Constitution
This is the
official Constitution of the Confraternity
of the Holy Names of God and Jesus,
Archdiocesan Association of Holy Name Societies, Archdiocese of St. Paul /
Minneapolis
A constitution defines the
fundamental law determining the governing, legislation, and
organization of a religious organization. Constitutions are enacted
to further the object of the Society.
A confraternity is a voluntary
association of Christ's faithful, established and guided by
competent ecclesiastical authority. Confraternities strive with a
common effort to foster a more perfect life, or to promote public
worship or Christian teaching. They may also devote themselves to
other works of the apostolate, such as initiatives for
evangelization, works of piety or charity.
Confraternities are erected by
canonical authority and have a precise organization, with rights and
duties regulated by ecclesiastical law. Directors of confraternities
are appointed or approved by the bishop or in the churches by the
regular superior. The observance of the rules of the confraternity
is not binding in conscience nor does their neglect deprive a person
of membership. Failure to meet the obligations of a confraternity
negates the member from obtaining any spiritual benefits.
The loss of all its members for a
short time does not dissolve a confraternity. The reception of new
members allows the Indulgences to be gained again. The dissolution,
translation, and visitation of confraternities belong to the
ordinary.
The confraternity of the Holy
Names of God and Jesus is a Public Association of Christ's Faithful
as defined under the Code of Canon Law for Christ's Faithful.
Title V: Associations of Christ's
Faithful
Chapter I: Common Norms
Canon 298 §1 In the Church there
are associations that are distinct from institutes of consecrated
life and societies of apostolic life. In these associations,
Christ's faithful, whether clerics or laity, or clerics and laity
together, strive with a common effort to foster a more perfect life,
or to promote public worship or Christian teaching. They may also
devote themselves to other works of the apostolate, such as
initiatives for evangelization, works of piety or charity, and those
that animate the temporal order with the Christian spirit.
§2 Christ's faithful are to join
especially those associations, which have been established, praised
or recommended by the competent ecclesiastical authority.
Canon 304 §1 All associations of
Christ's faithful, whether public or private, by whatever title or
name they are called, are to have their own statutes. These are to
define the purpose or social objective of the association, its
center, its governance and the conditions of membership. They are
also to specify the manner of action of the association, paying due
regard to what is necessary or useful in the circumstances of the
time and place.
§2 Associations are to select for
themselves a title or name which is in keeping with the practices of
the time and place, especially one derived from the purpose they
intend.
The Church urges the foundation of
associations that have for their purpose the promotion of the more
perfect Christian life of the members, the exercise of pious or
charitable works, or the increase of public worship.
Canon 215 Christ's faithful may
freely establish and direct associations which serve charitable or
pious purposes or which foster the Christian vocation in the world,
and they may hold meetings to pursue these purposes by common
effort.
This Confraternity is established
to assist it's members in accomplishing all the purposes requested
of Public Associations of Christ's Faithful through prayer, frequent
reception of the sacraments, fraternal cooperation in good works,
and finally, and with great vigor, by public demonstrations of Faith
through the veneration of the Names of God and Jesus.
Name
The Confraternity of the Most Holy
Names of God and Jesus is sometimes referred to as the Society of
the Holy Name of Jesus or the Confraternity of the Holy Name of
Jesus, but is more frequently called the Holy Name Society. Any or
all of these names are a valid representation of this Public
Association.
Charter
The canonical title of "Order of
Preachers", given to the work of St. Dominic by the Church, is in
itself significant, but it indicates only the dominant feature of
the order. The Constitutions of the Order are more explicit: "Our
order was instituted principally for preaching and for the salvation
of souls." The end or aim of the order is the salvation of souls,
especially by means of preaching.
Pope Pius V in the proclamation,
Motu Proprio "Decet Romanum", 21 June, 1571, absolutely restricted
the canonical erection of the Confraternity of the Holy Names of God
and Jesus to the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order). Letters
patent from the Master General of the Dominicans are required for
the canonical establishment of the confraternity.
