Congregation

of
the Oblates of St. Joseph

Shepherds of God's flock ...

… with the charism of availability

DIRECTORY
OF PARISH PASTORAL CARE
OF THE OBLATES OF SAINT JOSEPH
 2

XVII GENERAL CHAPTER (Rome, August 2018)

RESOLUCION n° 4:

The Superior General with his Council is to delineate the

charismatic identity of the Oblate Parish, so as to help Confreres
better undertake their apostolate there, and so as to offer a
unique service to the local Church.
 Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph
Prot. C 027/2022

Decree of Approval of
THE DIRECTORY FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF PARISHES
OF THE OBLATES OF SAN GIUSEPPE
The XVII General Chapter of the Oblates of St. Joseph renewed the commitment to characterize
our apostolic action ever better with those specific traits that we draw from our charismatic tradition and
from the spirituality that the holy Founder passed on to us. This also applies to parish ministry, in which
a large part of our apostolate unfolds.
To this end, Resolution No. 4 was formulated, which asks the Superior General and his Council
to specify “the charismatic identity of the Josephite-Marellian parish, in order to help the confreres to carry
out their apostolate in the best possible way and to offer an specific service to the local church.”
Following the Chapter, through the establishment of the Parochial Apostolate Commission, some
confreres were entrusted with the task of researching, synthesizing and organizing all those typical
elements of our charism and spirituality that fully insert us into the one mission of the Church to look
after the people of God, as a flock entrusted to us.
The fruit of this work, which involved all the confreres of the Congregation in a synodal manner,
is the drafting of a document that harmonizes theoretical elements and practical applications, theology
and history, the Magisterium of the Church and the Rules of our Institute.
Accordingly,
3

THE SUPERIOR GENERAL,

FATHER JAN PELCZARSKI OSJ,
WITH THE CONSENT OF HIS COUNCIL,
IN THE ORDINARY MEETING OF MARCH 1, 2022,
HAS APPROVED
THE DIRECTORY FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF PARISHES
OF THE OBLATES OF SAN GIUSEPPE
INSERTING IT AMONG THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS OF OUR INSTITUTE.

This document, while respecting local pastoral traditions, offers a common basis to all the parishes
entrusted to the Oblates of St. Joseph, thus outlining the fundamental charismatic aspects which cannot
be ignored without impoverishing the gift of our Institute to the mission of the Church.
Let us make our own the invocation of our Founder who showed Saint Joseph to us as the model
of our apostolate, and let us say to him: “O glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph ... You who, after the Blessed
Virgin, who were the first one to enfold in your arms Jesus, the Redeemer, be our example in our ministry.
which, like yours, is a ministry of intimate relationship with the Divine Word” (letter 37, 1869).

Given in Rome, March 19, 2022, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph.

__________________________
Fr. Jan Pelczarski, osj
SUPERIOR GENERAL
_______________________
Fr Francesco Russo, osj
GENERAL SECRETARY
 SUMMARY
Part One: THE RELIGIOUS IN THE PARISH
essential elements of religious life articulated in parish life and at the service of the local church ………………… 5

1. THE APOSTOLATE OF RELIGIOUS IN THE SINGULAR MISSION OF THE CHURCH …………………………………. 5

1.1 The pluriformity of the Church …………………………………………………………………………. 5
1.2 Consecrated life as a paradigm of the catholicity of the Church …………………………………... 5
1.3 The specific mission of consecrated life ………………………………………………………………... 5
2. SPECIFICITY OF THE “SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION” ……………………………………………………………. 6
2.1 Internal and external communion ……………………………………………………………………….. 6
2.2 Communion with ecclesiastical authority ………………………………………………………………. 6
3. THE PROFILE OF A RELIGIOUS IN THE PARISH ……………………………………………………………………….. 6
3.1 Complementarity and co-responsibility in apostolic action ………………………………………….. 6
3.2 Stability, continuity, availability …………………………………………………………………………. 7
3.3 Welcoming and familial environment …………………………………………………………………... 7

Second Part: THE OBLATE STYLE

elements relating to the charism and our own spirituality ……………………………………………………………….. 8

