more can be needed to show' the excellence of charity?
Above all, let the members of the Congregation
have charity towards each other. Charity covers
a multitude of sins and compensates for many deftciencies and imperfections before God and man.
*1 Cor., xiii, 4-8. t vi, 2a. t i, 9. i, U.




TRUTAI XII.
Of Mee1kness.
Learn of Me that I am meek.-St. Natth., xi, 29.
Meekness is, in a manner, the flower of charity and the fruit of humility: it fills the soul with
tender indulgence and pity, and spreads over the
countenance an unfeigned pleasant grace, which
is accompanied by a cordiality that inspires confidence and affection.
It enables a person to control an impetuous and
angry temper, to bear injuries with patience, to
disarm anger and insolence, to keep within the
bounds of moderation and good breeding. It sets
aside all airs of'self-sufficiency and haughtiness,
prevents sudden ebullitions of temper, harsh expressions, ill-mannered behavior, and those bursts
of anger so humiliating afterwards to those who
have been guilty of them, and so offensive even
to their best friends.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess
the land"-or the hearts of the land.  God will
teach JHis ways to the meek; Moses was the meekest of all men. "It is better," says the Scripture,
"to be humbled with the meek, than to divide
spoils with the proud." *




38
A Religrious who has not yet learned how to
govern his temper has somiethling within hiilself
sAdly humiliating. Still, let lhinm not despair of final
success; St. Francis de Sales, a model of lneekness, tells us that he was born with a violent temper, which for a long time gave him much trouble.
Let those who feel ia danger of behing carried
away by any scandalous outburst of anger pray
to God that they may apprecilte meekness, and
spare no efforts to obtain it.  Let theml foresee
tlh  occasions, ancl take timely and efficient minelsures to avoid thiem, or resist theml  victoriously
when they do come. They will thus edify where
they were wont to scandalize. They should imake
up their mind never to speak or to act whilst the
storm of passion rages within, and they will find
it profitable to raise their souls to God and say:
0 Jesus, meek antl humblue of heart, have pity on
me i Anotlier means to subdue an angry temi per
is to act honestly and ofier an ample apology for
tlhe offence that may have been given.
BUIJTIE- XLIII.
Of thie  Spirit of  UJlioli anid  Colrnlnuniity.
May they be' one as We.-St. John, xvii, 11.
The spirit of the Congregation must be the




Slpirit of Je'Sus -(hrlst, and all its melnbers mlist
be united together as were the disciples, for whohm
our Blessed Lord asked so earnestly of ilis heavenly Fatler this precious union, after having sent
them  to preeCh two by two, that they might keep
-nmity of thoughts, of sentimenits, and of actions,
It is union that gives power and stiecess in
worldly afftirs; tunion  likewise constittites the'happiness, the. strength and glory of a Congregation, the minds and hearts of  hllose members are
tinited in the soul of the Saviotir as their bodies
are united iinder the same roof and the saine rule
and discipline.
In order to preserve continually, and even to
perfect, this inestimable union in the Congregation, all shall strive to imitate the harmonioug
tunderstanding that exists among the various memtn
bers of the body. According to St. Paul's declaIation, they mutually help andc serve each' other.
the eyes lead the feet; the hands protect the head
the strongest defend the weakest; the paiil or
enjoyment of one is common to the rest; and even
in the distribution of food each member retains
only what it needs, that all may receive an adequate share.
Moreover, to maintain in a Congregation the
spirit of union and Community, it is necessary
that the members should hlave and should testify
great esteelm for each other, and use among themsalves the usual forms of politness and cordial




40
affection which are found in families and circles
bf retiaed education, based on religious principles.
Disputes, quarrels, ridiculing, all provocations to
anger, must be forever banished from our mutual
and daily intercourse;
Men of the world will sometimes resent an
offence: in religion such a course can never be
tolerated; when the offender has offered his apology, all is f)rgiven and must never be revived,.
A Religious whose heart is as it should be will
not brood over an insult, real or imaginary; but
he tries to derive from  it all the merit which it
presents. Hie complains of it to nobody, but
thinks of it before the Blessed Sacrament, begging
of our merciful Lord to forgive the offender as
he forgives him, and to give him grace to do
better.
Particular friendship with any one member is
prohibited, because it is opposed to the spirit of
community,-such a close union with one being
a formal separation from the rest, in the same
manner as organic and sensual affections weaken
and even destroy union with God.
Any particular friendship dictated by ambition
is no less to be blamed and condemned in a Community-where authority, if at all recognized as
the expression of God's will, must be left entirely
free.
An excessive love of parents or relatives is also
an obstacle to the spirit of community; therefore




41
it should not be forgotten that our Blessed Lord
has declared those unworthy of Him who love
father or mother, brothers or sisters, more than
Him.  This, however-by the grace of God —is
here inserted rather as a warning than a reproach.
The better to imitate the life in conmmon which
Jesus Christ leJl with His apostles, a continual
attention shall be paid to uniformity, which is
the natural guardian of order and union.  All
singularity should be carefully avoided, in the
food, in the dress and furniture, and even in the
ordinary habits of life; because it more or less
does away with the feeling that all the members
form one family. Neither should there be singularity in exterior acts of mortification or devotion.
The beauty of an army is the perfect uniformity
of every soldier in dress, in arms, in movements,
&c., &c.  So likewise every Religious should be
recognized at once, and everywlhere, as a melnber
of his Order,
IIUI1iZP  XIV.
Of Zea1l.
I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I
but that it be kindled?-St. Luke, xii, 49,
Zeal is that sacred fire spoken of by Jesus
Christ; for it is like the flame of a devouring fire,




42
aild is in reality a holy  excess of the love of
God, and of souls, ill a hetart living by faiith.
Indeed a Religious animated by tile spirit of
faith will neverl be able to thlik of thle outral'es
otiered to God by sil, and of thle misfortune of the..
guilty, witllout feeliong profoundly grieved, pouring forth fervent prayers, and lafiicting hliseif
by mortiiqcation.  One thus possessed of the spirit
of Jesus Christ will always be ready to devote
himself; at any cost, to preaclh eternal truths, to
fiorm  younig' hearts to virtue, to save souls andextenul the IKingidon of God upon earth,
The samLe zeall xwill seclure amono  teachers a
discipline, order, re-ularity,  devotedness to duty,
aindl powler of actiolu to which all obtacles must.
yield. True zeal spares no pais.  Whlatever  obelienuce is assignedl to a zealous Religious, it will
be a success,  Slceli is the teacliing of experience.
iBut zeal, to be eficien. t and accortlin  to God,
must be regulated by wisdonm and knowleqdge and
that unction of charity which always seeks and
finds a safeguard in oLaedience.
Care must be taken to avoid mlistaking for zealous men those figllty and exalted heads whose
ideas and schemes sllhould rather be submitted to
scrupulots examinattioin thal   adlnitted  to immediate execution.
In order to prevent tile disordcers and sad losses
of' an ill-directed zeal, ino Religious shall undertake anlything of hlis own accord; obndience, in




43
Religion, ninust regulate and salction everything,
whether in the Sacred  iMinistry, in teaching, or
in any other employment.
Of  M~ortification.
If any one will come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow iMe.-St. J1atthew,
xvi, 24..'Besides the Christian denial, which consists in
abstaining from  what is prohibited by God and
by His Church, there is another, aiming   at the
practice of the evangelical counsels: in this we
place religious mortification.  By religious mortification the masters of spiritual life understand
the -habitual disposition, in a Religious, to deny
himself unnecessary pleasure or bodily gratification, not authorized by the rules, to subdue his
natural inclinations, his senses, his temper and humor, so as to be led no longer by the promptings
of nature, but by fiaith.  Such a mastery, however, must begin by a complete renouncing of all
concupiscence of the flesh, of pride and all its
suggestions, of ambition and its intrigues, and with
a determination to gain it even by fast, discipline
and haircloth, if necessary.  No one shall practice




44
any austerity without leave from his Director;
but all are exhorted to bear, without complaint,
heat and cold, sickness, fatigues, contradictions,
humiliations, and whatever may cause pain to
nature. Whoever wishes to advance in perfection
will lead a mortified life, after the example of the
Saints. Mortification is the mainspring of fervor.
In our time more than any other the aspirations of the age are to the reverse: the world is
bent upon the enjoyments of the body.
The Religious of the Holy Cross-the followers,
by choice and profession, of a crucified Mlasterwill seek their delights where the Saints of all
ages placed and found their delights.
CRIUEE XAVI.
"Of M31odesty.
Let your modesty be known to all men.-Phil., iv, 5.
So great was the modesty impressed on the divine countenance of our Blessed Lord, that large
crowds followed Him  even to the desert, and
thronged around Him, drawn and captivated by
the charms not only of His eloquence but also of
the extraordinary modesty of His whole person
and demeanor.




45
The fruit of modesty is the fear of the Lord,
riches and glory and life.*
In a Religious, modesty enhances every good
quality, seals in hii true merit, and gives him a
mysterious charm which nothing else can impart.
A modest countenance is eminently apt to edify,
to win confidence, and give a good name to a
whole House or Community. It reveals at once
a person considerate, humble, rather diffident,
accustomed to interior and recollected habits, and
naturally full of respect for others. Who would
not prefer such a person to a boasting, bragging,
proud, boisterous, imperious man, who seems to
look down upon everybody as inferior to himself?
Any breach of modesty, either in words or
dress or writings, or movements or acts, must be
weighed according to its gravity. Before Profession, any serious doub)t on this point commands
a po)stpolemnent  of admission.  It is considered
contrary -to religious modesty to speak too loud,
to interrupt another in conversation, to run without necessity, to touch another by way of joke
or play, to go out before being fully dressed, to
lounge on two chairs, to cross one leg over the
other, to talk noisily in company, to whistle, &c.
&c., to spit on the floor in church, parlor, regular places, corridors, stairs, &c.
A sense of propriety will supply the rest.
* Prov., xxii, 4.




46
PIIJ7VE: XVIT.
Of  leg-ular   DTiseipl   e.
One jot or one tittle shall not pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.-MattA., v, 8,.
Regularity in a Congregation is the prompt
obedience of all to the Rules. It would seem that
after Profession, by which a Religious has bouncd
himself to obedience, there shoulc be no further
need to impress on him the importance of regularity.  Regularity is tile most prolific source of
consolations to a Religious heart; by it lhe constantly feeds his soul and edifies the Comlmunity.
To be regular, one must follow daily, from the
first moment to the last, from 5 until 9, all the
exercises of the Honse where he lirves. Whoever
comes in after the beginning of an exercise, tlie
president excepted, kisses 1he floor.  Every absence requires a previous pernission or an immediate excuse.
The regularity of a -Teligious should not be
that of a slave; it' should spring fronm  more elevated motives.  It slhould be dictated by faith,
which ennobles everything it promp)ts.
One of the best means to maintainl discipline iln
a Community is the Chapter of Accusations every
Friday; next come the MAonthly Retreat, Monition,'ancl Direction.
There is a sense of pleasure, which is as natural




47
Ous it, is conmmendable, in the falt of belonging to
a -louse of which.evryone speaks well; and, on
the other hlad, it is no small humiliation to one,of fceling to Jknow that his House has a bad name
cveywherlle as a relaixed House. Let it be borne
in nind that tle one and thle other attachl to discipline chiefly.  Witllout discipline a House has
no chance wliatever. Here is the primary element
of succt ss; without it it nothig can be expected but
dlislhol.o, d'saster, an.d ruin.
ITUEI XVlIIL.
d f' t;le StrLdies -in  the CongregaMly doctrine is not Minc' but of Him that sent Me.
-St. Johe, vii, 16.
So admirablc vwas the doctrine of Jesus Christ
hllat. the Jews who listened to Him could not help
exclaiming; -I-ow can this main know the Scriptures, who has not studied theln?  It was true,
Ile had never studiedl them; but He proclaimed
as man what He knew as God.
Sinee original sin has disturbed  everything,
stady 1as become a necessity for man in order to
acquire knowlecdge.  Unless destined for manual
labor, the Religions of the Holy Cross shall apply




themrselves in earnest to the studies whicht obcdience shall have marked out, strictly following
the plan and method adopted by the Congregation.
It is much to be desired that even the Brothers
not destined to teach should know or learn reading, writing, and ciphering.  They should all be
well instructed in religion and in the duties of a
religious life.
The Brothers preparing to teach shall be fully
trained up after a determined system, in order to
cope with the teachers in public schools.
The Ecclesiastics, after finishing their classical
course, shall study Philosophy at least one year,
and for three years they shall follow a regular
course of Dogmatic and Moral Theology, Holy
Scriptures, Ceremonies, Rubrics, and Plain Chant.
In none of these branches should anything be
spared to impart a thorough education, unless
pride or lack of ability forbid.
The sphere of knowledge in our plan of studies
being large, and the system or method practical
and clear, nothing is wanting to secure the contemplated object but to follow it in earnest, instead of studying at random one thing to-day and
another to-morrow, without rule or direction, and
with neither result nor merit.  There must be
systemz in studies, more than in anything else;
otherwise time is lost and no satisfaction obtainedl.
Nor should it ever he imagined that in order to




4,1Il)lete an education a lI-cligilus 1may3 freely use
all sorts of books. A pure heart will always find
it unnecessary to handle a polluting work of any
sort.
No publication should ever be undertaken by
any member of the Congregation without the ordinary permissu s-upeq'orum. required in all Religious Orders.
Above all, let every study in the Congregation
he based on the spirit of prayer, whllich is a fountain of light: let it begin, and continue, and end
in the same holy disposition.  God will bless
those whose studies shall be thus permeated by
such continual pious aspirations; and while their
minds will be enriched with precious knowledge
their hearts will not, as it frequently happens,
suffer an irreparable shipwreck of piety,
RLJ]E2 XIX.
0f IRecreatiolis and  Conversations.
And He conversed with nmen.-Baruch, iii, 38.
Recreation is to recreate: it is no waste of time;
it is a means to keep in a healthy condition both
mind and body, neither of which can be constantly
and heavily taxed without injury,




Jesus Christ, our -Model in all circumstances of
life, has taughlt us by Iis examlple how to convorse and how to keep silence. -lirm therefore we
should try to imitale in our conversations and
recrealions.  For Ris sake, and in inlitation of
HiDn., all shouldl be atteitive to cultivate in recreatioln.modesty, charity, justice, truth, patience and
forbearance, and to show themselves as sociable
and entertlainino as'possible to their companions.
Rccrlations are spent in commlon; and in this
the PRolie requires something mi(ore than the bodiiy
presence' of oll membeis; some efforts must be
made to create an interest in thllose regular and social meetings, which otherwise would soon prove
dutll alnd monotonous.  It is scarcely admissible
that one' slhould be there as a. log, for half an hour
or more, without' giving the company any sign of
interest or pleasure; of such a Religious nobody
could say that lie is very amiable.
Coivelrational powers are no common gift, especially.amog  nmen mleeting dcaily in the saelllE
circle.  One nmore let everyone bear in mind that
each Religious must bring his quota to render
Recreatio<ns lively and exhilarating to all.
There are also things to be avoided in Recreation-,namely; untruthfulness, haughtiness, sarcasml, censulirg, complaining of the admilnistration, &c., &c., speakii:g in a loud or. angfy tone,
disputing or c'.)ltesting in offensive words, relating
scandals, or insinuating suspicions nnwbrtlly of a




