Chapter 3

(49) Our Seraphic Father, whose spirit was wholly Catholic and apostolic, enlightened by heavenly light, having always professed the deepest reverence for the Roman Church, which he regarded as the arbiter and mother of all other Churches, ordained for the clerics, in his Rule, to celebrate the office according to the order of that Church, and forbade in his Testament any change thereto. Therefore, the Brothers, enlisted under a single banner in the same spiritual militia and called to the same end, shall observe, with regard to the missal, the breviary, and the calendar, the same rites that are in use in the holy Roman Church.

(50) Let the Superiors also see to it that the ceremonial composed for our use is observed exactly, so that the spirit of uniformity may shine forth in our Order and that the Brothers, in the unity of heart and outward ceremonies, may praise God, glorify Him, and be a cause of edification to the world.

(51) Let the clerics and priests who are not lawfully impeded or dispensed be punctual in going to the choir for the Divine Office at the first sound of the bell ¹, to prepare their soul before the Lord. They shall assist with devotion, modesty, and mortification, thinking, in silence and recollection, that they are in the presence of God, to perform the office of the angels in singing His praises. And whoever is prevented by some necessity from attending the choir must first ask the Superior’s blessing, and if absolutely unable to do so, shall present his excuse afterward. And if anyone, in disobedience, habitually misses the Divine Office in the choir or is found guilty of omitting it several times, let him be deprived of active and passive voice for two years, and even more severely punished at the discretion of the judge.

(52) The Divine Office shall be said with piety, attention, gravity, and union of heart, with suitable pauses, and in a voice neither too loud nor too low, but moderate and uniform. And so as not to deserve the reproach which our gentle Savior made against the Jews when He said: This people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me ², the Brothers shall endeavor to psalmody more with the heart than with the mouth. Matins and Lauds shall be recited at midnight, so that, following the example of the King-Prophet, the Saints, and our ancient Fathers, the Lord may be praised in our convents both day and night. No other office shall be added to the choir.

(53) The lay brothers shall attend the choir at the beginning of Vespers, Compline, Matins, during the Te Deum or the Miserere, and after having made the common preparation and begun the office in the choir, they shall retire to the church, if it be convenient, to recite the Pater noster prescribed by the Rule. On feast days, they shall attend the entire Vespers. They shall never fail to recite, for our deceased benefactors, the five Offices of the Dead, fixed by ancient custom: the first around the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene; the second near that of Saint Michael in September; the third on the solemnity of our Father Saint Francis; the fourth during Advent; the fifth on Septuagesima.

(54) And since the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice is an eminently divine act, we recommend to the priests that they seek neither favor nor human glory, nor any other temporal advantage therein, following the example of Jesus Christ, the High Priest, who, immolating Himself for us on the bitter cross, had no earthly interest in view; but that they celebrate with a pure, simple, and detached heart, in all humility, reverence, faith, and devotion, considering only the honor of God. They shall take care to prepare themselves with all the diligence their frailty permits, for the more holy this action is above all others, the more the irreverences committed therein must provoke the indignation of God, and it is said in the Holy Books: Cursed be the man who does the work of the Lord negligently ³. Therefore, we desire that the Superiors admonish those who celebrate Holy Mass negligently and hastily, and punish those who do not amend.

(55) Let the religious, who are not legitimately impeded, hear the conventual Mass every day ⁴, and on feast days, let the clerics and laity attend all the Masses they can. We also exhort all the Brothers to assist at these divine mysteries with supreme respect, with angelic fervor, their spirit fully penetrated by the presence of God, applying themselves to offer with the priest this august Sacrifice and preparing to receive communion at least spiritually; and let them not fail to pray frequently, during Masses, offices, and prayers, for all the faithful living and deceased, our seraphic Father expressly recommending this in his Rule.

