The Book of the Foundations
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
THE CONSTITUTIONS
Constitutions For The Sisters
Of The Order Of Our Lady
Of Mount Carmel
Of The Primitive Rule Unrelaxed,
Given By The Most Reverend Father
Fray Juan Bautista Rubeo,
General Of The Said Order,
In The Year 1568. [1]
The Constitutions Contents
1. The divine office. —
2. Rising and chanting. —
3. Communion. —
4. Vespers. —
5. Compline. —
6. Spiritual reading. —
7. Books. —
8. Solitude. —
9. Maintenance of the sisters. —
10. All ownership forbidden. —
11. The habit. —
12. Furniture of the house. —
13. En-closure and visitors. —
14. Visits. —
15. The attendant sister. —
16. Kindred. —
17. Novices. —
18. Poverty. —
19. Lay sisters. —
20. Service of the house. —
21. Special needs. —
22. The infirmary. —
23. Work done by the sisters. —
24. Alms received in the day. —
25. Meals. —
26. No food to be taken between meals. —
27. Recreation. —
28. Rest after recreation. —
29. Particular friendships. —
30. Correction of faults; —
31. Gifts. —
32. Simplicity. —
33. Penances. —
34. The monastery to be poorly built. —
35. The sick and the dead. —
36. Of the prioress. —
37. The sub-prioress and
the keepers of the keys. —
38. The sacristan. —
39. The treasurer and the portresses. —
40. Zelators. —
|
THE ORDER TO BE OBSERVED
IN SPIRITUALS
1. The divine office. —
1.
Let matins be said after nine o'clock,
and
not before,
nor so long after
as not to leave
when they shall have been said
a quarter of an hour
for the examen of conscience
touching the spending of the day.
A signal shall be given for the examen,
and one of the sisters,
appointed by the mother prioress,
shall read in Spanish
the mystery
on which the meditation is to be made
the next day. [2]
The time to be spent herein
shall be such
that precisely at eleven o'clock
a bell shall be rung,
and
the nuns shall withdraw
for the night's rest.
All the nuns must be together in choir
during the time
of the examen and prayer,
and once the office begun
no sister may go out of the choir
without leave.
2. Rising and chanting. —
2.
In summer they are to rise
at five,
and continue in prayer till six;
in winter
at six,
and continue in prayer till seven.
When prayer is over,
the office is to be said
as far as None,
unless it be a holy day,
or the festival of a saint
to whom the sisters have
a special devotion;
then they will stop at Terce,
which they will sing before the mass.
On Sundays and holy days mass,
vespers, and matins are to be sung;
on the holy days of Easter,
or other solemn feasts,
lauds may be sung,
especially on the feast
of the glorious S. Albert.
The singing must never be in harmony,
but in unison, the voices even;
ordinarily the office is to be said,
so also the mass,
for our Lord will be pleased to let us
have a little time to earn
what is necessary for us.
Let every one be careful
never to be absent from choir
for light causes:
when the office has been said,
let them go to their duties in the house.
Mass is to be said
in summer at eight,
in winter at nine.
They, who go to communion,
may remain awhile in the choir.
3. Communion. —
3.
The days of communion are
- all Sundays,
- the feasts
of our Lady and
of our Lord,
of S, Albert and
of S. Joseph,
and
- whatever other days
the confessor may think meet,
according to the devotion and spiritual
state of each sister,
with the leave of the mother prioress.
Communion is to be given also
on the feast-day of the house.
Shortly before dinner signal shall be made
for the examen of conscience
touching what they have been doing
up to that time,
and
the gravest fault they may discover
let them
try to correct, and s
ay one paternoster
to obtain grace from God for that end.
Wherever each one may be at the time,
let her
kneel down and
make her examen briefly. [3]
4. Vespers. —
4.
At two o'clock vespers are to be said,
unless it be Lent,
when they are to be said at eleven:
at the end of vespers,
when said at two o'clock,
let there be spiritual reading for an hour.
In Lent
the hour of spiritual reading is two o'clock,
and
it is understood
that the bell rings for vespers at two.
The vespers,
being those of a feast,
the hour of spiritual reading
must be after compline.
5. Compline. —
5.
Compline
in summer
is to be said at six o'clock
in winter
at five.
At eight,
both in summer and winter,
let the signal be given for silence,
which must be kept strictly
till after prime of the following day:
at all other times
no sister may speak to another
without leave,
except those who are in office,
and then only when necessary.
The prioress grants leave to speak
when she thinks
it will serve to quicken
more and more
the love of the Bridegroom.
If a sister,
being in trouble or temptation,
speaks to another
in order to receive consolation from her,
she may do so:
the prohibition does not extend to
a word,
a question,
or
an answer,
for so much may be done without leave.
6. Spiritual reading. —
6.
The signal for prayer is to be given
an hour before matins:
during this hour of prayer
they may read a spiritual book,
beside the other hour
so to be spent after vespers:
if they find they have the spiritual strength
to spend that hour in prayer,
let them do so
if they see it contributes the more
to recollection.
7. Books. —
7.
Let the mother prioress see
that they have good books — [4]
- the Carthusian,
- Flos Sanctorum,
- Contempus Mundi
- the Oratory of Religious,
- Fray Luis of Granada, or
- Fray Peter of Alcantara;
for this nourishment
is in part as necessary for the soul
as food is for the body.