1. CARTHUSIANS AND APOSTLES ………………………………………………………………………………………. 8

1.1 The exemplarity of Saint Joseph ………………………………………………………………………... 8
1.2 Contemplatives in action… serving the interests of Jesus ……………………………………………. 8
1.3 The Oblate parish: an oasis of the spirit and a laboratory of charity ………………………………. 9
2. THE CHARISM OF AVAILABILITY …………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
2.1 An original tradition of the Congregation ……………………………………………………………… 9
2.2 Availability to the Bishop and the diocesan clergy ………………………………………………….. 10
2.3 Availability to the people of God ……………………………………………………………………... 10 4
3. IN THE NAME OF THE CONGREGATION …………………………………………………………………………… 11
3.1 A community that serves without individualism or protagonism ………………………………..… 11
3.2 Harmony between diocesan life and life of the congregation ……………………………………... 11
3.3 Choices thought together and shared …………………………………………………………………. 11
3.4 Creativity in continuity (especially with the alternation of priests) ……………………………….. 12

Part Three: OUR PASTORAL PRIORITIES

for a “josephite-marellian” parish …………………………………………………………………………………………. 13

1. YOUTH APOSTOLATE: THE OBLATE EDUCATOR OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND ESSENTIALLY CATECHIST …………. 13
1.1 Saint Joseph the educator as a model …………………………………………………………………. 13
1.2 Reception, care and formation ………………………………………………………………………... 14
1.3 Extent and quality of catechesis ……………………………………………………………………..… 14
2. FAMILY MINISTRY: REPROPOSING THE MODEL OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH …………………………. 14
2.1 The "gospel of the family": social urgency, ecclesial mission, charismatic need ………………… 14
2.2 Formation and accompaniment in conjugal and parental life ……………………………………... 15
2.3 Fragile and "wounded" families ……………………………………………………..………………... 15
3. SOCIAL APOSTOLATE: INTEGRALLY ANNOUNCING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST …………………………………… 16
3.1 The predilection for the peripheries …………………………………………………………………... 16
3.2 Not just "Caritas group" ………………………………………………………..………………….….. 16
3.2 Attention and support to the Missions ………………………………………………………………... 17
4. JOSEPHITE MARELLIAN APOSTOLATE: SHARING THE SPIRITUAL PATRIMONY WITH THE LAITY ………………. 17
4.1 Our Patron Saints ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 17
4.2 Josephite Marellian Laity ……………………………………………………………………………….. 18

APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19
Part One: THE RELIGIOUS IN THE PARISH
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE ARTICULATED IN PARISH LIFE AND AT
THE SERVICE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

The Founder wanted the Congregation to be at the service of the needs of the local Church.
Many bishops have entrusted parishes to the care of the Congregation at different times
and in different places. For this reason, the Oblates take on the parish apostolate fully
inserted into the pastoral life of the local Churches (Constitutions OSJ, art. 64).

1. THE APOSTOLATE OF RELIGIOUS IN THE SINGULAR MISSION OF THE CHURCH

«The consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission»1. Therefore,
«the ecclesial mission of consecrated life is necessary for the Church and as such it can never disappear»2.

1.1 The pluriformity of the Church

The place of consecrated life in the particular Church can be respected only on the basis of the pluriformity
of the Church. In fact, if, on the one hand, the Church's mission is unique, it is also true that its concrete
expressions are multiform; this appears motivated by the diversity of the cultures in which it is incarnated
and by the diversity of the charisms proper to those who act in the Church itself: bishops, priests, consecrated
persons, laity. It is evident that not everyone in the Church is called to do the same thing: each one is called 5
to act and serve according to the gift received by the "multiform grace of God" (1Pt 4, 10). «The unity of the
Church is not uniformity, but the organic integration of legitimate differences»3.

1.2 Consecrated life as a paradigm of the catholicity of the Church

Consecrated life, therefore, is part of this multifaceted dimension of the Church; indeed, due to its
characteristics, it presents itself as a paradigm of the catholicity of the Church, which is the enhancement of
the particular in totality. In this sense, consecrated life cannot disappear in the Church because it is essential
to it: not so much in relation to the functionality of consecrated persons, as to their significance within the
particular Churches. In other words, it is not a question of being efficient, but effective, through the ability to
offer an understandable witness to men and women of all times and places.

1.3 The specific mission of consecrated life

The question therefore arises: what is the specific identity and mission of consecrated life in the Church?
Its mission is to be a "sign" and, as such, referring to the Other, pointing it out, indicating it. This is where its
mission and its very identity are rooted. And this he does by reproducing in the life of consecrated persons
«that form of life which the Son of God chose when he came into the world»4.