51
Christian heart, &c., &c.  IUnless a scrupulous
watchfull;ess be used, one may lose in a quarter
of an hour's recreation the fruit of many months'
etforts and resolutions. Let everyone go to Recreation in obedience to the Rule, with a view to improve the social feelizngs of the Community, to
recreate and make mirthful ancl happy everyone
around him, to edify all, and make them feel indeed how good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity.*  A talented Religious,
truly possessed of the spirit of his Order, is nowhere more useful to his Community than in
Recreation.  F6nelon, the saintly Archbishop of
Cambray, who probably never was surpassed in
conversational powers, and  who never grieved
anyone, but mnde all feel better and more delighted, drew  from  his own loving heart inexhaustible means of winning to God everyone who
came in contact with hlilm. A few men thus disposed, and possessed of zeal and ability, might
within a few  months, and in Recreation alone,
change and amend the tone and sentiments 6f a
whole Community.
Ecclesiastical history, the Lives of the Saints,
the edifyiilg movements and actions of nations
and individuals towards God and His Vicar on
earth, are prolific topics from which a well-read
person will draw, with little effort, and day after' Psalm cxxxii, 1.




day, something new, instructive, and full of interest for all around him.
A man of honor will never permit in his presence any conversation tending to lessen due respect for authority, charity to equals, or justice
to anybody.
With the right man present, Recreations are
spent both innocently and interestingly.
lUIy'E: XX.
()f Fraterll-l Correction.
If thy brother shall offend against thee, go and rebuke him, between thee and hinm alone. If he shall
hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. But it he will
not hear thee, take with thee one or two more,...
and if he will not hear them, tell the church.
-St. Jf[atth., xviii, 115-17.
Thus our Blessed Lord declared the duty and
the mode of fr'aternal correction.  Accordingly,
every Religious must be ready to receive advice
and admonition, and even give it, as the case may
be. But ill order that this important and delicate
obligation be fulfilled in prudence and charity, the
following rule should be strictly adhered to:
If anyone be guilty of a slight transgression, the
first opportunity shall be availed of to call his




attention thereto, kindly and mildly. If the fault
is serious, but secret, he who shall have noticed
it will speak to the offender privately and alone.
If no amendment is obtained, then he shall inform
the Monitor of the party; and if this prove useless, the Superior must be made aware of what
has passed.  Then the Superior takes it in his
own hands. But if the transgression has been
public, and somewhat scandalous, the same process is followed up, with an earnestness proportionate to the gravity of the case; and if no improvemnent is perceived, then a public monition must
be given in Chapter, after the apostolic counsel:
"Them that sin reprove before all, that the rest
also may have fear." *
Very grave. charges must be very seriously examined and weighed ere they are credited. But
when anyone has been convicted of the transgression of the Rule, prompt action alone will prove
that authority is not indifferent to good or evil.
Ia such cases, postponement is the ruin of religious discipline. Allowance must be made for age,
dispositions, ignorance, temptation, provocation,
circumstances, actual sorrow, &c., for there is a
wide difference between one who repents and
another remaining obstinate.  A first pardon is
even advisable; but to pardon a fault honestly acknowledged, and to let it pass unnoticed, are two
* 1 Timothy, v, 20.




54
things very different: the former, while saving
the subject, invigorfAtes discipline; the latter kills
both the one and the other.
There is a special Monitor named at the General Retreat for the Fathers, and another for the
Brothers, in every separate House. Every Religious, Superiors not excepted, lmust have his Monitor, and see him  monthly.  Monitors are the
mainstay of Religious Discipline in a Congregation, provided  they discharge their office with
zeal and charity, politeness and humility.
Tale-bearers are detestable, everywhere; but
informing Superiors of what they should knew,
for the good of a House, is no tale-bearing. If a
first information appear to hlave been overlooked,
let it be reiterated; if again disregarded, let it he
carried to a superior officer, as the Provincial or
Superior General.
~Whoever receives an admonition should sincerely and heartily thank him who imparts it. It
is no time to co-test, but to listen to7 and profit
by what is stated. Between two Religious, a monition never creates anything but good feelings.
It should last but a few minutes, and, if more convenient, can be transmitted in writing, in two or
three lines.
This Rule on Monition should not be construed
as stepping on the following, from which it essentially differs,




if the blind lead thie blind, both fall into the pit,
-S't, MalUttheo, xv, 14.
God  having' e:tablished that man should be
saved by man, antl the Holy. Ghost exhorting us
to sUek the counlsel of tlie wise and tlhat of thle
ancielits, it is not to be wondered at if our Blessed
Locrd insists il thle Gospel that the blind should
not be led by tlhe blind.  Hence the advice of
St. Francis de Sales to clhoose a- Director froml
amlong   a thosandLCl.
na the Novituatts, Postulants and Novices shall
apply for Direction to the Miaster of Novices, and
in oLher 1IHouses  to the Superior of each House,
every monith.  Dirlection: consists in revealing. to
a Director, confidentially, but candidly, how the
oa.e asking Direction feels,:and how muclh satisfied
with hinmself in the manner le serves God; if lihe
be at peace with himself and withl everybody; if
he attends regul.arly all the exercises of the Col-n
lmunity, or loses any by hlis own fault:; if he finds
it difficult to lead a life of obedience, and in what
lhe fGils chiefly; if lie meets in his employment
with any particular danger or difficulty; or if lie
is as fervent and desirous of advancing in perfection as ever, or less,tad why; if the interests




of the Congregation are as dear to his heart as
before.
Many a soul, says St. Francis de Sales, has obtained salvation through the means of Direction.
Whoever in a Community would pass it by, whatever the motive may be (and in nine cases out of
ten it is pride or indifference), is neither right nor
safe. Direction, however, is not Confession.
-IUX.110E XXII.
Of Confessioltn.
Thy sins are forgiven thee.-St. Matthew, ix, 2.
The happiness experienced by the poor man
sick of the palsy on hearing the Saviour assuring
him of the forgiveness of his sins, may be shared
in by anyone who has recourse to the ministry
of the priests; for lie has delegated to them the
same power He Himself used towards the unfortunate man sick of the palsy.
All go to Confession every week, to the Confessor appointed. Much depends on the preparation, by which abundant fruits may be secured
and the danger of routine avoided.
An extraordinary Confessor shall be named, to
afford every Religious an opportunity for an extraordinary Confession in the Ember Weeks.




True Religious are generally easily satisfied
With the Confessor given them.
For the rest, all are referred to the Directory.
J UI-_i E:  s.a  I]1l
Of the  ChLapter   orf Accuisations
He that humbleth himself shall be exalted6
— St. Luke, xviii, 146
This declaration of Jesus Christ finds its verification especially in the spontaneous, humble,
and honest accusation by Religious of the faults
they have committed against the Rules, and by
which they have more or less disedified if not
scandalized the members of the Community where
they live. By thus acknowledging, of their own
accord, their weekly failings, they often greatly
edify while they give a salutary warning to others,
they frequently strengthen discipline, and gain
even more than they had lost in the esteem of
others; above all, they recover thereby the peace
of conscience which had been disturbed, and they
are relieved from the responsibiltiy which attaches to every public transgression until such an
apology shall have been offered.
Every Religious shall make his accusation week



y, and receive, in a spirit of hulmility- the leaile
the president will imnpose, wthich penance mltlst te
proportionate to the gravity of the faults.
Accusations in Clhapter ate divided into three
classes! nalnely, —sllght faults, g'rave faults, and
very serious faults, to whclCh are three kinds of
corresponding penances,
ist.-Slight transgressions.   To speak in time of
silence, or in places where it is forbidden; to come
too late to an exercise; to show some levity in
the church, or durilng a regular exercise, to walk.
too fast, to open and shut the doors without attention. to take too little, or too much, care of
personal dress; to speak too much, and inconsidc
erately; to be wanting in exterior modesty; to
take but little care of the obedience assigned; to
show'some indif-erence to the Rules, or to the
interests of the Congregation; &c.
For such faults the following penances shall be
imposedl  namely,-to say the Litany of Loretto;
to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament; to recite a decade of the Beads.
2d. —The grave transgressions are: To rise.has
bitually too late; to be absent from Meditation or
other Community esercises without leave or excuse; to pay little attention to the recommendations of Superiors; to disregard the Great Silence;
to enter the room of a companion in his absence
and search through his papers and things; to keep
a lighted candle or lamp after having gone to bed;




59
to sow seeds of division'in a Community; to offend
in words or writings against truth, charity, modesty, &.; to censure the acts of Councils and Superiors; to cause, by neglect, daimage or loss to
the Communiuity.  Against these faults the following penances shall be imposed: namlely,-to say
the Beads two or three times; to recite the Seven
Penitential Psalms; to make one hour of adoration; &e.
3. —Should a Religious forget himself so far as
to continue in any of the grave tuilts above mentioned; or disobey the orders of a Superior; or
work  agailst lawful authority, or against the
peace or order of a HIouse, directly or indirectly;
or intercept letters of Superiors, or to Superiors;
or grievously insult anyone, or try to destroy anyonra's character; visit or correspond  with, after
being prohijbited, pelsons considered dangerous;
or remain absent lo nger than -permlittecd; or ap-;)ropriate money witlhoit leave; refuse the statistics of a House or the accounts of an administration of which he has charge; or make expenses not authorized; or contract debts without
due permission; change the Rules for the diet or
vestiary; exhibit habitually no regularity, especially in the rising, and in the retiring to bedcl; keep
liquors secreted, or give way to intemperance; or
give scandal in any notorious way, —which God
forbid!-the prayers of the Colmmunity should
be asked for his. amendimtent, and he should be




60
separated, if in any way possible, fiom the rest of
his companions, until a sensible change shall have
taken place in his unfortunate dispositions.  He
should be placed upon a Retreat, for a week or
two; and in case he should remain obstinate and
unchanged, the insignia of his Profession should
be taken away from him, and the case referred
to the Provincial.
The accusations in Chapter being as it were a
public confession, whoever should, at any time,
reveal anything said or done there, would simply
dishonor himself.
RU ILE.XXIV.
Of the NMonthlly fRetreat.
Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little.
St. Mark, vi, 31.
On the first Sunday of each month all attend
in silence the Monthly Retreat, a practice the
importance of which can hardly be overrated
either by Superiors or by simple Religious. On
this day they hear Jesus Christ Himself inviting
by name every Religious of the Congregation to
"come apart and rest a little" with Him.  This
Retreat will be for each one a pause or a halt, to
east back a glance upon the distane ~jus~t ran over,




and survey the space that lies immediately before
them. The Diirectory fully explains how to proceed on the occasion.
Were it not for the Monthly Retreat but few
in a Community could preserve the spirit of fervor imparted by the Annual Retreat.
The life of Religious in the Congregation is,
generally speaking, so completely filled with duties-and exposed, at the same time, to the wear
and tear of such exterior and incessant contact
with the world-that unless the soul be called
back into solitude once in a while, every interior
disposition gradually gives way.
Hence the necessity of the Monthly Retreat
must be obvious to all who honestly desire to see
the Congregation safe against the dangers above
mentioned, and likewise against what is no less
to be dreaded, the natural bent of poor human
nature, everywhere inclined to evil, and its inherent inconstancy and manifold slight infidelities,
which daily weaken divine grace even in fervent
souls.
IEUIED  XXV.
Of the Feasts of the Congregation.
Go you to this festival day.-St. John, vii, 8.
By thuf commanding His disciplei to go to the




62
feast of the tabernacles, Jesus Christ intended to
impress upon all miLids the importance of religious solemnities, Nvwhich in the New Law  excel
anything that existed in the Old Dispensation, as
much as the reality excels the figure.  It.deed
among the various means by which the Church
keeps up and increases the fervor of her children,
one of the nmost efficient is the solemnity with
which she celebrates the memory of her chief
Mysteries and of her most glorious Saints.
Hence the devotion with which we should cominemorate the great Festivals of the Church; and
also those peculiar to the Congregation,-n amely,
that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the titular
Feast of the Congregatioa and the Patrol:al one
of the Priests; that of St. Joseph, the Patronal
of the Brothers; the Festival of Our Lady of the
Seven Dolors, bly which the Congreg;ltion is associated with the Blessed Virgin in lonoring  with
her, and under her guidance and protection, the
gretat mystery of the Holy Cross to which it is
dedicated.
The above are the three principal solemnities
of the Congregation. They are preceded by a fast,
that greater blessings may be derived from them.
The Month of the H-oly Infancy, the Month of
St. Josephl, and the Month of Mary, are now practices of piety too general among Catholics to be
any longer considered devotions special to the
Congregation.  The more, however, they gain




groutind, the more fervently and thankfully they
slhould be kept in all the H-louses of the Holy
Cro~,
~)f the'V4ot  sd
Come, and follow Mec-St. 3fatthew, Xix, g1,
The young man to whom Jesus Christ addressed
the abot-,e words had been from his infancy a faithl
ful observer of all the Cornmandments  but lihe
yet knew not the evangelical counsels, by which
lie was invited to follow the Saviour imore perfectly, by imitating His poverty, His chastity, and
His obedience.  These are the most excellent virtues, called of counsel because not of command,
their profession constitutes the essence of Religious life,
Therefore whoever has understood this sublime
doctrine, and feels sufficient courage to accept it,
must lead. a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience, according to the RMles of the Society into
which he has been received.
Such. is the life the Religious of the Holy Cross
have chosen: they enter upon it immediately after
their Novitiate by yearly vows at first, and then
by their. Profession.
The annals of Communities mention cases of




61A
Religious hmaking their Profession withot aPly
intention of binding tllemselves,  The Gospel,
too, relates the treason of Judas.
The virtue and the obligation of a vow are different fromn each other: for instance, the vow of
obedience obligeh only the material fulfilment of
orders, while the virtue of the same vow inclines
the will to obey promptly, gladly) zealously, perfectly,
O)f the  Vow  of Plovert;yThe Son of man hath not whereupon to rest His
head —St. M~atthew viii, 20O
Whereas civil laws do not recognize everywhere)
at this present time, all the effects of this important vow, a Novice in the Congregation of the Holy
Cross might, strictly speaking, make his Profession and yet retain in his name the deed or deeds
of his property; but in this case it must be clearly
understood that by the vow of poverty he renounces the liberty to administer or use it except
in entire dependence of the Superior General. It
is a right of which certain civil laws sometimes
prevent the complete sacrifice; but one of which
no use whatever can be made by a Religious
except with the full consent of Superiors.




