CHAPTER XX
THE MODEL AND SPIRIT OF THE RULES
THE MODEL AND SPIRIT OF THE RULES
Development is slow
The bull "Salvatoris Nostri" accorded only a minimal juridical structure to the Congregation of the Mission. It simply named Vincent as Superior General for life with the authority to draw up, promulgate, revoke, and modify all manner of statutes and ordinances which would otherwise have needed the approval of the Archbishop of Paris who was the apostolic authorities' delegate. It also provided for the election of Vincent's successor by the members of the Congregation. That was all. So we might say that Vincent was the Congregation. However, he was not prepared to let this situation continue. He thought that community structures should be made more objective and it would take him the restof his life to see this accomplished. We can distinguish three phases in the process.
During the first period, from 1633 1642, it might be said that everything was dependent on Vincent's personal wishes. Whether we regard these as rules or not, he is imposing a set of practices which will later be codified to form the basis of the Rules and Constitutions. Collegiality plays no part in government. All authority is vested in Vincent alone and he doesn't even rely on a group of Councillors. As we have seen, it was his decision, alone, to set up the internal seminary in 1637 and we shall see later that it was Vincent himself who decided to promulgate an order which obliged all future members of the Mission to take vows.
Vincent convoked the first assembly of the Congregation in 1642 to study questions of government. This was the first step towards broadening the concept of authority. We will study this in more detail later. For the moment it is enough for us to know that the basic work of this meeting was to review a project dealing with rules and constitutions.
The second period (1642 1653), saw a preoccupation with the definitive form of the Rules and Constitutions and a study of the role and nature of community vows. In 1651 Vincent called a second assembly and its sole objective was to study these two points. The Rules were finalised, submitted to the Archbishop of Paris, and approved by him in 1653.
The third period (1653 1660), does not fit into the chronological sequence of this part of the story. However, so as not to lose the thread of this institutionalising process, let us just say that during these final years there is a further revision of the Rules and Constitutions entailing some changes, in detail and that this was the period when the Company particularly strove to obtain the Holy See's approval for the vows. This approbation was granted by Pope Alexander VII in 1655.
"The little regulations".
Let us now examine each of these stages in detail. In the prologue to the Common Rules of the Congregation distributed in 1658, Vincent de Paul declared that 33 years had elapsed between the founding of the Company and the printing of its rules. This is absolutely correct. A few lines later he adds the words:
"You will not find anything in these (Rules) that you have not been practising for a long time, to our great consolation and your mutual edification." [1]
It was true. We have already noted that Vincent's writings referred to the Rule or the Rules. [2] We are not sure whether these were referring to written rules though Vincent's words would lead us to think this was the case. As for the content of the rules, there were prescriptions laid down for the order of the day, [3] pious exercises, [4] silence, [5] and the virtues proper to missionaries. [6]
The most complete document we have regarding this first Rule is a letter written by Vincent to Mother Chantal. It is dated July 14th, 1639, and as we have no other texts that refer more directly to the subject, we must consider this as an authoritative summary of the primitive Rules of the Mission. [7]
"We have still not settled the question of our Rules."
This outline of the Rules was only of value to the community, since it had never been officially approved. This meant that Vincent lived in constant fear that his sudden demise would leave the Congregation without any written rules. Sometime around 1635, we can't be more definite about the date, he wrote these lines;
"Two or three days ago I was gravely ill and this led me to think about my death. By the grace of God I can adore his will and cleave wholeheartedly to him. When I ask myself if I have any cause for regret, I cannot find anything to worry about except that we still haven't formulated our Rules." [8]
We should note, in passing, the great progress made by Vincent during these years, in his favourite virtue of submission to the divine will, and also his extraordinarily pure conscience since he had nothing else to reproach himself about except that he had not given Rules to his Congregation. It was Vincent's wish that the compilation of these Rules should be a collective task and not something he worked out on his own. [9] This is indicated by the sudden change from singular to plural in the subject of the last sentence. In fact, in 1640, when they activily worked on the project of the Rules, Vincent had the most widely representative body of missionaries working on the project. [10] And when in 1642 there at last appeared a rough draft which was more or less complete, he convoked the first general assembly of the Congregation to revise and finalise it. The Superior of each house was summoned to attend; exceptions were made for those prevented from coming because of the distance or for other reason and in these cases Vincent chose substitute delegates. Altogether there were eleven representatives at the assembly.
