OSJV

THE CANONS AND CONSTITUTION

THE ORDER OF SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

(OSJV)

For a History of our Patron Saint, please follow this link

The Venerable PP John XXIII's Encyclical on St John Vianney

I. PREAMBLE

“...this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

(Colossians 1:27)

1. The Order of St. John Vianney is a Christian Religious Community of men and women who profess vow and are guided by a common rule of life as set forth in the Canons and Constitution and the Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

2. The Order also has Associate members who profess promises rather than vow.

3. The Order having freely associated itself as a Religious Community of the Diocese of California American Catholic Church, otherwise known as and hereafter referred to as “American Catholic Church Diocese of California” or “ACC”, for the purpose of maintaining the worship of Almighty God according to the faith and usages of our Catholic Traditions.

4. The Order may, after having received two-thirds majority vote of all active members of the Order, disassociate and remove itself from its association with the Diocese of California American Catholic Church, and be free to associate with another Diocese.

II. THE CANONS AND CONSTITUTION

“I will show you what someone is like who comes to me hears my words and acts on them. That one is like one building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

(Luke 6:47-48)

1. The form of religious life which we choose calls us to serve in the world. Therefore, a need exists for a structure which assists us to focus on our ministry while living fully in the secular world.

2. The Canons and Constitution of our Order outlines the method by which the members may structure their lives to work, study and pray, always living in community, if not in close proximity. The Canons and Constitution, as a rule of life, does not stifle growth, but rather, strengthens the community by providing mutually understood principles of the religious life. The Canons and Constitution make visible our cooperation in community.

3. Regulations are useful as long as they serve, but not when they dominate. The Canons and Constitution are not meant to be a burden but as a document that helps to bind our Order together as a common reference point.

III. MISSION

“You shall love God with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your strength, and with all your mind;

and your neighbor as yourself.”

(Luke 10:27)

Most members of the Order will come from the working professions and are bi-vocational. We are an Order comprised of laity, vowed religious and clergy. Our goal is to be pastorally creative, flexible and mobile, depending on the needs to be met.

OUR CHARISM

The Charism and Mission of the OSJV is to "minister to the ministers."

St. John Vianney is honored as a priest to the priests and a friend to all who needed one. The OSJV, in his spirit, is an intentional community of support, encouragement and challenge to those who answer the call to serve God's people. Members of the OSJV can be said, therefore, to have experienced and received a vocation first and foremost to be "Chaplains" to and in the world

This charism is much needed across the breadth of human existence, and so members of the OSJV could be found working with:

~ Parents, family members, teachers, neighbors and friends; any who act as ministers in the sacred trust of nurturing children

~ Partners and spouses who celebrate the continual re-birth of the new and ever-growing "other" that is their beloved, exploring on a daily basis the sacramental ministry they promise to each other every time they say "I love you" in committed relationships of love

~ Clergy persons, religious ministers and all those who do the work of the Gospel; feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for widows and orphans, visiting those in prison, and all who need to be refreshed and renewed in their share of the one Spirit of Loving Service

~ All those who make their way in the world in vocations of service and ministry; including nurses, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, emergency personal and peacemakers

~ Those who seek to explore their spiritual journey, to know God more deeply, or to deal with a present trial of mind, body or spirit, from conception to death

~ Every child of God who knows the pain of compassion, the longing of inadequacy in times of need, and the frustration of being merely human when faced with the real demands of love and friendship.

Members of the OSJV realize their limited human nature and that they do not have all the answers, but promise to listen humbly to the questions.

Members of the OSJV promise to practice the tradition of offering "Real Presence" to those who ask for assistance, trusting in Jesus' promise that where two or three are gathered in the name of Love, God is present too.

Members of the OSJV acknowledge that, in the wisdom of St. John Vianney, who was a man of little training but great holiness, we are called to grow in holiness of life and humility in the prayerful use of our knowledge, intuition and training. Being a community of members with different gifts and training, members of the OSJV promise not to work outside of their area(s) of competency and compassion, and acknowledge their own personal and communal inadequacies and limitations as they go forth in service to the world.

The primary teaching for every member of the OSJV is encapsulated in the aphorism: "Our duty is to show up, to shut up, and to remember it's not about me."

IV. ECUMENISM

“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy,

love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

(1 Peter 3:8)

1. We are both a clerical and a lay religious community. All the members carry the pilgrim’s staff and are still on the journey. The members of our Order are not bound together by the teaching or doctrine of a particular denomination, but rather, we are united by our charism and fidelity to the Order’s Canons and Constitution and the Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

2. The order holds and affirms the Catholic Faith.

3. Our Wisdom Tradition is Christian. We will accept members who are not Catholic but they must respect and affirm our faith tradition. We find that what we seek is already within us and seeks us, too.