(56) Let the clerics and laity frequently receive, even daily, the Most Holy Body of Christ, according to the judgment of their confessor. And let the Superiors bring the greatest zeal to promote, by frequent exhortations, this practice as holy as it is salutary ⁵.

(57) Let this august and divine Sacrament, in which our most gentle Savior so mercifully deigns to dwell continually among us, be kept in our churches ⁶, according to liturgical prescriptions ⁷, and in a very proper place. The Brothers shall visit it frequently ⁸, standing in His presence and praying as if they were already in the heavenly homeland with the holy Angels.

(58) We likewise exhort the Brothers to often perform, especially during Lent, the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, and to renew every first Friday of the month, either privately or in common, their consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a consecration to be renewed each year for the entire Order on the day of the Epiphany. Moreover, let them have a particular devotion to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, our most gentle Mother, in the mystery of her Immaculate Conception; therefore, on Saturdays, when rubrics permit, let the priests, by virtue of the privilege granted to us, celebrate the votive Mass of the Immaculate Conception. Let all honor the Virgin Mother of God by reciting the Rosary ⁹, and let each one do their best to recite the Little Office of the same blessed Virgin.

(59) Convinced that holy prayer is the mistress of our spiritual life, the mother and nurse of all true virtue, so that the spirit of devotion, which must be desired above all things, does not grow cold or fade within us, but rather, burning without ceasing on the sacred altar of our heart, it may blaze ever more according to the desire of our Father Saint Francis, we order that every day two hours, or two special exercises, one in the morning and the other in the evening, be devoted to it, according to the praiseworthy customs and schedule of each Province ¹⁰. Before the morning prayer, the Litany of the Saints shall be recited, and before the evening prayer, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

(60) The Brothers shall remember that prayer is nothing other than an intimate conversation of the soul with God; he who prays only with his mouth does not truly pray; therefore, all shall apply themselves with the greatest care to pray mentally more than vocally; and so that, according to the teaching of Jesus Christ, this excellent Master, they may worship the Eternal Father in spirit and in truth ¹¹, they shall strive to enlighten their understanding and inflame their heart with ardent aspirations more than to articulate words.

(61) Let the Superiors ensure that all religious, including those who remain in the hospices, can take part in the spiritual exercises which are to be conducted every year in our convents. If anyone is unable to attend them, the Superior shall provide that he makes them privately afterward ¹².

(62) Since our seraphic Father, whose attachment to the Catholic faith is so clearly shown at the beginning and end of his Rule, requires that we have a special veneration for the Roman Pontiff as Vicar on earth of Jesus Christ our Lord, and that we show the greatest respect to all prelates and all priests; besides the prayers offered in common, let all the Brothers, in their private capacity, address fervent prayers to divine Goodness for the prosperity of the militant Church, and for the Supreme Pontiff, that He may grant him the grace to clearly know, to effectively will, and powerfully carry out all that can contribute to the honor and glory of the divine Majesty, the salvation of the Christian people, and the conversion of heretics and infidels; let them also pray for all the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, for the Bishops and prelates in communion with the Holy See, for kings, Christian princes, the supreme rulers of states, and for the whole world, especially for our Superiors and benefactors, to whom we owe such close obligations.

(63) When one of our Brothers dies, let all the others hasten with affectionate charity to commend his soul to God. And so that there may be a certain rule regarding the Suffrages to be applied to our deceased, we order that at the death of the Minister or former Minister General, the Procurator or former Procurator General, the Office of the Dead be recited in the choir in all our convents, and a solemn Mass be celebrated for them; all priests shall apply three Masses for them, in addition clerics and laity three Communions, clerics shall say the Office of the Dead three times, and the laity three hundred Pater Noster. For the Definitors and former Definitors General, all priests shall say one Mass, clerics shall recite the Office of the Dead, laity one hundred Pater Noster, and both shall receive holy Communion. In each Province, the triple suffrage of Masses, Offices, Pater Noster, and Communions shall be applied to the Ministers and former Ministers Provincial. For other deceased religious, even novices ¹³, all priests shall apply one Mass, clerics and laity one Communion, and in addition, the former shall recite the Office of the Dead and the latter one hundred Pater Noster. However, the Provincial Chapter may increase these Suffrages for the entire Province. Every year, on the day after the feast of our Father Saint Francis, or the first free day if that is impeded, this time seeming most fitting and suitable to obtain from God the deliverance of their souls, an Anniversary shall be celebrated in all the churches of our Order, conforming to the rubrics, with Office and Masses for all our deceased Brothers.