The proper foundation of the
confraternity cannot be effected unless the confraternity is founded
by the Roman Pontiff, or by the Authority delegated by him. The
Roman Pontiff, has delegated his authority for the foundation of the
Confraternity of the Holy Names of God and Jesus to the Master
General of the Order of Preachers.
In addition to approval from the
Pope, permission from the local Ordinary, and from the Pastor of the
parish are required for establishment of the Society. Consent of the
National Conference of Catholic Bishops has been previously given
for the erection of confraternities of the Public Association of The
Most Holy Names of God and Jesus (The Holy Name Society) in parishes
around the Nation.
Charism
The Confraternity of the Holy
Names of God and Jesus, as a public association of Christ's Faithful
with canonical ties to the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order),
shares in the charism of the Order of Preachers and their founder,
St. Dominic de Guzman.
Charism is a Greek term used by
St. Paul, meaning "favor", "gratuitous gift", "benefit". Charisms
are special graces given by the Holy Spirit. (CCC 2003).
Charisms are graces of the Holy
Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as
they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of
the world. (CCC 799). They are a wonderfully rich grace for the
apostolic vitality and for the holiness of the entire Body of Christ
(CCC 800).
Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Imprimi Protest, Joseph Ratzinger, Indicasterial Commission for the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1995.
In 1215 Dominic founded his Order
of Preaching Friars, whose purpose was summed up by Pope Honorius
III. "God has inspired you to embrace a life of poverty and regular
observance and to devote yourselves to preaching the Word of God,
making known the name of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the
world." Pope Honorius III, in his second bull of confirmation of the
Order issued in 1216, called the Order of Preachers the "Champions
of the Faith and true lights of the world, " which recalls Christ's
words, "You are the light of the world. " It is the light that
shines forth from Truth.
The Order of Preachers, born amid the Albigensian heresy and founded
especially for the defense of the Faith (apologetics), bent their
literary efforts to reach all classes of dissenters from the
Catholic Church. They produced by far the most powerful works in the
sphere of apologetics.
"There are many different gifts
but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of
serving but it is always the same Lord. There are many different
forms of activity but in everybody it is the same God who works in
them all." (1 Cor. 12, 4-6)
In the writings of St. Paul the
term charism has a double meaning. In the broad sense it designates
the "gift" of Christian life in general received at baptism. In the
strict sense it means a particular, specific "gift" received by
individuals or groups for the service and building up of the
Christian community. It is in this latter sense that we speak of the
charism of Public Associations of Christ's Faithful, each of which
has received from the Holy Spirit through its founder a particular
charism to realize a specific mission in the Church.
In the history of salvation God
has a loving design for each spiritual organization. This divine
intervention gives the spiritual organization a reason for existing,
its identity and proper mission. The "charism" of a spiritual
organization is a special grace granted by the Holy Spirit. It is
this grace that incorporates members of these associations.
This Society is a form of the
apostolate life raised up by the spirit which inflamed the soul of
St. Paul, " I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your
souls" (2 Cor 12:15). It seeks to spread everywhere the benefits of
the blood of our Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Apostolate
"The Christian vocation, of its
nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." Indeed, we call an
apostolate "every activity of the Mystical Body" that aims "to
spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth". (CCC 864)
"Christ, sent by the Father, is
the source of the Church's whole apostolate"; thus the fruitfulness
of the apostolate for ordained ministers as well as for the lay
people clearly depends on their vital union with Christ." (CCC 864)
Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Imprimi Protest, Joseph Ratzinger, Indicasterial Commission for the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1995.
An apostle is one who is "sent" by
the Lord to do His work; the apostolate is this work done for the
Lord. An active apostolate is any apostolate that goes beyond prayer
and penance. Prayer and penance is an interior apostolate. Pope St.
Leo says the Apostolate of the saint is the sowing of the seed of
faith, the word of God.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he
who believes in Me will also do the works that I do
" (Jn 14:12)
Whatever you ask in My name, I
will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son' if you ask
anything in My name, I will do it." (Jn 12:13-14)
Members of the Society are called
to the apostolate as faithful members of the Mystical Body of
Christ.