Consecrated life does all this through prophecy and, through it, it can truly “wake up the world”!
Therefore, consecrated persons must be the first to take the Gospel seriously, to become a "living exegesis"
of it, to live with essentiality and simplicity, to open themselves to the fire of the Spirit and to the newness
of the Word, not to surrender to the visible, but to dare the invisible, to permanently remind the Church of
its own mission.

1
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Vita Consecrata, 3.
2
Cfr. SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Vita Consecrata, 63.
3
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Novo millennio ineunte, 46.
4
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Vita Consecrata, 16.
 As a prophet, the consecrated person is «a sentry who watches during the night and knows when the
dawn arrives»: he is a person who «knows God and knows men and women, his brothers and sisters»; a
person «capable of discernment and also of denouncing the evil of sin and injustices» because he is a free
person, who «is usually on the side of the poor and defenseless, because he knows that God himself is on
their side»5.

2. SPECIFICITY OF THE “SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION”

If there is a specific mission, in which consecrated persons can distinguish themselves and offer a notable
contribution to the church, this is the spirituality of communion.
2.1 Internal and external communion
In this regard, St. John Paul II affirmed in his apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata: «The Church entrusts
to communities of consecrated life the particular task of spreading the spirituality of communion, first of all
in their internal life and then in the ecclesial community, and even beyond its boundaries. [..] Communities
of consecrated life, where persons of different ages, languages and cultures meet as brothers and sisters, are
signs that dialogue is always possible and that communion can bring differences into harmony. […] In an age
characterized by the globalization of problems and the return of the idols of nationalism, international
Institutes especially are called to uphold and to bear witness to the sense of communion between peoples,
races and cultures […]»6.

2.2 Communion with ecclesiastical authority

This commitment and witness in communion must touch all areas, starting with communion with 6
ecclesiastical authority. « A distinctive aspect of ecclesial communion is allegiance of mind and heart to the
Magisterium of the Bishops, an allegiance which must be lived honestly and clearly testified to before the
People of God by all consecrated persons, especially those involved in theological research, teaching,
publishing, catechesis and the use of the means of social communication»7.

3. THE PROFILE OF A RELIGIOUS IN THE PARISH

From what we have said so far, with the help of the Magisterium of the Church, it is now possible to trace
a typical profile of the religious who works in the parish. Obviously, this is only a list by way of example, but
it can certainly help to verify one's actions and beliefs.

3.1 Complementarity and co-responsibility in apostolic action

The specificity of a religious working in a parish lies in his ability not to work alone: an attitude due
precisely to his formation in community life and interaction with others in all sectors. Therefore, always in
full communion with the local bishop, he has the ability to value the different charisms and ministries, present
in the laity or in the interaction with other ecclesial figures (diocesan clergy, members of other religious and
secular institutes, etc. ) and make them co-responsible in the apostolic mission. This complementarity is based
on a mutual recognition and appreciation not only of the persons themselves, but also of the specific
vocations and activities they develop.
The parish, the Vicarial area, the pastoral area, the diocese are the places where the different charisms
and ministries are lived and where it is necessary to give recognition, convergence, complementarity and co-
responsibility in the apostolic mission. This is where pastoral concerns are shared and where planning is

5
POPE FRANCIS, Apostolic Letter to all consecrated persons, II, 2.
6
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Vita Consecrata, 51.
7
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Vita Consecrata, 46.
made. Consecrated persons must live their ecclesiality with cordial and effective belonging; that is, by
participating and integrating their spirituality and their apostolate.
Even where there are typical works of the Congregation, one must always be open to what can be done
for the good of the Christian community and how to better collaborate in building the particular Church.

3.2 Stability, continuity, availability

When the need arises for the transfer of a religious, from one community to another, mutual
consideration is required between the bishop and religious superior, especially when it comes to changing
consecrated priests who provide qualified services in the diocese. It is necessary to know how to combine
the stability required by pastoral care with the needs of the Institute or the good of the person itself, avoiding
any arbitrariness on the part of Major Superiors and any attempt by bishops to retain people who can lend a
greater good to the Church by serving in other offices or in other dioceses.

It should also be considered that, if consecrated persons want to be effective in evangelization, they must
ensure stability and continuity in the pastoral programs of the diocese. The many changes affect Christian
communities or groups with whom one must work apostolically. This is why it is of fundamental importance
to ensure a certain continuity even in the case of a rotation of religious within a parish.