"My first act of obedience to the Company."
The 1642 Assembly marks the Congregation of the Mission's coming of age. During the proceedings Vincent, who was the only legislator recognised in the bull 'Salvatoris Nostri', handed over his powers to that representative body, and did it in such a way that he gave full recognition to the corporate identity of the community. As the session held on 22nd October came to a close, he fell on his knees and resigned his position as Superior General, saying that he was not competent to continue, and he urged them to choose somebody else. Having said this he retired to one of the tribunes in the church which looked on to the high altar. The assembly delegates were astonished beyond measure but they didn't hesitate at all. They wouldn't even consider the proposal. A delegation was immediately sent to look for Vincent and to tell him how they felt about the matter. The delegates searched the whole house without finding Vincent until it occurred to them to look in the chapel and they found him kneeling there before the tabernacle, absorbed in prayer. He repeated that he had resigned and that he already considered himself out of office; they were to proceed immediately to the election of his successor. The delegates went back and reported to the rest of the community. Then they all went in a body to the church.
"We cannot choose another Superior", they told him, "as long as the one whom God, in his goodness, apointed for us, is still living."
Vincent remained adamant but then the assembly delegates took a line of argument which could not be refuted.
"Very well, then we choose you, and we will have no other Superior for as long as God preserves your life."
They had turned the tables on Vincent and he had to agree.
"It is my first act of obedience to the Company" [11] he said.
The first biographer, Abelly, relates this incident in the chapter where he is treating of Vincent's humility. It certainly was a splendid act of humility but there was more to it than that. After Vincent's act of renunciation the Company became master of its own destiny. There it was, in front of his very eyes, deliberatly taking responsibility for its actions. At that moment it ceased to be just something that the Founder had established and became a corporate body with sovereign, independent, rights. Conscious of its new powers, it elected by secret ballot the Superior General's two assistants. These were Frs. Portail and Dehorgny and from now on they would form his Council. It had already been decided to divide the houses of the Congregation into provinces and so they established four groups of houses; one with Paris and Crécy, a second with Toul and Troyes, a third comprising Richelieu, Luçon, Saintes and Notre Dame de la Rose, and the fourth one that took in Annecy and Rome. These areas would be governed by a provincial superior known as the Visitor.
The main aim of the assembly was to study the rules, and they devoted eighteen sessions to this work. They discussed not only the Rules as such, but also the constitutions dealing with the election and powers of the Superior General, and those concerning general assemblies, visitors and provinces. Unfortunately we do not have available the text that the assembly delegates were given to study, and neither do we have any record of their observations on this. All we know about the assembly is a few details relating only to constitutional matters. It was a complicated business, perhaps more complicated than they had realised.
Observations were made and amendments introduced. For this reason, and also so as not to prolong the assembly unduly, it was decided to appoint a committee of four members who, together with the Superior General, would finalise the definitive edition in the light of observations made. Frs. Portail, Du Condray, Dehorgny and Lambert were chosen and Fr. Alméras was nominated as substitute for any of these who might be absent. [12] We have already mentioned the first two men who were the two most senior members of the Company; Dehorgny entered in 1627, and Lambert in 1628. Alméras was the last of these to enter, since he joined in 1637. By 1642 these five were the best trained and the most competent men in the Company.
"To delay the rules as long as possible."
The compilation of the Rules and Constitutions evolved at what we would consider a fairly slow pace between the years 1642 and 1651. Vincent consulted other missionaries in addition to those who were members of the Commission. [13] The Founder, himself, gives the reason for the delay in a letter in 1648 to Fr. Portail, when writing about much the same thing, the regulations for the Hospital for galley slaves in Marseilles.
"It often happens with people whom God uses to start new and holy works, that they take as long a time as possible to draw up rules for these. Experience teaches us that what may be appropriate at the beginning, can sometimes be harmful later on, or have unfortunate consequences, and for this reason, some communities, like the Carthusians, only drew up their constitutions after a hundred years. St. Ignatius only left a brief outline of his rules so his company formulated them in their present form, in accordance with the inspiration they received as time went on. The Bishop of Geneva was too hasty in drawing up the Rules for the Daughters of St. Mary, so that meant he had to make a directory." [14]
At this time there was some hesitation over which tactics they should pursue. In 1644 Pope Urban VIII died, and Vincent sounded out the possibilities of seeking approval for the Rules directly from the Holy See and also of revoking the powers delegated to the Archbishop of Paris in the bull 'Salvator Nostri'. [15] However, they couldn't have done much in that line, since a few months later they again tried to have them approved in Paris [16] and in 1648 the Superior of the House in Rome, Fr. Alméras, was asked "to begin to get them approved." [17] In 1646 it would seen they were on the point of being presented to the coadjutor of the Archbishop of Paris, his nephew, Retz, who was temporarily in charge of the diocese during his uncle's absence. [18]
The text must still not have been finalised, since in 1647, and again in the following year, Vincent ordered Portail, Alméras and Dehorgny, who occasionally met in Rome, to devote six days to revising the Rules. [19]
"The final touch."
