Wednesday, 4 January 2012

MSM Rule: Chapter II -Members and Hierarchy


CHAPTER II - THE MEMBERS OF THE ORDER AND ITS HIERARCHY

1. The Order of Knights of Our Lady is open to all without regard to status, in accordance with the spirit of the Gospel and the fundamental principles of chivalry. However, it is evident that the full exercise of the regular life presupposes a certain general culture and a minimum of resources and free time, an appreciation of which is left to the judgement of the sponsor and the Commander.

Although people who enjoy a wide social influence are naturally fitted for chivalry, nevertheless one must not follow purely human considerations in recruiting new members. It was not the rich nor the powerful lords of this world who were the pioneers of the orders of chivalry at their origin. It must always be remembered that the Order is not a fortuitous gathering of individuals each pursuing his particular end, nor an intellectual and worldly circle, but an organic body made up of members united in life and in death by a common love of and service to the same great realities.

For that reason the recruiting and formation of young people is on the whole preferable to the recruiting of mature men already formed outside the influence of chivalry.

2. The brethren are to abandon any class prejudice, which is the source of mutual misunderstanding among so many Christians, without for that reason neglecting to cultivate the virtues of their family traditions.

If anyone in the Order is of noble lineage, let him not be vain about it, but following the example of his ancestors, let him surpass himself in generosity and holiness, in order to become before God and before men a genuine aristocrat, a true knight.

For if the quality of knight presupposes nobility of heart, the quality of Christian, in that it enables us to share in the divinity of the King of Kings, raises us to the highest nobility that there can be in the world.

3. Thus there will be in the Order only those Members of Christ who take account of the value of each person. In the new creation there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, slave and free man, but Christ is all in all[1] (45) To enter the Order of Our Lady is to turn one’s back on the world to reach higher: for a man who has signed on in God’s army does not become embroiled in worldly affairs.[2] (46)

4. The Order welcomes all those who wish to serve Christ the King and Our Lady according to its spirit and its Code of Honour, either as members within the Observantia, or in its Familia, or as Friends and Supporters. General points in this chapter are explained in more detail in the Customary.

5. Every postulant who desires to enter the Observantia must know that he is linking himself to the Order temporarily or permanently, and that he accepts in advance, for himself and his dependents, all the inconveniences which may result from his belonging to a regular and militant catholic Order. The postulant will find in the Order a Rule and way of life, a doctrine and a vast field of action in which to practise his zeal, and in addition a truly human and Christian fellowship. He will find an opportunity to exercise the Christian virtues of humility, patience, endurance, courage, and perseverance; he will abandon all ambition or search for advancement, even legitimate.

The Master of the Order or the Prior, in a chapter of Honour, only calls to chivalry those judged worthy by severe criteria. Dubbing is never a right for any member of the Order.

6. The postulant is entrusted to the care of a knight or a mature squire, as a sponsor, selected by the commander for his sure judgement, his fervent piety and his blameless observance of the Rule.

The sponsor must examine whether he has zeal for prayer, obedience and humility[3] (47), whether he loves the Church and catholic truth, whether he has resolved to strive for them till his death, whether he has come only to SERVE, following the example of our Saviour and His holy Mother, and whether he is drawn in a particular way to the service of Our Lady, for the reign of Christ the King, which is the true touch-stone.

He must lead him to know, love and observe the Rule, and show him that one does not set out to win heaven with cowardice, but with courage and the spirit of sacrifice[4]. (48) Also that it is vain to seek to establish in this world the Kingship of Christ if one has not first submitted to it oneself.

In addition, he must develop in him the love and reverence which knights have for Our Lady, the taste for Holy Scripture and for the Liturgy, the respect for persons, places and objects having a sacred character, the desire for Wisdom and for union with God.

Furthermore the sponsor will see to the good physical balance of the postulant; he will inculcate into him a Christian esteem for the body, with its purity, vigour and beauty; he will show him how to discipline and toughen it to make it the docile instrument of the mind and the Holy Spirit. If he is still young the sponsor will encourage him to exercise his body, for a knight must be ever ready to fight for the Lord: physical training is a part of chivalrous asceticism.