Every sister must remain,
the whole time she is not
present with the community,
or
discharging the duties
of her office,
either in her cell
or in the hermitage
which the prioress shall have assigned her
as the place of her retreat,
doing some work there,
except on the holy days;
______________________
The whole time she is not
present with the community,
or
discharging the duties
of her office,
every sister must remain,
either in her cell
or in the hermitage
which the prioress shall have assigned her
as the place of her retreat,
doing some work there,
except on the holy days;
_____________________
and in the loneliness of this retreat,
fulfilling that which the rule enjoins,
every sister shall be alone. [5]
8. Solitude. —
8.
No sister may go into the cell of another
without the leave of the prioress.
OF TEMPORALS
9. Maintenance of the sisters. —
9.
They must always live on alms,
having no revenues whatever;
and so long as they can bear it,
there must be no begging;
but they may provide for themselves
by the work of their hands,
as S. Paul did; [6]
for our Lord will furnish them
with what is necessary,
if they do not ask for more,
and are satisfied without comforts;
He will not fail them,
and they will be able to support life;
if they labour with all their might
to please our Lord
His Majesty will take care
that they shall want nothing.
They will earn their bread,
not by any fine work
but by spinning —
not by anything that requires great skill,
lest it should occupy their thoughts
and withdraw them from our Lord;
they must not work in gold or silver,
and
they must not bargain about the price,
but accept at once
what may be offered,
and
if they find that work unprofitable
let them take up some other work.
10. All ownership forbidden. —
10.
The sisters may not have anything
as their own in any way whatever,
nor is that ever to be allowed them,
either for their food or their clothing;
they may not have a box or dish
or drawer or cupboard,
unless they have some office
in the community:
nothing is to be the property
of any one separately,
and everything must be in common.
This is of grave importance,
for it is by little things
the devil is enabled to enter
and destroy the perfection of poverty:
the prioress therefore
must be very careful,
should a sister be attached
to anything,
whether it be a book or cell
or anything else,
to take it away from her.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Should a sister be attached to anything,
whether it be a book or cell or anything else,
the prioress therefore must be very careful,
to take it away from her.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11. The habit. —
11 .
They must keep a fast
from the feast of the Exaltation
of the Cross, in September,
till Easter Day, Sundays excepted.
They are never to eat meat
except in cases of necessity,
according to the rule. [7]
The habit is to be
of frieze or some coarse cloth,
dark in colour,
without any ornament;
and as little stuff as possible
is to be used in it,
with sleeves,
not large,
nor wider at the wrists
than at the shoulder;
it must be
without plaits,
round,
not longer behind than in front,
and
reaching to the feet.
The scapular is to be
made of the same stuff,
but shorter than the habit by four inches;
the mantle to be worn in choir is to be
of the same material,
white in colour,
of the same length with the scapular,
and
as little stuff to be used in it as possible,
due regard being had
to what is necessary.
12. Furniture of the house. —
12.
The coifs must be
of coarse linen,
not plaited;
the tunics of serge,
the sheets also;
the sandals of hemp,
and for decency stockings,
but of frieze or hempen cloth;
the pillows must be of serge,
unless necessity requires it
to be otherwise,
when they may be made of coarse linen;
there must be no feather beds,
but only straw mattresses.
They,
who are neither strong nor healthy,
have tried it,
and these things can be dispensed with.
There are to be
no curtains of any kind
except in cases of necessity,
and then only a matting of rushes
or a door-screen,
which may be either a blanket of sackcloth
or any thing of that kind,
but it must be poor.
Each nun is to have her own separate cell:
there are to be
no carpets
except in the church,
nor cushions to sit upon.
All this belongs to the order,
and must be observed:
it is spoken of thus distinctly
because when laxness begins
we forget
what the order and our obligations demand.
There shall be nothing in colours,
either in their dress
or on their bed,
even if only so trifling a thing
as a bandage.
They are never to use sheepskins,
and if any one be unwell
she may have a gown of frieze.
They must wear their hair close cut,
that they may waste no time
in dressing it:
they must have nothing about them
of fine workmanship,
but everything must show
a disregard of self
OF ENCLOSURE
13. Enclosure and visitors. —
13.
No nun may appear unveiled
before anyone,
except a father or mother or brother or sister,
unless it be for some purpose,
and then only before persons who
edify us rather,
and
help us in our practices of prayer,
for spiritual consolation,
not for recreation.
A third person must be always present,
except when matters
relating to the soul
are discussed.
The key
of the grating and
of the enclosure door
must be kept by the prioress,
and whenever
the physician or
the surgeon, or
any other person necessary
for the house, or
the confessor,
comes in,
two nuns must always go forward
before him;
and
when a sick sister makes her confession
the nun in attendance must stand
out of the way,
yet not out of sight,
but she must not speak
to the confessor herself
unless it be in answer to a question
put to her by him.
The novices,
no less than the professed,
may receive visitors,
- that it may be known
if they are at all discontented
— for we do not aim
at keeping them
except with their full consent —
and
- that they may have an opportunity
of making known their discontent
if they are not perfectly willing
to remain,
14. Visits. —
14.
They are to have nothing to say
about matters of this world,
and
they are not to converse about them,
unless it be on occasions
when they can
- help those who come
to them to speak about them,
and
- establish them in the way of truth,
or
- console them
in any of their troubles.
If those, who visit them,
aim at no good herein,
let them put an end to the conversation
at once,
as they are directed to do:
it being of great importance
- that they who visit us
should derive some good
from their visit,
without any waste of time,
and
- that we too should
have some profit thereby.
15. The attendant sister. —
15.
