Constitution of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity

1. Our Lord had very much at heart the creating of a spirit, a missionary spirit, an evangelical burning that would sweep over the whole world. He came to cast a fire on the earth, and he willed that it would be enkindled (Lk 12:49). The Holy Spirit has enkindled this fire in our hearts. This is our heritage: an apostolic spirit, a Gospel spirit, a Catholic spirit. The Missionary Cenacle spirit is charity, charity aflame.

2. We, the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity, are a religious Institute of pontifical right, one branch of an apostolic family, who have been called by God to be missionaries in the Church. We have a special relationship with the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, priests, deacons, and Brothers. Together, our religious and lay branches comprise the Missionary Cenacle Family.

2.1 We live a vowed life in community to offer one another mutual support in our commitment to be faithfilled, responsible women of the Gospel, fully alive and confident in Jesus Christ.

3. By our lives as Missionary Servants we seek first to glorify the Triune God. We follow in the footsteps of the apostles who, filledwith the Holy Spirit, went forth from the Cenacle to spread everywhere the knowledge and love of Jesus. We live and work that God's name may be hallowed, that his kingdom come, that his holy will be done. (Mt 6:9-10).

4. The missionary thought, the missionary idea, the missionary spirit should be dominant in our Missionary Cenacles. We meet the pressing needs of our day by undertaking works that the Church wants, that are good and necessary, and that have a note of abandonment about them. In all our apostolic commitments, we recognize the authority of the bishops and their special role as signs of unity and as pastors in the local churches.

4.1 If we are to merit Father judge's designation as shock troops, we must offer prophetic vision for future generations, demonstrate a strong trust and confidence in Jesus Christ in the face of opposition and difficulties, and enter new areas of ministry with a spirit of mobility and the invincible faith and courage of picked women.

4.2 Our apostolic mission is expressed through ministries of Christian Formation, Education, Health Services, Pastoral Ministry, Intracommunity Services and Social Work.

4.3 We offer ourselves for apostolic ministry at home and in other lands. We seek beginnings in abandoned and deserted places. We have at heart the home missions, the poor and neglected areas of the United States and Puerto Rico.

4.4 We shall not ordinarily undertake ownership or management of institutions. An exception may be made with the unanimous consent of the General Council after consultation with the whole Community.

5. Our specific mission is the preservation of the faith in those areas and among those people who are spiritually neglected and abandoned, especially the poor. Our chief effort is to develop a missionary spirit in the laity with the goal that every Catholic be an apostle.

5.1 For us, "Preservation of the faith" means awakening and strengthening faith among those who have a Catholic heritage and are in danger of losing it, and making the Church effectively presentwhere it is weak or misunderstood. It involves confessing the truths of our faith; demonstrating Christianity in action by providing human services to the needy and working for peace and justice; collaborating with others to bring about Christian unity; and fostering faith among all who seek reasons for living and hoping.

6. We are to have an ardent zeal for the poor, for those desolate in all l things spiritual and for victims of injustice. Charity urges us to action on behalf of justice as an integral part of announcing the coming of the kingdom.

6.1 We must act on behalf of peace and justice. We should take practical steps to work for peace and to secure justice for abandoned people. We must be knowledgeable about social issues, prepared to implement the social teachings of the Church in communion with our bishops and ready to take a corporate stand when necessary.

7. The Cenacle spirit is a Catholic spirit, a living, burning, operating love of God and neighbor. We are to share this spirit by promoting and supporting the ministries of the laity in the mission of the Church. We acknowledge "different gifts but the same Spirit, different ministries but the same Lord." (1 Cor 12:24).

7.1 We are to be greatly involved with the laity in cooperative endeavors to discover the fullness of Christian living. We are also to encourage lay persons to give witness to their faith in the providence of their daily lives and to place their gifts at the service of others in response to their Christian vocation.

8. We are to call forth apostolic men and women from everyday walks of life to become lay associates in the Missionary Cenacle Family. A family spirit should be demonstrated by loving regard among the members of the branches and, when feasible, by collaboration in apostolic works. It is our particular responsibility as religious members of this farmily to conserve this Cenacle spirit and to be the sanctuary where that fire is kept. Father judge declared that

if the right spirit is maintained, if the primitive spirit is passed down, this family idea will engender the most beautiful fruits for the honor and glory of God and for the edification of the Church.

8.1 We are to be particularly concerned that collaboration in education, development and shared spirituality continue among the various branches of the Missionary Cenacle Family.

8.2 The Cenacle way of life is a vocation. We should encourage women and men with a missionary spirit to become members of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate. We are to promote and support its development.