(64) Upon the death of the Supreme Pontiff, the Office of the Dead shall be recited for him in all our houses, and a solemn Mass shall be celebrated; each priest shall say a Mass, the clerics and laity shall receive holy Communion, and moreover the clerics shall recite the Office of the Dead and the laity one hundred Pater Noster. Upon the death of the Cardinal Protector, the Office of the Dead shall be said for him in all our houses and a solemn Mass celebrated; the laity shall recite one hundred Pater Noster and receive holy Communion, as will the clerics.

(65) The religious shall be buried in some decent place, and for this purpose, when it can be easily done, a chapel shall be built within the convent enclosure for the burial of the Brothers ¹⁴, with an altar to celebrate the holy Mass there ¹⁵. Where civil laws do not permit burial in our houses, the Superiors shall endeavor to obtain a separate place for the burial of our Brothers in public cemeteries ¹⁶.

(66) Silence being regarded as the best support of the inner spirit, and since, as Saint James says, He who does not know how to bridle his tongue has only a vain shadow of religion ¹⁷, we order that evangelical silence, as far as our frailty allows, be continually observed; for according to the infallible oracle of Jesus Christ, we shall give account on the day of judgment for every idle word ¹⁸. Such are the great blessings with which God has filled us since we have consecrated ourselves to His divine service, that conversations held without reasonable cause about worldly matters cannot be treated lightly as faults.

(67) As for regular silence, it shall be kept inviolably in the church, in the choir, in the sacristy, in the dormitory, where it shall never be permitted to speak without necessity; when it is necessary to speak, it shall be done in a low voice and with few words. In the refectory, silence shall be kept from the first signal to the table until after the thanksgiving. As a general rule in each house, the signal for silence shall be given after dinner, at a suitable hour—that is, at the end of recreation—and kept until after Vespers; similarly, all shall observe it from evening until the next morning after the conventual Mass. If anyone breaks it, he shall say five Pater Noster and five Ave Maria in the refectory, with arms crossed. We recommend that the Brothers cultivate the habit of always speaking religiously and quietly everywhere, the opposite fault being most inappropriate in a religious person.

(68) To restrain the rebellions of the flesh against the spirit and to submit it absolutely to its rule, and also in remembrance of the most sorrowful Passion of our most sweet Savior, especially His bloody scourging, we desire that the customary discipline be done every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, even on the greatest solemnities; it shall be done at the usual hour. During Holy Week, it shall be done every day. The Brothers must, during this holy exercise, affectionately penetrate themselves with the memory of the lovable Jesus, Son of God, bound to the column, and strive to feel within themselves a slight part of His sufferings. While doing it, they shall recite the Miserere, the De Profundis, the antiphon Christus factus est pro nobis obediens, with the prayer Respice, then the Salve Regina, followed by the verse and five prayers, and finally a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria.

(69) Since abstinence, austerity, and mortification are so highly praised, especially in the lives of the Saints, we urge the Brothers, who, following the example of Christ our Lord and Saint Francis, have chosen the narrow way, to observe the holy Lents that our seraphic Father was accustomed to keep, especially the Blessed Lent. It is further ordered that throughout the year no meat shall be eaten on Wednesday or Saturday, or at least on one of these two days. According to custom, the Brothers shall fast on the eve of the feasts of our Father Saint Francis and of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Holy Virgin. And if anyone is accustomed not to observe the fasts of the Church or the Rule, as well as the abstinence, he shall be deprived of active and passive voice for two years, and even punished more severely if the gravity of the fault demands it.

