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Vocations
75. The Lord Jesus, who called some to be his special followers, continues even in our days to summon others by a special calling to follow him in religious life.
Aware that a vocation is a gift of the Holy Spirit, our religious will make every effort to recognize, foster and cultivate religious vocations[1]. This is quite a difficult task, to be sure, but one of the greatest importance for the good of the Church and of the Order.
76. Each province will diligently foster the promotion of vocations. The Minister Provincial with his council will insure that the candidates become ever more disposed to accept the gift of their efforts by programs of academic training and human development, drawn up according to the guidelines of the Church and to sound principles of education.
77. The Brothers should be constantly aware that the example of their lives and the joyful performance of their apostolic work are the best advertisements for the Order and the strongest enticements for any one to embrace religious life in the Trinitarian Order[2].
Consequently, through the efforts of all religious, all our houses should be communities well disposed to welcome those called to our way of life.
Formation
78. The growth and effectiveness of the Order depends primarily on the formation of the Brothers. The aims of formation are to promote a person’s maturity, whether on the natural or the spiritual level; to form a person’s psychological temperament; and to enrich the moral, intellectual, social, cultural and religious qualities of his nature. These aims should be pursued to such an extent as to render the Brothers better prepared to follow the Lord Jesus and to serve God’s people according to the spirit of the Order.
The formation process, then, aims not only to attain personal fulfillment for the members of the Order, but also to make them useful instruments for the mystery of salvation.
To attain these objectives, therefore, it is imperative to employ all principles of Christian education and of religious and Trinitarian formation along with any aid that can be provided by psychology and pedagogy.
79. These Constitutions give only the general formation norms. The General Directory, the Provincial Statutes, the program for Formation and Studies, both general and provincial, will state all other details which, however, are to be consistent with the totality of the aims and objectives of formation.
Formation is entrusted in a particular way to the superiors and their councils, who may be assisted by secretariats or special committees for formation on the different levels.
80. The essentials of formation must faithfully correspond with the requirements set forth by the universal Church and the Order. Above all, they must be accommodated to the differing circumstances of times and places where the Brothers will likely discharge their apostolic ministry.
81. Such formation, which is to be imparted gradually, admits of various stages or steps which correspond to the various levels of an individual’s personal maturity and academic proficiency. These will be determined by an evaluation of one’s aptitude. For this reason, the various formation steps are to be accomplished between a minimum and maximum duration of time.
82. The course of formation to be followed by our members embraces two periods:
1. The period of formation preceding solemn profession, which comprises:
a) the novitiate, which is preceded by a time of a pre-novitiate experience or postulancy;
b) the post-novitiate time, which last until solemn profession.
2. The period of formation following solemn profession.
83. Candidates must apply in writing for admission to the various steps of formation. The Major Superior admits them according to the norms of the General Directory.
The novitiate
84. When the time of the pre-novitiate experience has been completed, the candidate who is found to be suitable according to the laws of Church and the norms of the Order is formally admitted to the novitiate.
85. Admission to the novitiate pertains to the Major Superior with the deliberative vote of his council, after having considered the consultative vocation of the conventual chapter where the candidate completed his pre-novitiate program.
86. One is invalidly admitted to the novitiate:
1. who has not yet completed the seventeenth year of age;
2. who is a spouse, during a marriage;
3. who, at the time, is held by a sacred bond with any institute of consecrated life or who is incorporated in any society of apostolic life, with due regard for the prescription of canon 684;
4. who enters the institute as a result of force or grave fear or fraud, or whom the Superior receives influenced in the sane way;
5. who has concealed his incorporation in any institute of consecrated life or society of apostolic life[3]
87. “The novitiate, by which life in the institute begins, is ordered to his: that the novices better recognize their divine vocation, and the one which is, moreover, proper to the institute; that they be formed in mind and heart by its spirit; and that their intention and suitability be tested”[4].
Other novitiate objectives are to expose the novice to the exigencies of religious life as lived in the Trinitarian Order, and, in pursuance of a more perfect love of God, to allow the novice to live concretely a God-oriented life and to practice the evangelical counsels which the Lord gives in the Gospel.
Therefore, the novice must be instructed in and gradually familiarized with the spirit and works of the Order, so that he learns every day by experience how to live and harmoniously integrate that spiritual, communitarian and apostolic life that he will subsequently live[5].
88. The director of novices is designated according to the norms of the provincial statutes. He should be a solemn professed religious who is know for his charity, prudence and religious observance. He must be a priest[6].
Through the work and care of their director, let the novices be instructed about the spiritual life and be given the opportunity to live it accordingly. Let their spiritual life be nourished by spiritual reading, by their active participation in the liturgy and by personal prayer. Also, let them suitably practice mortification.