SPIRITUAL LIFE

9. The Cenacle spirit is a Cliristlike spirit of "faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). We are to confess in our hearts the mysteries of faith: the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. We aspire to a devotional knowledge of these three myseries , that is, a deeply personal and interior faith that is restless until it finds expression in good works; our good works, in turn, nourish our life of faith and bear fruit in apostolic holiness.

10. We are to have a personal love of God our Father, of his Son Jesus and of the Holy Spirit who abides with us. In a particular way we cherish in our prayer and labor the naked, abandoned Jesus on Calvary. We express our love through personal service to his poor and abandoned members.

11. We are to make the Holy Spirit better known and loved. By steadfast prayer in our Cenacles we seek to attrcict the Holy Spirit so that our own hearts may be enkindled with God's love and that we may spread this fire to others. We ask to be filled with the gifts of the Spirit, wisdom and fortitude especially.

11.1 We are to continue the practice of a Perpetual Novena to the Holy Spirit, part of our tradition since our earliest years.

12. The Cenacle spirit is a Gospel spirit. In order to follow Jesus more closely, as set forth in the Gospels, we profess by public vows the evangelical counsels of chastity, fller expression of our poverty and obedience as a baptismal consecration. The uncompromising message of the Gospels calls us to exercise our prophetic role as witnesses to truth.

13. Vowed life in community unites us in faith, hope and we strive to emulate the early Christians who love. Who had one heart and one mind and were nourished by the teachings of the apostles, and the breaking of the bread and the common prayers (Acts 2:42; 4:32).

13.1 We choose apostolic life in community as our way of living out the Gospel. In undertaking missionary works, we prefer those which allow for the establishment of Missionary Cenacies where members may share a common life.

13.2 For the sake of ministry carried out in the name of the Institute, the General Custodian with the consent of her Council, may give permission, subject to periodic evaluation, for a Sister to live alone or with another Congregation.

13.3 Our striving to build a faith community gives direction to our lives and calls us to witness God to one another, to the people we serve and to our local community.

14. We shall hold the Word of God in high esteem. We cherish the Gospels in particular because they depict Jesus showing by word and example the way to the Father. By reflection on the providence of everyday life in the light of the Gospels we come to a devotional knowledge of the mysteries of faith and a deeper understanding of our own experience. Each shall have a copy of the Sacred Scriptures and make frequent use of them in prayer and proclamation.

15. The Eucharist is the center and sun of our apostolic lives. We are to worship God in the daily celebration of the Eucharist, our sacramental participation in the mystery of Jesus' death and resurrection. We should so prepare and celebrate the Eucharistic Liturgy that it will be a genuine expression of community and source of apostolic vitality. We are to have reverence for the sacramental presence of the Lord Jesus and for all that is related to the Eucharist, especially the priesthood.

15.1 Every Missionary Cenacle is expected to have a chapel where the Blessed Sacrament can be reserved; where this is not possible, the chapel will be the parish church.

16. Because of our need for God's mercy in our brokenness, we are to approach the Sacrament of Penance frequently for reconciliation and healing. By our experience of sacramental forgiveness, we grow in mercy and compassion toward others.

17. The Cenacle spirit is a prayerful spirit. We recognize that only a spiritual person can lead an apostolic life, and that we cannot be spiritual without prayer. Great value, then, shall be placed upon periods of prayerful silence and recollection. We are to devote suitable time each day to personal prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. Our reading should include Missionary Cenacle writings, and in keeping with our maxim sentire cum ecclesia, we are to reflect prayerfully on the documents of the Church.

17.1 Each Sister is to give at least one half hour daily to personal reflective prayer.

17.2 The local Community shall determine how an atmosphere of prayerful silence and recollection will be achieved.

18. Periodically we shall seek extended times of prayer and recollection. We are each to make an annual retreat. In order that we may be more attentive to the lights and impulses of the Holy Spirit in our following of Christ, we are encouraged to seek personal spiritual direction.

18.1 Each Sister is to make an annual retreat of at least five consecutive days.

19. We are to glorify the Triune God through common prayer, especially the Liturgy of the Hours. We pray together to promote greater zeal in the apostolate, more supportive community life and stronger bonds within the Missionary Cenacle Family. We shall encourage others to share our prayer.

19.1 In each Missionary Cenacle the Sisters shall gather daily for Morning and Evening Prayer at times suitable to their apostolic commitments.

