International Servite Schools' Network

Constitutions OSM

1 - THE SERVANT OF MARY.

1. The Order of Friar Servants of Mary, which arose as an expression of evangelical apostolic life, is a community of men gathered together in the name of Jesus the Lord. Moved by the Spirit, we commit ourselves, as did our First Fathers, to witness the Gospel in fraternal communion and to be at the service of God and all the people, drawing abiding inspiration from Mary, Mother and Servant of the Lord.

2. This commitment, rooted in baptismal consecration and expressed in religious profession, is freely undertaken by us in order to fulfill the commandment of love.

It entails a constant effort to conform ourselves to Christ who came to serve and give his life for all and who revealed that all are children of the same Father and brothers and sisters to one another.
Formation must take place within a community chosen for this purpose and seriously committed to offering a concrete witness to fraternal life which is the basis for the formation of the Servant of Mary.

3. Faithful to the Spirit of the Church of apostolic times and the Rule of Saint Augustine, in our communities we live with one heart and one mind in prayer, listening to the word of God and breaking the eucharistic bread and the bread earned by our own labour in watchful expectation of the Lord who is coming.
United by love and sustained by mutual esteem, we put in common our goods, hopes and activities and we make our decisions fraternally according to the norms of universal and proper law.
True to the mendicant inspiration of our Order, we follow the Gospel by living as pilgrims in the insecurity of this world and we make ourselves available to go wherever our service impels us.

4. Our common vocation as Servant does not exclude a plurality of forms. In their search for God, some communities give greater attention to the contemplative aspects of our life; others dedicate themselves to various apostolic services; still others adapt their manner of living to the demands of new situations. These forms are all expressions of the life through which we strive to establish an active presence of the church in the world and to witness consecrated love for Christ and for all men and women.

5. The sharing of life and goals creates among our Communities manifold relationship which unite them in a wider fraternity and in respect for persons and local autonomy.

Urged on by charity and these mutual bonds, our communities assist each other, collaborate in apostolic activities and organize themselves in such a way that their work is co-ordinated and effective. They loyally carry out what has been mutually agreed upon.
Many religious congregations and lay groups, inspired by the ideal of the Servants, have grown up around our communities. Others already in existence, attracted by this same ideal, have associated themselves with the Order. While each group is a unique expression of lay or consecrated life, all participate in our common vocation. We maintain relationships of spiritual and apostolic co-operation with them.

6. In order to serve the Lord and their brothers and sisters, the Servants have dedicated themselves from their origin to the Mother of God, the Blessed One of the Most High.
They have turned to her on their pilgrimage to Christ and in their task of proclaiming him to the world. From the fiat of the lowly Servant of the Lord, they have learned to receive the word of God and to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit. From the participation of the mother in the redemptive mission of her Son, the Suffering Servant of the Lord, they have learned to understand and alleviate human suffering.
The Servants have honoured Saint Mary as their Lady with particular acts of reverence: greeting her with the Angelic Salutation at the beginning of community gatherings; offering her the traditional homage of the Vigil; dedicating their Churches to Her; celebrating her feasts with solemnity and honouring her memory on Saturday and at the close of each day.

7. Faithful to our vocation of service we seek to understand the significance of the Virgin Mary for the modern world.
Brothers to everyone, we journey together to achieve a more intense communion of love. Sensitive to the needs of the Church, we seek to know more about Mary, God's Mother and ours, and her mission in the mystery of salvation. Seeing in her the "most excellent fruit of redemption," we energetically support individuals and society in their struggle to be free. Aware of division among Christians, we do all that we can so that the Daughter of Zion become a symbol of unity for all. To insecure, we propose as a model of the confidence of God's children, the humble woman who placed all her hope in the Lord.
Our communities are to bear witness to the human and evangelical values seen in Mary and to the devotion the Church offers her. They will express their Marian piety by drawing on practices proper to our living tradition or by creating others which flow from renewed service to the Virgin.

2 - THE COMMUNITY.

8. Our communities are formed of persons who have chosen the way of life of the Servants of Mary and want to live in fraterna communion and mutual esteem in order to achieve the perfect dignity and freedom of the children of God and dedicate them-selves in love to the service of others.

9. We are all Servants and that is that what we call ourselves. We all have the same dignity inasmuch as we are brothers and we are all equal. This equality excludes titles of honour but does admit of that precedence required by charity, mutual respect and the recognition of each one's responsibilities.