The text was finally completed in 1651. Vincent convoked a second general assembly which was held at Saint Luz from 1st July to 11th August. There were fourteen delegates including Vincent. We have two different records of this assembly; the official minutes and the private diary of Fr. Antoine Lucas, [20] one of the delegates. The main purpose of the assembly was to "put the final touch" to the Rules. [21] At the same time they discussed other practical matters, particularly the question of taking vows in community. We will return to this subject later. Most of the time was spent studying the Rules. In the end, the delegates decided that they had worded them "the best way they could" [2] and that there was no point in discussing them further, since revising the Rules is like washing your hands; the more you wash them, the more you need to wash them or like hens pecking the ground they have been over a hundred times already." [23] Added to this was the possibility that the Superior General might die before the Rules were approved, and a successor could only be elected if he swore," to observe, enforce and approve the Rules in their present form." [24] It was Vincent's wish that the compilation of the Rules should be a collective task on the part of the Company, but he was evidently weary of this revision process that was going on for too long and leaving tha basic norms of the community in a continual state of flux. So on the day the assembly ended, he drew up a solemn document, signed by all those present, in which he affirmed that the Rules and Constitutions were in conformity with the life style, aims and nature of the Congregation as well as the terms of the foundation bull, and that they had been practised for nearly 25 years. In view of this he petitioned the Archbishop of Paris to give then his approval in virtue of the authority delegated to the prelate by the apostolic see. [25] This time they did not have to wait long for the Archbishop's decision. He had the rules studied by a panel of doctors of theology and then gave his approval which was confirmed by a decree issued on 23rd August, 1653. [26]
We know from a study of the assembly minutes, and from Vincent's letters om the subject, that the text approved in 1651 comprised, at least the Common Rules, the ordinance and formula for the Vows, the rules concerning the Superior General and the Visitor, as well as matters relating to assemblies of the Congregation at general, provincial and local levels. We are talking here of a complex ascetic juridical body which was the depositary of the teachings and the spiritual standards that were to direct the life of the whole community, and the constitutional rules for its various branches of government. But we have neither the original nor any copy of the approved text. It is thanks to Fr. Angel Coppo's discovery that we know about the documents which tha Archbishop of Paris approved in 1653. [27]
"Here at last are the Common Rules and the Constitutions."
This approval of the Rules brought to an end the second stage in the constitutional development of the Company. In the third and final stage (1653 1660) the Rules would still need some rewording. The Rules first went into print in 1655, but there were so many errata that the edition had to be withdrawn before distribution. [28] Vincent took advantage of this mishap, as well as some other unforeseen circunstances, to revise some details [29] and once again he sought the help of his collaborators. [30] These changes meant they had to seek the Archbishop's approval yet again. Approbation was given by the new archbishop, Cardinal de Retz, but we do not have the date for this. [31]
A second edition was printed in 1658 and Vincent distributed copies to the missionaries at an emotional ceremony on 17th May. [32] It seems that even this was not thought to be the final text. Two letters, dated 1659, speak of further alterations and approval for these was sought from the Archbishop of Paris. He was authorised bythe Holy See to approve the amendments since the text was substantially unaltered except for some minor details. [33] There is some doubt, however, as to whether these referred to changes made after the Rules were printed, apart from correcting a simple printer's error that slipped into article three of Chapter 2 of the Common Rules. It is more likely that Vincent made some slight changes to the 1658 edition and sought approval from the bishop a posteriori. [34] At long last, when he was almost at death's door, Vincent had finally settled the juridical structures of his Company. [35]
"You are to look on them as something given by God."