(70) On the times and days when the Brothers are bound to fasting, even by precept of the Rule, they may, as to the quantity and quality of food, conform to the laws of the Church ¹⁹ or to particular indults granted by the Holy See to the countries where they are, as well as to approved local customs. To safeguard the spirit of mortification, only sufficient and fitting food shall be served at table, persuading ourselves well that little suffices for necessity and that nothing can satisfy sensuality. As a sign of poverty, no tablecloths shall be placed on our tables, but only a towel shall be given to each religious.

(71) So that our hearts, according to the doctrine of our Most Holy Savior, may not be weighed down by excess in eating and drinking ²⁰, but that our souls be free and our senses mortified, we forbid serving at table strong wine, unless it is discreetly diluted; this will seem even more fitting if we consider that, according to the testimony of Saint Jerome, the monks of his time, even the weakest, drank only water ²¹, and that our Father Saint Francis, as reported by the seraphic Doctor Saint Bonaventure, did not even dare to drink the water necessary to quench the ardor of his thirst ²². We will even find sweetness in this when we recall that water was refused to Jesus Christ hanging on the cross, and that for drink He received only gall and vinegar ²³. We also forbid serving anything special at table, except for the sick, travelers, the elderly, and those who are weak and languishing. If any Brother wishes to abstain from wine, meat, eggs, or other foods, or to undertake extraordinary fasts, his Superior, far from opposing it, shall encourage him to persevere, provided nevertheless that no harm will come to him, that he judges the intention to be right and pure, and that this religious eats at the common table.

(72) During meal times, after the reading of Holy Scripture, or of the Seraphic Rule, some other book of piety shall be read, so that the soul, as much or more than the body, thereby receives its nourishment and is further encouraged to follow Jesus crucified. No local Superior may dispense from reading and silence at his own pleasure, but he shall do so rarely and for reasonable causes; he who does otherwise shall be corrected and punished by the Provincial Superior.

(73) Superiors must refrain from admitting any secular person to eat in the refectory with the religious, unless in an extraordinary case it cannot be dispensed with without inconvenience and causing unpleasant surprise; in such a case care shall be taken to treat him with the simplicity appropriate to our state, not omitting either the readings or the customary ceremonies.

(74) No religious shall take meals, whether inside or outside our houses, without the permission and blessing of the Superior.

(75) Since it is easy to contract spiritual defilements when one delights in worldly festivities, we forbid the Brothers to attend them, except to proclaim the holy word or to render other spiritual services. Being, according to the great Apostle ²⁴, a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men, they must strive, by the holiness of their lives, to give examples fit to glorify God.

(76) Superiors must exercise prudent severity when it comes to granting religious letters of obedience to undertake journeys that are difficult to make without expense and without detriment to spiritual life, without causing surprise among seculars, and without disturbing regular discipline. And they must show the same severity and prudence even when it comes to pilgrimages. And so that everything is done in order, we prescribe that no religious shall undertake any journey without necessity or sufficient reason, and without a letter of obedience; and that the journey shall not exceed either in extent or in duration the prescribed limit. These letters must bear the seal of the respective Superior, and for this purpose, all our houses shall have their particular seal, according to ancient custom.

(77) We declare that the local Superior may grant obedience to his subjects only to travel to the nearest house in the Province. The Provincial Superior may grant it to all his religious not only for all the houses of the Province, but also for the nearest house of a neighboring Province, provided the distance does not exceed one hundred kilometers.

Finally, the Minister General may grant it to all without exception for any Province or house. It is further determined that letters of obedience shall ordinarily be requested from the Provincial Superior through the local Superior, and from the Minister General through the Provincial Superior; and whoever acts otherwise shall not be heeded at all, but shall be reprimanded according to the gravity of the fault.