65
For a true Religious, who enters the Congregation with proper dispositions, the above reserve
wNill never amnount to anything: the sacrifice was
complete in his heart; and although some property may remain vested in his name, the administration of it is fireely left to the Community.
Should he comlie into possession of, or inherit any
property, even after his Profession, having once
given up all riches to follow  Jesus Christ he
leaves it all to his Superiors, or to those entitled
by his testament to share in it. He remains, in
practice, as poor as though he had never owned
a farthing.
No Religious should receive a present of any
sort on condition of reserving it to his own exclusive use: it would be a direct violation of his
vow.  Whatever is offered to a Religious, if accepted with proper leave, is received for God and
the Congregation.  Superiors determine the use
of it as they may see fit.
Whatever profit may arise from private industry, composition or publication of books, &c., belonogs by right to the Community.
Thile Rules determine what is necessary concerning the food, the clothing and furniture, and
all should be not only satisfied with it, but unwilling to create a precedent on a point of such
delicacy by objecting to the regulations already
made.
Money received for a journey, or for any special




66
object, cannot be employed otherwise without a
violation of the vow.
The vow of poverty furthermore obliges one
not to retain for personal use anything costly, even
among objects of piety; to make or receive no
present; to dispose of nothing, directly or otherwise; and never to indulge unnecessary expenses,
whether at home or on a journey.
The spirit of the Congregation regarding real
estate and other property is that no Superiors
should hold any in their individual names; but
civil and legal corporations must be formed, were
it only to hold possession of what goods may
accrue to the Congregation.
Such corporations are composed exclusively of
the members of the Community, and their statutes
must be sanctioned by the Superior General.
The conscience of Superiors and Directors is
charged, from the day of their election, with a
fearful responsibility.  Indeed if during their administration the spirit of poverty should-which
God forbid-die away among'the members, the
destiny of the Congregation should be in the
greatest danger; and unless a Superior be continually watching, and determined to struggle against
the strong current of the age-unless he is prepared "to reprove in time and out of time" in
order to preserve and keep intact this indispensable foundation of Religious life-soon, very soon
indeed, the love of ease and comfort, the fear of




(7
pain and fatigue, will take the place of devoted;
ness, the idea of sacrifice will gradually disappear,
and all will be lost.
Tl'he budget, once duly sanctioned, should not
be exceeded in any Establishment.
In every House the details of the administration
are regulated by the strictest economy; and whatever surplus remains at the close of each year
belongs by right to the Provincial Council, with
which the General Administration deals.
The better to secure the observance of the vow
of poverty, so replete with serious consequences
in a Community, all should endeavor to practise
the virtue of poverty, by suppressing every undue
attachment to anything and by preferring for personal use whatever is inferior in quality. Upon a
constant fidelity to this practice depend the peace
of conscience, the edification of all and the blessing of God on the Congregation. Who will comprehend and scrupulously observe this?  Ah!
surely not the worldly-minded, the lukewarm, nor
the nominal or half Religious,-but the man of
faith, who places the soul above the body-the
superior mind, whose clear and far-seeing eye
foresees the success or the ruin of his Congregation attached to the observance or disregard of
the vow of poverty.  Fortunately, the presence
of one true lover of poverty among many is sometimes sufficient to preserve the spirit of the vow,




Of the Vo~w of Cphastity'.
They are as the angels in heavel- St. ~l1arkl, xii, q2,
If by the Sixth and Ninth Colmmandments God
forbids all men the pleasures of the flesh  if thlli
kind of sin admnits of no levity of matter even in
a common Christian, how much purer should be
the hearts of those who, aclclig the vow to tlle
precept, profess. to imitate the angrels in their co:nduct, and to follow the spotless Lamb whom virgins alone can approach,
Such is, indeed, the object of the vow of chastity, by which onle engages himself to live frec
from wilful stain, raised above the carnal desires
and concupiscences of the earth, not alone i-n
imagination or in the affections of the heart, but
also in words, in looks, in actions, in gestures,
and in all tl at makes up the man exteriorly ald
interiorly.
To remain true to stuch sacred engagements,
each Religious will carefully observe sobriety and
temperance; will be modest before all, and make
free with none; will not touch anyone, even by
way of play; will not receive children in lhis
room with doors closed; will not kiss them except
on rare occasions, viz., meeting them after an absence or bidding them adieu.  Particular friendship with any of them is strictly forbidden.




_ t/
Novels, light reading, painti;gs, engrlavings, oVi
statues, in aly way objectionible to a pure soul,
shall not be retained.
Persons of another sex shall neither be visited
alone nor corresponded with unnecessarily and
withlout a special permission.  1Religious receive
rno visits in their own  rooms, but in common
parlors, Wherever our Religious give or receive
services to or from Sisters, the Superiors will see
that the greatest prudence be observed to protect
the virtue and reputation of all,! UL E /(XX-i VII.
-r the  Vow  of le  VObediel e
I seek not My own willi-St. John, v, 30.
Such was the self-denial of our Blessed Lord
that lie could truly say, speaking of His Father:'I do His will always."  It is precisely what a
good Religious can also say, who, wishing to remain falithful to his-vows, obeys his Superiors
promptly, constantly, supernaturally, and devotedly.
By the vow of obedience a Religious consecrates
to God his entire will, and renounces the right
of following the proniptings of his desires and
personal inclinations except in complete subscry
ience to lawful authority.




By their Profession the Religious of the HIo!y.C(ross pledge a filial obedience to the Holy See,
to the General Chapter, to the Superior General
regularly elected and confirmed by the Holy Fa,
ther, and likewise to all Superiors lawfully named
and commanding within. the limits of their office,
They submit themselves also not only to the Constitutions and Rules now  in force, but also to
Statutes and Decrees which in course of time
may be enacted by General Chapters,
Although there are no Rules obligatory of
themselves under paiil of sin except those treating of the vows, it would be sinful, however, to
violate any Rule through pride or contempt of
authority, through sensuality, sloth, human respect, or any other vicious motive. It would be
the same if, in disregarding a Rule, one would
expose himself to the danger of falling into a
grievous sin, or giving scandal, or of causing some
damage to the Congregation or to a neiglhbor,
All should yield such a ready. obedience as to
render any command unnecessary.  As soon as
the Superior's will is known; it should be executed with an. unfeigned submission of both the
will and the understanding.
In order to be confirmed in the virtue of obedience, everyone shall be guarded against criticism, prejudice or m.urmuring;   also against all servile fear, or a personal love of ease.
If refused by one Superior, a subject should not




71
apply to another without informing him of the
previous refusal.
Superiors will endeavor to' blend firmness and
meekness, the former being indispensable to the
maintenance of discipline, and the latter largely
contributing to render obedience easy and authority paternal and loved. They must not overlook
a point of serious gravity-viz., that they will
never obtain universal obedience more readily
from those placed under their jurisdiction than
when they themselves show their respect for the
same Rules and their entire submission to higher
Superiors.
No Superior shall be considered as commanding under pain of mortal sin unless when he says:
"I command in virtue of Holy Obedience," or "in
the name of Jesus Christ."
IRUILIE XXIX.
4)f Adnlission   to  Vowvs. — Of the
iProfession    and Ordinations.
Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground, die,
itself' remaineth alone.-St. John, xii, 24, 25.
In order to die to the world and to themselves,
with Jesus Christ, and to secure an abundance
of eternal fruits, the Josephite Brothers who have
completed their Novitiate make for one year the
vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, in the




hands of their Superior. The Salvatorists under
age likewise make the yearly vows.
The fulfilment of' all conditions for the Profession is certified to the Superior General in due
time, by the Provincial, in his Council: in this official communication on the Novice he shall state
his age; that he has been under the three vows
for twelve months (if a Josephite); that he passed
a regular examination two months before the end
of his Novitiate, before the Provincial Council,
whom  he satisfied as to his 4cience, his conduct
and religious dispositions; that he is possessed of
testimonial letters, and not bound by any impediment; and, finally, that he has satisfactorily regulated his temporal affairs.
The Salvatorists may make their Profession at
the close of their Novitiate, if of age.
The final admission is decided by the Superior
General in his Council, by a vote of two thirds,
and is immediately notified to the Provincial.
As soon as the Profession shall have been made,
the Provincial shall communicate the same to the
Superior General.
When vows are pronounced by Novices, the formula must be written or at least signed by them,
and preserved in the archives of the Province.
The emission of perpetual vows is preceded by
a retreat of six days, during which, if they have
not done so before, the Novices shall dispose, by
testament or otherwise, of their temporal goods,




73
according to the spirit of the Rules and with the
full agreement of the Provincial or Superior.
Yearly, at the close of the Generall Retreat, all
renew their vows in the hands of the Provincial
or local Superior.
No Ecclesiastical Novice can be offered for ordination without a previous examination, as shall
be presently explained, and without a proper retreat.
Every candidate for ordination must bring to
the Ordinary by whom lhe is to be ordained a dimlissory letter from  the Superior General.  No one
can be ordained without it.  The following treatises shall be presented for examination in this
Order: viz., Catechism~ and Chriutian D)octrine, fully
explained, for Tonsurce; dee Relieione et Eccles/id, for
Minor Orders; de Dleo, de TJrilitate, de Fide, de
Ix.cornsatione, de Gratiad et de Sacramentis in yenere, for Subdleaconship; de Actibus  ulinanis, de
Conscieteid, de Legibus, de Peccatis et Decalogo, for
Deaconship; de B(tptisnmo, de Confirmatione, de
Extiremna  Un.ctione, de7 Peznitentida, de Indz7lgentiis,
de COrdine, de 1fcattrimnonio, de Jure, de Contractiblcs,
de OCe)sucris et Ianregclscritaibus, anld finally de Cerenoniis et LittLurgeis.




74
Of the Dismissal of SuLlbjects.
If he hears not the Church, let him be to thee as a
heathen and a publican.-St. Jlftt hew, xviii, 17.
A postulant is dismissed by the Provincial upon
the testimony of the Master who had him  in
charge; a Novice, by the Provincial in his Council, upon the report of the Master of Novices; a
Novice out of the novitiate and under vows, by
the Provincial in his Council, after obtaining of
the Superidr General  a proper dispensation fr'om
vows.  Upon the reception o) this dispensation,
the Local Council of the House in whlich  said
Novice lives meets again to examine the case
anewr: if two thirds of the votes are against him,
the same is immediately communicated to the
Provincial, who finally pronounces his dismlissal
and orders its execution.
As to Professed, if such an unfortunate member should ever be found so entirely lost to all
sense of religion as to require expulsion, Constitution XXII should be scrupulously followed and
and carried out. Prudence, charity, and a desire
to avoid scandal, will show  the Administration
what course to follow in the removal of one so
greatly to be pitied.
No commllunication whatever can be kept with
any Religious regularly dismissed.




75
lIUr4IF XXXI.
of  the Orlder of thle  IDay~.
Let every thling be done in order.-1 Cor., xiv, 40.
St. Paul, in prescribing to the Corinthians to do
everything orderly and decently, has traced out
the way which all the Religious of the Holy Cross
should follow.
To secure to all the same advantages of a regular and Religious life, they shall be governed,
wlherever they are, by the same regulations, viz. 
5 o'clock, Rising; 5.30, Meditation; 6, Holy Mass;
7, Breakfast; 11.45, Particular Examen; 12, Dinner, followed by one lhour Recreation; 6.30,  Supper, followed by Recreation; Spiritual Reading,
Evening Prayer, and Points for next Meditation,
at 8; last bell, ten minutes after Night Prayer.
Fr1om  Easter until the General Retreat the
rising is at 4.30.
At dinner and supper a portion of the New Testament (from  ten to twelve verses) is read first;
then the life of some Saint.  At the end of dinner the Martyroloqy is read, and at supper ten or
twelve lines of the Rules.  In small Establishments the reading of the Life of a Saint is omitted.
The Beads are said in common a quarter of an
hour before the Spiritual Reading.
All should try to meet together in the Chapel,
for the Visit, at a quarter before supper.




The Ftathers should  always have the Little
Hours said before breakfast, and the rest of the
Divine Office at the etlarliest possible hour.  The
same applies to teaching Brothers, for the Little
Offlce.
Unless prevented by personal duty, or the requiremrents of sciety with strangers, sile,.ce shall
be kept except in Recreation hours.
In each House one menmber is appointed by the
Superior to see that all rise and retire according
to Rule.
Of the  ItanilR  in  the  CongStregaWhen thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down
in the first place, lest perhaps one more honorable than
thou be invited by him; and he that invited thee and
him, come and say to thee, Give this man place: and
then thou begin with shame to take the lowest place.
-St. Luke, xiv, 8, 9.
To avoicl the shame spoken of in the above text
by our Blessed Lord, and preserve order in the
assemblies of the  Congregation, each one shall
take his place as follows: viz.: The Salvatorists
at the right hand of the president, and the Josephites at the left, each and all in the order indicated




in Constitution XXIITI.  In tlhe case of two or
more members of different Houses having  been
professed on the sname day, they rank according
to the priority of foundclation of tile Houses to
which they belong,
There is in each Pro vince and in each House
a list of menmbers, renewed yearly, by which
everyone's place is fixed.
tU[TAI3 XXXIII.
Of  MVJleals, and  iFoodL in General.
Be not solicitous therefore, saying, what shall we
eat: or what shall we drlink, or wherewith shall we be
clothed? —St..J tth., vi, 31.
While praising the austerities of the Precursor, who neither eat bread nor drank wine, and
though practising prayer and mortification when
alone, Jesus Christ presents Himself as a model
of the common life of a Religious, as He lived
with His Apostles, and conformed to the usages
of the country.
In imitation of the Divine Model, each one shall
always show himself satisfied with what may be
placed on the table. In case of sickness, the doctor's prescriptions shall be strictly observed in
cendor and sinplicity,




Three meals a day, taken in comion and at
regular hours, form the reg'iune of the Community.
Religious of a feeble constitution may be allowed,
especially in summer, to talke a lunch at 4 P. M.
The same may be taken by those whose duties
or labors are very severe.
Breakfast consists of a dish of meat, with bread
and butter and coffee.
Dinner: of soup, a dish of roast meat or a ra#out, two dishes. of vegetables, and dessert.
At supper: a dish of meat, -with butter or cheese
or some vegetables, and tea.
Except in Colleges, strangers shall not be invited to meals in our Houses.
Travelling Religious should always be received
with courteous hospitality.
A wholesome diet, sufficient and palatable without extra expense, and economy blended witl
taste, w.ill always reveal in a Superior an administrator of no ordinary feeling and ability, who
cares for his Religious and yet wastes none of
the funds of the Community.




79
RIJiIIE5~ XXXIIV.
Of thile Vestiary.
Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat,
nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the
life more than the meat; and the body more than the
raiment?-St. Jliatth., vi, 25.
The Religious of the Holy Cross being all alike
the children of one falllily, their clothes and linen
are kept in a comnmon clothes-room.  These are
made of the same material, according to a fixed
rule or style, as prescribed by the Provincial
Chapter in each Province, and distributed weekly
in tlhe same quantity to all.
Every Religious has a Number, with which all
his effects are marked.  Care is taken that the
vestiary be preserved with perfect cleanliness.
Each Religious is provided with precisely what
the Rule prescribes, neither more nor less. When
a Religious is moved to another House, he takes
with him his own wardrobe.
The wardrobe of a Religious of the Holy Cross
is composed of the following articles,-viz.:
For the Fathers-2 cassocks and 2 capes, one
for summler and another for winter; 2 pairs of
pantaloons, 4 pairs of drawers, 1 cord, 1 crucifix,
2 pairs of shoes, 1 hat and 1 cap, 6 shirts, 4 woollen shirts, 6 pairs of stockings, 6 pocket-handkerchiefs, 1 overcoat, 12 collars, 1 biretta,-each of




So
the above articles to be made in the same style
and of the same material for all. Simplicity, solidity and modesty take here the place of costly and
fashionable clothes worn by persons of the world,
who would feel scandalizeld at a Religious dressed
like a worldly man.
For the Brothers-2 habits, one for summer and
another for winter; 2 pairs of pantaloons, 4 pairs
of drawers, 1 cord, 1 statuette of St. Joseph, 2
pairs of shoes, 1 hat, 1 cap, 6 shirts, 4 woollen
shirts, 6 pairs of stockings, 6 pocket-hanclkerchiefs,
1 overcoat, 12 collars, 1 religious cap, —each of the
above articles to be made alike and of the same
material and with the same restrictions as above.
While Religious should carefully guard against
all worldly airs in dress and 1-manlners, they must
equally avoid appearing repulsive, or in any way
dirty, slovenly, or even negligent in dress.
Superiors cannot be too vigilant in mnaintaining
uniformity in the vestiary of their Religious; for
there are everywhere eccentric minds who, if left
free, would not leave a vestige of unitormity in a
Conmnunity in the course of a few years. A Congregation respecting itself will allow no such deviation from its Rules, ancd the best members will
never bear to see their Religious costume trifled
with and  dishonored by flighty and riliculous
dandies who still wish to be called Religious.
In every Provincial House there *are samples
and models stamped, and to which all conform.




81
IIUTLE XXXV.
Of Furni:ituere.
Let us therefore make him a little chamber, and put
a little bed in it for him, and a table, and a stool, and a
candlestick, that when he comieth to us he may abide
there.-4 lings, iv, 10.
What sufficed to tlhe prophet Eliseus, who was
a figure of Jesus Christ, should certainly suffice
to Religious, who have made a special vow to
practise poverty.
Througll respect for the Priests' sacred character, a private room is given to every Father of
thle Congregation.  Besides the bed, the table, and
three chairs, there must be in each room a praying-desk, a clotlles-press, a toilet table and a mirrol, a few book-shelves, a crucifix, and one or two
pictures of piety. Nothing costly —and yet decent,
and kept perfectly neat.
The Brothers sleep in common  dormitories,
well ventilated and colnfortable, and study in a
common stludy-rooni, in which each has a desk,
books, paper and ink, and everything necessary
to employ usefully his,spare hours, while tlhe
working  memlbers rest or read  in a commono
exercise-room, where they may, when their task
is over, spend some moments every day in readding or praying, without hindrance or annoyance
of any sort.