The nun in waiting
must see that this is observed,
for she is bound to tell the prioress
if it is not,
and
whenever she does not tell
she must undergo the same penance
which she has to undergo
who has transgressed.
Let her have two warnings,
and for the third offence
let her remain
for nine days in the prison,
and on the third day
submit to the discipline
in the refectory,
for it is a matter of great concern
in religion.
16. Kindred. —
16.
Let them avoid all converse
with their kindred
as much as they can,
for their interests will
- make a great impression on them,
and thereby
- make it difficult for them to refrain
from talking about worldly affairs.
Let them be very careful in conversing
with those who are in the world,
though they be their kindred:
if they do,
it must be very rarely,
and
the conversation must be soon ended.
OF THE RECEIVING OF NOVICES
17. Novices. —
17.
Great care must be taken
that they,
whom they receive,
be persons who
give themselves to prayer,
and
aim at all perfection and contempt
of the world;
for if they are not detached
from the world
when they come
they will hardly bear
with the observances of the house,
and
it is better to look to this beforehand
than to send them away afterwards.
They should be
healthy,
sensible,
able
to recite the office, and
to assist in choir:
let no one be allowed
to make her profession
of whom,
during the year of her novitiate,
it shall not have been ascertained
that she has the temper and the other gifts
necessary for the observances of the order:
if in any one of these
she be found wanting
let her not be suffered
to make her profession,
unless indeed she be
- a great servant of our Lord
and
- useful in the house,
and
- one of whom we might be assured
that she will occasion
no disturbance in it,
and
that it would please our Lord
if we yielded to her holy desires.
If one,
in whom these desires are not strong,
come in,
yet whom we feel
that our Lord is calling to this state,
but who is without the means
of giving anything to the house
in the way of alms,
such an one must not be refused
on that account
as we have never done to this day;
but if she
has anything to give, and
wishes to give it,
and if afterwards for some reason or other
it is not given,
there must be no lawsuit to obtain it,
nor must she on that account
be refused profession.
18. Poverty. —
18,.
Great care must be taken
that interest has no sway in the matter,
lest avarice creep in by degrees,
and thereby the alms to be received
be more thought of
than the goodness and the fitness
of the novice:
this must on no account be done,
for it would be a great evil:
let them always
- keep the poverty they profess
before their eyes
and
- consider that it is not alms
that really uphold the monastery,
but rather faith and
the practice of perfection:
- trust in God alone.
Let this constitution be
- well considered, and
- observed as is fitting,
and
- read to the sisters.
When any one is to be accepted,
it must be with the consent
of the greater number in the house;
so also
when any one is to make her profession.
19. Lay sisters. —
19.
The lay sisters, to be received,
must be
strong, and
such as are known to be willing
to serve our Lord.
Let them remain for a year
without wearing the habit,
- that it may be seen
whether they are such
as ought to be received,
and
- that they themselves may see
whether they can bear the work.
They are not to wear a veil
over their faces,
nor are they to have the black veil,
until at the end of two years
they shall have been professed,
unless their exemplary life should have
justified an abbreviation.
Let them be treated
with all charity and sisterly affection,
and furnished with food and raiment
like the others.
THE HUMBLE OFFICES
20. Service of the house. —
20.
The first on the list of those
who are to sweep the house
is to be the mother prioress,
that in all things
she may give a good example.
Let much be made of those
who have the charge
of the wardrobe and the storeroom.
Let them furnish the sisters in all charity
with what is required for their subsistence,
and
with everything else.
No more must be done
according to the rule
for the prioress and the older nuns
than for any of the others,
but it must be
as the necessities and the age
of each demand,
and necessity should be regarded
rather than age, [8]
for very often
the older the nun
the fewer the wants:
Great attention should be paid to this
in general,
because it is necessary for many reasons.
Let no sister ever speak of her food,
whether she has little or much,
whether it be well or ill dressed.
Let the prioress or the sister,
who is over the storeroom,
take care that they are content with
whatever our Lord may supply them,
and
let that be well prepared,
so that they may be satisfied
with what He has given them,
seeing that they have nothing else.
21. Special needs. —
21.
The sisters are bound
to make their wants known
to the mother prioress,
the novices
to their mistress,
whether of food or of raiment;
and
if they require anything out of the way,
however great their want may be,
they must in the first place
lay it before our Lord,
because
- nature very often asks
for more than we have need of,
and
- Satan from time to time helps it,
to make us afraid of penance and fasting.
OF THE SICK SISTERS
22. The infirmary. —
22.
Let the sick sisters be tended with
affection,
delicacy, and
tenderness
consistently with our poverty,
and
let them give thanks to our Lord
when they are well provided for;
and
if they want anything
to lighten their pain
which the wealthy have in sickness
they must not be less cheerful
on this account,
for they came among us
resolved to bear it,
for to be poor is to be in want,
perhaps in the greatest necessity.
The mother prioress must
take great care of this,
for the nuns who are well
must give up
what is necessary for themselves
before certain delicacies should be
withheld from the sick.
The sick are to be
visited by the sisters and
consoled;
an infirmarian is to be placed over them,
possessed of
the strength and
the charity
requisite for the discharge of her duty;
and
the sick sisters must then strive
to show the perfection
they have gained when in health,
by
patience
and the
asking for the fewest things possible;
when the sickness is not great
let them be obedient to the infirmarian,
- that she might profit,
and
- that they may
-- merit, by the illness,
and
-- edify the sisters.
Let them
have the use of linen and
be treated with all charity.
23. Work done by the sisters. —
23.