10. We are loyal to the community in good times and in bad. Within community we strive for brotherly friendship by giving of ourselves and accepting one another with each one's talents and limitations.

11. We who have chosen celibacy for the Kingdom of God must find in fraternity a support and environment conducive to the harmonious development of ourselves as persons and to fidelity to our choice of perfect chastity.

12. Obedience to the word of God living in the Church animates the life of the community as it strive constantly to discern the will of God for itself and for each of the brothers.

13. Obedience, fidelity to our commitment to live the evangelical life in community, is also achieved by observing these Constitutions in the spirit of the Rule of Saint Augustine.

14. In imitation of Christ, we serve one another as brothers. We carry out with a sense of responsibility the commitments we hav assumed together.

15. In order to ensure our progressive integration into community and safeguard our development as persons, each friar must be assured a degree of stability in the same community and continuity in a given type of work.

In every assignment:
a) the good of the friar and community is to be borne in mind, as well as the needs of the Province, Vicariate, Order, Church;
b) The friar himself is to be consulted;
c) Friars and communities should be mindful that our common search for the will
of God, our commitment to obedience and our characteristic itinerancy require that every friar be available and ready for any change of assignment.

16. a) In order to foster the prayer, study and work of the brothers, the community will create an atmosphere of reflective quiet in the house and establish times and places in which silence is more carefully observed. b) For the same purpose, the conventual chapters will deter-mine what place must be reserved exclusively for the friars. It will also establish norms for the use of the media consistent with the nature and style of religious life.

17. To achieve a richer and more authentic service and maintain harmony in community, each of us is to acknowledge the values proper to different ages and different temperaments. We are to respect each other's conscience and personal opinions and consider the inevitable tensions which arise as signs of life and opportunities for mutual enrichment.

18. The community is to care for his elderly and sick brothers and give them the assurance that they are loved and that they may work according to their capacity. It will provide appropriate medical care and show each one personal attention. In the case of serious illness, the community must be solicitous in providing the comfort of the anointing of the sick and Viaticum.

19. Commitment to community life does not weaken but rather strengthens our love for our families. Our relationships with them are to be marked by gratitude and we are to welcome them warmly so that they understand that they are part of our family.

20. Commitments which affect the whole community are to be taken on by the community. Commitments of individual friars that have a certain importance or are of an enduring nature are also to be taken on with the consent of the conventual chapter, which is to respect, as much as possible, the freedom and initiative of each individual.

21. Every friar is to reside in his assigned priory. He must be a member of a community even when his apostolic work, studies or other serious reason prevent him from living with his brothers.

22. If a friar leaves the Order, we will continue to treat him as a brother, so that he will know that his relationship with the Order is a good of which he is not deprived.

23. Our communities, united by a common vocation, are grouped into provinces and vicariates which together constitute the Order. a) All communities have the same dignity, and all are called to work together in solving common problems.

b) The relationships among communities, vicariates, provinces and the Order should be marked by understanding of respective needs, acceptance of inevitable shortcomings and generosity in making the sacrifices which collaboration requires.

3 - PRAYER.

24. Living as we do in a community of faith, every activity undertaken in the Spirit intensifies our loving Communion with God. Nevertheless, following the teaching and example of the Lord we recognize that prayer is a means and a leaven for developing this communion and a source and essential expression of our personal and community life.
The Virgin, creation's sublime model of prayerfulness is for us , her Servants, a support and guide in our life of prayer. Following the tradition of the Order, we turn to her and ask her merciful intercession so that she accompany and sustain our prayer.
a) Among the various forms of prayer, liturgy is the sacred action surpassing all others. For liturgical celebration we gather together with the laity: in the liturgy we meet Christ, present and acting with his saving power, we imbibe his Spirit and we manifest the real nature of the Church in pilgrimage.
The celebration of the Eucharist, sign of unity and bond of charity, is the center of our worship; in this celebration we proclaim and make present the Pascal mystery of Christ until he come again.
b) In imitation of the Virgin, we wish to live listening to the word of God, remaining always attentive to its summons in our hearts, in other people, in events and in all creation. This attitude will enable us to discover the signs of the times and to be faithful to those values which the Church in her prophetic mission must proclaim and bring about.
c) Prayer, when offered together, contributes to our mutual growth in perfection, unites us to others in our search for God and gradually intensifies our communion with them. This communion, who transcends space and time, will find its fulfillment in the final coming of the Kingdom of God.