82
The above rooms must be kept scrupulously
clean and well aired. The walls are adorned with
some large religious engravings, and a crucifix or
a little oratory towards which all turn for prayer
and -to which they bow when they go in and out.
In all Community pooms silence, neatness, purity
of air, comfort and edification must be found.
null-IE    XXXVI.
lu:ntereolurse  writh  Personas Outside.
So let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorii'y your Father who is in
heaven.-St. 3fatth., v, 16.
According to the recommendation of the Apostle, Religious should ever strive to be a means of
edification to all who come in contact with them,
by their modesty, their charity, their kindness,
and the urbanity of manners which all expect
from them.
The Bishops must be the first object of their
greatest respect; next, the Priests, of whom they
will ever speak with proper reverence.  Let the
Congregation of the Holy Cross deserve to be set
down as exemplary in conduct and sentiments
towards the Sacred Hierarchy of the Church.




83
Should they ever hear of any divisions in a Diocese or in a. parish; they w.ill stand aloof, and try
to conciliate minds and hearts in all clharity to
Ecclesiastical authority.
The Religious of the HIoly  Cross should  be
polite to all men, and show contempt to none,
especially among the poor, or the ignorant, or
the sick.
Their intercourse with persons of the world
should always be justified by clarity, necessity,
or strict requirements of society.
In all their dealings with the world, they will
be just, honest, truthful —and never mean, small,
or crooked.
They shall not unnecessarily multiply  their
visits or correspondence -with anyone  outsi(le;
much less with persons of another sex.  Except
in colleges, where parents are wont to be invited
to meals, no stranger or friend shall be thus
entertained in our Religious Houses.  Religious
mixing with the world are soon drawn to the
world irnsead of drawing the world to themselves.




84
TIUIIE Y- XXVII.
()f Elpistoalry C6orrcespncafeil Cec.
I had many things to write unto thee: but I would
not by ink and pen write to thee. Burt I hope speedily to see thee, and we will speak mouth to mouth.
Peace be to thee. Our friends satlute thee. Salute the
fiiends by name.-3 Epist. St. Jion, i, 13, 14.
Happy are those who, being obliged to carry
on0 correspondence with others, know  like S&aiat
John how to do it for the edification of those theyv
address, and never waste their time uselessly.
In a House of fifty Religious or more, as well
as in one of two or thlree, the correspondence
wholly passes through the hands of the Superior
or the Director, whose privileoe, and not unfrequently duty, it is to open all letters excepting
those from  or to higher authorities in the Congregation.  No one has a right to mail a letter or
take one from  the post-office, nor should be permitted to do it.  The watching over the correspondence of a House is one of the duties of its
head. Any violation of this Rule, or attempt to
establish a secret correspondence, is visited in all
Communities with severe punishment.
If anyone lihas a reasonable motive to write or
receive a letter unopen, let him apply for leave
to the Superior, who will grant it if it is justified.
Tlis being a universal custom  in all Religious




85
Orders, to set it aside would show no Religious
disposition in stubjects, while it would be an insult
to the Superior.
Here is the rule for all —vz.: Every Religious
hands his letters?nsettled to his Superior or Director, and receives fiom  himll alone his correspondence, OPEN.
No communication or controversy can be sent
to ne-wspapers withlout a special leave from  the
Provincial, except in case of visible and urgent
neicssity,.
Letters of Direction may sometimes be allowed
by the Superior to pass unopen; but even then
only for a short time.
Slhould anyone write anythilng derogatory to
the character of a House or of a member of the
Congregation, unless justified in so cloing by his
position or duty,-viz.: fulfilling a monitor's obligations, &c., he ought to be severely punished for
the offence:  for any member whose mind is not
religious will diffuse outside by his letters the
poison of his diseased heart, than which nothing
can be more detrimental to union, charity, and
obedience.  Words fly, but writings remain: circumstances, persons even, change, and what hs
been written unguardedly is some time afterwards
brougllt out witlh a crushing weight.
Whoever would dare to stop or open a correspondence with superior officers would grievously
violate llis vow of obedience,




86
The initials S. N. D. B., "Praised be the name
of the Lord," are first written at the head of each
letter.
It, IT TE   la XVIII.
Of AVisits afind  J'o tirneys.
You are not of the world.-St. John, xv, 19.
Separated as they are by Religious vows from
the world, the Religious of the Holy Cioss de,tined to preach or to teach will have to make and
receive visits, to travel and mix more or less with
the world.  Hence the obligation on their part,
aftel the example of Jesus and His Apostles, to
be in the world without being of the world.
No one shall be permitted to visit, without rnecessity, persons of another sex, especially Religious, or to receive their visits except in common
parlors.
Let every Religious respect himself, and always
keep himself above suspicion.
All visits commanlded by usage, common sense
or charity should be made,
The Superior General should not travel alone;
and, as much as possible, the Provincials also
should be accompanied by a member of the Congregation.  Indeed it is not the spirit of the
Church that Religious should ever go out alone,




Before going on a journey, and on returning,
every Religious shall pay a visit to tile Blessed
Sacramlent and ask the blessing of his Superior
if the Superior is a Priest. He shall also ask the
blessing of the Superior when visiting him in his
room for the first time in the morning or the last
time in the evening.
A special leave is necessary to justify the absence of any Religious for the nigllt. In case the
absence should be protracted beyond three days,
the Provincial's permission is required, unless the
nature of a duty or obedience dictates it.
Travelling to a different Province is permitted
only by the Superior General. At all events no
Religious should leave his Community for any
length of time, or be received in any other I-louse
of'he Congregation, without a clue written perillission froml his Superior.
True Religious rarely ask to go and visit their
relatives in the world; they leave their regular
Houses only when sent on some errand, and return as soon as the object of their journey is
accomplished.
No one should leave his post to visit the higher
officers without being expressly permitted to do
so.
A  Religious cannot change his Province for
another without the mutual consent of the two
Provincials and the sanction of the Superior General.




88
When a Religious sets out for a journey of any
length he recites from  his Directory the prayers
of the "Itinerary."
When Superiors allow a journey, they supply
the means to perform  it decently and economically.
If a- Religious changes his residence, or is sent
on Mission, he takes with him  what is marked
by the Rule, and the Steward sees to it in person.
Whenever a member of the Congregation spends
some days in a I-louse of the Community lie shall
scrupulously follow the rules of the House until
lie leaves it.
The first visit should always be made to the
Blessed Sacrament; and thle last also.
The hospitality of a-,y friend or acquaintqnce
should never be preferred to that of the Congregation itself.
O:C the Aiallllll IRetrleat.
Come apart into a desert place.-St. lrfcik, vi, 31.
In compliance with the above sacred invitation,
the members of the Congregation in each Province shall assemble yearly at the Provincial residence, to perform together the salutary exercises
of a General Retreat.




As much as practicable, this Annual Retreat
should open on the 8th of August and close on
Assumpt4on day.
An (filcient preacher must be procured for the
occasion, and measures are taken in order to secure complete peace and freedom  from  exterior
cares to all engaged in the exercises.  Perfect
silence exists throughout, and no conversation
whatever is allowed anywhere on the premises.
One of the best readers occupies the stand at
all the meals.
In the RIefectory, practices of humility and imortification are continued to the end. All wait, in
turn, on the tables.
Every morning the chief Director of work reads
out a list of names for the various employments
of the place, and'each one endeavors scrupulously
to fulfil his task.
Thle Mass and Comlmunions are suspended, and
all prepare for a good review of the entire year.
On Assumption day the vows are renewed, Professions are made, the holy habit is given, and
obediences are distributed.




90
Of -Vacations.
Jesus therefore being wearied with His journey, sat
thus on the well.-St. John, iv, 6.
God in His justice might have exacted firom cs
a constant application,_and an unceasing labor;
but in His mercy He deigns to care for our weakness; and in the same manner as He has given
our senses a time for repose, He likewise grants us
a little rest from our fatigues. The words of the
above text justify it by the example of Jesus Himself.
The teaching members are allowed to take
yearly some vacation, for a month or two; but
they must bear in mind that vacations should be
sanctified by the same practices of piety as the
rest of the year; they should even show a greater
care, being then more exposed to danger.
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin is daily
recited by everyone without exception, unless
properly dispensed.
Three hours in the forenoon are employed in
regular and graded classes, in such a manner as
sensibly and materially to benefit every teacher
according to his needs.
Properly speaking, the afternoons constitute the
time of rest for vacations.
All the members of the same Province spend




91
the.Vacation months in the sanie place, togethlert
and ill due tinme attend there the exercises of the
Get.eral Retrcat, The privilege of returning thus,
yeaily, to tile central House, should be refused
only when it is absolutely impossible to allow it.
Obf'the CaLre ot tlh-e  Aged atiid  of
I was sick, and you visited Me. —St. Jfatth., xxv, 36.
Jesus Christ looks upon what is done to sick
persons as though it were done to Himself:
hence the tender care which faith secures to the
aged members, who have consumed their lives in
the service of the Congregation, and to those
who are tried by sickness in it.
Let the ancients be honored by all; let the
infirm be soothed with all possible tenderness in
their infirmities.
Superiors will consider it one of their first
duties, in their daily visits to the sick, to see
that they receive by day and by night every attention and relief which can be dictated by an
unfeigued charity, a synlpathizing meekness, and
a solicitude of the heart.  Medical prescriptions
nmust be scrupulously and intelligently executed.




On their part, the sick Religi-ous will accelpt
their sufferings in a spirit of faIith, and bear them
with  patience and  resignation, in  close union
With Jesus Christ sufferingo and (lying; aud in
order to fortify themselves in these dispositions,
and derive fronm their sickness a greater merit,
they will receive the  Sacrameiits as often, if
possible, as they were wont to do when in health
and in strength.
Sickness tests virtue, and shows what there is
in, a nman.  Oh! what an edification  is foind
by the sick bed of a fervent Religious!  B1ut,
alas, how  distressing is the sight of,one whose
thoughts and sentiments and views and  habits
were rather those of a worldly man than of a
Religious!  Here is a subject of meditation for
all.
As soon as anly serious danger is anticipated,
greater zeal must be exercised to prepare the
soul for the awful passage to eternity, and console it in its last monments.  The last Sacraments
are administered in timie, in the presence of tlie
Community, and the prayers for the agonizilig
are recited belfore the dying has lost his faculties
and senses.
When the agony has commenced, the members
of the House are again summoned around the
sick  bed, that all may assist the  dying with
their fervent prayers, and learn themselves how
to live in order to die well. If God restores




the sick persofi to lhealth, lhe gradually rcstinme
his pious exercises as soon as practicable.
"Of  the  Du$Tties  tow-ards,  thi e  IDeeea.sedl 2iVle-  bers ot' thi e  Cox1lreg' et$sioz9 aw1i   o t eertaii
It is therefore a holy ancd wholesome thought to play
for the deadc, that they may be loosed friom sils. —
— I  cfach., xii, 46.
As soon as the soul has departed, the Comnmunity recite  the  prayers  prescribed  in  tile
_Directory, and the Superior of the House closes
the eyes of the deceased member, adcl from this
moment until the hour of burial two Religious
iecite continually  by the corpse the Office of
the Dead.
Immediately-or as soon as coiivenient-tlie
death is announced by the tolling of the bell;
the body is washed, and clothed with the Religious habit; then'it is laid in the coffin, witlhoiut
any covering on the face unless it be too muelh
altered by death; the hands are joined on the
breast, as in the attitude of prayer, and the formula of the vows is placed in their hold.
The following day, at the appointed time, the




body is carried in procession to the Church and
thence to the cemetery, accomlplanied by all tlhe
telilgious of the HIouse.
Immlleiiately before letting it down into the
earth, the Superior covers tile'ace of the deceased and closes the coffin.
On the tomb is erected a simple wooden cross,
painted in black, and upon it are written the
name inl religion and the family name of the deceased with the dates of his birth, Profession and
death.
Under the saime heading and dates there shall
be inscribed an obituary of the deceased in a
book exclusively dedicated to  perpetuate  the
memory of the dead, and from which the same
shall be read out annually, before the Martyr^
ology, on the anniversary of the death.  Without
delay, the Superior informs the Provincial of
the death, that he may announce the same to
the Superior General, with request to solicit the
suffrages of the Congregation for the departed
soul  The suffrages range as follows:
For a Novice; one low  Mass at the place
where he dies, and a general Communion in the
Novitiate, with the Beads and the Way of the
Cross.
For a Novice having made temporary vows:
a solemln Mass where he dies, with a Communion, the Way of the Cross and the Beads from
each member of the Congregation,.




95
For a Professed: a solemn  service for the
burial, and another on the seventh day thereafter, both with one nocturn only, at the place
of his death: all the priests of the Congregation
offer one Mass, and the other Religious one
Communion, the Way of the Cross and the
Beads.
For a Local Superior: besides a Mass from
each Priest of the Congregation the two aforesaid services are celebrated, with three nocturns,
at the place of burial.
For a Provincial or a General Functionary
there is added an anniversary solemn service at
the place of burial.  For any of thle above
Superiors, all the Religious offer two Communions, and the Way of the Cross and the Beads
twice each. Furthermore, fbr a Provincial, each
House of the Province offers two slow Masses;
for a General Functionary each' House of the
Congregation offers three Masses.
The Superior General has a right to three
complete services and an anniversary in the
Mother House; to three low Masses from each
Priest; to three Communions, three times the
Way of the Cross and Beads from  each Religious, and finally to the Community Mass for six
months.
Every Religious who hears of the death of his
father or mother has a right to solicit one Mass.
At the beginning of the year each Priest says




)9
one Mass for the Superior General and his Assistants, and another for all the functionaries of
the Congregation and its living benefactors.  At
the close of a Clhapter, whether General or Provincial, a solemn Mlass is celebrated for all the
deceased benefactors of the Congregation.
There is a community of prayers and spiritual
interests between the Sisters of the IHoly Cross
and this Congregation, and therefore a mutual
reciprocity of suffrages for the dead.
The various Indulgences especially granted to
the Congregation are yearly published in  the
Or~do, as they are renewed or increased by the
Holy See.
Among the precious consolations which a Community life offers to a Religious soul, there is
perhaps none calculated to make a deeper impression than the suffrages above described.  In
the world, the adage "Out of sight out of mind"
is unfortunately too true. In Religion, the milmory of the dear dead is vividly and sweetly kept
in the hearts of the pious survivors; and in truth
the fervor of a Congregation is nowise better attested than by its undying and prayerful affection for its departed members.