Chapter I: The Vocation of the
Laity to the Apostolate
2. The Church was founded for the
purpose of spreading the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth for
the glory of God the Father, to enable all men to share in His
saving redemption,(1) and that through them the whole world might
enter into a relationship with Christ. All activity of the Mystical
Body directed to the attainment of this goal is called the
apostolate, which the Church carries on in various ways through all
her members. For the Christian vocation by its very nature is also a
vocation to the apostolate.
Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem
Solemnly Promulgated By His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, On November 18,
1965
Members of the Society are called
to an interior and active apostolate. The apostolic life flows from
a strong interior life of prayer and contemplation. If we are
faithful to prayer, God will reveal to us what He would have us do.
Our activity will bear fruit provided we are generous in our
response to God. He will provide all that we need to do His work.
"Interior life and active life!
Holiness in apostolic works! What a powerful and fertile union! What
prodigies are wrought by such a union! O God, deign to give Thy
Church many such apostolic men, but at the same time, deign to
revive in their hearts, a longing to "spend themselves and be spent"
for the salvation of their fellow-men and an ardent thirst for a
life of prayer. Impart to Thy apostolic laborers a contemplative
activity and an active contemplation, and they will gain the
victories which Thou didst promise them before ascending to heaven.
"The True Apostolate" by Dom J. B. Chautard, Trappist Abbot of
Sept-Fons, 1918, pg. 61.
The Corporal and Spiritual Works
of Mercy are examples of the apostolate to which members of the
Society are called. The apostolate can be done in the Church or in
the world.
"for I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you
made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you
visited me, in prison and you came to see me." (Mt 25: 35-36)
In carrying out the apostolate
members of the Society hold to the conviction that; "Jesus is the
life of all apostolic labors". Our efforts in themselves are
nothing, absolutely nothing, for Jesus says expressly: "Without Me
you can do nothing" (Jn 15:6). Our labors will prove useful and be
blessed by God, provided all members unite them to the vivifying
action of Jesus Christ. Then and only then will our labors be all
powerful, for "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me". (Phil
4:13).
Canon 315 Public associations can,
on their own initiative, undertake projects which are appropriate to
their character, and they are governed by the statutes, but under
the overall direction of the ecclesiastical authority mentioned in
canon 312 §1.
Specific apostolic works of the
Society are:
1) To promote reverence for the most
Holy Name of Jesus both public and private devotion.
"Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name." Mt 6:9
No other name under heaven has been given to men by which we can be
saved. (Acts 4:12)
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the
Lord his God in vain. -Exodus 20:7
2) To pray and do penance to offer
reparation for sin, particularly for acts committed against the
Second Commandment.
3) To promote spiritual welfare of
the members by encouraging and assisting them to observe the
practices of the Confraternity, namely, frequent reception of the
sacraments, the honoring of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus by
an active spiritual life, and by working against all things which
offend the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus.
4) To educate members of the Society
and others on the essentials of our Catholic faith and on the
teachings of our Holy Mother the Church by sponsoring talks,
conferences, and discussions on matters of Church doctrine and
spirituality and by promoting retreats.
Apologetic works. -- The Order of
Preachers, born amid the Albigensian heresy and founded especially
for the defense of the Faith, worked hard to make sure their
literary efforts would reach all classes of dissenters from the
Catholic Church. They produced by far the most powerful works in the
sphere of apologetics.
5) To provide others, who are outside
of the Society, with information on the charisms and works of the
Society.
6) To foster a spirit of fraternal
charity in the Society and within the parish community.
Fraternal charity should be based
on the example of Christ
Devotions
Thou shalt not take the name of
the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless
that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain. -Exodus 20:7
Public Devotion to the Holy Names
of God and Jesus
It was at the request of His
Holiness Pope Gregory X to Blessed John of Vercelli fifth
successor of St. Dominic de Guzman as Master of the Order of
Preachers that Friars of the Order of Preachers concentrated their
efforts on preaching greater devotion to the Holy Names of God and
Jesus.