25. Our communities enter fully into the life of the local Church; in celebrations proper to the Order they use the Servite liturgical books. They also promote the creation of authentic liturgical forms, taking into account pastoral directives and the cultural and traditions of the people.

26. Liturgical celebrations should correspond to the real circumstances of the community and people with regard to schedule, language, attention to the needs of the faithful and the fostering of active participation.

27. Faithful to our traditions, we celebrate the following as family feats both in the liturgy and in other fraternal ways:

a) The principal liturgical feast of our Lady, the major Marian feasts of the local Church, and those moments of the liturgical year when we recall the sorrowful Virgin who, as participant in the mission of the Suffering Servant of the Lord, has been associated in his glory;
b) The memory of our Seven First Fathers, of our brothers and sisters venerated by the Church, of Saint Joseph and Saint Augustine.

28. a) With previous agreement on the frequency of the community Mass, each of us is to participate actively in it according to his personal gifts and ministry in such a way that the unity of the celebration and the variety of charisms are manifested. b) On days when the community Mass is not celebrated, the friars, in accord with the custom of the Order, will participate in the Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life, in order to derive grace and strength for the daily service.

29. We come together each day to praise the Lord by celebrating the liturgy of the hours in the manner and the times determined by the conventual Chapter. On certain occasions we may creatively use other prayer forms which reflect both the spirit of the liturgy and the needs of the community.

30. When celebrating the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, we shall remember the needs of the Church and the Order at the intercessions. We shall pray for all the brothers and sisters especially those in position of leadership, the sick, vocations, and all those who support our apostolic service with their sacrifices.

31. Since we share in the longings and unrest of others in our service, we must discover that the quiet of our rooms is an aid for knowing ourselves, for freeing ourselves of selfishness and for acquiring that love for God and creation which is the goal of our religious journey.

a) The community is to assure each member sufficient time each day for prayer, study, and at least half hour of meditation on the word of God.
b) It will be our responsibility to plan together days and longer periods of recollection free from our normal tasks. Even when such days and periods are held within the community , sisters and laity who wish to participate should be warmly welcomed.
c) Each of us should be faithful to making an annual retreat and be encouraged to undertake periods of spiritual renewal as his duties permit. d) Every friar should greatly esteem the tradition of daily recitation of the rosary of Our Lady of Sorrow.

32. We show our love for a deceased brother by imploring the Lord's mercy for him. a) The prior or vicar provincial will immediately send the prior general a brief biography of the deceased brother; the prior general, in turn, will send it to all the communities.
b) On the day of burial, the friars of his community and those of neighbouring communities shall gather around him to pray for light and peace with the celebration of the Eucharist, the Rite of Final Commendation and Farewell and the Liturgy of the Hours or other prayers inspired by hope in the Resurrection.
c) When the other communities of the Order receive notice of a brother's death, the friars gather together to offer the eucharistic sacrifice and to celebrate the liturgy of the Hours or recite other prayers determined by common accord.
d) When other members of the Servite Family die, we should be present as brothers to their communities or families, and offer prayers for them.

33. a) Each year, with the Eucharist and liturgy of the hours, we celebrate the anniversary of all the deceased of our family: friars, sisters, parents, relatives, lay associates and benefactors.
b) In our intercessory prayers, we shall make frequent mention of our deceased.

4 - THE CHAPTER.

34. The chapter is a meeting of all the friars of the community. It brings about the presence of the Lord promised to the disciples gathered in his name, and expresses their communion of life.

35. In Chapter the community studies those human and religious issues which intensify its fraternity and apostolic collaboration; it plans its activities and deals with practical problems; and it makes decisions in accordance with the Constitutions in those matters which do not come under the decision making authority of the prior either on his own or with the vote of his council.

36. The community in chapter also examines its fidelity to the gospel and the Constitutions. In particular, it examines the adequacy of its response to the needs of others, the Church and the Order, the authenticity of its witness and its use of material goods according to the spirit of poverty.

37. The chapter meets regularly, with the frequency that it determines, and whenever particular circumstances require it.

38. The prior convokes the chapter and makes known the agenda in advance so that all may prepare themselves adequately. Any friar may request the convocation of the chapter and place items he thinks opportune on the agenda.

39. With the community's consent, the prior may invite guests and those who work with us to the chapter. For the discussion of particular topics, he should arrange for the participation of experts.

40. The prior and each friar are to conform to the mind of the chapter and carry out its decisions loyally.

41. Vicarial, provincial and general chapter are particularly fruitful events in the life of the Order. The friars bring to Chapter the benefit of diverse experiences and voice of personal and local needs; they examine and plan common endeavors with a sense of personal responsibility and responsibility towards the brothers they represent.

