Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

Once again you are being presented with a lengthy Dossier.
As explained before, the Dossier is structured to meetthe
needs of everyone in the community. Part One is for those
with limited time and interest;Part Two for those with
great~r interest.
Our former Rule did not have a section devoted specifically
to "Community Life". The presumption was that conrrrrunity
life is effectively present if the members follow the
legislation for different classes in the community, precedence,
marks of respect due to members and outsiders,
exercises, meals and recreation, and comrnon observances.
Our present Constitutions, instead, treat first theideal
and purpose of community life and then some of the means
to aahieve this. Members aaaustomed to the former Rule
find the present one too general and at times complainthat
there are no alear demands put on us.
The aomrnentary here is long preaisely beaause it is an attempt
to spell out the exigenaies that lie behind our
ideals of aonrrrrunity life. We are being now aalled to "areate"
aomrnunity life and no longer presume it wiU exist
sinrply beaause we are following aommon observanaes. All
the elements of aommunity life - the faith-sharing; the
interpersonal dimension; the "aommon good "; the atmosphere;
eta. - are part of the task to whiah we are aalled
and have aommitted ourselves.
Community aan only give its members what the members themselves
give to the aonrrrrunity. These pages try to indicate
what the aommunity gives to the Churah, the members andalso
what the members are to give to the aommunity.
Fr. Barrette, M.S.
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