The men of this Society are to
take great care that neither they nor others in their presence will
profane the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus. They are encouraged to
admonish those who do admonishment should be done with prudence
and in a spirit of fraternal charity.
Members of this Society are
encouraged to assemble to honor and praise the divine Holy Name of
Jesus every year on the third day of January. Members of the
Confraternity are to observe this day with the liturgical rank of
Obligatory Memorial.
Saint Paul taught that at the Name
of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil 2:10). The Church's veneration
of the Name of Jesus flourished through the teaching of the
Franciscan Saint Bernadine of Sienna (1380 to 1444). In 1721 the
feast of the Holy Name of Jesus was mandated for the universal
Church. It was restored as an optional memorial by Pope John Paul II
effective in 2003.
In accord with the custom of the
Order of Preachers, wherever possible, a liturgical procession
through the Church with suitable songs, biblical readings,
preaching and the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus may be
held on any second Sunday of any month, with due consideration given
for the nature of the liturgical Season of the year.
In accordance with Church
teaching, members of the Society are encouraged to make a bow of the
head as a sign of respect each time the name of Jesus is spoken.
According to the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 234: A bow of the head is made
when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the name of
Jesus, Mary, and the saint in whose honor Mass is celebrated.
"God greatly exalted Him and
bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus, every knee shall bend, of those in Heaven and on earth and
under the earth." Phil 2:9-10
Private Devotions to the Most Holy
Name of Jesus
Members of the Society are
encouraged to recite the Litany to the Most Holy Name of Jesus on a
daily basis.
The Litany of the Most Holy Name
of Jesus (Litania Sanctissimi Nominis Iesu) was likely composed by
St. John Capistrano (1386-1456) and by St. Bernadine of Siena
(1380-1444) who both preached extensively on devotion to the Holy
Name of Jesus in the 15th century. The Litany was approved for
private use by Pope Sixtus V in 1585. The present form was approved
by Pope Pius IX for local usage in 1862 and then in 1866 Pope Leo
XIII approved it for public use in the Universal Church.
Once a year members are encouraged
to make a Novena to the Most Holy Name of Jesus ending on the day of
their induction into the Society or on the Feast of the Holy Name of
Jesus.
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
Mary and the Rosary
The Society, with canonical ties
to the Dominican Order, shares in the charism of the Order of
Preachers and their founder, St. Dominic de Guzman. A basic form of
the Holy Rosary was given to the Church by St. Dominic who received
it from the Blessed Virgin in the year 1214 as a powerful means of
converting the Albigensians and other sinners ("De Dignitate
Psalterii", Blessed Alan de la Roche, O.P., French Dominican Father
and Apostle of the Holy Rosary).
The Holy Rosary is composed
principally and in substance, of the Prayer of Christ and the
Angelic Salutation, that is, the Our Father and the Hail Mary. This
powerful prayer was given to the Church through St. Dominic and has
been recommended through the ages by many Saints as well as many of
the Roman Pontiffs as a most effective means of sanctification.
Members of the Society are
strongly encouraged to make the recitation of the Holy Rosary a part
of their daily prayer life.
Obligations
The Society exists to assist
members in living fully their personal call to holiness and
sanctification and to assist them in their call to evangelization as
members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
"You, therefore, must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mt 5:48
"You are the light of the world"
Mt 5:14
"Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven." Mt 5:16
The Society calls each of its
members to:
1) Strive for perfection by
frequent reception of the sacraments, daily prayer, spiritual
reading, acts of penance and mortification, and fraternal charity.
To live a holy, interior life and to promote the continual
sanctification of the Church.
You must, therefore, be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mt 5:48.
Canon 204 §1 Christ's faithful are
those who, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism,
are constituted the people of God.
For this reason they participate
in their own way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of
Christ. They are called, each according to his or her particular
condition, to exercise the mission which God entrusted to the Church
to fulfill in the world.
Canon 210 All Christ's faithful,
each according to his or her own condition, must make a wholehearted
effort to lead a holy life, and to promote the growth of the Church
and its continual sanctification.