42. Inter-provincial and provincial meetings as well as meetings of neighbouring communities or those involved in similar activities should be encouraged in order to bring about deeper knowledge of one another and fraternal communion, greater collaboration and common renewal.

5 - THE PRIOR.

43. The prior, the first among the brothers, has the primary responsibility for the community. Mindful that in carrying out his duties and exercising his authority he must bear witness to Christ who came "not to be served but to serve" and so that his own might have more abundant life, the prior fulfils his mandate as a service, in love, to the individual friars and to the community.

44. The prior presides over community life, seeking to stimulate the interest and consent of all the friars in the solution of common problems in order to achieve the greatest possible co-operation, but his authority to decide and prescribe what must be done remains intact. In urgent situations when he must decide alone, he should act with prudence and as the representative of the community.

45. a) in communities of fifteen or more of solemn professed friars, the prior will have a council elected by the conventual chapter. The directory will determine the cases in which the council must give its consent or opinion for the prior to act validly.
b) The directory will determine the number of councillors.

46. The prior should promote common life and continuing fraternal dialogue by word and example. He is to avoid any singularity that might separate him from the other brothers.

47. The prior should support the individual friars in their religious commitment, taking into account each one's capabilities and duties. He should stand with them in their difficulties and help them all to achieve their full stature in Christ.

48. The prior should be ready to receive and listen to all the friars. He should be sensitive to those who need care and attention and be particularly mindful of the seriously ill.

49. The prior should correct and, in a fraternal way, help those who fail in their responsibilities. He himself should accept the suggestions and corrections of the brothers.

50. The friars are bound to obey the prior by collaborating loyally with him so that the service of the community will be done in a common spirit.

51. Vicars and priors provincial and the prior general preside respectively over vicariates, provinces and the Order. They render this service in a fraternal spirit in order to instill confidence and courage in each friar and community for their religious journey. The friars should support those who preside with respect and a readiness to serve, recognizing how demanding and difficult their task is.

6 - FORGIVENESS AND FRATERNAL CORRECTION.

52. In our journey towards perfect charity, we fall and make mistakes because of human weakness. For this reason, in our relationships we should live according to the Lord's admonitions: "Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate; forgive and you will be forgiven." Compassion is recognized as a characteristic of the Servants, who continue in their life the example of the Mother of God.

53. Mindful of the Lord's presence among us, we must love and esteem one another and bear one another's burdens. For this reason we shall avoid all malicious talk as a serious obstacle to fraternal life.

54. If one of us thinks that the brother is in error, ordinarily he should speak first with him. Should it prove necessary, he will explain the situation to the prior and, if need be, to the community.

55. When we as community have to examine a brother's conduct, we shall proceed with impartiality and charity, remembering the words of Jesus: "Take the plank out of your eye first and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother's eye."

56. We should surround a guilty brother with love, realizing that often a person falls because he is not supported by our love and understanding.

7 - WITNESS TO EVANGELICAL POVERTY.

57. Work, the sharing of goods and a moderate style of life constitute the witness to poverty voluntarily undertaken by Servite communities. a) By our daily work, we share the lot of all men and women, collaborate in the creative work of the Father and associate ourselves with the redemptive work of Christ.
b) Since we have chosen to follow the poor Christ and to live in fraternal communion, we are committed to placing all our energies, our abilities, our time and the fruit of our labour at the service of the community and others. This sharing of goods fosters interior freedom and enables us to live the spirit of the beatitudes.
c) The simplicity of our life-style, insofar as it removes whatever sets us apart from others, allows us to enter into communion with those we are called to serve and become one with them in Christ Jesus.

58. We shall express real solidarity with those friars who may be called by the Spirit to live with the very poor and to share their plight and anxieties.

59. Each of us must live with the awareness that our daily bread, while being the gift of the Providence, must also be the fruit of our own work.

60. As a community and as individuals, we are bound to offer concrete service in the locality in which we live. Hence, we shall be sensitive to the needs of our times and promote those forms of Christian life sought by our contemporaries. To the extent possible, each friar should be provided with the means necessary for his work.

61. After consulting the chapter, the prior will see that the friars of his community have days and periods of rest.

62. Aware that it is administering God's gifts, the community will uses what it possesses for the service of its own brothers, as well for the needs of the province, the Order and the poor. The friar should use possessions with care and detachment, not creating superfluous needs.