97
LU L2E XElV.
Of Eleetibons.
He wbent out into a mountain to pray,.... And
when day was come, He called His disciples; and He
chose twelve of them.-St. Luke, vi, 12, 13.
The election here treated of is the choice made
by the General Chapter, of Religious to fulfil certain offices of the Congregation; the choice is always made by ballot, and the assembled voters
or electors choose two of their number to count
the votes and niake known the result.
The voting is by secret ballot, and the plurality of votes decides the election, except in case of
the Superior General, for whose election a twothird vote is required; the president takes an active part in all. elections, but in case of a tie he
is not allowed a casting vote; the decision in such
a case must be referred to the next higher authority: that is, the local Superior refers to the Provincial, the Provincial to the Superior General,
and the Superior General to the Congregation of
the Propaganda.
However, the number of votes for and against
must be made known when the Constitution requires either a plurality, as in the case of elections in general, or a two-third vote, as in the case
of dismissal of Professed members. But silence
should be observed in regard to the election of




98
the Superior General, and nothing more is done
than to make known the election when any member receives a sufficient number of votes.
No functionary canonically elected may refuse
the charge with which he is invested, nor resign
it without the consent of the Chapter: and to
obtain such consent a plurality of votes must be
had, as in the elections.
Before all other proceedings, the president must
appoint a secretary to write the minutes of the
commencement of the meeting, and two scrutators
to count the votes, the president always being a
scrutator de jure. These provisional officers cede
their'places to those who shall afterwards be
elected.
When a Superior General is to be chosen, the
election is preceded by one hour's prayer in the
Chapter room. For other elections, only a quarter
of an hour's prayer is made.  Moreover, during
the election of a Superior General no elector is
allowed to go out; nor anyone of the House, without indispensable need; but the whole Community must observe silence, fast that day,' and so arrange that, until the election takes place, as many
Masses as possible be said at the high altar, that
Communions be made, and the Way of the Cross
performed by as many as can and as often as
possible.
The electors shall take advantage of the afternoon preceding the day of the election, from two




o'clock until Spiritual Reading, to confer together
concerning those who may seem the best qualified for the General Superiorship, in order to
make, in Chapter, immediately before the election, the catalogue of those eligible to the office,
and to strike out the names of those who, in the
opinion of all, are incapable of fulfilling such a
charge, or who may have sought it.  But, after
taking such information, under the seal of secrecy,
no one is allowed to be interrogated, either before
or during the time of the election; and when asking information, all shall studiously avoid saying
or asking for whom they shall vote.
The first Assistant shall have previously designated an elector to make an exhortation upon
the election, which should have been submitted
to his approval, and should contain no personal
allusions to eligible members, but simply state the
qualities required for the Superiorship, and insist
on purity of intention in a vote of such importance, and upon the exclusion of all those who had
sought the office.
Early on the morning of the election, the first
Assistant shall sing the Mass de Spiritu Sancto,
at which all the electors, whether Priests or not,
shall Communicate, and after Mass the electors
are conducted to the Chapter-room in procession
by the Community, singing the Veni Creator, and
as soon as they enter the door is closed.
This Rule is then read, after which a secretary




100
and two scrutators are elected, and they take the
following oath:
I,.......... take God, 7whco has caused me to be
chosen Secretary, as my'witne.ss that I will faithfully fulfil all the obligations of ray charge, acTd wcll
do so with the most loyal intentions.  In the name
of the Fat7ler, and of the Son7, and of tlhe 1Holy
Ghost. Amen.
I, oooo.... {Xtake God, before ewhom nothivg is
hidden, as my witness that I will act in  good farith,
owithout fraud or trickeiy, inn my qcce of Scrittator,
and will keep as much as is necessar;y the secrecy
in regard to the voting. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The secretary and two scrutators just elected
shall then take the place of those who had been
appointed provisionally, after the retiring secretary shall have written the minutes in regard to
their elections.
Each of the electors takes the following oath:
1,......, promise to God and to the Coangregation never to reveal anything that is discussed in
this Chapter, and to consult only nmy own conscience in the examination of affairs submitted to
me for my consideration, nor will I ask or receive
advice from anyone, excelpt by way of information.
Moreover I promise to do my utmost for the success
of the affairs subleittet to the consideration of the




101
Cliapter.  In tlhe name of tle Fatler', and of thi
Son, and (f the HIoly Ghtost.
The assembly answer: Amen.
The one who is to deliver the discourse upon
the election asks the blessing of the presidentexcept in the case that the preacher be a Bishop
not a member of the  Congregation-goes into
the pulpit and delivers his discourse.
Then all the electors make their accusation in
Chapter, the president first, and then  all the
others by the lips of one who makes the accusation in the name of all; and, immediately after,
the president pronounces the following absolution:
Ego,........, Superior Generalis (Primus Assistens) Congregationis dc Sd. Cruce........, auctoritate Dei omnipotentis, mihi, licet indignissimo,
cozcessd, vos absolvo ci quibuslibet sententiis, po3nis
et impedimentis in nostrac Congregatione contra vos
latis, et, quantum sit opus, dispenso vobiscum super
quovis defectu ad hoc Capitulum pertinente, ut, si
qua sententidt, poena, vel quolibet impedimento nunc
innodati estis, ob defectum  aliquem  in electionibus
lel deliberationibus prcecedentibus, nulld ratione Capitutantibus hic congregatis id itd noceat, ut legitizi
zon censeantur ipsorum actus. +  In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
The assembly respond: Amen.
The president declares the Chapter Constitu



.102
tionally formled, and each member takes the following oathl of uaion:
I,....., promzise to God and to the Congregation never to sty or do, or to allotw to be said or
done, anytAin  7lwhich might occasZion or favor divisions between the ttoo S&cieties, unless the Holy See
judge otherwise; and 8should I prove uf.tiit/futd'to
my oath in a culpable manne)C, I consent to be deprived of all offices and vote in Chaptter.  In the
name of the JFather, and of the Son, and of the
HK oly Ghost.
The assembly:esponds: Amen.
The  president intones: Deus in  adjutorium
meuam intende, and Glorira Patri, etc.; then, kneeling, he recites the following prayer:
Behold  us, 0  God, assembled together in  Thy
name, to second the designs of Thy P.rovidence upon
the Work Thou hast deigned to confide to us, but
trembling with the fear? of hindering the accomplishment of Thy desires-for sin has filled our mninds
with  darkness, and  our hearts qwith perverseness.
Come, then, in ousr snidst; preside over this assembly; suggest to us what we should think, say and
do  permnit us not to forget in our deliberations the
respect due to authority, and  that charity which
should unite all the members of the same family;
aid, above all, grant us the grace of having nothing




103
in view but Thy greater glory, our own sanctifclation and the edification of our brethren.
The assembly respond: Amen.
Before proceeding to the elections, each elector
takes the following oath:
I,........ take God, who hears me, as my witness that I shall cast my vote for Superior General
(Assistant) in favor of him whom in my soul and
conscience I believe most worthy of the charge.  In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
_Holy Ghost.
All respond: Amen.
When any member shall have obtained one
more than the half of all the votes, or, in case
of the election of the Superior General, two-thirds
of all the votes, the President simply declares the
election made, except in the case of the election
of the Superior General or of the General Procurator, when the election is announced by the
following decree:
The vote of the Chapter, legitimately constituted,
having designated for Superior General (Procurator
General) the Rev. Father........, I,........  by
the authority of the Holy See and of the Congregation, declare the Rev. Father........... Superior
General (Procurator General) of the Congregation
of the Holy Cross, provided HTis Holiness, the Pope,




104
confirms the election.  in the nacme of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy'Ghost. Amen.
He then signs the decree and affixes the seal
of the Congregation.
The seal shall consist of a Cross to which shall
be affixed two anchors.  The exerqu.e bears the
words, (ongreg. a Sa. Cruce, and under the Cross
the words Spes unica.  The seal of individual
Houses should have, besides, the name of the locality; for instance: Capit. Prov. Gall. C(ongreg. a
Sae: Cruce.
If the president be elected, the secretary writes
and signs the decree.  If the election be prolonged, the electors should go without breakfast
and recreation.
The one elected cannot refuse the charge, and
in the case of the General Superiorship he falls
on his knees, kisses the ground, arises and awaits
in silence the confirmation of the Holy Father,
all the electors being obliged to keep inviolable
the secret until such confirmation be had.
The election of a Superior General or of a Procurator General shall not be published until after
it has been submitted to the Cardinal Prefect of
the Propaganda, and by His Eminence to the
Holy Father.




105
Of  1Fcoundatiors.
Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain
that build it.-Ps. cxxvi, 1.
No new Establishment should be undertaken
without a suitable number of proper subjects and
a security of reasonable means of existence and
and success.
For a new foundation of great importance, the
sanction of the Holy See is required.
Every new  foundation must rest on a written
contract, well digested, and signed by all contracting parties, on three copies: the first, for the
authorities of the place, the second, for the Superior or Director of the House, and the third
for the Provincial.
As much as practicable, new Establishments
should not be made too far from  some other
Houses of the Congregation, on the principle
that scattered and isolated Houses have not the
same chances of success, and still less the same
guarantees to continue in Religious dispositions.
No foundation should  be accepted for one
member alone: our blessed Lord sent His disciples two by two.
Before subjects are sent to a new foundation,
a Visitor should always go and ascertain if all is
ready that is required by the Rule.




106
An exact inventory of what is found in the
Establishment is drawn up and preserved with
care.
Whenever it is possible, the travelling expenses
of the first subjects should be paid by those who
have obtained the foundation.
B1LUJLE:XLNTIo
Of SuLperiors, ]Direetors anid Assistanrt Te'achers.
Constitution XVI states that the heads of Establishments shall receive the title of Superiors
or Directors according to the importance of said
Houses. In ordinary cases the Superior General
will name Saperior any Religious at the head of
three other Religious, provided he is a Professed
member and has given proofs of devotedness to
the Congregation; that he has shown himself previously a man of order and economy, and, above
all, a man of discipline and'regularity.
When a Religious receives the title of Superior,
he solicits from the Provincial the formation of
a Council, if there is none yet in the House, in
order to avoid any irregular and unconstitutional
act in administering the affairs of the Establishment.




107
All Superiors being by right membe'rs of the
Provincial Chapter, are bound to assist thereat; if
prevented by sickness or other cause, they should
be represented therein by the Assistant or some
other Professed from among the best qualified.
In all Houses of less than four Religious, the
title of Director is given to the head of the Establ islhment.
The Superiors and Directors shall hold with
the Provincial the same intercourse which the
latter holds with the Superior General, with the
restrictions specified in the Constitutions and the
Rules.  Inasmuch as they share more or less in
the government of the Congregation, it is their
duty to respect and love the higher Administration and see the same respected and loved everywllere in the Congregation. They forward their
quarterly statistics ai,d write to their Provincial
in a religious and business-like manner.  Any
neglect on this point proves that there is a wrong
man in the wrong place.
If they have to propose a Novice for Profession
they give the Provincial all the information required by the Rule on the admission to vows.
They must be deeply convinced that a Superior
or Director is so appointed not to be served, but
rather to serve, and minister unto others.  Thle
head of a House must see to all its wants, not
in a general way, but in detail; he must malke
himself all to all,-aiding the weak and assisting




108
those il trial and temptation; he must be the
man of God, and of all under his charge; lhe must
be  realy to forget himiself and his owln ease acld
cotbort andl libhrty, in oilder to be, at all times,
the benefactor, the generous friend and efficient
helper of all around hinm.
Superi )rs aul Directors, above all, must give
to the Community an unfeigned and constant
example of fidelity to spiritual exercises and to
the tRules; they 1m1ust maintain discipline, take
measures to secure tile salmle on the part of each
aadcl of all in the House they govern, preserve
pe-ce and  harmlony among all, attend  to the
wants of soul and body fromll the first to the last,
If the Superior is a Priest, everyone visiting
him  in the morAing or at night, in his room.
kneels for his blessing, in the samne manner as
he would to the Provincial himself.
They must procure an extraordinary Confessor
for the House every E;nber Week.
They visit at least once a week the various
departmntls of the Hlouse, antd every room in it,
to ascertain if everything is in order; from  tiLme
to timle they likewise carefully examine everything ia the church or chapel, in the vestry, the
library, the archives, etc.
Witlh regard to the temporal adlmi.istration,
all Superiors;scrupulously follow in this important portion  of the government the rule and
method adopted by the Provincial Chapter, es



pfceiadly in what concerns the stewardship, the
keeping of the books, &c.
Sulperiors of educational Establishments must
apply themse'lves to the fOrlming of good teachers,
alwvays preferring Religious to seculars, and Priests
to laymen.  They Imlust continually watch them,
and encourage or praise, reprove or stir them up
as they may deserve or require.
No blame, however, or censure, should ever be
administered to them  before the children; for
their teaching, their authority and their influence
should be upheld and carefully preserved to the
last.  As long as they do their duty well, they
must be assured of the satisfaction they give, of'the high es stcem  in which the Superior holds
thCen, of the confideace reposed in them, and of
tile kind fceliggs entertained  for them.  Hence
the mutual affection and reliance which give effieacy to teaching and a peculiar charm to living
ill such Houses.
Several tilmls a week all the teachers should
be assembled to receive somle explanations of
tlheir duties, some advice on their manner of acting in the class-room, alld such new  directions
as tinme and circunmstances may require.
On Saturday they present their notes for the
week ending, and the president makes his general remarks on the presealt state of the school,
with the view to check or'stop what might
prove dangerous and to encourage whatever is




110
best calculated to promote the good of the institution.
Superiors must have a fatherly care of the sick
in their Houses.
In boarding Houses the Superiors themselves
preside at the spiritual reading of the pupils, in
order to give them all the advice they may need
on religious behavior, on discipline, on studies,
cleanliness, politeness, health, letter-writing, economy, their duty to God, to their parents, to their
professors, &c., &c., &c. They also preside at the
public reading of the notes on Saturdays. They
see that a Retreat of a few days be given to the
pupils, yearly.  They pay serious attention to
the preparation of all classes for an earnest examination.
The Superior, if a Priest, celebrates Mass every
morning in the presence of the Community and
the pupils, and presides at all the religious exercises. - He alone corresponds with the boarders'
parents or guardians.  He reads attentively all
notes and bulletins before they are sent out, as
some of them may require modification or annotation by himself.
Superiors must be perfectly posted on every
point of the regulations, on the plan of studies,
on all programmes for examinations, public exercises, &c.  Nothing should be done in their
Houses without their knowledge and sanction,
It is scarcely necessalry to add:that however




zealous and devoted a Superior may: be, he will
still never accomplish anything unless thoroughly
assisted by efficient, obedient and able Religious.
IU]dL  X:iE 2XdLVII.
Of the Mliissioners.
Quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium pacem, evangelizantium bona!
Of all the offices to which a Priest of the Holy
Cross can lbe appointed, that of a Missioner, who
is directly charged to preach the Gospel to people
extraordinarily assembled to listen to the word of
God, and devote unusual attention to the great
affair of their salvation, stands first in importance
and gravity, and alike requires more than any
other the virtues and abilities which, when blended
together in a conspicuous degree, make a Religious
a model of obedience and humility, of zeal and
piety, of devotedness and fervor. To be a real
Missioner, one should be a Saint; a man of prayer
and regularity; a priest of God, and not a man of
this world; a man dead to self and profoundly
alive to the responsibilities of his sublime minis
-try.
From the first moment he arrives at the place of




112
his destination, until he leaves it, lie must be, and
appear to be, as one sent by God, whose countenance and every act and word should edify, and be
remembered for years after.
If lie realizes at all the nature and the greatness
of the task entrusted to his hands, he will spare no
pains to carry it out, and yet will deem all his
efforts as mere sounding brass unless God Himself
blesses theml with the abundance of His graces.
Let no Superior entertain thl thought of making
an efficient Missioner out of a Priest not deeply
imbued with the spirit of faith and humility, or of
one who is self-conceited and not exemplary in
obeying orders and following a direction lawfully
given.  God will not bless the proud or worldlyminded preacher; and if a Mission is not bless( d
from heaven it will be worse than nothing. Hence
the propriety of commending every new Mission
to the prayers and Communions of fervent Communities.
No Missioner should ever take upon himself to
accept or promise a Mission; it is the exclusive and
undelegated privilege- of the Provincial or Vicar.
Except on short Missions of a week, or triduos
preparatory to a First Communion or a Confirmation, no Missioner is sent alone; there nnmust e at
least two, after the example of the disciples sent out
by Jesus Christ Himself. There is always one appointed Superior of the little band, and upon him
alone devolves the duty to organize the order of




the exercises, after a clear explanation with the
Parish Priest or Pastor, whose unreserved adherence to the entire programme must be had.
Before a Missioner starts for a new Mission, he
solicits his Provincial's special blessing upon himself and the exercises he is about to open, and with
him  he makes sure of the prayers of the Community for his success. Then he visits the Blessed
Sacramlent for the same purpose. As soon as he
can find it convenient on his way he devoutly recites the prayers of the Itinerary, and from that
moment until he reaclies his destination he tries to
keep his mind fixed on the great task before him.
His recollected and composed manner already
begins to preach and to edify. Has he not cause
f)ln serious reflections?
When arrived at the place of the Mission he
salutes the Pastor, and, begging his or the Bishop's
blessing, before going to his room he asks to be
conducted to the church, where, for a few moments,
he earnestly commends to our Blessed Lord the
Mission, which, in ITis merciful designs, is to work
such a change in many a soul.
He then avails himself of the first opportunity to
have an interview with the Pastor, to assure him,
first of all, of his unfeigned desire to serve hini to
the best of his ability, and then to obtain from him
all the information he may deem proper to communicate on the religious state of his people, on
their best and their worst features, that he may