No task-work must be laid on the sisters,
and
each should contrive to work,
that all may eat.
Consider carefully the prescription
in the rule, [9]
that she,
who would eat,
must work,
as S. Paul did.
If any one, of her own will,
undertake a certain work,
and to finish it daily,
she may do so,
but if the work be not finished
no penance is to be given
for the failure.
24. Alms received in the day. —
24.
Every day, after supper or collation,
when the sisters are all together,
the nun of the turn shall declare
- what alms had been received
during the day,
- with the names of the givers,
that the sisters may be careful
to remember them
in their prayers unto God.
25. Meals. —
25.
As for dinner we cannot be regular,
because that must be as our Lord gives.
When we have anything to eat,
the meal shall be in winter at eleven,
and in summer
the signal for it shall be given at ten.
Before sitting down to eat,
if our Lord inspires a sister
to do an act of mortification,
let her ask leave,
and
let not this good practice be lost,
out of which some profit is derived;
but it must be quickly done,
so that it shall not be in the way
of the reading.
26. No food to be taken
between meals. —
26.
No sister may eat or drink
without leave
except at dinner or supper.
27. Recreation. —
27.
When they come out from dinner,
the mother prioress may dispense
with silence,
that they may talk all together
- of anything they like;
- only it must be about things
a good religious may speak of,
and
let each of them have
her distaff and her work.
All games are forbidden,
for our Lord will enable
some of the sisters to amuse the others.
Let them be all together at recreation,
for that is time well spent.
28. Rest after recreation. —
28.
Let them strive
not to be wearisome one to another,
but their words and their merry sayings
must be in discretion.
When the hour of recreation is over,
they may sleep for another hour in summer,
and she who does not sleep
must keep silence.
After compline and collation,
in summer and winter,
as it is said before,
the mother may dispense with silence,
and the sisters may speak all together,
each, as before,
having her own work;
and
the length of the recreation shall be
at the discretion of the mother prioress.
29. Particular friendships. —
29.
No sister may embrace another
or touch her face or her hands.
There must be no particular friendships,
but all must address themselves
to all in general
as Jesus Christ commanded His Apostles;
it will be easy for them to do so,
because they are so few.
Let them earnestly
regard their Bridegroom,
who for us gave His life.
To love one another all alike
is a matter of great importance.
30. Correction of faults; —
30.
A sister may not correct another
for faults she may see her commit;
if the faults be grave
let her remind her of them charitably
when they are alone,
and if no amendment follow
after three admonitions
let her speak to the mother prioress.
There are correctors of faults
who must look to this:
let the others
be easy, and
bear with what they see;
let them
look to their own faults,
and
meddle not with those
which are committed
in the discharge of the duties
of the house,
unless it be something grave,
which, as we have just said,
they are under obligations to observe.
Let them be very careful
never to defend themselves
when found fault with,
unless it be on occasions
on which it is necessary,
for they will make great progress
thereby.
The correctors of faults must be
very careful to mark
what is done amiss,
and,
by order of the prioress,
at times
give the correction in public,
though it be
by the younger to the elder nuns,
in order to try their humility;
and therefore
let no sister make answer,
though she be blameless.
31. Gifts. —
31.
No sister may give or receive anything,
even from father or mother
without leave of the prioress,
to whom must be taken
whatever is received as alms.
32. Simplicity. —
32.
Neither the prioress
nor any of the sisters
may be ever addressed as ' madam.'
33. Penances. —
33.
The punishment
for faults and shortcomings herein
— for everything is according
to the rule —
shall be the penances laid down
at the end of these constitutions
for the lighter and more grievous faults;
and
the mother prioress may dispense,
according as she shall judge it
to be right to do so,
prudently and charitably,
and
she may not bind them
to perform the penance
under pain of sin,
unless it be in a grave matter.
34. The monastery to be poorly built. —
34.
There shall be
no adornment of the house,
but only of the church,
nor shall there be anything costly
about it.
It shall be made of coarse material,
small in size
with low rooms
— a house to satisfy wants,
without anything unnecessary:
let it be
as strong as it can be made,
surrounded by a high wall,
and
let it have a field
wherein to make hermitages
into which the nuns may withdraw
for prayer,
as our holy fathers used to do.
OF THE SICK AND THE DEPARTED
35. The sick and the dead. —
35.
The Sacraments must be administered
according to the ritual for the dead;
for the funeral rites and
the burial vespers
are to be said with a Missa Cantata
(Blog note: 'Sung Mass' (Latin)
and
if possible
let the Masses of St. Gregory be said [10]
and
if that cannot be,
let the whole convent say
the Office of the Dead.
This for the nuns of the house.
For the other nuns
either the Office of the Dead
or a Missa Cantata.
This for the nuns of the primitive rule.
For the nuns of the mitigation,
the Office of the Dead once. [11]
OF THE SEVERAL DUTIES
OF EACH NUN
36. Of the prioress. —
36.
The duty of the mother prioress is,
- to be very careful
that the rule and constitutions be
in all things kept,
and
- to watch diligently over
the modesty
and
enclosure of the house;
- to see that all the nuns do their duty,
and also
- to provide for their wants,
both spiritually and temporally;
- to be loved with the love of a mother,
in order to be obeyed.
The prioress is to appoint
a portress and
a sacristan,
nuns
whom she can trust,
and
whom she may remove
whenever she pleases,
lest it should give occasion
for making offices perpetual.
To the other offices in the house,
the prioress appoints,
but not to that of sub-prioress,
who,
with the keepers of the keys,
is to be elected by the nuns.