The Common Rules, which had been a matter of so much concern fr ever 30 years, are the basic core of all Vicentian legislation. They are the code of spiritual perfection that Vincent de Paul proposed to his missionaries. From what we know of the slow and painstaking development of these rules, we can say thay are the embodimenet of everything that Vincent hoped for and wanted from his followers. In the Prologue letter that introduces their printed form, Vincent himself says theyshould be thought of "not as something produced by the human mind but as inspired byGod, the giver of all good gifts." [36]
The Rules are quite concise and are contained in a samll book measuring 12cms. x 6cms. which has just over 100 pages divided into 12 chapters entitled, "Aim and Nature of the Congregation", "Evangelical Teachings", "Poverty", "Chastity", "Obedience", "Care of the sick", "Modesty", "Relations between Missionaries", "Dealing with Externs", "Exercises of Piety", "Missions and other Ministries" and "Means of performing well the works of the Congregation."
With just a very few exceptions the Rules do not give detailed prescriptions for the order of the day or particular community practices. They are more geared to presenting the spirit in which a missionary is toface the demands of his vocation to perfection and to the apostolate. An essential feature of the work is that each chapter opens with a call to imitate Christ by practising the virtue proposed in the chapter. Vincent's gaze was increasingly fixed on the Saviour as pattern and model of Christian holiness, and this is his unique way of interpreting Bérulle's teaching that we should
adore the different characteristic of the Word made flesh.
Vincent is a child of his times when he elevates the role of Superior in the Rules. He gives superiors almost total control over their subject's activities and even of their spiritual life. Furthermore, the Rules are not entirely original. Many of the more specific precepts are taken, and sometimes taken word for word, from legislation which is common to earlier or to contemporary religious orders, especially from the Society of Jesus. [37]
The authentic Vincent is seen particularly in the choice of Gospel teachings he puts at the beginning of the book. The passages selected show us how Vincent had throughout his life read Christ's mesage; "Seek first the kingdom of God", "I always do what is pleasing to my Father", "Be wise as serpents and simple as doves","Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart", "Whoever would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily", "He who does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple...".
When Vincent de Paul read the gospel it was no mere speculative exercise but a dynamic act of commitment. The Common Rules are fruit of this experience, and so we can find in them the spiritual portrait of their author. For the moment we will content ourselves with this observation, as our story unfolds we will see how true it is.
The bull "Salvatoris Nostri" accorded only a minimal juridical structure to the Congregation of the Mission. It simply named Vincent as Superior General for life with the authority to draw up, promulgate, revoke, and modify all manner of statutes and ordinances which would otherwise have needed the approval of the Archbishop of Paris who was the apostolic authorities' delegate. It also provided for the election of Vincent's successor by the members of the Congregation. That was all. So we might say that Vincent was the Congregation. However, he was not prepared to let this situation continue. He thought that community structures should be made more objective and it would take him the restof his life to see this accomplished. We can distinguish three phases in the process.
During the first period, from 1633 1642, it might be said that everything was dependent on Vincent's personal wishes. Whether we regard these as rules or not, he is imposing a set of practices which will later be codified to form the basis of the Rules and Constitutions. Collegiality plays no part in government. All authority is vested in Vincent alone and he doesn't even rely on a group of Councillors. As we have seen, it was his decision, alone, to set up the internal seminary in 1637 and we shall see later that it was Vincent himself who decided to promulgate an order which obliged all future members of the Mission to take vows.
Vincent convoked the first assembly of the Congregation in 1642 to study questions of government. This was the first step towards broadening the concept of authority. We will study this in more detail later. For the moment it is enough for us to know that the basic work of this meeting was to review a project dealing with rules and constitutions.
The second period (1642 1653), saw a preoccupation with the definitive form of the Rules and Constitutions and a study of the role and nature of community vows. In 1651 Vincent called a second assembly and its sole objective was to study these two points. The Rules were finalised, submitted to the Archbishop of Paris, and approved by him in 1653.
The third period (1653 1660), does not fit into the chronological sequence of this part of the story. However, so as not to lose the thread of this institutionalising process, let us just say that during these final years there is a further revision of the Rules and Constitutions entailing some changes, in detail and that this was the period when the Company particularly strove to obtain the Holy See's approval for the vows. This approbation was granted by Pope Alexander VII in 1655.
"The little regulations".