"Just as the love of God reveals
itself by acts of the interior life, so also the love of neighbor
manifests intelf by the operations of the exterior life; and as the
love of God and the love of the neighbor are practically
inseparable, it follows that these two forms of life cannot subsist
without each other."
- St. Isidore
"Those who are called to the works
of the active life would be mistaken, were they to imagine that they
are thereby dispensed from the acts of the contemplative life, for
they should be added to the duties of the active life. Hence these
two modes of life, far from excluding one another, require,
presuppose, mingle with and complete each other; and if one of them
should have the larger share, it should be the contemplative. Which
is the more perfect and the more necessary of the two."
- St. Thomas.
The means of salvation and
sanctification are known to all; they are laid down in the Gospel,
explained by the masters of the spiritual life, practiced by the
Saints, and necessary to all who wish to be saved and to attain
perfection. They are humility of heart, continual prayer,
mortification in all things, abandonment to Divine Providence and
conformity to the will of God.
- St. Louis Marie De Montfort.
2) Evangelize, to work so that the
divine message of salvation may reach the whole of mankind. This
evangelization should be carried out in the spirit of St. Francis of
Assisi, "Evangelize at all times; when necessary, use words."
Evangelism means announcing the
gospel or good news, the evangelium. The word evangelism contains
the word angel, which means messenger. Evangelism is our obedience
to our Lord's last earthly command:
"All authority in heaven and earth
has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the
age." (Mt 28:18-20)
Canon 211 All Christ's faithful
have the obligation and the right to strive so that the divine
message of salvation may more and more reach all people of all times
and all places.
Canon 225 §1 Since lay people,
like all Christ's faithful, are deputed to the apostolate by baptism
and confirmation, they are bound by the general obligation and they
have the right, whether as individuals or in associations, to strive
so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by
all people throughout the world. This obligation is all the more
insistent in circumstances in which only through them are people
able to hear the Gospel and to know Christ.
§2 They have also, according to
the condition of each, the special obligation to permeate and
perfect the temporal order of things with the spirit of the Gospel.
In this way, particularly in conducting secular business and
exercising secular functions, they are to give witness to Christ.
Canon 229 §1 Lay people have the
duty and the right to acquire the knowledge of Christian teaching
which is appropriate to each one's capacity and condition, so that
they may be able to live according to this teaching, to proclaim it
and if necessary to defend it, and may be capable of playing their
part in the exercise of the apostolate.
There are innumerable
opportunities open to the laity for the exercise of their apostolate
of evangelization and sanctification. The very testimony of their
Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have the
power to draw men to belief and to God; for the Lord says, "Even so
let your light shine before men in order that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
However, an apostolate of this
kind does not consist only in the witness of one's way of life; a
true apostle looks for opportunities to announce Christ by words
addressed either to non-believers with a view to leading them to
faith, or to the faithful with a view to instructing, strengthening,
and encouraging them to a more fervent life. "For the charity of
Christ impels us" (2 Cor. 5:14). The words of the Apostle should
echo in all hearts, "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1
Cor. 9:16).(1)
- Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem (6)
Solemnly Promulgated By His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, on November 18,
1965
3) Be obedient to the teachings of
the Magisterium of the Church.
Canon 227 §1 To lay members of
Christ's faithful belongs the right to have acknowledged as theirs
that freedom in secular affairs which is common to all citizens. In
using this freedom, however, they are to ensure that their actions
are permeated with the spirit of the Gospel, and they are to heed
the teaching of the Church proposed by the Magisterium, but they
must be on guard, in questions of opinion, against proposing their
own view as the teaching of the Church.
Canon 212 §1 Christ's faithful,
conscious of their own responsibility, are bound to show Christian
obedience to what the sacred Pastors, who represent Christ, declare
as teachers of the faith and prescribe as rulers of the Church.
4) Carry out obligations to God
consistent with their vocation in life.
Canon 225 §1 Since lay people,
like all Christ's faithful, are deputed to the apostolate by baptism
and confirmation, they are bound by the general obligation and they
have the right, whether as individuals or in associations, to strive
so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by
all people throughout the world. This obligation is all the more
insistent in circumstances in which only through them are people
able to hear the Gospel and to know Christ.