63. As a sign of our consecration and poverty, all will wear the habit of the Order, which consists of the tunic, belt, scapular and cowl.

8 - MEALS.

64. We participate at the common table with joy and simplicity of heart considering it, together with liturgical prayer and the chapter, one of the expressions which most nourish our fraternal life.

65. We express gratitude to God for our food with prayers appropriate to the liturgical season and the particular circumstances of the community.

66. Meals should be simple but sufficient; special care should be given to the sick; serving should be shared fraternally.

67. Guest should normally be invited to eat with us and, when opportune, those who work with us. The conventual chapter shall establish norms in this matter.

9 - HOSPITALITY.

68. Hospitality expresses a friar's love for the Son of Man who presents himself in the guise of a stranger. It is one of the ways in which we accomplish our service and communion with others.

69. The community should receive guests with simplicity and respect and offer them the possibility of participating in its life of prayer.

70. The community should concur in accepting persons who ask to share its fraternal life either temporarily or permanently, in accord with the procedure arranged with the provincial council.

10 - PENANCE AND CONVERSION.

71. Following the teaching of the Lord, we recognize in penance a permanent value for our life and a necessary means for gradual transformation from the " old self" to a "new creation".
In monastic tradition penance-conversion consists in the radical and constant orientation of the community and individuals toward the newness of Christ and in the choice of means to achieve this.
For us Servants, following the example of our First Fathers and the tradition of the Order, penance consist above all in charity understood as service to one another and in the experience of community life lived with sincere and generous commitment.

7. . Some penitential observances offered us by the Lord and the Church represent special times and signs of our radical orientation: frequent reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, daily examination of conscience, works of mercy, fasting, silence and other ascetical practices.
Every community will observe the penitential days and sea-sons of the Church and any additional times established by common accord.
Each friar, then, will undertake penitential practices according to the prompting of the Spirit and his own inclination so that the words of the Apostles are fulfilled in each of us: " Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

11 - THE MISSION OF THE SERVANT OF MARY.

73. Urged by the grace of Baptism, the stirring of the Holy Spirit and our religious consecration, we Servants of Mary set out to live and witness Christian love. Desiring to express the charism of the Order, we give ourselves in service to others and so prolong the active presence of the Mother of Jesus in the History of Salvation.

74. As the Son was sent by God the Father to gather those who were divided into the unity of brothers and sisters, so our Order, a community of brothers in Christ, is sent to extend its fraternity to the people of today who are divided by reason of age, nationality, race, religion, wealth and education. For this reason, the Order takes its place in society, works in the midst of the world, shares in its hopes and sorrows and helps it discover the value and full significance of human life and achievement.

75. As brothers united in community of life in the name of the Lord, we are a sign of the union of all persons in Christ. There-fore:

a) The community will take on commitments of apostolic service and plan their implementation together with all those who will be called to participate in their realisation.
b) The community will prefer group work and will strive to collaborate with other persons and institutions.
c) The community will help the individual friars to discover and develop their talents. Moreover, it will adequately prepare them for their mission, bearing in mind personal abilities, local needs and the enrichment of community life.
d) Each friar will cooperate responsibly in the work of the community. In order to do this effectively, he must keep himself up-to-date, especially with regard to his own activities.
e) The community will periodically examine the authenticity of its life and apostolic service.

7. . Our Order desires to identify with and respond to the needs of a tormented world in continual transformation. Therefore: a) The community will generously search for positive solutions to the problems of the local Church to which it belongs and of the Church in the other parts of the world. The friars are subject to the authority of the bishops in all that pertains to the care of the faithful, public exercise of divine worship and other works of the apostolate.
b) As a creative apostolic force, the community will look for the most appropriate means for responding to the changing conditions of society. While remaining faithful to our spirit, it will seek and promote new forms of service wherever necessary.
The provincial council will study ways to implement programs which exceed the competence or resources of the local community and, when necessary, it will seek the required authorisation.
c) Every apostolic witness will be carried out with evangelical simplicity, avoiding the pursuit of prestige and privilege. d) The community will offer its apostolic service to all but will show special love for those who are poorest and most needy.

77. Responsive to the demands of the world in which the Church lives and works for the total liberation of the person, we take on the responsibility of promoting justice among all men and women, children of the same Father.

78. Those friars and communities that feel the need to search for expressions of our life that differ from those which already exist, should examine the authenticity of their interior call in meditation and prayer and submit their plan to the competent authorities of the Order from the outset.