I. Charism - La Salle.org

IV. DISCOVERING, LIVING, SHARING THE GIFT OF GOD 175
Wherefore, I promise and vow poverty, chastity, obedience, to teach
the poor gratuitously and stability in the said Society, in conformity
with the Bull of Approbation of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XIII.
Which vows of stability and obedience, as well to the Body of the
Society as to the Superiors of the Institute, together with vows of
Poverty, Chastity and teaching gratuitously, I promise to keep inviolably
all my life. 152
It is this formula which all the Brothers making vows would pronounce
up to 1967, except that in 1901, the possible reference to
a vow of association, with the “vow” at the head of the central
phrase of our formula of vows, also disappeared. In addition, the
vow of stability moved from 5 th to 4 th position in the list, changing
places with the vow of teaching gratuitously; the latter, in passing,
saw added (in 1901) the expression “the poor” and became “teaching
the poor gratuitously”.
The Rule of 1726 contained a Chapter 18 entitled: “What we are
obliged to do by the vows”. There are, first of all, two articles on the
vows of poverty and chastity and then the text continues with the
vow of obedience:
[3] Firstly to the Superior of the Society and those who will later be
Superiors.
[4] Secondly, to the individual Directors who are or who will be
appointed by the Brother Superior.
[5] Thirdly, to the Body of the said Society, whether the said Body be
represented by several persons, whether Directors or others assembled
in the said Name; one is obliged to obey all the above, under pain of
mortal sin, when they command in virtue of the vows.
152
CL 25. Practice of the Daily Rule. Common Rules of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Rule of a
Brother Director of a house of the Institute, according to the manuscripts of 1705, 1713, 1718 and the
‘princeps’ edition of 1726, p. 142 (French edition).