114
know at once where he stands and on what to bear,
etc.
The programme of the exercises once agreed
upon, they both, the Missioner and the Pastor, return before the Blessed Sacrament, place the written page on the altar and pray awhile for the
Divine blessing.  From this moment the Pastor
must be convinced, and remain convinced, that a
man of God has come to help him. Then they go
to visit the Religious Communities, if there are
any in the place, to beg of them special prayers for
the success of the Mission.
As long as the Mission continues, the Missioner
shows himself a model of regularity, both for his
own religious exercises and for the public services
of the programme.
The exercises once closed, the Missioners. leave
the place and follow the direction given them.
On all occasions they try to travel with economy,
make no purchases unnecessarily without due
leave, and forward to the Provincial a report
of the Mission together with the amount they
have received for their labors. Let them bear in
mind the obligations of their vows, lest after
preaching to others they may themselves be lost.
There can be no doubt that great dangers encompass such labors; but if the vows are strictly kept,
they will keep all safe, and God's grace will follow.
Whoever has been appointed Superior of the
Missioners, or even of a Mission, must see that




115
his apsistants are supplied with  healtlhy rooms
and food, etc., as also that they lead with him a
religious life; allowing none to work beyond his
strength, but distributing the labors of the Mission with discriminative intelligence, and in fact,
trying to preserve both the health and fervor of
Ihis little band.
Missions are fields which should yield, under
a wise management, rich harvests of postulants,
pupils, subscribers to the Av:E MARIA, and friends
to the Congregation.
Once more let it be understood that our Missioners are not allowed to undertake anything of inmportance on Missions without the Pastor's consent,
and still less to meddle, in any way, with ecclesiastical appointments or changes.  They must be
extremely cautious, and prudent, and reserved, in
relating anything of what they may have noticed
or heard, even to their Superiors or to the Ordinary,
from the fact that a Missioner is, first of all, a Confessor in the eyes of the people, ancd that, therefore, any suggestion from  him  to ecclesiastical
authority, bears, prinma facie, the appearance of a
revelation of Confession.
Wherever a zealous, able and prudent Missioner
shall have given a Mission, Pastor and people will
always bless the day he came among them; both
shall have been equally edified, benefited, made
better, and will hold his memory in grateful love.
Unless for peculiar or local reasons some modifi



116
citions be deemed necessary, the following is the
plan whlich our -Missioners adopt, viz.:
At 6 A. M.-Mcliitation, or a plain explanation
of Christian duties.
6.30 A. r.-F-ilrst Mass; second at 8 30.
9 A. mr.-Sermon, for one hour.
7 P. Ai.-Sernioin, for one hour.
After this, Benediction of the Blessed Sacramnent.
Between tile Sermons,-Confessions, etc.
WhVierever Religious Confiraternities exist, they
are assembled in turn at a convenient hour, say 2
o'clock P. x:., anti addressed as such.
No Sermon lasts over an hour.
At 9 and 7 the Sermons are always preceded by
somc pious singing.
The Plenary Indulgence to be gained is announced at thie opening of the exercises.
The natural order of Se~rmons is: The importance of salvation; tile great subjects of dtcath,
judgment, lhell, eternity; the Passion. and death of
our Saviour; then the Church, Confession, Communion, Holy iMass, Priesthood, devotedness to our
Holy Faith; dulties of Catholic parents to secure
a Catholic education to their children; dangers to
be avoided, means of preservation; devotion to the
Blessedl Virgin Mary; prayer; frequent reception of
the Sacraments; pious associations; good readings;
liberality towards the support of the Church and
Pastor.




117 
A  worthy Missioner thinks more of the salvation of souls tllan of tile sallary which mercenaries
seek for their services.  If the Mission proves a
success, a deep glratitudel will  attest it exteriorly.  It' the people give little, perhaps they give evea
more than they were obliged; in a Mission which
everyone knows to be a failure, what remuneration
can be expected?
At the close of a successful Mission, the Missioner announces that whatever lie will receive will go,
after his own travelling expeilses are paid, towards
tlihe object his Provincial shall have named yearly.
Then, witli the, Pastor's sanetion, a public lecture
may be delivered by the Missioner, its proceeds
to be divided equally between the Pastor and the
lecturer.
During the MAission, the Missioner lives as much
as possible retired in his roon, and carefully avoids
all manner of levity, even at table.  He should not
stay long in recreation after meals.
The Pastor should remaini  elified, raised in his
peo)ple's esteem, and a friend to the Congregation.




118
Of Manual LEabeor in general, aind
of:some Pbartileular mlmploynients;in thlis  Departmn ent.
In a Relig(ious Congregation there is no mean
employment; whatever is done in a spirit of faith,
in the service of God, is noble, on account of
the object in view.  It is not the office that ennobles a man, but personal merit that ennobles
the office.
The Brothers named Directors of employments
shall have all the implements necessary to their
work, with a proper inventory of the same.
Every year the various inventories are closely
examined by the Superior or the Steward, in
presence of both the one who leaves the employment and the other who enters upon it.  This
usually takes place at the General Retreat. Each
succeeding year should show a due increase of
order and economyv.
The Directors of employments are alone responsible to the Administration for the trust, whatever its importance may be. But, in justice, the
Administration must secure to themt a reasonable
number of hands, willing to work and to follow
the direction of the head man.
One of the first duties of these Directors is to
form  the men given them to the employment
they are to. fulfil: they must be patient with




119
them; but they must carefully watch them, until
they know thoroughly how to discharge their
obedience. Above all, the aids must find in their
Directors the example of a Religious life.
On Sunday there shall be a meeting of all the
Directors of employments, presided over by the
Steward or the Superior himself.  In this meeting every Director reports, and shows what has
been done during the week in his own department; he states the dispositions of his employes,
the difficulties met with, the advantages that
could be obtained, and what remains to be done
the following week. Such regular meetings, if
properly conducted, must necessarily secure Valuable amendments and facilitate the task of all
the Religious concerned. If the president is satisfied that any measure carried by the majority
would prove detrimental, he suspendsit until the
Superior has decided the question.
OF THE INFIIMABAIAN. —The Infirmarians sblould
be noted for their mildness, patience, firmness,
foresight, vigilance, and compassion for the sufferings of others-beholding Jesus in the persons
of the sick, in order to be more attentive to their
needs and to render them, cheerfully the.services
most repugnant to nature.
They shall acquit themselves of their employment with that solicitude which is expected of
them, not only by the Congregation, to which
they have devoted their life, but also by the




120
students, and the parents who have confided their
children to the institution, and who depend upon
the Infirmarians that proper care be given them
in case of sickness.
They shall constantly keep the apartments of
the infirmary scrupulously clean, neat and tidy,
placing pious pictures on the walls, and putting
flowers in the rooms according as the season and
the physician may permit; remove everything
from the sick that may exhale a bad odor; take
care that the beds be made at least once a day,
and that the sheets, &c., be frequently changed,
so as to preserve the greatest cleanliness and
neatness.  They shall never fail to accompany
the physician when he visits the sick; to inscribe
the visits on a register; to keep with them the
prescriptions written and signed by the physician,
and to write upon a special register all they buy
for and furnish to the sick.
The Infirmarians shall receive no one without
an order from the Prefect of Health, except in
unforeseen and sudden cases, and then they shall
immediately inform him of what has happened.
Thev shall never humor the whims of the sick'to the detriment of the prescriptions of the physicians, and shall do all in their power to make
the stay in the infirmary as little wearisome as
possible,-taking a great care of the sick, foreseeing and forestalling all their reasonable wishes,
taking them to walk out when convenient, and




121
recreating them with agreeable conversation and
pleasant and edifying reading.
If a student has to follow some particular regime without ceasing to attend class, the Infirmarians shall so arrange that the student be as little disturbed as possible from classes and study.
In case of kdangerous sickness the Infirmarians
shall inform the confessor and provide for the
sick all the aids of religion.
If any students remain in bed in the morning
in the college dormitory, the Infirmarian or the
Prefect of Discipline shall see that an underprefect be constantly in the dormitory.  Every
morning before breakfast and every evening before supper they shall place on the table of the
Superior or Director of the House, or his substitute, the report of all the sick, mentioning their
names and the state of each, having care to
note in the column of observations whether, in
case of one remaining in bed, it be in the infirmary or in the dormitory.
No noise is permitted in the infirmary; no visitors are admitted without special leave.  The
Doctor alone has a right to prescribe remedies.
In Colleges there is always a special Prefect to
preside. in the convalescents' rooms and at their
meals.
CooKs.-The Brother having charge of the
kitchen shall prepare a wholesome, economical,
and, at the same time, abundant nourishment for




122
all, and at the same time shall vary the dishes as
much as possible, without however using sugar,
unless with the permission of the Superior.
He shall keep good order and neatness, recollection and silence in the kitchen, not, of course,
an absolute silence, except from the Night Prayer
until after Meditation next morning, but a silence that shall preclude all unnecessary and loud
talk.
The helpers in the kitchen shall perform their
duties in strict obedience to the chief cook or
one whom he appoints.
REFECTORIANS AND CELLARISTS.-The Refectorians alone shall have the key of the refectories,
to which they shall admit no one between meal
times without the permission of the.Steward.
They shall keep their refectories neat, in good
order and well ventilated.
They shall take note of everything that is
broken, in order to keep their inventory in good
order.  They shall also note the names of the
students who break or damage anything in the
refectory, and pave the same charged to said
students.
The waiters shall be ready in the refectory a
suffi6ient time before meals to have everything
prepared for the students or community. They
shall be attentive to all the wants of those at
the table which they wait upon.
The waiters must be polite, clean, prompt,




123
active, noiseless in their movements, never restiijg, anticipating every want, presenting, to the
left, whatever is expected or asked, never taking
to) many dishes or pliates at a time, breaking
nothing, spilligy or spoiling nothing.
They shall take their meals after the others,
and shall make the Particular Examen at the
first opportunity; it' they have need of more
help, they must apply in time to the Steward
or Superior.
In places where they have charge of wine or
liquors, they shall keep them  under key, and
never give away a bottle to anyone but on a
mwritten order from  the Superior of the House.
Everything in the cellar shall be arranged to the
best advantage for the preservation of the wine,
etc., in good' condition.  Especial care shall be
taken that no wine spoil by not being bottled
in time.
CHAMaBEaRLAIS.-Those having charge of the
rooms shall first find out at what hour they can
make the rooms with the least inconvenience to
the occupants; and shall take special care that
the keys they have for opening doors do not fall
into the hands of those who should not use them;
they shall, moreover, take care to open only those
doors they have a right to open. They should
make the bed properly, not limiting their exertions
to spreading the covers over the bed smoothly.
They shall sweep -the apartment, the corridors,




124
stairways;  diust the furniture, and wipe it sotIe
time after, when the dust shall have settled, and
put the chairs, etc., in their proper place.
They shall also see that the body-linen, towels,
etc., be changed, and that the soiled linen be
taken to the wash-room.
They shall scrupulously avoid glancing at letters
or papers which may have been left open or
closed upon the table, or on the book-shelves,
or in any part of the apartments.
An Intelligent chamberlain may Contribute immensely to the comfort and happiness of those
whose rooms are intrusted to his charge.  But
it must be confessed that few men have even the
first idea of the neatness in which a private room
should be kdpt. To make up a room is not a
great job; and yet, not one out of ten can do it
properly. To sweep a room, for instance, should
be different from raising the dust and spreading
it over every piece of furniture. To empty a
vessel properly, requires a thorough cleaning
every time it is emptied. As to making a bed,
a chamberlain will likely try his best, and will
most probably succeed.
DOlMITORIANs.-The Dormitorians are responsible for the order and cleanliness of the dormitories, the preservation of beds and bed-clothes.
In the morning they shall begin by thoroughly
ventilating the dormitories and then airing the
beds by throwing the bed-clothes to the foot of




the bed: commencing at one end of the dot.r
mitory they turn down all quilts, etc., and recommence a't the same end to make the beds,
No bed should be made up until thus well
aired.  They should also take note when any
bed-clothing has not the proper nurmlier or mark,
and imlediately inforil  the Steward and have
the number or mark put on.
There is a chief Dormitoriani, who is anppointed
to direct the work of all his assistants. I-c mnust
see that each of them  know'to perfection how
to disclarge his office.  In a week or two of'
assiduous teaching, every one can learn how to
take care of a large dormitolry. The work is
done as early as possible; and when finished,'but never before, the dormitory is open to visitors.
No clothing, nor linen, nor boots or shoes, should:be left on or under the beds. The floor must
be swept perfectly clean; the room well ventillated; the spreads must tastefully cover each
bed; the upper pillow-case must be kept un-'soiled, and every care taken to give the room
a striking appearance of neatness, comfort, and
salubrity. The spreads are removed at night.
If they find any one in bed, sick, they shall
at once inform the Prefect of Health, and take
care not to open the windows so as to inconvenience the sick.
They shall collect the soiled body-linen, Sunday morning, and have it sent to the wash-room




1.26
or carry it tlhemselves, and shall take note of
anything that mlay have been lost; they shall also
chllange Lle sheets and pillow-cases the first Saturday of every month.
They shall follow, the regulations of each Establishmient in regard to the change of clothing
during the week, and to the care of the clothing
that has need of mending.
They shall pay especial attention to the venti-lation of the dormitories during the day.
On Sundays and holidays of obligation the
Steward shall have the Dormitorians assisted;
and all who at that time are free shall consider
it a matter of conscience to pay cheerful obedience to the call of the Steward, and thus enable their brothers to attend the religious Exercises of the day.  Assistance should also be extended to those having charge of the wash-room,
refectories, stables, &c.
TIE  CLOTHES - IEEPER.-The Clothes-keeper
shall have charge of all the clothing, and attend
to the mending thereof.  He shall have a register, wherein he writes the list of all the clothing
belonging to Professed, Novices, or Students; he,shall mark all the clothing. He shall superintend
the gathering up of the soiled linen, and see that
it is taken to the Wash-room.




