Common Rule of the Congregation of the Missions

COMMON RULE
of The Congregation of the Mission  (1658)

Regles Communes de la Congrégation de la Mission
https://via.library.depaul.edu/cm_textesnorm/15

Chapter One.—Of the Purpose and Institution of This Congregation

Chapitre premier.— De la Fin et de L'Institut de Cette Congregation

first to do,

and then to teach

the first by perfectly practicing every kind of virtue;

and the second

by evangelizing the poor

and giving to his Apostles and Disciples the knowledge necessary for the guidance of peoples.

And since the little Congregation of the Mission desires to imitate the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, as best it can, by means of His grace, both with regard to His Virtues and His Employments for the Salvation of Neighbors, it is most fitting that it use similar means to worthily fulfill this pious purpose. Therefore, its end is:

1) First, to work toward its own Perfection, by doing its best to practice the Virtues that this sovereign Master has deigned to teach us, by word and example;

2) to preach the Gospel to the poor, especially those in the countryside;

3) to help clergymen acquire the knowledge [skills/sciences]and virtues necessary for their state.

1) Premièrement de travailler à sa propre Perfection, en faisant son possible de pratiquer les Vertus que ce souverain Maître a daigné nous enseigner, de parole et d'exemple;

2) de prêcher l'Evangile aux Pauvres, particulièrement à ceux de la campagne;

3) d'aider les Ecclésiastiques à acquérir les Sciences et les Vertus nécessaires à leur état." (Règles Communes, I,1).

to go, following the example of Our Lord and his disciples, through the villages and towns, and there break the bread of the word of God to the little ones, preaching and catechizing;

d'aller, à l'exemple de Notre-Seigneur et de ses disciples, par les villages et bourgades, et y rompre le pain de la parole de Dieu aux petits, en prêchant et catéchisant ;

to exhort them to make general confessions of their whole past life, and to hear them at the tribunal of Penance;

les exhorter à faire des confessions générales de toute leur vie passée, et les entendre au tribunal de la Pénitence ;

to settle disputes and lawsuits;

accorder les différends et les procès ;

to establish the Confraternity of Charity;*

*From this lay confraternity arose both the Daughters of Charity (1633) and the Ladies of Charity (1635) in Paris.

établir la Confrérie de la charité ;

to conduct the Seminaries erected in our houses for external students, and to teach there;

conduire les Séminaires érigés en nos maisons pour les externes, et y enseigner ;

to give spiritual exercises;

donner les exercices spirituels ;

to give and direct the conferences introduced among us for ecclesiastics from outside;

faire et diriger les conférences introduites chez nous pour les ecclésiastiques du dehors ;

and other similar functions, which serve and are in conformity with our Institute.

et autres semblables fonctions, qui servent et sont conformes à notre Institut.

Et quant aux laïques, leur emploi est

to help the ecclesiastics in all these ministries, by performing the office of Martha, as prescribed by the Superior,

as well as by contributing to it by their prayers, tears, mortifications and good examples.

d'aider les ecclésiastiques en tous ces ministères, en faisant l'office de Marthe, selon qu'il leur sera prescrit par le Supérieur,

comme aussi en y contribuant par leurs prières, larmes, mortifications et bons exemples.

in his chastity,

in his obedience,

in his charity towards the sick,

in his modesty,

in the manner of life and action which he prescribed to his disciples,

in his conversation, in his daily exercises of piety,