These must be able
to write and
to keep accounts,
at least two of them,
37. The sub-prioress and
the keepers of the keys. —
37.
The mother sub-prioress is
- to have the care of the choir
for her charge,
- to see that the singing
and reciting of the Divine Office
is performed with the proper pauses.
This must be well looked to.
In the absence of the prioress,
she will
- take her place,
- be constantly with the community,
- correct the faults made
in choir and refectory,
when the prioress is not present.
The keepers of the keys
are to render their accounts
- month by month
- to the treasurer
- in the presence of the prioress,
who
-- must take their opinion
in grave matters,
and
-- have a chest with three keys
for the deeds and the funds
of the convent
one of which
the prioress is to hold,
and
the other two
the two senior keepers of the keys.
38. The sacristan. —
38.
The duty of the sacristan is
- to take care of everything
belonging to the church,
and
- to see that all things therein
for the service of our Lord
are reverently and cleanly kept:
she is to see
- that the nuns go orderly to confession,
and
- that they do not fail to do so,
unless they have leave,
under pain of grave fault
— unless it be
that they are going to confession
to some one appointed
for the purpose.
39. The treasurer and the portresses. —
39.
The duty
of the treasurer and
of the first portress,
who are one and the same,
- is to buy for the house
whatever may be necessary for it,
if our Lord from time to time
supplies the means;
- to speak gently to edification
at the turn, and
- charitably regard the necessities
of the sisters ;
- to keep an account in writing
of the expenditure and receipts;
- when buying anything for the house,
not to bargain,
but on being twice told the price
to take it or leave it.
She is
- to let no sister go
without leave to the grating;
- to call the second portress to the turn
when she herself has to go to the parlour;
- never to tell anyone
what goes on there,
except the prioress:
- not to give letters to anybody
but to her,
who is to read them first;
- never to give a message to anybody,
nor to send one out,
without first telling the prioress of it,
under pain of grave fault.
40. Zelators. —
40.
The correctors of faults
— for theirs is an important office —
must be careful
- to observe the faults committed,
and
- to tell the prioress of them,
as before.
41. Mistress of novices. —
41.
The mistress of novices must be a nun
of great prudence, prayer, and spirituality:
she must be careful to
- read the constitutions to the novices,
and
- teach them all they have to do
in the observances of the house,
as well as
in their mortifications;
and
greater stress must be laid
on what is inward
than on what is outward.
She must have from them every day
an account
- of their progress in prayer,
and
- of their meditation
on the mystery assigned them,
and
- of the profit
they have derived therefrom;
she must teach them
- how to make use of that profit,
and
- how to demean themselves
in times of dryness,
and
- how to go onwards
in subduing their own will,
even if only in trifles.
Let her,
who is mistress of novices,
see that she neglects nothing,
for her work is
- to bring up souls
in whom our Lord may dwell.
Let her
- treat them tenderly and lovingly,
- never surprised at their shortcomings,
for they must advance step by step,
and
let her mortify every one of them,
according to her judgment
of what the spiritual state
of each can bear:
let her think
more of failure in goodness
than of severity in penance.
Let the prioress give orders
that one of the sisters help her
in teaching them to read.
42. Manifestation of the interior state. —
42.
Let all the sisters,
once in each month,
give the prioress
- an account of their progress
in the way of prayer
— how our Lord
is leading them on —
for if they are not on the right road
His Majesty will give her light
to guide them:
the doing of which is
an act of humility
and
a mortification.
To produce much fruit,
it must be done willingly by her subjects.
43. The prioress may be mistress
of novices. —
43.
When the prioress shall see
that there is no nun qualified
to be mistress of novices
she must
- be mistress herself, and
- undertake that duty,
which is so important
and
- bid one of her sisters help her.
44. Hours of prayer, —
44.
When any sister,
having duties to fulfill,
shall be hindered
from making her prayer
during the hour set apart for it
let her take another hour
during which she shall be less occupied;
that is to say,
an hour
during which,
or
during the greater part of which,
she may be able
to give the time to prayer.
45. Alms. —
45.
Any alms
our Lord may give us in money
shall be always placed forthwith
in the chest of three keys,
unless it be a small sum,
which the nun
who has received it
may give to one
of the keepers of the keys,
and every night
before the signal for silence is given,
she must give a minute account
to the prioress,
or
to the keeper of the keys
already mentioned;
and
the account given,
let the whole of the alms
be entered in one sum
in the book kept for that end
in the convent,
that it may be accounted for
to the visitor every year.
OF FAULTS
46. Chapter of faults. —
46.
The chapter of faults is to be held,
according to the Rule,
once in each week;
the faults of the sisters are
to be corrected with charity.
The sisters must always
come to the chapter fasting,
and then,
when the signal is given and
the nuns are all assembled in chapter,
she,
whose office is that of reader
shall,
on a sign from the prioress
or the president,
read the constitutions
and the rule.
The reader shall say
'Jube, Domine benedicere'
( Blog Note: 'Lord, grant me Thy blessing')
She, who holds the chapter, shall answer,
'Regularibus disciplinis nos instituere
digneris Magister caelestis';
(Blog note: Rough translation
'Instruct us
by standard / principles education
in determining
(what is fitting / worthy /
deserved/suitable ),
Heavenly Lord'. )
and all the nuns,
'Amen'.
Then let the mother prioress,
if it seem good to her
to say a few words
either as to the reading
or on the correction of the sisters,
say before beginning,
'Benedicite'
and
the sisters,
'Dominus',
prostrating themselves,
and so remaining till bidden to rise.
