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You are here:Home / Family News / NEF 2013 / Family News - 2013 October 14th / HISTORY OF THE RULE OF LIFE
Oct 14, 2013

HISTORY OF THE RULE OF LIFE

9 – The 1901, 1919 & 1947 Constitutions

HISTORY OF THE RULE OF LIFE

The 1901 Constitutions

Ten years later Fr Etchecopar was no longer there to see the completion of his work, as much for the Rules as for the introduction of the Cause of our holy Founder. This was to take place in 1899. However Fr Etchecopar had been given a mandate by the 1896 Chapter to ask the “Holy See at the end of the decennium due to expire in four years time, for the definitive approval of the Constitutions.”

This was obtained by his successor, Fr Victor Bourdenne. These Constitutions barely differed from the preceding ones except on two points which would bring them up to the required Normes:

A few changes were made concerning the government of the Institute and Elections.

The chapter “Special Devotions of the Institute” was considerably shortened, losing its chapter 3, and doing away with the Ecce Venio.

This so called definitive approval of our Constitutions, obtained by decree 6 September 1901, was soon to be challenged by the apparition of the new code of Canon Law.

 

The 1919 Constitutions

This new Code of Canon Law, promulgated in 1917, contained a complete treatise “De Religiosis” containing no fewer than 195 articles. Consequently all Religious Institutes had to take a look at their rules and make them conform to the dispositions of Canon Law. Canonists were called upon to prepare this revision. The big question was to know whether to introduce the text itself of the treatise into the Constitutions which would have resulted in a considerably heavier volume or simply to take those elements which were strictly necessary, and refer the reader to the Code itself whenever possible. In our case we adopted this second solution. The new Constitutions, with few changes, were adopted by the Chapter of 1919 and approved by the Holy See 23 February 1921.

However quite a few were not entirely satisfied. Having constantly to refer to the Code of Canon Law produced a feeling of annoyance especially among those who could not have easy access to the text in Latin. A new revision seemed necessary and the Chapter of 1947 seemed the right time to realise it.

 

The 1947 Constitutions

This Chapter meeting voted important changes in the Congregation, not as far as religious life itself was concerned, but in the organisation and government. Up until then the Congregation had one shape. Now it was opened up, decentralised and divided into provinces. These new organisms modified relationships considerably, as well as the administration and the government.

It was finally decided to carry out a more general revision and the new Constitutions were approved by the Sacred Congregation 3 June 1947.

After the Council a much greater renewal was called for, this time at the invitation of the Church.

As is generally known this work is still ongoing.

Pierre Duvignau, scj
History of the Rule of Life written in 1968-69

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