Finally, he will prepare him, under the guidance of the Chaplain, for his profession of Faith, for his consecration to the Blessed Virgin, and for his reception into the Order. The period of postulancy shall never last less than three months.

7. On the day selected for his reception, the postulant will make his profession of faith, make or renew his consecration to the Blessed Virgin according to the method of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, and will be received into the Order in the rank of sergeant or brother-at-arms by the Commander in the presence of his chapter. Nobody may be received into the Militia or the Auxiliary Corps if he has not given and consecrated himself to MARY, to whom the Order belongs. >From the day of his reception the new brother is expected to observe the Rule and attend the chapter meetings.

8. The Brother-Sergeants are men of proven zeal and piety, who are militant men of action but who cannot or do not wish to aspire to the full exercise of the chivalric and regular way of life. An observance of the Rule, simplified and adapted to their circumstances, permits them to participate in the prayer and work of the Order, to bring to the Order the fruits of their work, and to spread its spirit into their professional circles. On their reception into the Order, they promise to be faithful to the Order for the period of one year, and tacitly renew this vow year by year, unless they choose to resign.

9. The Brothers-at-Arms are the novices of the Order. During the year or longer following their reception, they join in the regular life of the Order and their essential task is their chivalric training at all levels: spiritual, intellectual, moral and physical. They are supplied with a programme of studies and at the end of a year, they are examined on the knowledge they have acquired. The formation of the Brothers-at-Aims, based on the Rule, will touch on theology, and Holy Scripture, the traditional doctrine of the Church on social and political matters, and the traditions of chivalry. It will be carried out in a spirit of prayer by means of reading and oral instruction. It must always be borne in mind that it is more important for the brothers to acquire supernatural Wisdom than a mere culture of the mind. For it is of our wisdom, and not of our knowledge, that the world has need, as it is written: A great number of wise men cause the salvation of the world[5] (49) One remains a Brother-at-Arms for at least one year, and for as long as the prescribed studies are unaccomplished. Brothers-at-Arms may leave the Order at any time by resignation.

10. Brothers-at-Arms who have proved their knowledge and good observance of the Rule are nominated Squires. They are henceforth regarded as full members of the Order and may carry out all the functions entrusted to them, except hierarchical ones. The rank of Squire is that to which any brother of the Order who is not a Sergeant may aspire. Its duration is never less than one year, and may be prolonged indefinitely.

11. Squires who have given several proofs of their fidelity to the Order and of their observance of the Rule, and who have carried out satisfactorily the duties entrusted to them, may be promoted, with their consent, at the discretion of the Master or Prior, to the rank of Donat of Justice. Brothers-at-Arms or Sergeants who accomplish some exceptional service, may be raised directly to the rank of Donat, in which case they are known as Donats of Grace. Donats undertake for a period of three years, renewable tacitly thereafter unless they resign, the triple solemn promise of conversion of life, fidelity to the Order, and defence of the Church.)

12. They undertake then, in accordance with the ceremonial of the Order, the three perpetual vows which constitute profession:
  1. Conversion of life, promising to live thenceforward in all the circumstances of life, with the family of which he is the head, according to the laws of chivalry and the Rule of the Order, as a vassal of Christ the King and Our Lady.
  2. Fidelity to the Order, giving obedience to the officers of the Order within the limits of the Rule, and observing the duty of giving fraternal support to all other members of the Order.
  3. Defence of the Church. This is a special undertaking, analogous to the crusader’s vow, to defend the Church, its faith, its hierarchy, its institutions, and its rights, even at the risk of one’s life; and to be prepared to answer any call made by the Sovereign Pontiff to accomplish any mission, however difficult or dangerous, which His Holiness might choose to entrust to the knights.
Having made his profession he who is to be dubbed will keep watch for a whole night, and on the following morning, during Mass, he will be given the Benedictio Novi Militis according to the Roman Pontifical, and receive Holy Communion.