4. The ecumenism of our Order requires a genuine flexibility. It implies a loyal effort to get along with others as we strive sincerely to respect the different opinions and creeds of the other members. Although we each have our own basic personal beliefs, we do not try to impose those onto others. Instead, we strive to be living examples of the truth we find. Truth is larger than any of us and every partial truth contributes to the total truth. In addition, we must always remember that a truth is not the truth for an individual until it has been tested and found to be sound.

5. Our vocation calls us to sacrifice our own opinions, ideas, vanities and securities when they are held for selfish reasons and, in their place, express the deepest values of our lives: love, truth, compassion, health of body, mind and spirit, and beauty in all its forms, whether in nature, culture or the spiritual life. We are exhorted to be thankful for the variety of gifts and different personalities of the members. Our dwelling places should have an atmosphere of openness and respectful acceptance. In essentials, unity. In interpretation, liberty. In all things, charity. Together, all the members of the Order will create a place in which there is room for everyone who sincerely strives to live the religious life. Each member's manner of treading the spiritual path is respected. Our Canons and Constitution and the Handbook for Policies and Procedures sets the members on the path together as traveling companions - pilgrims on the way to heaven.

V. UNITY IN COMMUNITY

“How very good and pleasant it is

when kindred live together in unity!”

(Psalm 133:1)

1. In the church there are solitary souls seeking spiritual community who are unwilling to sacrifice individuality. All people seek a sense of belonging, a sense of community with other like-minded people. We all need a social organization with supportive structures and attitudes.

2. The members of the Order cooperate in the task of building a loving, supportive community, whether living singly, with their own families, or together in a shared community. There can be no community unless the one and only reference point is to build together in Christ.

3. In our diversity, we find our unity. Unity does not require uniformity. It is a celebration of individuality, interrelatedness, and interdependence. We look to one another for encouragement, assistance, and support.

4. God’s love is without limit and non-selective. It is not bound by the limits of our own love and acceptance. Our vow are the response to Christ’s call to inclusiveness: Come to me, all... (Mt. 11:28). Exclusiveness is the product of our prejudices and fears. In our admission process, we look for accommodations for inclusivity rather than impediments for exclusivity. By the living of our vow, we challenge and dismantle exclusiveness and act with charity toward all.

5. Unity is the work of God who created all and whose one life force unifies all creation. Our unity in the Order is our loving response to the calls to ministry we receive through our Canons and Constitution and the Handbook for Policies and Procedures. We put our own potential and talents at the service of God so that the unity of the Order will grow stronger.

VI. THE VOW

“So I shall always sing of your name,

fulfilling the vow I have taken, day after day.”

(Psalm 61:8)

1. We each desire to seek God with all our life and to love God with all our heart. The vow is the personal way of embodying our love for God and for all creation.

2. Our is vow is not viewed in the traditional sense of swearing an oath; rather, it is seen as a promise and resolve to strive after the virtues expressed therein.

By consecrating our life by the vow, we concentrate our fidelity to living the implications of the vow in our daily lives. A vowed life means that the meaning and practice of the religious life becomes our central concern. The Canons and Constitution and the Handbook of Policies and Procedures then assist with the explicit living of the vow.

3. The vow is limited to neither ecclesiastical nor legal status; it is live in our hearts. Since the vow is an agreement between God, the community, and ourselves, no other authority can act as an intermediary in that relationship. The Provincial General on behalf of all the members of the Order receives all vows.

4. The official profession of the vow constitutes membership status in the Order. Admission to the vow and continued membership in the Order is dependent on an acceptance and living of the way of life outlined in the Canons and Constitution and the Handbook for Policies and Procedures. No member in the Order may decide if another member may renew his/her annual vow, except as outlined herein.

5. A person who wishes to enter the Order makes written application to the Provincial General. Upon acceptance, a preceptor is assigned and these two will mutually develop a course of studies for the Formation Program which includes six to twelve months of postulancy and twelve months of novitiate. (This period of time may be changed, as the Director General deems appropriate). The postulant must make a written request to be advanced to the novitiate. Likewise, the novice must submit a written application to be permitted to profess first vow. The Provincial General will keep all professed members advised of the status of those persons in the formation process.

6. The first profession of the vow is made at the end of the Formation Program. The vow is renewed annually for three years, after which time the member will decide either to take life vow or to continue indefinitely with an annual vow. The renewal of an annual vow is made on the anniversary of the first profession of the vow and the second and third renewals must have the approval of the Provincial General. In order to profess a life vow, the member must make written application to the Provincial General. The Provincial General in consultation with the Formation Team will vote to decide if the member may take a life vow. The Provincial General may, at his/her discretion, waive either the three-year waiting period for the final vow or override the decision of the Formation Team in special circumstances.