Let us now examine each of these stages in detail. In the prologue to the Common Rules of the Congregation distributed in 1658, Vincent de Paul declared that 33 years had elapsed between the founding of the Company and the printing of its rules. This is absolutely correct. A few lines later he adds the words:
"You will not find anything in these (Rules) that you have not been practising for a long time, to our great consolation and your mutual edification." [1]
It was true. We have already noted that Vincent's writings referred to the Rule or the Rules. [2] We are not sure whether these were referring to written rules though Vincent's words would lead us to think this was the case. As for the content of the rules, there were prescriptions laid down for the order of the day, [3] pious exercises, [4] silence, [5] and the virtues proper to missionaries. [6]
The most complete document we have regarding this first Rule is a letter written by Vincent to Mother Chantal. It is dated July 14th, 1639, and as we have no other texts that refer more directly to the subject, we must consider this as an authoritative summary of the primitive Rules of the Mission. [7]
"We have still not settled the question of our Rules."
This outline of the Rules was only of value to the community, since it had never been officially approved. This meant that Vincent lived in constant fear that his sudden demise would leave the Congregation without any written rules. Sometime around 1635, we can't be more definite about the date, he wrote these lines;
"Two or three days ago I was gravely ill and this led me to think about my death. By the grace of God I can adore his will and cleave wholeheartedly to him. When I ask myself if I have any cause for regret, I cannot find anything to worry about except that we still haven't formulated our Rules." [8]
We should note, in passing, the great progress made by Vincent during these years, in his favourite virtue of submission to the divine will, and also his extraordinarily pure conscience since he had nothing else to reproach himself about except that he had not given Rules to his Congregation. It was Vincent's wish that the compilation of these Rules should be a collective task and not something he worked out on his own. [9] This is indicated by the sudden change from singular to plural in the subject of the last sentence. In fact, in 1640, when they activily worked on the project of the Rules, Vincent had the most widely representative body of missionaries working on the project. [10] And when in 1642 there at last appeared a rough draft which was more or less complete, he convoked the first general assembly of the Congregation to revise and finalise it. The Superior of each house was summoned to attend; exceptions were made for those prevented from coming because of the distance or for other reason and in these cases Vincent chose substitute delegates. Altogether there were eleven representatives at the assembly.
"My first act of obedience to the Company."
The 1642 Assembly marks the Congregation of the Mission's coming of age. During the proceedings Vincent, who was the only legislator recognised in the bull 'Salvatoris Nostri', handed over his powers to that representative body, and did it in such a way that he gave full recognition to the corporate identity of the community. As the session held on 22nd October came to a close, he fell on his knees and resigned his position as Superior General, saying that he was not competent to continue, and he urged them to choose somebody else. Having said this he retired to one of the tribunes in the church which looked on to the high altar. The assembly delegates were astonished beyond measure but they didn't hesitate at all. They wouldn't even consider the proposal. A delegation was immediately sent to look for Vincent and to tell him how they felt about the matter. The delegates searched the whole house without finding Vincent until it occurred to them to look in the chapel and they found him kneeling there before the tabernacle, absorbed in prayer. He repeated that he had resigned and that he already considered himself out of office; they were to proceed immediately to the election of his successor. The delegates went back and reported to the rest of the community. Then they all went in a body to the church.
"We cannot choose another Superior", they told him, "as long as the one whom God, in his goodness, apointed for us, is still living."
Vincent remained adamant but then the assembly delegates took a line of argument which could not be refuted.
"Very well, then we choose you, and we will have no other Superior for as long as God preserves your life."
They had turned the tables on Vincent and he had to agree.
"It is my first act of obedience to the Company" [11] he said.
The first biographer, Abelly, relates this incident in the chapter where he is treating of Vincent's humility. It certainly was a splendid act of humility but there was more to it than that. After Vincent's act of renunciation the Company became master of its own destiny. There it was, in front of his very eyes, deliberatly taking responsibility for its actions. At that moment it ceased to be just something that the Founder had established and became a corporate body with sovereign, independent, rights. Conscious of its new powers, it elected by secret ballot the Superior General's two assistants. These were Frs. Portail and Dehorgny and from now on they would form his Council. It had already been decided to divide the houses of the Congregation into provinces and so they established four groups of houses; one with Paris and Crécy, a second with Toul and Troyes, a third comprising Richelieu, Luçon, Saintes and Notre Dame de la Rose, and the fourth one that took in Annecy and Rome. These areas would be governed by a provincial superior known as the Visitor.