Then when they have risen,
let them return to their places;
the novices and lay sisters are to begin,
and then the elder sisters,
who are to
- come two and two
into the middle of the chapter-room,
and
- tell their open faults and shortcomings
to the president;
first of all,
the novices and lay sisters
should be dismissed,
with those who have
neither voice
nor seat in the chapter,
47. Accusation of others. —
47.
The sisters may not speak in chapter
except
- to tell
their own or
a sister's faults
simply,
or
- in answer to a question
from the president.
Let her,
who accuses another,
take care she does not speak
from mere suspicion.
If any one should do so,
she shall undergo the punishment
due to the fault
of which she has accused her sister;
so also shall it be done to her,
who shall accuse another
of a fault for which she has
already made satisfaction.
Lest evil habits or shortcomings
should be kept secret,
a sister may tell
the mother prioress or the visitor
what she has seen or heard.
She,
who shall accuse another sister falsely,
shall be punished in the same way,
and be obliged further
to make restitution of her good name
to the utmost of her power.
The sister accused
may not answer
unless ordered to do so,
and
then she must answer humbly
'Benedicite';
if she betrays any impatience
in her answer,
then let her have a heavier penance,
according to the discretion
of the president,
when she shall have recovered her temper.
48. Correction of faults. —
48.
The sisters must be careful
not to make known or reveal,
in any way whatever,
the deliberations or the secrets
of the chapter.
No nun may ever make known,
by way of murmuring,
any corrections or decisions made
by the mother in chapter,
for thereby
- disagreements ensue,
- the peace of the convent is destroyed,
and
- the duties of the elders invaded.
Let the mother prioress or the president,
with
the zeal of charity and
the love of justice,
and
without any dissembling,
correct
the faults lawfully,
and
those which shall be clearly
discovered or confessed,
according to what shall be here laid down.
The mother prioress may
soften or shorten the penance
due to a fault
— at least the first,
or the second,
or the third time committed,
if not done maliciously,
but if she finds any sister transgressing
obstinately
or
through an evil habit,
she must
- make the appointed penances heavier,
and
- neither forgive
nor lessen them
without authority from the visitor.
Let the nuns,
who habitually commit
the slight faults,
undergo the penance
of the greater faults,
and
likewise for other faults
let the appointed penances
be made heavier
if' they are committed habitually. [12]
When the faults have been
heard and corrected
let them say the Psalm,
'Deus misereatur'
( Blog Note:
"May God Be Merciful'
Psalm 66?
'May God have mercy on us' )
according to the ritual,
and,
the chapter ended,
let the president say.
'Sit nomen Domini benedictum'
( Blog Note:
'Blessed be the Name of the Lord' )
and the sisters answer,
'Ex hoc nunc et usque in speculum'.
( Blog Note:
'Ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum'.
'From now for all time"
OF SLIGHT FAULTS
49. Of slight faults. —
49.
1. A slight fault is committed
if a sister,
on the signal being given,
delays to prepare herself
with due speed and haste
to come to the choir,
orderly and composedly,
when she ought to do so.
2. If any sister
enters the choir
after the office is begun,
or
reads or chants badly,
or
makes a mistake,
and
does not at once
make an act of humility before all.
3. If any sister through negligence
is without her breviary, or the book
out of which she is to recite.
4. If any sister shall not be ready
with the lesson assigned to her
to read at the proper time.
5. If any sister in choir
makes another laugh.
6. If any sister
makes light of and
does not duly observe
the prostrations,
the bowings,
or
other ceremonies.
7. If any sister causes
any disturbance or noise
in choir, or
in the dormitory or the cell.
8. If any sister shall come late
into the chapter
or the refectory,
or to her work.
9. If any sister shall
be guilty of, or
listen to,
any idle conversation,
or
make a disorderly noise.
10. If any sister
shall handle carelessly
the books or clothing,
or anything
belonging to the monastery,
or
shall break or lose anything used
in the service of the house.
11. If any sister shall eat or drink
without leave from her
who has authority to give it.
12. Let the sisters,
accused of these faults,
or
who accuse themselves
of anything of the kind,
have for their penance given them
- to say a prayer or prayers
according to the nature of their fault,
or
- some act of humility,
or
- silence for a specified time
for having broken the silence
of the order,
or
- abstinence from some kind of food
at some meal of the community.
OF GRAVER FAULTS [13]
50. Of graver faults. —
50.
1. It is a graver fault
if a sister shall not have entered the choir
when the first Psalm is over,
and
whenever they come in late
they must
prostrate themselves,
and so remain
till the mother prioress bids them rise.
2. If any sister presumes to chant or read
in any other than the usual way.
3. If anyone,
not attending to the divine office
with downcast eyes,
shall betray the levity of her spirit.
4. If any one irreverently handles
the ornaments of the altar.
5. If any one
does not come
to the chapter,
to her work,
or
to the sermon,
or
shall be absent
during the common meal.
6. If any one knowingly neglects
a general order.
7. If any one is found careless
in the office assigned her.
8. If any one speaks in chapter
without leave.
9. If any one, being accused,
makes a noise during her accusation.
10. If any one out of revenge
presumes to accuse another
by whom she, herself,
has been accused the same day.
11. If any one behaves herself disorderly
in gait or gesture.
12. If any one swears or talks disorderly,
and, what is more serious,
if she is in the habit of doing so.