7. The Provincial General will consult with a member if that member has not submitted a satisfactory annual report. A member who demonstrates a consistent, fundamental unsuitability to live the religious life, or who has been the culpable cause of imminent and very grave or exterior scandal or harm to the community, may be dismissed. In this case, the Director General will call an Advisory Council consisting of two members, the Director General, and the member. This Advisory Council will meet (either by phone, email, or in person) within fourteen days of being assembled and will decide if the person accused may continue as a member in the Order. After the decision is reached, the Advisory Council is disbanded. Additional protocols are outlined in the Handbook for Procedures and Policies.

8. A member may resign at any time by notifying the Provincial General in writing of his/her intention.

The Single Vow for Members of the OSJV

Before God and this gathering, living with a mindful right-stewardship of creation and God's generous gifts, I promise loving fidelity to the members of the Order of St. John Vianney, who I now embrace as family.

In the living of this vow:

I promise to pray for my sisters and brothers of the OSJV every day and to hold this community, individually and communally, as a primary commitment of love in my life.

X. PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL READING

“But when you pray, go into your room

and shut the door and pray to God who,

seeing in secret, will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:6)

1. Time must be spent each day to unfold our relationship with God. “The core of all our work, the calm that provides us refuge at the center of the cyclone of daily life and gives us strength for struggle (both inwardly, in personal transformation, and outwardly, in living the creative life), is prayer.” (Bishop Itkin)

2. Every member is to pray daily and a House may structure a prayer routine which best meets all the needs of the House.

3. Each House is to consider having an area designated solely for prayer, if possible. This may be a separate chapel, a shrine, or sacred space which helps to foster a prayerful and meditative atmosphere.

4. Each member is encouraged to spend time in spiritual reading.

XI. OPTIONAL RELIGIOUS CLOTHING

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe...”

(Job 29:14)

1. Our distinct religious clothing can serve as one tool to identify us as religious. We dare to use this tool as a witness value and as one way to express our availability to others.

2. The optional habit often serves to foster a spirit of unity within our religious community. It can serve to remind us of our link with the religious of past centuries and is an outward sign to each other of our willingness to share a common life. Our optional habit is a simple ankle-length black cassock. Those members who have professed life vow may wear a silver medallion on their lapel or a chain. The use of the habit is optional.

3. For vowed members, the St. John Vianney silver medallion is encouraged to be worn at all times with lay clothing or clericals.

XI1. TITLES

“And stretching out his hand toward his disciples he said,

‘Here are my mother and my brothers and my sisters!

For whoever does the will of God the creator

is my brother and sister and mother.’”

(Matthew 12: 48-50)

1. Religious titles are not to be considered as marks of superiority or as barriers between laity and religious.

2. After the profession of first vow, a member has the right to use the initials OSJV at the end of his/her name.

3. Members may use the title appropriate for their denomination when conducting church business or as needed.

XIII. HOUSES

“...but as for me and my household,

we will serve God.”

(Joshua 24:15)

1. Our Order is in fact an intentional community. We live a new pattern of consecrated life, in free-form contemporary units and in a community which transcends physical distance.

2. We live in a rapidly changing and diverse world. Our members seek to make a home therein and, consequently, there are as many different living arrangements as there are members. Because we view our vow in a non-traditional manner, the members’ expression of individual lifestyle and ministry is not hampered. Each House is free to implement an internal structure conducive to the well-being and spiritual growth of each member living there.

XIV. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

“For whoever is not against us is for us.”

(Mark 9:40)

1. The Associate member may share in the life of the Order as mutually determined and may wear the silver medallion. Associates may be invited by the Provincial General to the General Assembly.

3. The acceptance of an Associate membership is formalized by the Service of Acceptance. An updated list of Associates is sent to the Provincial General, where a record will be kept.

XV. RETREATS

“And from time to time he would

withdraw to lonely places for prayer.”

(Luke 5:16)

1. In order to reaffirm our commitment to the religious life, all members of the Order are encouraged to make a retreat annually.

2. During this time of exterior and interior silence, the member takes the opportunity to grow in the spiritual life.

3. Each year the members will meet for a General Assembly. Members meet for community, recollection, administrative business, and spiritual renewal.

XVI. ANNUAL REPORT

“...they reported all that God had done through them

and how God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”

(Acts 14:27)

All novices and professed members are requested to submit a written annual report to the Provincial General by the end of each January. This report may contain a summary of the novice’s or member’s life spirituality, the status of ministry, and a projection of the up-coming year. This is a confidential communication between the member and the Provincial General.

