Before the Council, Betharramite communities had a considerable number of members. The religious devoted themselves to a common task. The superior imprinted his personality on the life and mission of the community.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong> Many of the religious wished to become superiors. After the Council things went in the opposite direction, and in actual practice the superior’s authority is no longer recognised. Anything goes. No one in the community wants to accept this service. In some places the role of the superior has completely disappeared. The slightest personal problem in a community is referred back to the Provincial Superior.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901span>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

Every human group, and consequently every community needs a form of authority; if the person who is meant to exercise this authority under the terms expressed in the Rule of Life doesn’t do it, then another one will take over and there is no proof that the brothers will be any better treated. Of course, authority in consecrated life, as in the Church, is copied from the authority of Jesus (Mt 20, 24-28).  It is equally true that community life and the exercise of religious authority within it, are only possible if the members of the community are sufficiently mature, that they believe in it and in their mission, and that consequently they are convinced that our life style is at the service of the growth of our freedom and the blossoming of our personality. Having said this, here are the characteristics of the superior which our communities need today.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior should have a moral authority based on the witness of his life7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>: he is faithful to his vocation and mission, he practises the Christian and Betharramite virtues, he observes the Rule and traditions of our religious family, he is convinced that his primary mission is to take on the service of the brethren entrusted to him by the Congregation. He directs the community according to the Rule of Life and according to the orientations of the Church and the Congregation.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior is an authority which accompanies spiritually7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>: he loves each one of the religious entrusted to him by the Congregation, as individuals and as sons of God. He knows and enhances the qualities and capacities of each religious helping them to make the best of them for communion and for the mission. 7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

With respect and charity, he accompanies each brother to be faithful to his vocation and to his mission, helping him to share in community. He is at the service of the spiritual progress of the religious. He listens to each one and encourages him to collaborate, with conviction and personality, in the life and mission of the community.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

He incites the voluntary obedience of the religious respecting the individual, through dialogue and in fidelity to his vocation. He helps each one, in a suitable way, to provide for his own needs.  He takes care of the sick and visits them as often as possible; he corrects the anxious; encourages  the timid and is patient with all (c. 619).7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior is an authority who creates unity and continues to support it7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>: he builds unity for the good of all (the common good), respectful of differences. He promotes the spirituality of brotherly communion in Christ, based on personal and community prayer, and on mature and respectful relationships based on the Gospels (RV 96, NMI 43, VC 51). He creates the climate favourable to dialogue and co-responsibility. He keeps an eye on the contribution of each to the affairs of all: participation. He encourages the brothers to take responsibilities and to assume them right to the end.   7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

As a man of dialogue he gives priority to specific times for meeting. He knows how to bolster courage and hope in trying moments. He keeps an eye on the future in the hope of opening new missionary horizons – this is what is called the prophetic outlook of authority  (Instrumentum Laboris of the 2005 General Chapter, 23).  He is concerned about the balance between prayer and work, ministry and formation,apostolic activity and rest. He watches over a real pooling of resources and the witness to evangelical poverty given by the community.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior is an authority capable of accompanying community discernment7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>. He is attentive to the life of the religious, as well as to social and church news. He helps the religious to reflect on them and to take commitments which strengthens their vocation and mission.  He knows how to bring a discussion to a close and guarantee the application of the decisions taken. If need be, he can command too (Perfectæ Caritatis7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901em>, 14).7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901span>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior sees to it that the community’s mission corresponds to the charism and is on the same wave length as the Congregation, the local Church and the universal Church.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The superior is that authority which favours on-going formation7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901strong>:  One of the aims of on-going formation is the construction of communities which are mature, evangelical, brotherly, prayerful, open and missionary,  that is, a favourable environment for on-going formation in everyday life. A religious community is the place when important orientations are put into practice, thanks to the constant and patient intervention of daily life.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>

The religious community is the scene and place of the growth of every religious, where each one is responsible for the growth of the brethren. Furthermore, the religious community is the place where, day after day, there is mutual help as religious, driven by the same charism to respond to the needs of the marginalised and the challenges of today’s society. The religious community is the natural milieu where the passage from me to us is checked, from my commitment to the commitment of the community, from the seeking of my own interests to seeking those of Christ.7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901font>7a09e4f873d044718333fe8ebf942901p>