Moreover, let the director zealously ensure that the novices apply themselves assiduously to the study of the Rule and Constitutions and are instructed about the lives of the Holy Founder, the history of the Order and its spirituality.
89. To supplement the novices’ program of formation and to test in some practical way their aptitude to live the Trinitarian way of life, the statutes of each province can establish periods of time for suitable experiences, according to the mind and the norms of the Church[7].
90. The novitiate is identically the same for all candidates and, in order to be valid, must be completed in houses formally designated by the Minister General with the consent of his council, on the proposal of the provincial council; it must also last twelve months, not counting the periods of time for formative apostolate spent outside the novitiate house.
The novitiate is not to extended beyond two years[8].
91. With due regard for the prescriptions of universal law, absence from the novitiate house during the canonical year which lasts more than three months, either continuous or interrupted, renders the novitiate invalid. An absence of more than days must be compensated[9].
92. A novice can freely leave the Order; the competent authority, according to the norms of the General Directory, can dismiss a novice[10].
Temporary profession
93. Upon completion of the novitiate, the candidate is bonded to the Order by his temporary profession, by which he publicly vows to live the evangelical counsels for one year. At the end of this year, he will annually renew his vows for a period of three years. The provincial statutes can establish a longer period for temporary profession, but not to exceed another three year period. For a just cause, however, the Minister Provincial with the consent of his council can either prolong the established time for temporary profession, not to exceed nine years, or abbreviate it, but not less than three years[11].
94. For the validity of temporary profession, it is required:
a) that at least the eighteenth year of age has been completed;
b) that the novitiate has been validly completed;
c) that admission is given by the Major Superior with the deliberative vote of the conventual chapter of the novitiate house;
d) that the profession be expressed and free;
e) that the profession be received by the Major Superior, personally or through his delegate[12].
95. This period of time constitutes the preparation for solemn profession. During this time, Trinitarian religious formation, already begum, continues doctrinally and in practice.
Solemn profession
96. When the time of temporary profession has been completed, the religious who freely requests in writing to be admitted to solemn profession and is found suitable for it is admitted to solemn profession by the Minister Provincial after receiving the consultative vote of the conventual chapter of the houses in which the candidate lived for at least six consecutive months and after receiving the deliberative vote of his own council; otherwise, let the religious return to the world, unless provision is made for a further extension, according to the norm of law.
By solemn profession, the religious is definitively incorporated into the Order.
97. In addition to what is stated in n. 94 c), d), and e), the following are required for the validity of solemn profession: a) the completion of the twenty-first years of age; b) previous temporary profession for at least three years, making allowance, however, for the Minister Provincial’s prerogative to shorten this time by no more than three months, for some just reason[13].
98. Let the appropriate formation of the Brothers continue after their solemn profession, so that they may further their personal qualifications and complete their specialization, as they root themselves into the life of the community and insert themselves into an apostolate of the Order.
99. Those who are called to the priesthood must have as their goal to become true shepherds of souls after the example of Christ, the teacher, the priest and the shepherd. To this effect, they will complete the program of ecclesiastical studies that conforms with the norms of the Church and the character of the Order[14].
100. According to one’s ability, let the non-cleric Brothers be trained not only for acquiring technical skills and academic proficiencies, but also to became adept in the theological, liturgical and pastoral sciences, so as to enhance their ability to collaborate in the ministerial apostolate and to promote the good of the Church and the Order[15].
If circumstances warrant and the provincial council consents, it is permissible for our non-cleric Brothers to be ordained to the permanent diaconate and to exercise the ministry connected with this order, provided that they complete the appropriate training program and the norms of the Church are observed.
After listening to his council, the Major Superiors can allow a non-cleric Brother to transfer to the clerical state, if he is sure that the Brother possesses the required qualifications.
The formation community
101. The candidates’ human, religious, spiritual and apostolic formation demands that there be a formation community which, united in spirit and action, zealously applies itself to the proper formation of the candidates.
Continuing formation
102. The formation of the Brothers does not end with their making solemn profession or with ordination or with the completion of the program of studies determined by the Church or the Order; it must continue throughout their entire life[16].
And so, let the Brothers strive to continually update their doctrinal, spiritual technical education, especially considering the progress that has taken place in the field of psychology, philosophy, theology, pastoral ministry and sociology. This will enable them to continually renew and enrich their Trinitarian religious life.
103. To this end, let special courses and workshops be help, which the Brothers should make an effort to attend.
Let the Ministers and the communities be disposed to give their religious the necessary means and the time to accomplish the self-perfecting that is required to keep up with the progress of the times and the expected discharge of one’s responsibilities.
104. The Brothers will give special attention to the renewal of their religious life through their witness of poverty, their service to the disadvantaged and the oppressed, and by their obedience and chastity, all of which together transform the community into a sign of brother-hood and unity
75. The Lord Jesus, who called some to be his special followers, continues even in our days to summon others by a special calling to follow him in religious life.