COMMON RULES.
PAGE.
Introduction..............................  3
RULE.
I.-Of the End of the Congregation,  9
II.-Of thle Means to reach the End.. 11
III.-Of Admission to the Postulate... 14
IV.-Of the Admission to the Novitiate,
and of its Exercises......... 18
V.-Of Prayer and Meditation........ 22
VI.-Of the Divine Office and of the Little Office...................... 24
VIT.-Of Holy Mass and Communion.. 25
YIII.-Of Silence...................... 29
IX.-Of Humility.................... 32
X.-Of the Spirit of Faith............33
XI.-Of Charity..................... 35
XII.-Of Meekness.................... 37
XIII. —Of the Spirit of Union and Community.....................  38
XIV.-Of Zeal............... 41
XV.-Of Mortification............... 43
XVI.-Of Modesty.....................44
XVII.-Of Regular Discipline.46
XVIII.-Of the Studies in the Congregation 47
XIX.-Of Recreations and Conversations 49
XX. —Of Fraternal Correction....... 52
XXI.-Of the Direction................. 5




XXII.-Of Confession................... 56
XXII[.-Ot the Chapter of Accusations... 57
XXIV.-Of the Monthly Retreat.........   60
XXV.-Of the Feasts of the Congregation 61
XXVI.-Of the Vows.................... 63
XXVII.-Of the Vow of Poverty.........  64
XXVIIL.-Of the Vow of Chastity.........68
XXIX.-Of the Vow of Obdienc...69
XXX.-Of Admission to Vows-Of the
Professions and Ordinations.... 71
XXXI.-Of the Dismissal of Subjects.....  74
XXXII. —Of the Order of the Day........ 75
XXXIL. —Of the Rank in the Congregation 76
XXX[V.-Of Meals, and Food iil General.. 77
XX XV. —Of the Vestiary................     79
XXXVI.-Of Furniture.................. 81
XXXVII.-Intercourse with Persons Outside 82
XXXVIII. —Of Epistolary Correspondence.... 84
XXXIX. —Of Visits and Journeys......... 86
XL.-Of the Annual Retreat........88
XLI.-Of Vacations.................... 90
XLIL. —Of the Care of the Aged and of
the Sick....................91
XLIII.-Of the Duties towards the Deceased Members, atnd of Certain
Indulgences...............93S
XLIV.-Of Elections................97
XLV.-Of Foundations.................105
XLVI.-Of Superiors, Directors and Assistant Teachers...............106
XLVII.-Of the Missioners............. 111
XLVIII.-Of Manual Labor in General, and
of some Particular Employments
in this Department..........118




CONSTITUTIONS
OF THE
CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY-GROSS.
CONSTITUTION I.
Ends of the Congregation of the Holy-Cross.
1. The Congregation of the Holy-Cross is
composed of two societies, distinct but not
separated, that is to say of priests or clergymen and lay brothers, who are divided into
teaching and coadjutor brothers for the work
of the different houses.
2. All are constituted according to the religious state by the simple vows of poverty,
obedience and chastity under the name of
Salvatorists andJosephites of the Holy-Cross.
3. The ends of the Congregation are as
follows: 1. the perfection of individuals by
A




- II -
the practice of the evangelical counsels;
2. the sanctification of one's fellow-creatures
by the preaching of theword of God,especially
in the country and foreign missions etc.;
3. the Christian instruction and education of
youth through the medium  of schools in
which letters and sciences are taught, and of
schools of agriculture and of trades: these
latter being especially destined to poor and
abandoned children.
CONSTITUTION II.
Dependence on the Holy See.
4. The Congregation of the Holy-Cross will
always be under the entire dependence of
the holy See and the Sacred Congregation of
the Propaganda.
5. The Superior General, elected by the
General Chapter, will be confirmed by the
holy See, and, once confirmed, will not be
liable to be deposed by the General Chapter.
The holy See alone will have the right to pronounce his dismissal.




- III -
6. Conformably to the Decree of Pius VII
of the 22d August 18114, the Institute of the
Holy-Cross will always have a house at Rome
for the residence of its Procurator General
near the holy See.
7. No new establishment can be founded
without the permission of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda.
8. Every three years, after the closing of
the General Chapter, the Superior General
will lay before the sovereign Pontiff a report
on the material and disciplinary state of the
whole Institute.
9. The immoveable estates becoming the
property of the Institute can only be alienated according to the canonical rules: nevertheless, it is permitted to the Superiors of the
different houses to alienate to concurrence of
the sum of one thousand francs. But if the
interest of the Congregation require a more
considerable alienation, the General will
obtain the permission of the Bishop of the
Diocese who, as apostolical delegate, may
allow an alienation of five thousand francs:




- IY -
any greater alienation can only be authorized
but by the Holy See.
10. In the case of the suppression of the
Institute, or the canonical separation of the
two societies, all the moveable and immoveable estates will remain at the disposal of
the Holy See, which in the last mentioned
case,will judge, after cognizance of their origin, in what proportion the said estates
ought to be divided.
11. The Congregation of the Holy-Cross
professes, most particularly, to respect and
obey the apostolical Constitutions and Decrees, the orders and counsels of the S. Congregation of the Propaganda, which has taken
it under its protection.
CONSTITUTION III.
Dependence of the Congregation towards the Bishops
of the Diooeses.
12. All the houses, all the establishments,
of whatever nature they be, will depend on
their respective Bishop, except in what re




-   --
gards the Constitutions, to which there
cannot be brought any derogation.
13. In like manner, all the members of
the Institute are bound to show obedience
and respect to the diocesan Bishop in the
limits prescribed by Benedict XIV in the
apostolical Letters, emanavit Pnuper, of the
21st of January 1758, addressed to the Priests
of S. Philip of Nerif: that is to say, that the
Congregation is subject to the Ordinary,
except in whatever regards its Constitutions
and other prescriptions expressly mentioned
in the acoresaid apostolical Letters (Grand
collection of the Bulls, vol. 19, pag. 23 of the
appendix).
14. No Clergyman or Brother in the Institute can be admitted to the Novitiate without testimonial Letters from the Ordinary for
the first, and from the proper curate for the
Brothers.
15. The Clergymen of the Institute will
receive the ordinations from the Bishop of
the Diocese in which they reside.
16. All must have the sacred patrimony




- VI -
and the dimissory Letters of their Ordinary.
17 Nevertheless the Holy apostolical See
is humbly entreated to grant to the Congregation of the Holy Cross the Indult conceded
by BenedictXIV,and by LeoXII in their apostolical Letters: Inter religiosas familias, addressed to the Liguorians, dated 24th March
1826: that is to say, to be able to ordain the
Clergymen under the plea of the common
board empowering the Superior General to
deliver them, himself, dimissory Letters
conformably to the Brief already quoted of
Leo XII.  If those who should be thus ordained, happened to retire from the Congregation, they should regulate canonically
their situation (1).
18. The Priests of the Institute must have
the approbation of the Ordinary to be able
to preach and hear the confessions of secular
(1) Qume petitur venia, intelligitur facta ad decennium
pro iis tanltum casibus in quibus qui est ordiuandus eo careat patrimonio quod de regula habere debet super quo
superioris conscientia oneratur. (Extr. ex decreto,) approbat.




- VII.l
persons. Respecting the members of the Institute, the Holy apostolical See is humbly intreated to grant to the Congregation of the Holy
Cross the privilege conceded to the missionary Priests by the apostolical Brief of Clement X, Apostolici muneris, dated July 10th
1671, and, by another Brief of Clement XI,
Pastoralis Officii, of the 9th of January 1710,
viz: that the Priests of the Institute, once
approved for the confessions by the Ordinary
of the Diocese in which they reside, may
freely and with the permission only of the
Superior General hear the confessions of the
Religious of the Congregation in all the
Houses of the Order.
19. The Ordinary has the right to visit the
Houses personally, simultaneously with the
Superior General or his delegate. Neither
the Bishop nor the Superior General are empowered to annul the resolutions of each
other; but in case of difference of opinion,
they will arrange amicably the affair, and, if
necessary, will have recourse to the Sacred
Congregation of the Propaganda.
20. The General will, in no wise, be sub



- VIII -
ject to the Bishops in the government of the
Institute; but he shall deport himself towards
them with all possible regards, conceding to
them all he can, and maintaining with them
a perfect understanding.
21. If the Bishop insists for the removal
out of his Diocese of any Religious whatsoever, the General will take care to place
elsewhere that Religious, and to substitute
in his stead another subject agreable to the
Bishop.
CONSTITUTION IV.
Means of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
22. To attain its end, the Congregation
of the Holy Cross forms its Members; lo to
the religious life by the exercises of a Novitiate of a year at least and of two years at
most; 2o to the apostleship by the predication of the word of God and the administration of the sacraments; to the teaching of
Grammar, Letters, Sciences and various professions in the Seminaries, Colleges, Schools,
Orphan's asylums and other charitable establishments.




- IX -
23. The exercises of piety, whether they
be special to the Novices or common to all,
are determined by particular Rules, in order
to establish, maintain and renew  all and
every one in the spirit of their holy calling:
thus every day, Meditation, holy Mass, private Examination, spiritual Reading, visit to
the most Blessed Sacrament and the recitation
of Beads.
24. Every week coulps and Chapter, Confession, one hour of Adoration before the
Blessed Sacrament, and Communion. The
Holy Communion may also take place on
Feast days.
25. Every month, one day's Retreat, Direction and Monition.
26. Every year, solemn Retreat; a few particular Feasts, especially that of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, Patronal of the Salvatorists;
that of St. Joseph, Patronal of the Josephites,
and that of the dedication of the Church of
the Mother-House: the suffrages for the dead
are also determined,
27, With respecto to he material reotr.




x -
ces, the Congregation places its entire trust
in God whose Providence, to this day, has
taken care of all its wants and has already
enriched it with real Estates both in France
and in Foreign Countries.
CONSTITUTION V.
Admission of Candidates, their rights.
28. Nobody can be admitted to the Novitiate, without testimonial Letters, conformably to Constitution III. Nobody can be
admitted to the emission of vows, if he has
not previously had it in his power to become acquainted with this new mode of life,
and all the duties which, it bears with it,
during the time and according to the mode
determined in the Constitutions on this
matter.
29. Cannot be admitted those who are
bound by the following impediments: marriage; illegitimate birth; expulsion from another Institute; epilepsy or a contagious disease; defamation by a judicial sentence.




- x -i
30. Every Candidate admitted must bring
a determined suit of clothes, deposit or engage a sum assigned for the expenses of the
Novitiate and studies.  The pr6rata of this
sum will be returned to the owner in case he
retires.
31. The Superior can dispense with the
obligation of furnishing the above-mentioned
suni.
32. Every Religious whether in health or
in sickness has a right to a complete maintenance and to all the solicitude commanded
by christian charity.
33. No Religious, after the emission of
his vows can be dismissed save by the Superior General, with the two thirds of the
voices of his counsel, for the offences determined in the present Constitutions, in which
case is remitted to him, a suitable garment
and the money necessary to return, either to
his own family, or to the place from whence
he started to go to the house which received
him.




X1 -I
CONSTITUTION VI.
Of the Government of the Community.
34. The Congregation is governed by a
Superior General aided by three assistantSalvatorists, and three assistant Josephites,who
compose his counsel, and by a General Chapter.
35. The general dignitaries, besides the
former, are: the Procurator, the Secretary,
the Steward and the Treasurer General, all
elected for six years and reeligible.
36. The particular dignitaries are: the
Provincial, and previous to their definitive
institution, the Vicars and their Assistants:
the Stewards, Treasurers, Visitors, local Superiors, Masters of the Novices, Directors
and Prefects, all named by an obedience of
the General in his Council. The Procurator
General near the Holy See and the local Superiors, as well as all the other dignitaries,
save the General, may be chosen indifferently among the Salvatorists or the Josephites.




- XIII
37. There is in the Mother-House a Steward General understood in this sense, not
that all the goods of the Institute are common, but only the overplus of each house, of
which the registers of the general Stewardship will make a special mention, in opening
as many particular accounts.
CONSTITUTION VII.
Of the General Chapter.
38. The General Chapter is composed of
the Superior General and his Assistants, the
Procurator General near the Holy See, the
Secretary, the Steward and the Treasurer
General; the Provincials and the Deputies of
each Province for each triennium at the plurality of the suffrages, according to the number fixed by the General Chapter.
39. The number of the Salvatorists and Josephites will be the same in this Chapter.
without comprising the President.
40. The number of the members of the




-- XV -
Chapter, first carried to twenty, may be successively augmented by the Chapter three
years beforehand, according to circumstances.
41. The General Chapter has the right to
assemble, every three years, at the MotherHouse and may be convocated extraordinarily by the Superior General or him who is
appointed in his stead, in the place mentioned in the Letter of convocation.
42. The General Chapter modifies, completes or abrogates every rule or disposition,
emanated from its own authority; or from
any other authority inferior to its own.
43. It elects by ballot the Superior General, the six Assistants, the Procurator, the
Secretary, the Steward, and the Treasurer
General; also the Provincials.
44. The Superior General is elected for
life, the other dignitaries for six years. In
order to avoid that all the elections be made
the same year, the first time a part will take
place for three years only.
45. It regulates the relations between the




- xv -
different establishments; enacts on all difficulties occurring to -them, gives its advice on
the law-suits to be borne, if the time of its
meeting allows it without detriment to the
interests of the Institute.
46. It receives, discusses and approves
all the accounts sent in by the Steward
General.
47. It accepts, confirms or rejects the
foundation  of establishments  which  are
proposed.
48. It emits advice on the erection of new
provinces of the Institute, of houses of the
Novitiate, and the Superior transmits this
advice to the Holy See in asking for its
erection.
49. It can, of its own authority, depose
all the dignitaries, for one of the caves foreseen by the present Constitutions, except
the Superior General.
50. If the case regarded the Superior General, the Chapter might be called together without the consent of the said Superior, by the




- XVI -
Assistants, on the demand of the majority of
the members de jure of the Chapter, and the
purport of the meeting would be made
known in the letter of convocation.
51. In the Provincial or General Councils
or Chapters, in case of division of the votes,
the President has no casting vote, but the
decision belongs to the respective Superior,
so that, if in the Provincial Councils or Chapters, the votes are equally divided, the Provincial cannot decide; the affair is transmitted to the General, who, after previously
taking advice of his Assistants, adopts such
course as appears to him the surest and most
reasonable; that if a similar difficulty produces itself in the General Chapter, the affair is
sent over to the most Eminent Cardinal
Prefect of the Propaganda who will take
such resolution as will seem to him the most
suitable to the circumstance.




- XVII -
CONSTITUTION VIII.
Of the Superior General.
52. The Superior General must be chosen
among the professed priests, enjoying all the
civil rights, aged thirty at least, members of
the General Chapter, cr at least among the
local Superiors, professed since eight complete years.
53. He is elected for life by the General
Chapter of the Congregation and confirmed
by the Holy See.
54. He directs and administers the Congregation; he represents it, acts in its name
before all jurisdictions, and unbinds the
vows of poverty and obedience in the cases
of exclusion foreseen by the Rules. No lawsuit can be taken up or instituted without
his interference.
55. He attends to the observation of the
Constitutions and Rules, to the preservation
of good order, of discipline, and he exerts




- XVIII -
all his efforts to diffuse a religious spirit
among the members of the Congregation.
56. Therefore,all the members of the Society owe him respect, obedience and affection.
57. He signs and certifies all the acts of
the Congregation which belong to his jurisdiction; he promulgates or causes to be
promulgated the acts of the Chapter; he
appoints to all the employments unreserved
to the General Chapter; he distributes or
approves all the obediences, revokes all
those whose nomination belongs to him,
and may, in cases of necessity, suspend
and replace provisionally, by other religious
of the same rank, even those whose noimination belongs tho the General Chapter.
58. He visits or causes to be visited, when
he judges it expedient, all the establishments
of the Congregation.
59. He assembles the General Chapter; he
presides it, as well as all the provincial and
local chapters as he likes the best.
60. The deposition of the Superior General
can only be proposed to the Holy See by the




-  XIX -
General Chapter, for irreligion, heresy, immorality, incapacity or bad administration,
with the two thirds of the suffrages.
CONSTITUTION IX.
Of the Council of the Superior General.
61. The Council of the Superior General
is composed of his Assistants under his presidency.
62. When it is needed, it meets at the
will and after the convocation of the Superior General.
63. The Council examines the accounts
which are rendered every six months by the
Provincials or the Vicars respecting the temporal administration of the houses under their
jurisdiction.
CONSTITUTION X.
Of the Assistants.
64. The Assistants are elected for six years
by the General Chapter, among the members




- XX -
having at least four years of profession, and
revocable at the will of the General. They
form the  Council of the Superior General
and act in his stead when needed; in fine
they act under his absolute dependance, as
being his organs, and only quit him with his
consent.
CONSTITUTION XI.
Of the Procurator General.
65. The Procurator General is the representative of the whole Congregation near the
Holy See; therefore he generally resides at
Rome, where he may fulfil, at the same time,
the functions of Provincial. He is elected by
the General Chapter for six years. He acts
under the direction of the Superior General.
66. He may be reelected indefinitely, but
never for life. He irmust have four years of
profession.




