PART X: ¹HOW THE WHOLE BODY OF THE SOCIETY IS TO BE PRESERVED AND INCREASED IN ITS WELL-BEING #

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1. ²The Society was not instituted by human means; and it is not through them that it can be preserved and increased, but through the grace of the omnipotent hand of Christ our God and Lord.³Therefore in him alone must be placed the hope that he will preserve and carry forward what he deigned to begin for his service and praise and for the aid of souls.⁴In conformity with this hope, the first and most appropriate means will be the prayers and Masses which ought to be offered for this holy intention, and which should be ordered for this purpose every week, month, and year in all places where the Society resides.

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2. ¹For the preservation and growth not only of the body or exterior of the Society but also of its spirit, and for the attainment of the objective it seeks, which is to aid souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end,²the means which unite the human instrument with God and so dispose it that it may be wielded well by his divine hand³are more effective than those which equip it in relation to human beings.⁴Such means are, for example, goodness and virtue, and especially charity, and a pure intention of the divine service, and familiarity with God our Lord in spiritual exercises of devotion,⁵and sincere zeal for souls for the sake of the glory of the one who created and redeemed them and not for any other benefit.⁶Thus it appears that care should be taken in general that all the members of the Society devote themselves to the solid and perfect virtues and to spiritual pursuits, and attach greater importance to them than to learning and other natural and human gifts.⁷For these interior gifts are necessary to make those exterior means efficacious for the end which is being sought.

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3. ¹When based upon this foundation, the natural means which equip the human instrument of God our Lord to deal with his fellow human beings will all help toward the preservation and growth of this whole body,²provided that they are acquired and exercised for the divine service alone; employed, indeed, not so that we may put our confidence in them, but so that we may cooperate with the divine grace³according to the arrangement of the sovereign providence of God our Lord. For he desires to be glorified both through the natural means, which he gives as Creator, and through the supernatural means, which he gives as the Author of grace.⁴Therefore the human or acquired means ought to be sought with diligence, especially well-grounded and solid learning, and a method of proposing it to the people by means of sermons, lectures, and the art of dealing and conversing with others.

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4. ¹In a similar manner, it will help greatly to maintain the colleges in good condition and discipline if the superintendency over them is exercised by persons who cannot receive any temporal gain,²such as members of the professed Society,³which will take care that those who possess the talent for it may receive in the colleges formation in Christian life and learning. For these colleges will be a seedbed for the professed Society and its coadjutors.⁴Furthermore, if universities over which the Society exercises superintendency are added to the colleges, they too will aid toward the same end, as long as the manner of procedure described in Part IV is preserved.

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5. ¹Since poverty is like a bulwark of religious institutes which preserves them in their existence and good order and defends them from many enemies, and since the devil uses corresponding effort to destroy this bulwark in one way or another,²it will be highly important for the preservation and growth of this whole body that every appearance of avarice should be banished afar, through the Society’s abstention from accepting fixed income, or any possessions, or recompense¹ for preaching, or lecturing, or Masses, or administration of sacraments, or spiritual things, as is stated in Part VI, and also through its avoidance of converting the fixed revenue of the colleges to its own utility.

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6. ¹It will also be of the highest importance toward perpetuating the Society’s well-being to use great diligence in precluding from it ambition, the mother of all evils in any community or congregation.²This will be accomplished by closing the door against seeking, directly or indirectly, any dignity or prelacy within the Society,³in such a way that all the professed should promise to God our Lord never to seek one and to expose anyone whom they observe trying to obtain one; also in such a way that{one who can be proved to have sought such a prelacy becomes ineligible and disqualified for promotion to any prelacy}.²⁴The professed should similarly promise to God our Lord not to seek any prelacy or dignity outside the Society and, as far as in them lies, not to consent to being chosen for a similar charge unless they are compelled by an order from the one who can command them under pain of sin.^{3 5}Each one should desire to serve souls in conformity with our profession of humility and lowliness, and to avoid having the Society deprived of the men who are necessary for its purpose.⁶Each one should further promise to God our Lord that if a prelacy outside the Society is accepted through the aforementioned manner of compulsion, he will afterwards listen at any time to the counsel of whoever may be general of the Society, or of another whom the general substitutes for himself^{4 7}and that if he judges the counsel he has received to be the better thing, he will carry it out See C-818. He will do this, not because he, being a prelate, has any member of the Society as a superior, but because he wishes to oblige himself voluntarily before God our Lord to do what he finds to be better for his divine service,⁸and to be happy to have someone who presents it to him with charity and Christian freedom, to the glory of God our Lord.