Aware that a vocation is a gift of the Holy Spirit, our religious will make every effort to recognize, foster and cultivate religious vocations[1]. This is quite a difficult task, to be sure, but one of the greatest importance for the good of the Church and of the Order.
76. Each province will diligently foster the promotion of vocations. The Minister Provincial with his council will insure that the candidates become ever more disposed to accept the gift of their efforts by programs of academic training and human development, drawn up according to the guidelines of the Church and to sound principles of education.
77. The Brothers should be constantly aware that the example of their lives and the joyful performance of their apostolic work are the best advertisements for the Order and the strongest enticements for any one to embrace religious life in the Trinitarian Order[2].
Consequently, through the efforts of all religious, all our houses should be communities well disposed to welcome those called to our way of life.
Formation
78. The growth and effectiveness of the Order depends primarily on the formation of the Brothers. The aims of formation are to promote a person’s maturity, whether on the natural or the spiritual level; to form a person’s psychological temperament; and to enrich the moral, intellectual, social, cultural and religious qualities of his nature. These aims should be pursued to such an extent as to render the Brothers better prepared to follow the Lord Jesus and to serve God’s people according to the spirit of the Order.
The formation process, then, aims not only to attain personal fulfillment for the members of the Order, but also to make them useful instruments for the mystery of salvation.
To attain these objectives, therefore, it is imperative to employ all principles of Christian education and of religious and Trinitarian formation along with any aid that can be provided by psychology and pedagogy.
79. These Constitutions give only the general formation norms. The General Directory, the Provincial Statutes, the program for Formation and Studies, both general and provincial, will state all other details which, however, are to be consistent with the totality of the aims and objectives of formation.
Formation is entrusted in a particular way to the superiors and their councils, who may be assisted by secretariats or special committees for formation on the different levels.
80. The essentials of formation must faithfully correspond with the requirements set forth by the universal Church and the Order. Above all, they must be accommodated to the differing circumstances of times and places where the Brothers will likely discharge their apostolic ministry.
81. Such formation, which is to be imparted gradually, admits of various stages or steps which correspond to the various levels of an individual’s personal maturity and academic proficiency. These will be determined by an evaluation of one’s aptitude. For this reason, the various formation steps are to be accomplished between a minimum and maximum duration of time.
82. The course of formation to be followed by our members embraces two periods:
1. The period of formation preceding solemn profession, which comprises:
a) the novitiate, which is preceded by a time of a pre-novitiate experience or postulancy;
b) the post-novitiate time, which last until solemn profession.
2. The period of formation following solemn profession.
83. Candidates must apply in writing for admission to the various steps of formation. The Major Superior admits them according to the norms of the General Directory.
The novitiate
84. When the time of the pre-novitiate experience has been completed, the candidate who is found to be suitable according to the laws of Church and the norms of the Order is formally admitted to the novitiate.
85. Admission to the novitiate pertains to the Major Superior with the deliberative vote of his council, after having considered the consultative vocation of the conventual chapter where the candidate completed his pre-novitiate program.
86. One is invalidly admitted to the novitiate:
1. who has not yet completed the seventeenth year of age;
2. who is a spouse, during a marriage;
3. who, at the time, is held by a sacred bond with any institute of consecrated life or who is incorporated in any society of apostolic life, with due regard for the prescription of canon 684;
4. who enters the institute as a result of force or grave fear or fraud, or whom the Superior receives influenced in the sane way;
5. who has concealed his incorporation in any institute of consecrated life or society of apostolic life[3]
87. “The novitiate, by which life in the institute begins, is ordered to his: that the novices better recognize their divine vocation, and the one which is, moreover, proper to the institute; that they be formed in mind and heart by its spirit; and that their intention and suitability be tested”[4].
Other novitiate objectives are to expose the novice to the exigencies of religious life as lived in the Trinitarian Order, and, in pursuance of a more perfect love of God, to allow the novice to live concretely a God-oriented life and to practice the evangelical counsels which the Lord gives in the Gospel.
Therefore, the novice must be instructed in and gradually familiarized with the spirit and works of the Order, so that he learns every day by experience how to live and harmoniously integrate that spiritual, communitarian and apostolic life that he will subsequently live[5].
88. The director of novices is designated according to the norms of the provincial statutes. He should be a solemn professed religious who is know for his charity, prudence and religious observance. He must be a priest[6].
Through the work and care of their director, let the novices be instructed about the spiritual life and be given the opportunity to live it accordingly. Let their spiritual life be nourished by spiritual reading, by their active participation in the liturgy and by personal prayer. Also, let them suitably practice mortification.