By this sacramental of the Church, the knight officially receives the mission to fight the enemies of God and man, to enlarge on earth the frontiers of the Kingdom of God, together with the grace necessary to accomplish this. From then on, his whole life will be consecrated to the service of Christendom: may he make himself worthy of such an honour.

The dubbing of knights of Our Lady marks the whole Order with a chivalric character, in such a way that all its members, engaged in the same combat, share in some way in the duties, the dignity and the grace con­ferred by this venerable rite: all must consider themselves as linked to the Queen of Heaven by the service of chivalry.

Dubbing conferred by a knight may in certain circumstances, of which the Master and Priors are the judges, be used in the place of the Benedictio Novi Militis. It creates knights having the same mission and the same duties as the others, and who would not lack the grace of God. Similarly, a knight may dub a qualified candidate in case of serious peril, if he finds himself isolated from his superior.

Dubbing, and the duties it entails for the defence of the Church, cannot be lawfully conferred on persons who are not suitable or qualified. No one may be a knight, who is not a man of living faith, having reached the legal age of majority, healthy in mind and body, of sound morals and good reputation, with a noble and loyal heart, physically and morally courageous, having given proof by a series of positive actions or by one outstanding act of valour of his determination to serve Christendom, his country, his neighbour and the Order. He must be a man capable of exercising a moral influence on others, and he must be animated with the will to observe faithfully the chivalric Code of Honour and the Rule, even at the peril of his possessions and his life[6] (50). Every knight is a born leader, capable of drawing his brethren towards the summits, and around whom people spontaneously group them­selves in life’s battles. Every knight has a field of influence.

To these general criteria must be added the characteristics of a knight of Our Lady: humility, piety, love of the Virgin Mary and the Church, irreproachable observance of the Rule, regularity at chapter meetings and in the activities of the Order, and, besides, complete loyalty to the Order and a preference given to chivalric service over other forms of activity, remembering that one is a knight of Our Lady before all else, in everything, at all times and everywhere.

13. Members of the Order who wish to consecrate themselves entirely to God by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and thereby lead a life of prayer, renunciation and chivalric action in the service of the Order, may join a Conventual Commandery under the direction of a commander assisted by a chaplain. They have two years of noviciate before taking their religious vows. They carry out individually or in community all the missions com­patible with their vocation which the Magisterium of the Order may entrust to them. The Magisterium will be careful not to give to the conventual brothers tasks which would be better accomplished by secular knights living in the natural communities out in the world, so that the nature of the Order is not modified. The conventual brothers are not and must not become the directing force of the Order, but they form a corps d’élite at the service of the whole Order. Their status carries with it no hier­archic nor honorific superiority. Furthermore, conventual knights voluntarily renounce the possibility of becoming Master or Prior, and all dignities of the Order save those of conventual visitor or commander. Just as the Templars of old were both monks and soldiers, so they strive towards perfection of evangelical charity by undertaking the double combat, against the visible and the invisible enemies of the Church, and try to give all their brethren an example of a life of honour in full readiness for the highest service. The Master’s Visitor is the superior of all the Conventual Commanderies, is directly responsible to the Master, and is a member of his Council. The Directory, a part of the Customary, regulates the details of the life of the Conventual Commanderies.

14. The priests who act as chaplains to the various levels of the Order, after a year of probationary ministry, are nominated either Chaplains of Devotion, with no juridical link, or else Chaplains of Obedience, making a promise of fidelity to the Order. The Chaplain General and the Chaplains to the Priories and Conventual Commanderies should be Chaplains of Obedience.

Chaplains do not have hierarchical powers within the Order, but their role is to teach and control matters concerning doctrine, spirituality, morals, canon law and liturgy. They belong to the chapter which corresponds to their function. They must be well acquainted with the Rule, act as its guides to their brothers, and be living images of our Lord Jesus whom they represent on earth. Besides the particular duties of their pastoral charge, they undertake to pray and offer penance and sufferings on behalf of the Order, for the sanctification of its members and for their activities in the service of Christendom. At least twice a year they will offer the sacrifice of the Mass for these intentions.