20. Our prayer should not be narrow, personal prayer; it should reach the throne of God only after having touched the farthest bounds of God's creation and mourned in every human misery and rejoiced in God's goodness. We are to pray, therefore, for the needs of the entire Church, especially for the Holy Father, for bishops and for priests; we pray for youth and for those who are sick, suffering, or abandoned. W ehave a special obligation to pray for our living and deceased relatives, friends, benefactors, and members of the Missionary Cenacle Family.

21. In our religious family we have a special devotion to Mary, Queen of the Missionary Cenacle, to Joseph, an unfailing and powerful friend, to the Apostles, ardent followers of Jesus, and to Vincent de Paul, patron of charity and humility.

22. The Cenacle spirit is an apostolic spirit which finds its perfection in zeal, the white heat of charity. We are to become perfect in the spirit and virtues of the Cenacle, to live and die simple, prudent, humble, charitable men anti women; men and women of sacrifice, of patience, of self-denial whose lives are spent and consecrated to the service of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

VOWED LIFE

23. Christ calls us to follow him with liberty of spirit and to share in his emptying of self for others (Phil 2:7). He was celibate and poor (Mt 8:20; Lk. 9:58) and obedient unto death (Phil2:8). We freely vow chastity,poverty, and obedience as a personal response in faith to God whose love the Holy Spirit has poured out in our hearts (Rom 5:5).

23.1 A vow is a baptism of love. Thus, intimacy with the Lord Jesus is at the heart of vowed life in community. It is love that motivates and permeates the three vows and calls us to continual growth.

24. Our religious profession binds us to the Church and its mystery in a special way. By profession of vows we are joined together for the sake of apostolic mission, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Our vows should help us to express a more generous love of one another in community; community life, in turn, should contribute to the faithful living out of the vows.

24.1 As a witness to evangelical poverty and to religious consecration our garl7, while being in some way different from the forms that are clearly secular, will be the plain dress of any modestly attired woman of our day. This is the original intent of our Founder and, historically, this custom has enabled us to move freely among the poor and abandoned.

24.2 As a public sign of our consecration, we are to wear the official emblem of the Institute which is given to each of us at the time of profession.

Chastity

25. We imitate the single-hearted love of Jesus who gave himself for us as an offering to God (Eph5:1). Our gift of self in consecrated chastity should liberate our hearts to love and to be loved by all those given us in community and ministry. Our chastity should find expression in a warm and selfless love of others.

26. By the vow of chastity, we promise to remain celibate and to lead lives of perfect continence for the love of God and for the sake of the kingdom (Mt 19:22). By accepting the gift of celibacy, we express our preferential love of the Lord Jesus.

26.1 As religious women we are to convey by our attitude, manner and presence that we have given ourselves to God and to his people.

27. In the spirit of the Missionary Cenacle, we are to offer each other support and understanding, rejoicing with those who rejoice and sorrowing with those who sorrow. Ina special way, our love is given to the sick and aging who are our particular treasure in community.

27.1 We grow in the virtue of chastity by fidelity to our spiritual practices, particularly devotion to Mary and Joseph, by commitment to each other in community and by the practice of the Cenacle virtues of prudence and self-denial, especially in interpersonal relationships and in our forms of relaxation and entertainment.

Poverty

28. We imitate the poverty of Jesus who for our sake "made himself poor though he was rich, so that we might become rich through his poverty" (2 Cor 8:9). The virtue of poverty inspires us to be totally dependent upon the providence of God, to be subject to the common law of labor, to heed the cry of the poor and to live simply, holding all things in common.

29. By the vow of evangelical poverty, we renounce our right to dispose of and to use anything that has material value without permission. We retain the radical right to own and acquire goods.

29.1 By the vow of poverty, a Sister forgoes the administration of her goods and the right to use and dispose independently of them and of their revenues. She also forgoes the administration of her patrimony and the right to use and dispose independently of it or its revenues.

29.2 Prior to profession of vows, and for the length of time she shall remain bound by them, a Sister must cede by legal document the administration of her goods and patrimony; a Sister may change the cession with the permission of the General Custodian. If the Sister leaves the Institute, such a cession loses all validity.

29.3 We are free to make renunciation of our patrimony. Renunciation of patrimony may be made ten or more years after perpetual profession. Permission for such renunciation must be received from the General Custodian.

29.4 A Sister may give to the Institute all or part of the patrimony which she currently owns without making a renunciation of patrimony which may be acquired by her in the future. This gift to the Institute would not be returned to her if she leaves the Institute.

29.5 Whatever property, income, pensions, gifts or bequests a Sister acquires in the Institute as remuneration for her ministry or by reason of the Institute, belongs to the Institute.