Moreover, let the director zealously ensure that the novices apply themselves assiduously to the study of the Rule and Constitutions and are instructed about the lives of the Holy Founder, the history of the Order and its spirituality.
89. To supplement the novices’ program of formation and to test in some practical way their aptitude to live the Trinitarian way of life, the statutes of each province can establish periods of time for suitable experiences, according to the mind and the norms of the Church[7].
90. The novitiate is identically the same for all candidates and, in order to be valid, must be completed in houses formally designated by the Minister General with the consent of his council, on the proposal of the provincial council; it must also last twelve months, not counting the periods of time for formative apostolate spent outside the novitiate house.
The novitiate is not to extended beyond two years[8].
91. With due regard for the prescriptions of universal law, absence from the novitiate house during the canonical year which lasts more than three months, either continuous or interrupted, renders the novitiate invalid. An absence of more than days must be compensated[9].
92. A novice can freely leave the Order; the competent authority, according to the norms of the General Directory, can dismiss a novice[10].
Temporary profession
93. Upon completion of the novitiate, the candidate is bonded to the Order by his temporary profession, by which he publicly vows to live the evangelical counsels for one year. At the end of this year, he will annually renew his vows for a period of three years. The provincial statutes can establish a longer period for temporary profession, but not to exceed another three year period. For a just cause, however, the Minister Provincial with the consent of his council can either prolong the established time for temporary profession, not to exceed nine years, or abbreviate it, but not less than three years[11].
94. For the validity of temporary profession, it is required:
a) that at least the eighteenth year of age has been completed;
b) that the novitiate has been validly completed;
c) that admission is given by the Major Superior with the deliberative vote of the conventual chapter of the novitiate house;
d) that the profession be expressed and free;
e) that the profession be received by the Major Superior, personally or through his delegate[12].
95. This period of time constitutes the preparation for solemn profession. During this time, Trinitarian religious formation, already begum, continues doctrinally and in practice.
Solemn profession
96. When the time of temporary profession has been completed, the religious who freely requests in writing to be admitted to solemn profession and is found suitable for it is admitted to solemn profession by the Minister Provincial after receiving the consultative vote of the conventual chapter of the houses in which the candidate lived for at least six consecutive months and after receiving the deliberative vote of his own council; otherwise, let the religious return to the world, unless provision is made for a further extension, according to the norm of law.
By solemn profession, the religious is definitively incorporated into the Order.
97. In addition to what is stated in n. 94 c), d), and e), the following are required for the validity of solemn profession: a) the completion of the twenty-first years of age; b) previous temporary profession for at least three years, making allowance, however, for the Minister Provincial’s prerogative to shorten this time by no more than three months, for some just reason[13].
98. Let the appropriate formation of the Brothers continue after their solemn profession, so that they may further their personal qualifications and complete their specialization, as they root themselves into the life of the community and insert themselves into an apostolate of the Order.
99. Those who are called to the priesthood must have as their goal to become true shepherds of souls after the example of Christ, the teacher, the priest and the shepherd. To this effect, they will complete the program of ecclesiastical studies that conforms with the norms of the Church and the character of the Order[14].
100. According to one’s ability, let the non-cleric Brothers be trained not only for acquiring technical skills and academic proficiencies, but also to became adept in the theological, liturgical and pastoral sciences, so as to enhance their ability to collaborate in the ministerial apostolate and to promote the good of the Church and the Order[15].
If circumstances warrant and the provincial council consents, it is permissible for our non-cleric Brothers to be ordained to the permanent diaconate and to exercise the ministry connected with this order, provided that they complete the appropriate training program and the norms of the Church are observed.
After listening to his council, the Major Superiors can allow a non-cleric Brother to transfer to the clerical state, if he is sure that the Brother possesses the required qualifications.
The formation community
101. The candidates’ human, religious, spiritual and apostolic formation demands that there be a formation community which, united in spirit and action, zealously applies itself to the proper formation of the candidates.
Continuing formation
102. The formation of the Brothers does not end with their making solemn profession or with ordination or with the completion of the program of studies determined by the Church or the Order; it must continue throughout their entire life[16].
And so, let the Brothers strive to continually update their doctrinal, spiritual technical education, especially considering the progress that has taken place in the field of psychology, philosophy, theology, pastoral ministry and sociology. This will enable them to continually renew and enrich their Trinitarian religious life.
103. To this end, let special courses and workshops be help, which the Brothers should make an effort to attend.
Let the Ministers and the communities be disposed to give their religious the necessary means and the time to accomplish the self-perfecting that is required to keep up with the progress of the times and the expected discharge of one’s responsibilities.
104. The Brothers will give special attention to the renewal of their religious life through their witness of poverty, their service to the disadvantaged and the oppressed, and by their obedience and chastity, all of which together transform the community into a sign of brother-hood and unity