13. If a sister is quarrelsome,
or says anything
by which her sisters may be offended.
14. If any one, on being asked,
refuses to forgive another
who has offended her.
15. If any one in the offices
enters the monastery without leave:
Of these and the like faults
let the correction be made in chapter,
one discipline to be ministered
by the president
or
by her whom she may order:
She, who accused the guilty one,
is not to minister it,
nor may a young nun minister it
to the elders.
OF GRIEVOUS FAULTS
51. Of grievous faults, —
51.
1. It is a grievous fault
if a sister disputes with another
in an unseemly way.
2. If any one is found
repeating or uttering maledictions,
or
using disorderly language,
unbecoming a religious,
or
angry with any one.
3. If any one
forswears herself,
or
upbraids a sister
with any fault previously committed
for which she has made satisfaction,
or
with any natural defects
or others of her forefathers.
4. If any one defends
her own or another's fault.
5. If any one is found to have
deliberately told an untruth falsely.
6. If any one is in the habit
of not observing silence.
7. If any one is in the habit of telling
what takes place in the world,
at her work or anywhere else.
8. If any one,
without cause and without leave,
breaks the fasts of the order,
especially those appointed by the Church.
9. If anyone exchanges cell or habit
with another,
10. If any one,
during the hours of sleep,
or at any other time,
enters the cell of another
without leave or
without pressing necessity.
11. If any one is seen,
without special leave
from the prioress,
at the turn or
in the parlour
when strangers are by.
12. If a sister shall in anger
threaten another sister,
or
shall raise her hand,
or anything else,
to strike her,
let the penalty of the grievous fault
be doubled for her.
Those
who ask forgiveness
for faults of this kind,
or
who are not accused,
shall receive in the chapter
a double correction,
- fast two days on bread and water,
and
- take their meal on one day
below all the tables
in the sight of the whole community,
without a table or the furniture thereof;
but those who have been accused [14]
shall have one correction in addition
(to that of the one
who accuses themselves)
and
one more day of fasting
on bread and water.
OF THE MORE GRIEVOUS FAULTS
52. Of the more grievous faults. —
52.
1. A more grievous fault is,
if any one shall dare
to dispute in an unmannerly way,
or
to speak uncivilly to
the mother prioress or the president.
2. If any one maliciously strikes her sister,
such an one,
in the very act,
lies under sentence of excommunication,
and
must be separated from the others.
3. If any one is found
sowing discord or misunderstandings
between the sisters,
or
in the habit to
slandering or evil-speaking in secret.
4. If any one presumes
to speak to strangers
without leave from the mother prioress,
or
without a companion as witness
who distinctly hears what is said.
53. Modes of correction. —
53.
If the nuns accused
of these or the like faults
be found guilty,
let them prostrate themselves at once,
asking forgiveness, and
laying bare their shoulders
to receive the sentence
due to their deservings;
let the discipline be given them
according to the discretion
of the mother prioress,
and then,
when bidden to rise,
let them withdraw
to the cell
assigned them by the mother prioress;
None of the sisters may
go near them,
or
speak to them,
or
send them anything,
that they may see
that they are
- severed from the community,
and
- deprived of the society
of the angels.
So long as they are in penitence
they may
not go to communion,
nor be appointed to any office,
nor be entrusted with any duty,
nor bidden to do anything whatsoever:
yea,
rather they must be deprived
of any office they may hold,
and in chapter
they may neither vote nor sit,
unless it be to add to their own penance.
They must be the last of all the nuns
until they have made full amends.
In the refectory
they may not sit with the rest,
but in the middle of the refectory
let them sit, in their mantles;
and
let them have bread and water,
unless out of compassion
the mother prioress order anything else
to be given them.
Let the mother prioress
deal tenderly with them,
and
send a sister,
if she sees that
they humble themselves
from their heart,
- to console them,
and
- to help them in their good resolutions.
Nuns thus sorrowing
let the whole community
in the same way
- help and
- be kind to,
and
let the mother prioress make no objection
to their being thus compassioned,
sooner or later,
more or less,
according to
the nature of the offense
and
the necessities of the case.
54. Rebellion. —
54.
If any sister shall
openly rebel
against the mother prioress
or her superiors,
or
imagine anything against them
which is neither becoming nor lawful,
let her
- do penance over and above
that already defined for forty days,
- be deprived
of her vote and seat in chapter,
and
of any office she may hold;
and
let her be punished in the same way
if she have done this
at the instigation of another,
or
in virtue of a wicked agreement.
55. The constitutions. —
55.
Then let them keep the constitutions
continually in mind,
and that will enable them,
by the grace of our Lord,
to advance greatly in perfection:
let them diligently read them
from time to time,
and for that end
there must be many copies of them
in the community,
so that every sister may be able,
if she wishes it,
to take one with her into her cell.
56. Discipline. —
56.
As to the discipline,
the ritual orders it
to be taken
when the ferial office is said,
and in Lent and in Advent
every day
on which the ferial office is said.
During the rest of the year,
on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
if on those days the ferial office is said;
but it is to be taken
every Friday throughout the year
for the increase of the faith,
for those who have done us good,
for the souls in purgatory,
for captives,
and
for those who are in mortal sin,
one 'Miserere mei'
with the prayers for the Church
and the other intentions mentioned;
for those taken...
In choir after matins,
twigs are to be used
as the ritual prescribes;
let no one
exceed these rules or
do any penance whatever without leave:
Each sister shall take the discipline
by herself.