Prelates and priests who share the chivalric ideal and whom the order wishes to honour are given the title of Prelates or Chaplains of Honour. Bishops who officially recognise the Order in their dioceses and grant it the use of a particular church are known as Prelates of the Order. The Bishop of Chartres, the spiritual centre of the Order, has the title of Primate of the Order.

15. The Order, looking upon the family as a divine institution, sanctified by a sacrament, may accept with the title of sister those wives, daughters or sisters of members, who so desire. The wives of knights who wish to be active in the order and belong to it in company with their husbands, may be admitted to Profession after a suitable time of probation. These become the Ladies of the Order. Sisters and Ladies have no hierarchic function in the Order, but they attend chapters and join in the activities which are suitable to them. They help to give to their family life, and especially to the education of their children, a truly chivalric style, and they fulfil the duties of hospitality mentioned elsewhere in this Rule with good grace and courtesy. They also help to forge bonds of friendship between the families of the knights. They take as their model the Lady par excellence, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and earth. Like Her they act as an inspiration by their love of manly virtue which makes heroes and saints.

16. The Order likewise receives boys and girls: they are known as Pages and Demoiselles. The Pages, grouped into mesnies receive a spiritual, moral and physical formation in conformity with the traditions of chivalry. In the service of a knight and of God’s creation they learn to forge a noble soul and if possible a vigorous body, filled with the grace of God. They are regulated by a book of usages and customs.

The Young Ladies, daughters or sisters of members of the Order, are put under the care of Ladies or Sisters of the Order, who develop in them above all those virtues that distinguish a young Christian girl as well as a lady of knightly tradition, a deep respect for what is beautiful and noble, and a horror of vulgarity and low morals.

The Pages and Young Ladies can join in the various activities of the Order as opportunity may occur.

17. The Familia comprises those persons who, without becoming part of the order of chivalry wish to share its prayer and combat, help the Knights of Our Lady, strengthen their action and their spirit to radiate. It is composed specifically of the auxiliary Corps of the Servants of Our Lady and the body of spiritual Supporters and prayer Friends, whether grouped or not, who undertake to aid the Order by their prayers and alms.

The French term Mouvance designates any person or movement which may come more or less directly under the influence of the Order and of its members, or which may approve its spirit and be disposed to co-operate with its activities.

18. The Order is governed by a knight known as the Master, who is assisted by various officers and councillors and by the General Chapter. The Master, Priors, Commanders and Preceptors, and all those who receive the serious charge of directing their brethren in the ways of chivalric honour, will remember that they derive their authority from Christ the King, to whom they will one day have to render an account of their actions, not only for themselves but for the fidelity of their peers and those entrusted to their charge.

Let them beware then of exercising a tyrannical power; let them never forget that leadership is a service, the highest and most exacting of all. Let them always temper justice with mercy, humility and discretion which is the mother of all virtues. Let them profess an irreproachable doctrine, and show to all people an example of perfect submission to the Holy Church. Let them seek to be loved rather than feared. Above all let them observe this Rule, so that after a life of faithful service they may hear themselves addressed, like the good servant, by Our Lord: Truly I tell you, the Master will set him over all his possessions[7] (51)

The knights, all of whom are equal by virtue of their dubbing, participate by their counsels and fraternal collaboration in knightly grace and the mission of the Order and in its smooth running, as provided for in the customary.

19. This Rule, a handmaid of the Gospels, constitutes the immutable basis of the Order. It may be completed, interpreted and adapted, if necessary, to the circumstances of time or place by the customary, a handbook of the usages of the Order promulgated by the Master. Any modification to the customary must receive the assent of a majority of the knights at a General chapter.

Beside the Rule and the customary there is a book of ceremonial.
 


[1] 45.         Coloss. 3, 11
[2] 46.         II Tim. 2, 4
[3] 47.         Rule of St. Benedict, 58
[4] 48.         Pius XII
[5] 49.         Wisdom 6, 2
[6] 50.         “Principles for a Charter of Chivalry”, art. 13b
[7] 51.         Rule of St. Benedict, 64

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