XVII. CALENDAR OF ENCOURAGED CELEBRATIONS

“At your festivals, solemnities, or new-moon feasts,

you will sound the trumpet at the time of your

holocausts and your communion sacrifices, and they

will call you to the remembrance of your God”

(Numbers 10:10)

Since the members come from a variety of religious and cultural traditions, an all-inclusive calendar of feasts would be cumbersome to the Order as a whole. Therefore, the observance of special feast days is left up to the individual members and Houses; however, to show the unity of our celebration as a community, the following suggested holidays are encouraged to be observed by all members of the Order:

January 18 Start of the Week of Christian Unity

April 22 World Environment Day

May 7 World Day of Prayer

June 29 Human Rights Day

August 4 Feast of St. John Vianney

August 6 World Peace Day

October 4 Feast of St. Francis

December 25 Christmas (with its preparation time of Advent)

Variable Easter (with its preparation time of Lent)

Variable Pentecost

STRUCTURE

“If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow

in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom

the whole body is fitted and joined together,

every joint adding its own strength for each

separate part to work according to its function.

So the body grows until it has built itself up in love.”

(Ephesians 4:15-16)

1. The General Assembly is our chief government and it guides the temporal affairs of the Order. It consists of all professed members and associates (each of whom has equal voice), is called and chaired by the Provincial General, and meets every year (more often, if necessary). To call the General Assembly into session, the Director General will choose a location which is the most convenient for the majority of the members to attend without undue hardship. The Provincial General will solicit topics for discussion prior to the meeting and will communicate the agenda topics prior to the meeting. The Provincial General will email the decisions of the General Assembly after adjournment.

2. The duties and responsibilities of the General Assembly are as follows:

a. To elect the Provincial General, to conduct official business of the Order;

b. To make changes in Canons and Constitution, as necessary;

c. To review and act on agenda topics submitted by the professed and associate members;

d. To protect the charism and heritage of the Order.

3. The Order of St. John Vianney shall be governed and organized according to the Canons and Constitution of the Order as well as being in fidelity with the Handbook for Policies and Procedures. All members of the Order are to live in fidelity to the Canons and Constitution and the Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

4. We believe that God’s Holy Spirit is present wherever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name. We make our decisions based on the movement of God’s spirit in our lives. In order to allow ourselves to recognize and follow God’s design, we strive to make our decisions by consensus.

5. We unite ourselves by our common concerns and commitments and we act collegially in our community decisions. Harmony will exists in our Order when each member takes an active interest in the well-being of all.

XX. THE PROVINCIAL GENERAL

“You know that those who are supposed to rule over the

Gentiles lord it over them, and their great persons exercise authority over them.

But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be the slave of all.

For the Son of Humanity came not to be served, but to serve...”

(Mark 10: 42-45)

1. As every community has a leader, our Order designates the Provincial General as the leader of our religious community. We view this position not as the head of a body, but rather, as the center of a circle. The Provincial General is a person who has an openness to be energized by the mission of the Order and is inspired by the power to meet the needs of the members. His/her major task is to maintain the cohesiveness of the Order. The Provincial General has the prophetic function of challenging the members to a deeper living out of their religious commitments. The duties of the office are derived from the Canons and Constitution and the Handbook for Policies and Procedures, the authority from the members, and the respect from his/her own life based on the vow. His/her guidance of the Order comes from a shared common understanding of Canons and Constitution and Handbook for Policies and Procedures and not from personal, autocratic whim.

2. The Provincial General is elected every five years by the General Assembly. The Provincial General may serve unlimited consecutive terms, if elected by the membership. S/he conducts all official business which affects the Order as a whole. S/he handles correspondence, applications for membership and vow, maintains the archives and the chronological account of the history of the Order, calls and chairs the General Assembly, receives the profession of vow of each member, and fulfills other duties as needed. S/he may act on behalf of all members in internal affairs, as requested.

3. Upon vacancy of the office of the Provincial General for whatever reason (other than the expiration of a term of office), the senior-most member in vow in our Order will become the acting Provincial General. S/he will call a General Assembly (by email if necessary) within the next thirty days so that a new Provincial General can be elected. If the new Provincial General is elected to fill an unexpired term of greater than two years, that term shall be considered as of the two consecutive terms to which a Provincial General may be elected. If the new Provincial General is elected to fill an unexpired term of less than two years, that term shall not be considered as one of the two consecutive terms to which a Provincial General may be elected. All professed members must be given the opportunity to vote for the new Provincial General.

4. In our Order there are no “superiors” or “inferiors”, only friends.

(As a note of gratitude; These Canons and Constitution are adapted from the Ecumenical Order of Charity and the Founding Document)

Order of Saint John Vianney

Co-Founders:

The Reverend Kevin Yell, OSJV, Treasurer

The Right Reverend Charles Grande, OSJV, Vicar-Provincial

The Right Reverend Lou A. Bordisso, OSJV, Provincial General