Passionist Rule and Constitutions.pdf - The Passionists of Holy ...

CHAPTER VIII
TEMPORAL GOODS
168. Our practice of poverty must be both sincere and authentic; it should shine forth in every
Community, in every Province, and in the whole Congregation. Accumulation of goods must be
avoided, and every form of luxury and greed shunned. We should each be content with what is
necessary in a life-style that is simple and frugal.
169. The right of acquiring and possessing, of alienating and administering temporal goods in
conformity with common and particular law belongs to the Congregation, Provinces, Vice
Provinces, Regional Vicariates, and houses endowed with the title of juridical persons. A
Province may possess permanent property and stable income when the Provincial Chapter judges
these to be necessary for the support of the religious and the development of the apostolate. Such
an arrangement must always be in harmony with poverty.
What is said above of a Province applies also in due measure to a Vice-Province and a
Regional Vicariate.
170. The chief source of our economic support is the unremitting labor of all our religious. We
accept payment for our work as one way of living out our poverty, but as far as possible, we try
and maintain detachment from whatever is given us for our ministries to others. We aim at
sharing with them the message of the Cross in a disinterested attitude of generous service.
171. We receive with thankfulness the help offered by benefactors, to whom we show our
appreciation by making them feel that they are linked spiritually with our Congregation, and that
they share in its good works.
172. Those who have the responsibility of administering the goods of the Congregation must
concern themselves with securing and safeguarding the resources necessary to support our
religious and to develop our apostolate.
They should always be sensitive to the social implications of any investments they may
make.
Besides budgeting for ordinary outlay, they should make prudent provision for the
extraordinary expenses that inevitably accompany the healthy growth of the Congregation.
173. Those entrusted with the administration of the goods of the Congregation should have the
expertise necessary to fulfill their task. At every level (general, provincial, and local) they have
the necessary powers for effectively carrying out their charge, without prejudice to common or
particular law.
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