Obediences, except in some particular cases, must be sent directly not to the subjects but to their respective Superiors, and they are null if not executed within two months from their date, or from the time fixed in their content. Religious who falsify or forge letters of obedience, who imitate the signatures of Superiors or use their seals, shall be punished by being confined in the convent for a duration proportionate to the gravity of their fault ²⁵.

(78) Let the Brothers, unless for a reasonable cause, especially when it concerns the modest recreation customary among the religious, not go out alone, but following the example of the disciples of our Divine Savior, let them go with a companion ²⁶. And along the way, let them take great care not to separate or quarrel, but in all charity and humility, following the example of the blessed Christ ²⁷, each shall strive to obey his companion and serve him, considering one another as brothers in Jesus Christ. And if needed, let them make fraternal correction among themselves, and if they do not profit from it for amendment, let them mutually disclose their faults to their Superiors ²⁸.

(79) All religious, when obliged to go out for any reason whatsoever, besides the required permission, shall ask the blessing of the Superior on their knees, which they shall likewise observe upon their return; and all the Brothers shall strive to avoid unnecessary and frivolous outings. Especially the collectors, who, by reason of their office, have more contact with the world, shall refrain from purposeless visits and from having long conversations with seculars; they shall not leave the house except out of necessity or to fulfill their office. They shall then strive, by the reserve of their words and conduct, to give everyone a good example and to win, as well as the religion, the pious affection of the seculars ²⁹.

(80) As our seraphic Father Saint Francis declares to us in his Testament, having been revealed by God that we must, following the example of Christ, greet by saying: The Lord give you His peace ³⁰, we want the Brothers to use this evangelical greeting or some other pious and devout formula.

(81) Since the true Minor Brothers must, with lively confidence, remain dependent on their very good Heavenly Father, the Father of mercies, it is enjoined upon them, according to the counsel of Jesus Christ, not to carry, without necessity, any provision on their journeys, especially if the places they travel through are close to one another, and if the inhabitants are approachable, kind, and friends of the religion; thus entrusting their care to God who feeds not only the animals but even those who continuously offend Him ³¹.

(82) We further forbid the religious to stop, without great necessity, to eat or lodge in the towns or villages near our houses. Upon arriving in the places where we are established, no one shall dare to undertake any business before having presented himself to the Superior, nor shall they permit themselves to eat or lodge with seculars, even relatives, without having obtained his authorization, which he shall grant only with difficulty ³². The same shall be observed upon departure, and those who violate this prohibition shall be admonished and punished according to the gravity of the fault. Upon arriving in our houses, the Brothers, as true children of the Heavenly Father, shall first visit the church, and after adoration and prayer, they shall go to present themselves to the Superior and show him their obedience.

(83) The exercise of hospitality having merited some ancient Patriarchs to receive Angels ³³, it is ordered that there be in all our houses a brother charged with the care of receiving strangers, with all possible diligence and charity. Following the example of the very humble Son of God ³⁴, he shall wash their feet, if appropriate to do so, while reciting some psalms or spiritual canticles, always considering himself as an unworthy servant, even if he were to do all the good he is capable of.

(84) No beast of burden shall be kept in our houses to serve as a mount; on the contrary, we earnestly recommend to all the Brothers to remember the precept of our Rule, which forbids riding horseback, and to make their journeys on foot, following the example of Jesus Christ and Saint Francis, His faithful imitator. Whoever rides horseback without manifest necessity shall be punished by the Provincial Superior according to the gravity of the offense. The use of the railway is not thereby forbidden, provided that, as with the use of a carriage, there is a reasonable cause for using it, the permission of the Superiors, and that the chosen class does not offend humility ³⁵. It is up to the Superiors to judge if the reason is sufficient, and the Brothers may, in full safety of conscience, rely on their judgment.