Canon 226 §1 Those who are married
are bound by the special obligation, in accordance with their own
vocation, to strive for the building up of the people of God through
their marriage and family.
§2 Because they gave life to their
children, parents have the most serious obligation and the right to
educate them. It is therefore primarily the responsibility of
Christian parents to ensure the Christian education of their
children in accordance with the teaching of the Church.
5) Participate more intimately in
the life of the Church to fulfill the demands of the Lay Apostolate.
Canon 204 §1 Christ's faithful are
those who, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism,
are constituted the people of God. For this reason they participate
in their own way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of
Christ. They are called, each according to his or her particular
condition, to exercise the mission, which God entrusted to the
Church to fulfill in the world.
Canon 216 Since they share the
Church's mission, all Christ's faithful have the right to promote
and support apostolic action, by their own initiative, undertaken
according to their state and condition.
Members of the Society are
required to:
1) Praise and glorify God by fidelity
to prayer, especially by both private and public Holy Name devotions
and as far as it can be done, bring others, particularly those
committed to the member's care, to know and honor the name of God.
2) Recognize His divine authority and
believe that all power on earth, civil and religious comes from Him
and respect and promise to obey all lawfully constituted authority.
3) Proclaim love and obedience to the
Pope, the Vicar of Christ on Earth.
4) Believe all the sacred truths,
which the Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches and to educate
himself and all those in his charge in these truths.
5) Promise to strive for perfection
by frequent reception of the sacraments, daily prayer, spiritual
reading, acts of penance and mortification, and fraternal charity -
"You must, therefore, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect." Mt 5:48.
6) In honor of His Divine Name, avoid
disrespect to the name of God, of Jesus, and of what is sacred and
should abstain from all improper language, such as blasphemy,
perjury profanity, cursing, obscene speech and indecency, and as far
as prudence permits induce others to refrain from such insults to
God and immorality.
7) Avoid any conduct that would be
scandalous or cause or tempt others to ridicule or despise the
Catholic faith or the Society lest it be true "The name of God is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." Rom 2:24.
8) Fulfill all the obligations of
membership in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church,
according to one's state in life, as well as the specific
obligations of membership in the Society, particularly attendance at
all devotional events.
It should be noted that
regulations imposed by the constitution do not bind under the pain
of sin. Members of the Confraternity as a matter of honor and
obedience should live up to these regulations. They should also, in
all of their activities, as members, be mindful of the divine law of
charity.
Indulgences
Every member of the Confraternity
of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus, while he is faithful to his
obligations shares in all of the blessings from the Masses, good
works, preaching, teaching and the manual labor of the Dominican
Order. This includes a share in the thirty-three Masses which each
Dominican is bound to say every year for the souls of the departed
brethren.
The following partial indulgences
are particularly applicable to faithful members of the Holy Name
Society who:
In the performance of their duties
and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble
confidence to God, asking if only mentally some pious
invocation. "Blessed be the name of God", and similar invocations of
devotion to the name of God would be applicable in this grant. (cf.
The Decree in the Apostolate of the Laity, 4, "Whatever you do in
word or work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving
thanks to God the Father through Him").
In a spirit of faith and mercy
give of themselves or of their goods to serve brothers in need.
In spirit of penance voluntarily
deprive themselves of what is licit and pleasing to them.
Recite the Litany of the Holy Name
of Jesus.
Wear the Holy Name emblem
properly blessed by any priest.
The Sacred Penitentiary*, in
response to the petition of the Dominican Order, granted a plenary
indulgence to the members of the Most Holy Name of God and the Most
Holy Name of Jesus, on the following occasions:
The day of the member's induction
into the Confraternity
Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Christmas Day (December 25)
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the Holy Name of Jesus
(January 1)
Resurrection of the Lord - Easter Sunday
The Solemnity of Christ the King (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
last Sunday prior to the start of the Season of Advent)
The Annunciation of the Lord (March 25)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15)
The Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker (May 1)
* Sacra Paenitentiaria Apostolica
Rescript, 25 October 1967, Indulgentiarum recognito pro O.P., in
ASOP 38, 1968, p. 580.