Foot Notes:
[1]
The father-general never had any
jurisdiction in or over
the Monastery of the Conception
in Alcala,
which Maria of Jesus had founded,
and could not therefore
give it any constitutions.
The inscription, then,
shows that the constitutions
which S. Teresa gave the monastery,
at the request of the nuns,
were copied literally from those
which the Saint took with her
to Pastrana
(Foundations, ch. xvii. 3).
The Saint, ch. iii. 17,
makes mention of these constitutions
as being in force
in Avila and Medina.
_________________
[2]
The chronicler of the order
(reforma, bk. 1. ch. 1. 6) says
that this was changed
at a Later time,
experience having shown it to be better
to read the points of meditation,
not the night before,
but immediately before prayer .
_______________
[3]
The chronicler, ut supra, says
- that this was also changed
by the reformers of the constitutions,
and
- that the nuns were to make
their examen in the choir, and
not in their cells or elsewhere.
_______________
[4]
Mary of S. Francis,
a Carmelite of Medina,
in the depositions she made
to the process of the Saint,
says that the books she used to read
were
the Morals of S. Gregory,
the writings of the Carthusian,
the Abecedario of Francisco de Osuna,
The Ascent of Mount Sion,
the works of Luis of Granada,
The Art of Serving God,
and
the Contemptus Mundi.
The Carthusian is Ludolf of Saxony,
about whose Life of Christ
see Life, ch. xxxviii. 2, note 6;
Flos Sanctorum is the Spanish name
of the Legenda Aurea.
There were two versions of the work,
the first called Vitae Patrum,
of which editions appeared
in 1498, 1511, 1538, and 1553,
one or other of which was
known to and
utilized by S. Teresa,
but the work was put on the Index of 1559
and is therefore not mentioned
among the books to be placed
at the disposal of the nuns.
The other version bears the title,
Flos Sanctorum
of which four editions
are known to have existed, namely
one the date
of which is not on record,
one of 1511,
another of 1521
and
one of about the middle
of the sixteenth century;
Contemptus Mundi is the titles
of the Imitation of Christ
(see Way of Perfection, ch. xi. 3).
The Oratory of Religious,
by Antonio de Guevara,
appeared first
at Valladolid in 1542,
and again
at Saragossa
in the following year,
at Valladolid in 1567,
and later on,
after the publication
of the Constitutions,
at Salamanca and Medina del Campo.
The books of Fray Luis de Granada
are probably
the Guide of Sinners and
the Book on Prayer.
On the writings of S. Peter of Alcantara,
see Life, ch. xxx. 6.
For the works mentioned
by Mary of S. Francis,
see the notes to the Life of S. Teresa,
namely on
- the Moralia of S. Gregory the Great,
ch. x. 16;
- the Abecedario of Francisco de Osuna,
ch. iv. 8;
- the Ascent of Mount Sion
by Bernardino de Laredo,
ch. xxiii. 13;
- the Art of Serving God
by Alonso de Madrid,
ch. xii. 2.
See A. Morel-Fatio,
Les lectures de Sainte Therese,
Bulletin Hispanique,
Bordeaux and Paris,
January — March 1908.
_________________
[5]
See § 3 of the Rule.
{ Added here by blog
"3. Cells and refectory. —
[Each of you shall have her own cell
in the place
wherein you shall have
made up your minds
to dwell,
separated and apart each
from the other,
as it shall have been assigned you
by the prioress and the community,
or by the greater part thereof...
None of the sisters
may change the place and cell
assigned her,
or
make an exchange with another,
without leave from the prioress
for the time being.
[ Foundations: The Carmelite Rule] }
_________________
[6]
I Thessal. iii. 8.
Nocte ac die operantes nc
quern vestrum gravaremus.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog's rough translation:
'Night and day working,
that we would not burden you'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Douay Rheims: Thessalonians 2:9
"For you remember, brethren,
our labour and toil:
working night and day, lest we should be
chargeable to any of you,
we preached among you the Gospel of God."
_________________
[7]
See Rule, §§ 10, 11.
_________________
[8]
See Rule, § 8.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Note:
See 'Carmelite Rule': Paragraph #7
In "The book of the Foundations"
"and let every sister have
what she requires...
the age and necessities of each sister
being most carefully considered."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
_______________
[9]
See §13.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Note:
See 'Carmelite Rule': Paragraph #13
In "The book of the Foundations"
or
See Paragraph #9 above in this writing
and its Foot Note #6.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
________________
[10]
That is to say (offer ) thirty Masses
distributed over a whole month.
________________
[11]
This is another proof of the antiquity
of these constitutions,
and
of their having been received
in the monastery of Maria of Jesus
( at Alcala de Henares )
as they were given by S. Teresa;
the nuns of that house had nothing to do
with the Carmelites of the mitigation,
and therefore were under no obligation
to pray specially for them.
But it was not so
with S. Teresa, and
with many nuns of S. Joseph's in Avila,
and in other foundations of the Saint,
who had been once nuns
of the monastery of the Incarnation
(De la Fuente).
__________________
[12]
In the edition of Don Vicente,
the text is:
' no lo tuvieren de costumbre
(except when committed habitually).
The particle no is clearly
out of place.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Note:
no lo tuvieren de costumbre
not having the custom of
not having as usual
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
__________________
[13]
Media culpa— Middling faults.
__________________
[14]
That is,
those who take the first opportunity of
acknowledging and asking forgiveness
for their fault
are punished less severely
than those who wait
until they have been publicly accused
by another.
|
End of The Constitutions
of the
Book of the Foundations
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
|