The main aim of the assembly was to study the rules, and they devoted eighteen sessions to this work. They discussed not only the Rules as such, but also the constitutions dealing with the election and powers of the Superior General, and those concerning general assemblies, visitors and provinces. Unfortunately we do not have available the text that the assembly delegates were given to study, and neither do we have any record of their observations on this. All we know about the assembly is a few details relating only to constitutional matters. It was a complicated business, perhaps more complicated than they had realised.
Observations were made and amendments introduced. For this reason, and also so as not to prolong the assembly unduly, it was decided to appoint a committee of four members who, together with the Superior General, would finalise the definitive edition in the light of observations made. Frs. Portail, Du Condray, Dehorgny and Lambert were chosen and Fr. Alméras was nominated as substitute for any of these who might be absent. [12] We have already mentioned the first two men who were the two most senior members of the Company; Dehorgny entered in 1627, and Lambert in 1628. Alméras was the last of these to enter, since he joined in 1637. By 1642 these five were the best trained and the most competent men in the Company.
"To delay the rules as long as possible."
The compilation of the Rules and Constitutions evolved at what we would consider a fairly slow pace between the years 1642 and 1651. Vincent consulted other missionaries in addition to those who were members of the Commission. [13] The Founder, himself, gives the reason for the delay in a letter in 1648 to Fr. Portail, when writing about much the same thing, the regulations for the Hospital for galley slaves in Marseilles.
"It often happens with people whom God uses to start new and holy works, that they take as long a time as possible to draw up rules for these. Experience teaches us that what may be appropriate at the beginning, can sometimes be harmful later on, or have unfortunate consequences, and for this reason, some communities, like the Carthusians, only drew up their constitutions after a hundred years. St. Ignatius only left a brief outline of his rules so his company formulated them in their present form, in accordance with the inspiration they received as time went on. The Bishop of Geneva was too hasty in drawing up the Rules for the Daughters of St. Mary, so that meant he had to make a directory." [14]
At this time there was some hesitation over which tactics they should pursue. In 1644 Pope Urban VIII died, and Vincent sounded out the possibilities of seeking approval for the Rules directly from the Holy See and also of revoking the powers delegated to the Archbishop of Paris in the bull 'Salvator Nostri'. [15] However, they couldn't have done much in that line, since a few months later they again tried to have them approved in Paris [16] and in 1648 the Superior of the House in Rome, Fr. Alméras, was asked "to begin to get them approved." [17] In 1646 it would seen they were on the point of being presented to the coadjutor of the Archbishop of Paris, his nephew, Retz, who was temporarily in charge of the diocese during his uncle's absence. [18]
The text must still not have been finalised, since in 1647, and again in the following year, Vincent ordered Portail, Alméras and Dehorgny, who occasionally met in Rome, to devote six days to revising the Rules. [19]
"The final touch."
The text was finally completed in 1651. Vincent convoked a second general assembly which was held at Saint Luz from 1st July to 11th August. There were fourteen delegates including Vincent. We have two different records of this assembly; the official minutes and the private diary of Fr. Antoine Lucas, [20] one of the delegates. The main purpose of the assembly was to "put the final touch" to the Rules. [21] At the same time they discussed other practical matters, particularly the question of taking vows in community. We will return to this subject later. Most of the time was spent studying the Rules. In the end, the delegates decided that they had worded them "the best way they could" [2] and that there was no point in discussing them further, since revising the Rules is like washing your hands; the more you wash them, the more you need to wash them or like hens pecking the ground they have been over a hundred times already." [23] Added to this was the possibility that the Superior General might die before the Rules were approved, and a successor could only be elected if he swore," to observe, enforce and approve the Rules in their present form." [24] It was Vincent's wish that the compilation of the Rules should be a collective task on the part of the Company, but he was evidently weary of this revision process that was going on for too long and leaving tha basic norms of the community in a continual state of flux. So on the day the assembly ended, he drew up a solemn document, signed by all those present, in which he affirmed that the Rules and Constitutions were in conformity with the life style, aims and nature of the Congregation as well as the terms of the foundation bull, and that they had been practised for nearly 25 years. In view of this he petitioned the Archbishop of Paris to give then his approval in virtue of the authority delegated to the prelate by the apostolic see. [25] This time they did not have to wait long for the Archbishop's decision. He had the rules studied by a panel of doctors of theology and then gave his approval which was confirmed by a decree issued on 23rd August, 1653. [26]
We know from a study of the assembly minutes, and from Vincent's letters om the subject, that the text approved in 1651 comprised, at least the Common Rules, the ordinance and formula for the Vows, the rules concerning the Superior General and the Visitor, as well as matters relating to assemblies of the Congregation at general, provincial and local levels. We are talking here of a complex ascetic juridical body which was the depositary of the teachings and the spiritual standards that were to direct the life of the whole community, and the constitutional rules for its various branches of government. But we have neither the original nor any copy of the approved text. It is thanks to Fr. Angel Coppo's discovery that we know about the documents which tha Archbishop of Paris approved in 1653. [27]
"Here at last are the Common Rules and the Constitutions."