The following information on
indulgences is taken directly from "Indulgentarium Doctrina
Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences" Promulgated on January 1,
1967 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI.
(2) It is a divinely revealed
truth that sins bring punishments inflicted by God's sanctity and
justice. These must be expiated either on this earth through the
sorrows, miseries and calamities of this life and above all through
death, or else in the life beyond through fire and torments or
"purifying" punishments. Therefore it has always been the conviction
of the faithful that the paths of evil are fraught with many
stumbling blocks and bring adversities, bitterness and harm to those
who follow them.
These punishments are imposed by
the just and merciful judgment of God for the purification of souls,
the defense of the sanctity of the moral order and the restoration
of the glory of God to its full majesty.
Norm 1. An indulgence is the
remission before God of the temporal punishment due sins already
forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned, which the follower of
Christ with the proper dispositions and under certain determined
conditions acquires through the intervention of the Church which, as
minister of the Redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies
the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the saints.
Norm 2. An indulgence is partial
or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the
temporal punishment due sin.
Norm 7. To acquire a plenary
indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the
indulgence is attached and to fulfill three conditions' sacramental
confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of
the Supreme Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to
sins, even to venial sin, be absent.
Norm 8. The three conditions may
be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the
prescribed work; nevertheless it is fitting that Communion be
received and the prayers for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff
be said the same day the work is performed.
Membership
Conditions of Membership
Members must be firm believers in
the Catholic faith, as expressed in the Credo of the People of God,
issued by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1968.
Membership in the Society
presupposes qualifications that are clearly expressed in the Code of
Canon Law and those specified within the By-Laws of the Society.
Canon 316 §1 A person who has
publicly rejected the catholic faith, or has defected from
ecclesiastical communion, or upon whom an excommunication has been
imposed or declared, cannot validly be received into public
associations.
Non-Catholics, persons under
censure, and in general, public sinners cannot be validly admitted
to membership.
Mere consent of the applicant does
not suffice for membership. The name of the applicant who expresses
his clear intention to join must be registered in the official
register of the society; otherwise the membership is invalid.
Registration in the official registry can only be completed after
the candidate has publicly made his promise to live up to the
obligations of the Society in an official Induction Ceremony. The
reception of members must be carried out by the Spiritual Director
of the Society or by the Pastor of the parish.
Canonical prescription mandates
that an accurate registration of the names of the members is
required for valid membership in the Society. The Spiritual Director
of the Society or the Reverend Pastor or Rector pro tempore is to
regularly review and sign the Register. This is normally done after
the annual induction ceremony when the names are officially entered
into the Registry.
The official registry of names of
the members of the Society is a black bound book issued by the
National Association of the Holy Name Society.
Formation
A Spiritual Assistant duly
appointed by the Chaplain is to be available to provide on-going
formation, and to help coordinate the willing and available service
of the members with the parish pastoral plan
All candidates wishing to become
professed members must receive due formation by the Spiritual
Director or the Formation Director of the Society in accordance with
Canon Law 329.
Canon 329 Moderators of lay
associations are to ensure that the members receive due formation,
so that they may carry out the apostolate which is proper to the
laity.
Formation of candidates asking to
become professed members is the responsibility of the Formation
Director. An essential part of the initial formation of candidates
consists in a thorough review and presentation of the Constitution
of the Society with particular attention given to the obligations
of membership, the apostolate and charism of the Society and the
indulgences granted to professed members of the Society.
Until their induction, candidates,
who have yet to be inducted, may attend the Societys meetings and
functions, but they may not vote in issues of the Society.
Prior to the induction ceremony, a
list of the candidates seeking admission will be presented to the
Council for consideration by the Formation Director. The candidates
membership application is reviewed and determined in accordance with
the By-Laws of the Society.