-     XXI 
CONSTITUTION  XII.
Of the Secretary General and of the other Secretaries.
67. The Secretary General must have been
professed four years. He is intrusted, under
the authority of the Superior General:
1. with the keeping of the registers and
acts of the General Chapter; 2. with the
care of preparing and dispatching the correspondence non confidential of the Superior
General, either with strangers, or with the
different establishments of the Congregation.
He is elected for six years by the General
Chapter.
68. He commits to writing all the acts and
reports of the general administration, excepted the reports of the Sessions of the General Chapter that selects for each its Secretary of Session.
69. He is by right a member of the General Chapter, and fulfils all the other temporary offices which are delegated by the Council of the Superior General.
7()0. The other Secretaries are elected at




-- XXII -
the majority of the votes within the Chapters
or Councils where they have to discharge
their office, or else they are selected by their
Superiors for their private administrations,
but then without votes within the Councils or
Chapters.
CONSTITUTION XII1.
Of the Steward General and of the other Stewards.
71. The Steward General must have four
years of profession   He is elected by the
general Chapter for six years, and is intrusted, under the authority of the Superior General, with receiving and centralising the particular accounts of all the establishments, by
the intervention of the Provincials, in order
to present the half-yearly, annual and triennial summary as well as the general inventory, either to the Council of the Superior General, or in the Gencral Chapter during its
Sessions.
72. The particular Stewards of each house
are named by simple obedience, and they




- XXIII -
administer the temporalities under the authority of the local Superiors. They send
their accounts every quarter, to the Provincial,and through him to the Steward General,
according to the mode appointed by the
latter. They generally fulfil the office ot
Treasurers.
CONSTITUTION XIV.
Of the Treasurer General.
73. The Treasurer General must be professed four years. He is elected for six years by
the General Chapter.
74. He has the charge to collect, in the
name-: of the Congregation, all the sums
which the different establishments are bound
to pay to the Mother-House. He is charged,
moreover, with the remittance of all the funds
which are destined to them, upon sight of
the accounts and orders agreed upon by the
Steward General and signed by the Superior
General.
7Si. He keeps an exact account of the sums
received and paid.




- XXIV
CONSTITUTION XV.
Of the Provincials.
76. The Provincials elected for six years
must be professed four years at least and
experienced in the functions of administration.
77. They administer their Provinces as the
Superior General of the Congregation, in
the limits of their jurisdiction, with the assistance of a Provincial Chapter which meets
every year, and of a Council which assembles
when needed.'8. The Provincial Chapter meets every
year, at the Provincial House, provided the
Superior General does not order otherwise
with regard to time and place.
79. It is composed: of the Provincial,
president, and the Superior of each House of
the Province or their delegate.
80. Before their separation, the Chapter
will emit a vote on the question of knowing




-- XX -
whether the Rules and Constitutions are
observed in the Province? and in the negative case, the following question will be proposed to the Chapter: Is there any reason
to beg humbly the Superior General to cause
the Province to be visited?
81. Allthe acts of the Chapter shall be
briefly transmitted to the Superior General
in the ensuing fornight.
82. The Provincial Chapter receives the
accounts and approves the budgets of the
Establishments of the Province of which, it
examines all affairs, in order to form its
judgement; but it is necessary that its decisions should be approved by the Superior'General to bring out their effect.
83. The Council of the Provincial is cormposed of his Assistant, of the Steward and of
two members appointed by the Superior General, among the Professed of the Province,
in observing the equality between the two
classes conformably to the composition of
the General Chapter.
84. The Provincial consults his Council
B




- XXVI -
concerning the advice to be transmitted to
the Superior General with regard to the foundation of new Houses or the suppression of
Houses already founded as well as touching
the punishments to be inflicted in matters of
important discipline.
83. If the Provincial cannot visit himself
every year, each establishment of his Province, he must send a special visitor to have
an account given him, and in all the difficulties he will meet with, he will hasten to
refer to the Superior General in whose dependance he must always administer, as
being his representative.
86. The present Constitution will only be
brought into activity when the General Chapter will have judged it opportune to demand
its execution to the Holy See.
8'7. Provisionally the Provincials will be
replaced by simple Vicars appointed by the
Superior General and revocable by him ad
nutzun, to whose charge he will commit a
determined number or Houses or Etablishments, with attributions equally determined by him,




- XXVII --
CONSTITUTION XVI.
Of the Superiors and Directors of particular Establishments
88 The Superiors and Directors of particular Establishments are appointed or approved by the Superior General and receive the
one or the other of those two tittles according to the importance of their Houses.
89. They are taken indifferently among
the Salvatorists and the Josephites.
90. The Heads of important Establishnents are aided, generally, by an Assistant,
a Steward and special Prefect whose obediences are approved by the Superior General, on the presenting of the Provincial.
91. The Superiors or Directors have a
Council or Chapter, similar to those of the
Provincials and Superior General.
92. They are under the immediate jurisdiction of the Provincial who visits them or




- XXVIll -
cause them to be visited, receives their quaterly accounts, solves the difficulties of his
Province and renders an account of all to the
administrators of the Mother-House.
93. The Stewards or those who act in
their stead keep regular accounts which
shows their receipts and expenses according
to a determined mode; they make, every
six months, a general account that the Provincial approves and sends to the Steward
General.
CONSTITUTION XVII.
Of the Vows.
94. In the Congregation four kinds of
vows are to be distinguished, viz: the vows
of Poverty, of Chastity, of Obedience and the
vow of Foreign missions.
95. Those who are admitted to the profession are obliged to make the perpetual vows
of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience; those
who have not the requisite age, must bind
themselves by annual vows before their Su



- XXIX -
perior, till they attain the age to emit them
definitively.
96. No one is obliged to make the vow of
the Foreign missions, those who feel themselves called by God to go in whichever
place of the world that the Superior General
will please to send them, might make it.
97. No one can have his vows unbound
save by the Holy See, and by the Superior
General who unbinds the vows of Obedience
and Poverty.
98. The obligation of the vows of Obedience and Poverty ceases by the sole fact
of dismissal regularly pronounced.
99. The extent of-the three vows of Poverty,
Chastity and Obedience is determined in the
following Constitutions.
CONSTITUTION XVIII.
Of the vow of Poverty.
4.00. As in the present time, in France,
the civil law allows the Religious the right of
posfjig, aclquir ng nd d3snosing of t heiro




- xxX --
property, either by donation or by will, the
Holy See is humbly entreated to allow in the
Congregation that the vow of Poverty may
not deprive either of the naked property,
or of the right above mentioned, but only of
the use.
101. Consequently in virtue of their vow,
the professed are obliged in conscience and
before God to make use of their property only
in the absolute dependance of their Superiors, though they preserve the right of keeping that which they had previous to their
profession, and of accepting that which might
afterwards be granted them in any way whatever.
102. They are not allowed, either, to refuse the legacies which mightbe made them
personally, or the inheritances which might
fall to their share, because those are rights
to which they cannot renounce without making an act of property. They are not, however, obliged to accept those legacies or inheritances for the Congregation, for the vow
they have made cannot force them to it. But
they must follow the advice of their SuDe



-- XXXI -
riors for the use it is expedient to make of
that property, as well as of its revenue.
103. They may, previous to making their
vows, leave all their property to their relations, even if these did not need it, but they
could not do it after their vow of Poverty,
without the permission of their Superiors.
104. However the Superiors will judge, in
their prudence, whether they shall refuse that
permission, owing to the situation of the families, or the danger of rendering themselves odious and provoking scandals.
105. The Congregation and even each
particular house may possess, receive and
give; but all the property must be administered by the Chapters, Superiors, Directors,
with wisdom and economy, according to determined Rules, without the administrators
appropriating to themselves personally, any
portion whatever.
106. The Superiors are obliged to take
care that nothing be introduced into the furniture of the houses and the objects for the




- XXXII --
use of each inmate which is not conform to
religious simplicity.
107. No one has the right to make use of
an object as the owner of it, nor even keep it
for his own use without permission. The
vow obliges, moreover, to keep oneself in
the habitual disposition of renouncing to the
possession and use of all the things which
have been permitted, from the first moment
that the Superiors order it.
CONSTITUTION XIX.
Of the vow of Chastity.
108. The vow of Chastity obliges those
who make it, to renounce not only to marriage, but to all the pleasures of the flesh,
forbidden by the sixth precept, and to abstain
from all that is contrary to the purity of the
mind and body, under pain of committing a
double sin, in breaking, at the same time,
the law of God and their vow,




- XXXIII 
CONSTITUTION XX.
Of the vow of Obedience.
109. The fcundation of every Religious
Congregation, as of all holyness, is in obedience, because in the practice of this virtue
consists that perfect abn egation that Our Lord
has so much recommended, saying:" If
any one wishes to be my disciple, let him
deny himself. "
110. By the vow of Obedience one his obliged to obey to the legitimate Superiors in
all that is not contrary to the letter or spirit
of the Constitutions, Rules, Decrees and Regulations of the Congregation, approved by
the Chapter General.
111. Although every Superior may aswell
as the Superior General, give orders in virtue of holy Obedience, it is to be done but
seldom, and for weighty and urgentreasons.
112. In virtue of their vow of Obedience,
all are obliged to obey, lo to the Pope, who




- XXXIV -
is the first of all their Superiors, 20 to the
Ordinary in all that he has the right to command them through his Episcopal jurisdiction.
CONSTITUTION XXI.
Of the Admission to the Profession.
413. No ecclesiastical Novice will be admitted to the profession before twenty one
years of age complete, and no Josephite before twenty five and the emission of the three
vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, at
least since one year, after an examination on
the knowledge appropriate to the subject, on
his conduct and religious dispositions. This
examination must take place two months
previous to the end of the Novitiate before
the council of the house which he belongs
to.
114. If the vote is favourable, the President will inform the Provincial or Vicar who
will provoke a final decision on the part of
the Superior General. If the vote is contrary, it will belong to the Provincial or Vicar




- Xxxx -
to pronounce the dismissal or adjournment
of the Novice.
CONSTITUTION XXII.
Of the Dismissal of the Professed.
11g. Whoever will be regularly dismissed
from the Congregation, will be, thereby, released from the vows of Obedience and Poverty, and he will be informed of it before
his leaving, in mentioning it even in the act
of his dismissal.
116. Now the causes of dismissal for the professed are: lo the five primary impediments
which have been spoken of in ConstitutionV,
if they have been concealed first and happen
to be discovered after the profession; 20 the
obduracy in some vice of a contumacious
member who keeps no account of the penances imposed by the Superior, although
the prayers of the Congregation and all the
other means that prudence and charity may
suggest, have been employed for his conversion.




XXXVI -
117. But no one can be dismissed, before
having taken respecting him, an information
directed according to the instructions of the
Superior General or the Provincial, and his
dismissal can be executed but after the sentence rendered by the Superior General having the assent of the two thirds of his
councillors.
CONSTITUTION XXIII.
Of the ranks and precedency of each member.
118. The ecclesiastics will be placed
always and everywhere, in the assemblies of
the Congregation, according to the order of
hierarchy and dignity, before the Josephites,
each in the following order: lo the Superior
General; 20 his Assistants, according  to
their elective rank; 3e the Procurator General; 4o the Secretary General; 5o the Steward
General; 60 the Treasurer General; the Provincials; the members of the General Chapter; the Assistants of the Provincials; the
local Superiors and their assistants; the
Masters of the Novices; the Directors of the




- XXXVII -
Candidates; the Stewards of each house; all,
each according to the order of foundation of
their houses, and seniority of election.
119. Then will come the other members,
each according to his rank of dignity or
profession, of taking of the habit or entrance
in the Congregation.
CONSTITUTION XXIV
Of the case of dissolution.
120. The Congregation being formed of
two societies between  which  the  Devil
might attempt to sow the seeds of discord,
the members of the General Chapter, Provincials, Superiors, Masters of Novices and
Directors of Candidates, will be made to
)romiss, not only to say nothing and (o1
nothing contrary to that union, but moreover to prevent, as much as possible, others
saying or doing any thing of the like, and
that under pain of being deprived of all
office and dignity.
121. It is for the same purpose that it has




- XXXVIII -
been enacted from the beginning, that all
the property, although deriving, for the
greater part, from the Salvatorists, should be
laid in common; that one would avoid in
the annual and general accounts to make
known the income of each Society; that in
the accounts of the Establishments, one
would shown annually the general state of
the receipts and expenses without pointitig
out what regards either the Salvatorists or
the Josephites; in fine that should the Congregation be dissolved, all the property and
produce should be handed over to the free
disposal of the Holy See.
1922. Besides, all the difficulties which
may arise, whether they regard the temporal, or whether they relate to the spiritual
things, will be irrevocably judged by the
Holy See, all the members of the Congregation leaving it to its sovereign decision,whatever it may be.




- SXXIX -
CONSTITUTION XXV.
Of the teaching in the Society.
123. The teaching given by the society is
of three kinds: lo The teaching of Philosophy, Theology and the other Ecclesiastical
sciences in the Seminaries; 20 the secondary teaching in the Colleges or Institutions, i.e. the Belles-Lettres,Sciences and the
Arts which constitute an accomplished education; 3o In the schools the primary teaching which comprises Grammar, Mathematics, Sacred History, Profane History, Geography, the Natural Scicnces,etc., especially
the Christian Doctrine.
124. The general direction of the teaching is intrusted to a Prefect of the studies
who frames his dispositions together with
the General whose orders he takes to transmit them to the head of each establishment.
125. The teaching whether theological or




- XL --
philosophical, will be especially intrusted
to men known for the orthodoxy of their
principles and their attachment to the Holy
See.
126. There are, in each educational e.tablishment, of whatever nature it may be,
quarterly examinations on the subjects
taught.
127. A special Prefect is appointed to the
direction of the studies in the houses of an
importance greatt enough to bear that organisation.
128. The greatest care will be taken that
the teaching of the Belles-Lettres be predominated by the spirit of Catholicism, and
the most suitable manner to develop that
spirit, will be selected with caution and
discretion.
129. In the Orphans' Asylums and in the
houses of Agriculture and of Trades, the
Christian Doctrine will form the essential
part of the teaching; the other sciences will
remain elementary enough not to inspire
young men with thought of deserting their




- XLI -
social situation: in the case that dispositions
should be remarked; it would be judged
advisable, as much as possible, to take advantage of them by peculiar means.
END.








-- XLIII -
INDEX.
CONST. I. Ends of the Congregation of the Holy- Cross.                             I
-   1I. Dependence on the Holy See.             I
-   III. Dependence of the Congregation towards the Bishops of the Dioceses.   IV
-   IV. Means of the Congregation of the Ho.
ly-Cross.                          V1II
V. Admission of the Candidates. Their
Rights.                                x
-   VI. Of the Government of the Community.    XII
-   VII. Of the General Chapter.              xIII
-   VIII; Of ihe Superior General.            XVII
-   IX. Of the Council of the Superior General.    xix
-   X. Of the Assistants.                     XIX
-   Xl. Of the Procurator General.             xx
XII. Of the Secretary General and the
others Secretaries                 xXI
XIII. Of the S!eward General and the
others Stewards.                  XXII
XIV. Of the Treasurer General.           XXIII
-   XV. Of the Provincials.                  xxiv
- XV1. Of the Superiors and Directors of
particular Establishments.       XXvI
-   XVII. Of the Vows.                      xxviii
-   XVIII. Of the Vow of Poverty.            XXIX




-- XLIV -
CONST. XIX. Of the Vow of Chastity.              xx&II
-   XX. Of the Vow of Obedience.              XXXllI
-   XX[ Of the admission to the Profession.  xxxiv
-  XXII. O(f the dismissal of the Professed.   xxxv
- XXII. Of the ranks and precedency of
each Member.                     xxxVI
XXIV. Of the case of dissolution          XXXVII
-   XXV. Of the Teaching in the Society.      xxxIX