This approval of the Rules brought to an end the second stage in the constitutional development of the Company. In the third and final stage (1653 1660) the Rules would still need some rewording. The Rules first went into print in 1655, but there were so many errata that the edition had to be withdrawn before distribution. [28] Vincent took advantage of this mishap, as well as some other unforeseen circunstances, to revise some details [29] and once again he sought the help of his collaborators. [30] These changes meant they had to seek the Archbishop's approval yet again. Approbation was given by the new archbishop, Cardinal de Retz, but we do not have the date for this. [31]
A second edition was printed in 1658 and Vincent distributed copies to the missionaries at an emotional ceremony on 17th May. [32] It seems that even this was not thought to be the final text. Two letters, dated 1659, speak of further alterations and approval for these was sought from the Archbishop of Paris. He was authorised bythe Holy See to approve the amendments since the text was substantially unaltered except for some minor details. [33] There is some doubt, however, as to whether these referred to changes made after the Rules were printed, apart from correcting a simple printer's error that slipped into article three of Chapter 2 of the Common Rules. It is more likely that Vincent made some slight changes to the 1658 edition and sought approval from the bishop a posteriori. [34] At long last, when he was almost at death's door, Vincent had finally settled the juridical structures of his Company. [35]
"You are to look on them as something given by God."
The Common Rules, which had been a matter of so much concern fr ever 30 years, are the basic core of all Vicentian legislation. They are the code of spiritual perfection that Vincent de Paul proposed to his missionaries. From what we know of the slow and painstaking development of these rules, we can say thay are the embodimenet of everything that Vincent hoped for and wanted from his followers. In the Prologue letter that introduces their printed form, Vincent himself says theyshould be thought of "not as something produced by the human mind but as inspired byGod, the giver of all good gifts." [36]
The Rules are quite concise and are contained in a samll book measuring 12cms. x 6cms. which has just over 100 pages divided into 12 chapters entitled, "Aim and Nature of the Congregation", "Evangelical Teachings", "Poverty", "Chastity", "Obedience", "Care of the sick", "Modesty", "Relations between Missionaries", "Dealing with Externs", "Exercises of Piety", "Missions and other Ministries" and "Means of performing well the works of the Congregation."
With just a very few exceptions the Rules do not give detailed prescriptions for the order of the day or particular community practices. They are more geared to presenting the spirit in which a missionary is toface the demands of his vocation to perfection and to the apostolate. An essential feature of the work is that each chapter opens with a call to imitate Christ by practising the virtue proposed in the chapter. Vincent's gaze was increasingly fixed on the Saviour as pattern and model of Christian holiness, and this is his unique way of interpreting Bérulle's teaching that we should
adore the different characteristic of the Word made flesh.
Vincent is a child of his times when he elevates the role of Superior in the Rules. He gives superiors almost total control over their subject's activities and even of their spiritual life. Furthermore, the Rules are not entirely original. Many of the more specific precepts are taken, and sometimes taken word for word, from legislation which is common to earlier or to contemporary religious orders, especially from the Society of Jesus. [37]
The authentic Vincent is seen particularly in the choice of Gospel teachings he puts at the beginning of the book. The passages selected show us how Vincent had throughout his life read Christ's mesage; "Seek first the kingdom of God", "I always do what is pleasing to my Father", "Be wise as serpents and simple as doves","Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart", "Whoever would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily", "He who does not hate father and mother cannot be my disciple...".
When Vincent de Paul read the gospel it was no mere speculative exercise but a dynamic act of commitment. The Common Rules are fruit of this experience, and so we can find in them the spiritual portrait of their author. For the moment we will content ourselves with this observation, as our story unfolds we will see how true it is.