Professed Members:
Candidates become professed
members only after they have been formally received into the Society
at the Formal Induction Ceremony, which is normally held on the 2nd
Saturday in January or on the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus which
is the third day of January.
Canon 306 To enjoy the rights and
privileges, indulgences and other spiritual favors granted to an
association, it is necessary and sufficient that a person be validly
received into the association in accordance with the provisions of
the law and with the association's own statutes, and be not lawfully
dismissed from it.
Canon 307 §1 The admission of
members is to take place in accordance with the law and with the
statutes of each association.
§2 The same person can be enrolled
in several associations
Professed members in the Society
are asked to undertake a lifelong formation. This formation should
consist in Study of the Word of God, Prayer, Meditation,
Contemplation, Detachment, Obedience, Penance, Mortification and
Conformity to the Will of God.
"You, therefore, must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mt 5:48
Dismissal of Members
Once a person becomes a member of
the Holy Name Society, he cannot be terminated from the Society for
failure to pay dues, attend meetings, or go to Holy Communion with
the Society. His membership, however, may be deemed inactive; and he
may be dropped from the Society's active member list after a period
of one year of non-attendance at Society activities.
Once a member is validly received,
his membership endures in perpetuity unless he is dismissed for a
worthy reason according to requirements outlined within Canon Law,
with modifications necessary for Public Associations of Christ's
Faithful.
While dismissal of members should
be a rare event in the Society, there are valid occasions when
official dismissal should be taken in order to avoid serious
defamation or scandal to the Church. Of course, prudence must be
exercised prior to the initiation of any dismissal action.
Canon 316 §1 A person who has
publicly rejected the catholic faith, or has defected from
ecclesiastical communion, or upon whom an excommunication has been
imposed or declared, cannot validly be received into public
associations.
§2 Those who have been lawfully
enrolled but who fall into one of the categories mentioned in §1,
having been previously warned, are to be dismissed, in accordance
with the statutes of the association, without prejudice to their
right of recourse to the ecclesiastical authority mentioned in canon
312 §1.
Governance and Structure
The Council of the Society will
provide the direction and governance of the Society. The Council
must contain the offices of Spiritual Director, President, Secretary
and Treasurer. The requirements and selection process for each
office on the Council is specified in the By-Laws of the Society.
Canon 309 Associations that are
lawfully established have the right, in accordance with the law and
the statutes, to make particular norms concerning the association,
for the holding of meetings, and for the appointment of moderators,
officials, ministers and administrators of goods.
The Council will determine how the
Society will support itself financially and can set membership dues
as appropriate. The Council can also determine alternative methods
of raising funds to meet the Society's financial obligations, such
as sponsoring fund raising activities.
The Council will determine public
devotional and spiritual activities of the Society, such as monthly
conference topics and speakers, special talks, and sponsorship of
Days of Prayer and Reflection, Days of Recollection, Retreats, etc.
Under strict rules of obedience,
all actions and decisions of the Council shall be subject to the
approval of the Spiritual Director, the Pastor or his delegate.
Finances
The society shall not own any
property of significant value nor accumulate any wealth.
Canon 319 §1 Unless otherwise provided, a lawfully established
public association administers the goods it possesses, in accordance
with the statutes, and under the overall direction of the
ecclesiastical authority mentioned in canon 312 §1. It must give a
yearly account to this authority.
§2 The association must also
faithfully account to the same authority for the disbursement of
contributions and alms which it has collected.
The payment of dues or
contributions shall be in accordance with the needs of the Society
and the direction of the Council. Failure to pay dues or make a
contribution shall not exclude anyone from membership.
Amendments to Constitution
Canon 314 The statutes of any
public association require the approval of the authority, which, in
accordance with canon 312 §1, is competent to establish the
association; this approval is also required for a revision of, or a
change in, the statutes.
Any active professed member of the
Society can recommend amendments to this Constitution in accordance
with the specifications defined within the By-Laws of the Society.
Confraternity of the most Holy Names of God and
Jesus
Spreading Devotion to the most Holy Name of Jesus
Yesterday, Today and Forever More!
All
whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ
Col 3:17
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