29.6 Professed Sisters may not seek compensation for work done for the institute. At the time of both first and perpetual profession of vows, a Sister must, therefore, sign a document valid in civil law in which she declares that she will not demand any remuneration for services given the Institute if she leaves it or is dismissed.

29.7 A Sister may not dispose of the goods of the Institute without permission.

29.8 Before perpetual profession, a Sister shall freely make a Last Will and Testament valid in civil law, disposing of her actual possessions and of those that may come to her later. Sisters may change their Last Will and Testament only with the permission of the General Custodian.

30. We are to be responsible stewards of the material goods entrusted to us. Our Cenacle heritage, moreover, directs us to be generous in sharing with others and in offering hospitality.

30.1 In our Missionary Cenacles we are to extend hospitality to guests and members of the Missionary Cenacle Family in places set aside for that purpose.

Obedience

31. We imitate the obedience of Jesus, who "humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). The virtue of obedience is grounded in faith and love, generosity and forgetfulness of self. Our obedience should be humble and of the heart, simple and entire, constant and strong in everything.

32. By the vow of obedience, we pledge to obey those persons who exercise authority in our Institute in everything that pertains to the observance of the Constitution and the integrity of our religious profession. We are to obey the Holy Father in virtue of our vow of obedience and to show him a particular loyalty.

32.1 The General Custodian is to give a command in virtue of holy obedience rarely, cautiously and prudently, and only for a just and grave reason. Such a formal precept shall be given in writing or before two witnesses.

32.2 A Sister exercises her ministry as a response to her vow of obedience. Therefore, she shall undertake and terminate her ministry following the process outlined in the Handbook under "Mission and Ministry."

33. Relying on the Holy Spirit, we are to seek together to discover God's will in a climate of respect and trust. With genuine love, we call each other to grow in apostolic holiness through encouragement and mutually appropriate accountability. This practice of taking counsel in matters of common life and mission is a cherished tradition in the Missionary Cenacle. After prayer and counsel, we humbly accept the decisions of those in authority.

33.1 Our Cenacle tradition of holding council gives expression to our desire to know God's will in all things. We submit all important matters to prayer and council. All, before coming to a council meeting, should individually and earnestly pray to the Holy Spirit for the gift of Counsel.

We should enter with prayerful minds free from bias and love of our own opinion. We state our views with detachment, giving out what the Holy Spirit gives us. All our deliberations are marked by a peaceful and charitable presentation of reasons, The rest we leave to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

MINISTRY OF AUTHORITY

34. Religious authority is exercised by those chosen to call us to be faithful to our vocations as Missionary Servants. The function of this authority is to assist each other to seek the will of God, to promote a true spirit of community and to unite us in pursuing our apostolic goals.

35. This authority, a ministry after the example of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve (Mt 20:28), is to be exercised according to the Constitution and other statutes of common and particular law.

35.1 The fundamental principle of government in our Community is charity. From this flow the other principles: communication, co-responsibility, accountability, subsidiarity and service.

36. We recognize the value of counsel and consultation in important matters of common concern. In house council, we are to share the responsibility for decisions affecting the local community. Local Custodians and other designated persons exercise personal authority within their rnandate.

Local Missionary Cenacle

36.1 Our residences are called Missionary Cenacles. Some Missionary Cenacles are established religious houses. Each Sister is attached to an established religious house.

36.2 Every Missionary Cenacle shall be under proper canonical authority.

36.3 A Sister who governs a local Missionary Cenacle is called a local Custodian.

36.4 Custodians are appointed by the General Custodian with the consent of her Council. In each case there shall be prior consultation, and the Sister to be appointed shall be professed with perpetual vows for at least one year.

36.5 The terrn of the local custodian is three years. She may be reappointed for a second term, but not for a third terrn successively in the same house.

36.6 The special duty of a local Custodian is to promote the faithful observance of the Constitution by the Sisters in the local Missionary Cenacle. In large Cenacles, the Custodian shall be assisted by at least two Councilors.

36.7 Council is the heart, brains and soul of the movement.

House council is a legacy from our Founder. The local Custodian shall use this forum for consultation, dialogue, decision making and sharing of responsibility in community life and in mission. The Sisters permanently assigned to a Missionary Cenacle comprise the house council.

Local Temporal Affairs

36.8 Individual Missionary Cenacles, as well as the Institute, may acquire, possess, alienate and administer temporal goods in accordance with Church law, civil law and the laws of the Institute. The property and other temporal affairs of the Missionary Cenacle are to be administered by the Treasurer.

36.9 Each Missionary Cenacle with property shall select a Treasurer and a Secretary with the approval of the General Custodian.