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A. ¹After observing the pressure which has been exerted in so many ways to bring members of the Society to accept bishoprics, and after resisting in many cases and having been unable to resist accepting the patriarchate and bishopric of Ethiopia,²we conceived this aid for the latter undertaking and for other similar ones when resistance may be impossible.³However, the Society does not oblige itself to take up this measure each time one of its individual members must accept a bishopric, but it remains free either to omit it or to take it up where it is judged to be of great importance for the divine service.⁴This simple vow will be made following the profession along with the other vows which have been mentioned.

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7. ¹Much aid is given toward perpetuating the well-being of this whole body by what was said in Part I, Part II, and Part V about not admitting a mob and persons unsuitable for our Institute, even to probation,²and about dismissals during the time of probation when it is found that some persons do not turn out to be suitable. Much less ought those to be retained who are addicted to vice or are incorrigible.³But even greater strictness should be shown in admitting persons among the approved scholastics⁵ and formed coadjutors, and strictness far greater still in regard to admission to profession.⁴This profession should be made only by persons who are select in spirit and learning, and who after prolonged and extensive activity have become well known through various trials of virtue and abnegation, with edification and satisfaction to all.⁵This is done so that, even though numbers grow, the spirit may not be diminished or weakened, with those incorporated into the Society being such as has been described.

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8. ¹Since the well-being or illness of the head has its consequences in the whole body, it is supremely important that the election of the superior general be carried out as directed in Part IX.²Next in importance is the choice of the lower superiors in the provinces, colleges, and houses of the Society. For in a general way, the subjects will be what these superiors are.³It is also highly important that, in addition to that choice, the individual superiors should have much authority over the subjects, and the general over the individual superiors; and, on the other hand, that the Society have much authority in regard to the general, as is explained in Part IX.⁴This arrangement is made so that all may have full power for good and that, if they do poorly, they may be fully in subjection.⁵It is similarly important that the superiors have suitable helpers, as was said in the same part, for the good order and execution of the affairs pertaining to their office.

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9. ¹Whatever helps toward the union of the members of this Society among themselves and with their head will also help much toward preserving the well-being of the Society. This is especially the case with the bond of wills, which is the mutual charity and love they have for one another.²This bond is strengthened by their getting information and news from one another and having much intercommunication, by their following one same doctrine, and by their being uniform in everything as far as possible,³and above all by the bond of obedience, which unites the individuals with their superiors, and the local superiors among themselves and with the provincials, and both the local superiors and provincials with the general, in such a way that the subordination of some to others is diligently preserved.

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10. ¹Moderation in spiritual and bodily labors and the middle tenor of the Constitutions, which do not lean toward an extreme of rigor or toward excessive laxity (and thus they can be better observed), will help this whole body to persevere and maintain itself in its well-being.

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11. ¹Toward the same purpose it is helpful in general to strive to retain the goodwill and charity of all, even of those outside the Society, and especially of those whose favorable or unfavorable attitude toward it is of great importance for opening or closing the gate leading to the service of God and the good of souls See C.11. ²It is also helpful that in the Society there should neither be partiality to one side or another among Christian princes or rulers nor should any be perceived; in its stead there should be a universal love which embraces in our Lord all parties (even though they are adversaries to one another).

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B. ¹We must chiefly retain the benevolence of the Apostolic See, which the Society must especially serve;²and then that of the temporal rulers and noble and powerful persons whose favor or disfavor does much toward opening or closing the gate to the service of God and the good of souls.³Similarly, when an unfavorable attitude is noticed in some persons, especially in persons of importance, prayer ought to be offered for them and the suitable means should be employed to bring them to friendship, or at least to keep them from being hostile.⁴This is done, not because contradiction and ill-treatment are feared, but so that God our Lord may be more served and glorified in all things through the benevolence of all these persons.

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12. ¹Help will also be found in a discreet and moderate use of the favors granted by the Apostolic See, by seeking with all sincerity nothing else than the aid of souls. For through this God our Lord will carry forward what he has begun;²and the fragrance arising from the genuineness of the good works will increase the benevolent desire of others to avail themselves of the Society’s aid and to help the Society for the end which it seeks, the glory and service of his Divine Majesty.

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13. ¹It will also be helpful that attention should be devoted to the preservation of the health of the individual members See C-827, as was stated in Part III;²and finally, that all should apply themselves to the observance of the Constitutions. For this purpose they must know them, at least those which pertain to each one. Therefore each one should read or hear them every month.⁶

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C. ¹For this purpose it is expedient that attention should be given to having the houses and colleges in healthy locations with pure air and not in those characterized by the opposite. A.M.D.G.