37. Full authority shall be exercised in an ordinary manner by the General Custodian assisted by the General Council. Thisauthorityencompassesreligiousleadership and government of our Institute, the call of members to mission, and responsibility for the administration of temporal goods.

General Custodian

37.1 The General Custodian, once elected, governs and administers the entire Institute according to the present Constitution. She is responsible for safeguarding the charism, calling forth from the Sisters its living expression and insuring the stability of the Community.

37.2 The General Custodian may not hold any other office within the Institute.

37.3 The following rights are reserved to the General

Custodian:

a) To command and correct every individual member.

b) To admit and dismiss candidates.

c) To extend the novitiate period, but not beyond six months.

d) To admit Sisters to renewal of vows.

e) To extend the time of temporary profession, but not beyond nine years.

f) To grant permission for a Sister to be absent from the local Missionary Cenacle for an extended time according to the prescriptions of Canon Law.

g) To supervise the General Officers in their respective duties.

h) To approve the form of government selected by each Missionary Cenacle.

i) To approve the Secretary and Treasurer selected by a Missionary Cenacle.

j) To approve all financial transactions, and legal proceedings affecting such, which do not exceed the sum determined by the General Cenacle; not however, alienation of goods belonging to the Institute, or similar transactions, such as mortgages.

k) To determine in detail the manner of applying the Constitution without either altering it or giving an authentic interpretation.

1) To grant both the Sisters and the local Missionary Cenacles permissions not reserved to the deliberative vote of her Council and to grant such permissions in particular instances, or for a time as she deems necessary, without thereby dispensing in general from the Constitution.

m) To issue general instructions or general circular letters; to issue obligatory instructions, or decrees as applications of the Constitution.

n) To represent the Institute before ecclesiastical or civil authority.

0) To solicit from the Holy See the indults to be asked for the Institute and its members.

p) To order Visitation of any Missionary Cenacle, and delegate, if advisable, a Sister as Visitor upon consultation with her Council.

q) To provide for the dissemination of the documents of the Holy See.

37.4 It is the duty of the General Custodian to conduct a Visitation of the Missionary Cenacles of the Institute, either in person or by delegate, at least once during her term of office. A full report is to be made to the General Council.

37.5 The General Custodian may not give to the Sisters, or take from them, active or passive voice, except as determined by common law.

37.6 If the General Custodian wishes to resign her office, after conferring with her Council, she shall send her resignation to the Holy See. The resignation takes effect only after it has been approved by the Holy See.

37.7 If it should ever seem necessary to deprive a General Custodian of her Office, the General Councilors, after taking council among themselves and voting by secret ballot, shall report the matter to the Holy See and abide by its decision.

General Council

37.8 The General Council is composed of at least four General Councilors elected by the General Cenacle. ItistheirofficetoassisttheGeneralCustodian and to share with her responsibility for the development of the mission of the total Community, according to the prescriptions of the Constitution.

37.9 Every member of the Institute is free either directly or indirectly to bring important points to thenoticeoftheGeneralCouncil. TheGeneral Council will respond.

37.10 A member of the General Council may not at the same time be General Treasurer or Director of Novices.

37.11 If the General Custodian is not available, the Assistant General Custodian presides over the General Council.

37.12 The decisions of the General Council are reached by an absolute majority of votes. If there is a tie vote after three ballots, the one presiding may decide the matter.

37.13 For elections and for dismissals, all the members shall be present. For other affairs there must be present one more than half of the members including the one presiding. The other members must have been called to attend.

37.14 The dismissal of a professed Sister requires a collegial vote of the General Custodian and the General Council.

37.15 Whenever the deliberative vote of the Council is required, the General Custodian acts invalidly if she acts against their vote; whenever only their advice is required, it suffices for validity that she consult them. In either case, the General Custodian is in no way obliged to act on their advice, even when unanimous; nevertheless, she should take into account their point of view and not differ from them without what seems to her a grave reason.

37.16 The following matters are reserved to the General Custodian with the deliberative vote of the General Council:

a) General Discipline:

-enactments according to the Constitution and for the whole Institute, with a view to preventing relaxation, or to repairing breaches in regular discipline;

-dispensations to a local Missionary Cenacle, or to the entire Institute, in a matter which is disciplinary;

-practical interpretation of doubtful points of the Consitution;

-modification or confirmation of acts of a former General Council.

b) Admission of:

-widows;

-those over thirty-five;

-those whose marriages have been annulled; -those who have been vowed members of another religious Institute, according to the norms of common law;

-candidates to the novitiate;

-novices to temporary profession of vows;

-Sisters to perpetual profession of vows.