On the other hand, consecrated persons must feel obliged to study and assimilate the pastoral project
and plans of the particular Church where they are destined. Great must be their willingness not to carry on
too personal ideas, but rather to commit themselves to act in harmony with the local church, taking care of
warranting more the programs in catechesis, in youth ministry, in preparation for marriage, etc ...

3.3 Welcoming and familial environment 7

A religious community engaged in a parish is particularly attentive to those small gestures of welcome,
hospitality, common prayer, celebrating feasts, which, however, have a great pastoral impact: they prepare
the climate for the knowledge of charisms and tasks, they foster the exchange of opinions; they serve to
eliminate misunderstandings and encourage people to ask for spiritual help, such as confession and spiritual
direction. Good human and spiritual relationships predispose to the acceptance of the authority and
magisterium of the Bishop and make coordination in pastoral care easy.

Pope Francis, taking up a thought of John Paul II, reminds us that the parish «although it is certainly not
the only institution which evangelizes, if it proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it
continues to be “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters” (John Paul II,
Christifideles laici, 26). This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people,
and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a
chosen few»8.

8
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 28.
Second Part: THE OBLATE STYLE
ELEMENTS RELATING TO THE CHARISM AND OUR OWN SPIRITUALITY

What characterizes the apostolate of the Oblates of St. Joseph is the spirit with which
they carry out their ministry. In imitation of St. Joseph, the saint of the humble and
hidden life and of total trust in Divine Providence, the Oblates choose to serve the
Church in humble tasks and places. They are happy to dedicate themselves to the
simplest and most ordinary work with extraordinary love (Constitutions OSJ, art. 60).

1. CARTHUSIANS AND APOSTLES

1.1 The exemplarity of Saint Joseph

St. Joseph, the Patron and Model who inspires us, was presented to us by our Founder as a man of great
concreteness: "the first on earth to serve the interests of Jesus, he guarded him as an infant and protected
him as a child and was in place as a Father in the first thirty years of his life here on earth” (Letter 83); but
also an "unattainable model of interior and hidden life" (Writings p. 226), "exemplary in our ministry which,
like his, is a ministry of intimate relationship with the Divine Word" (Letter 37).

John Paul II reminds us that the «profound interior life» of Saint Joseph was the foundation that allowed
8
«the total sacrifice of his entire existence to the demands of the Messiah's coming into his own home», as
well as the source of "strength that belong to simple and clear souls, and giving him the power of making
great decisions-such as the decision to put his liberty immediately at the disposition of the divine designs
[…]»9.Furthermore, «the apparent tension between the active and the contemplative life finds an ideal
harmony that is only possible for those who possess the perfection of charity»10.

1.2 Contemplatives in action… serving the interests of Jesus

The Oblate engaged in the parish is, therefore, a «contemplative in action», one who «finds an answer
to problems in the light of the word of God and in personal and community prayer»11. And the "style" with
which the Oblates work in the Church is that of the "Carthusians and Apostles", that is the attitude of those
who, in interior silence and contemplation, manage to find the motivations and strength to be at the
forefront of proclamation of the Gospel and in the construction of the Kingdom of God, taking care of the
interests of Jesus. The relationship between the times to take care of our interiority and those spent for
apostolic efforts must reach a perfect balance in order not to generate a crisis of identity or situations of
sterility and they must be lived with great osmosis, knowing that, on the one hand, prayer times keep watch
over the faces of the people we serve and, on the other, our apostolate is nothing more than "telling about"
the God we met in intimacy of our prayer.

«The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of
salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. […] How good it is to stand before a crucifix, or on our
knees before the Blessed Sacrament, and simply to be in his presence! How much good it does us when he
once more touches our lives and impels us to share his new life! What then happens is that “we speak of

9
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Redemptoris Custos, 26.
10
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Redemptoris Custos, 27.
11
SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Redemptoris missio, 91.
what we have seen and heard” (1 Jn 1:3). The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating
it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will
amaze and constantly excite us. But if this is to come about, we need to recover a contemplative spirit which
can help us to realize ever anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure which makes us more human
and helps us to lead a new life. There is nothing more precious which we can give to others»12.

This recalls fidelity to some concrete commitments in the life of the Oblate:

Centrality of the Word of God: it is expressed without neglecting time for personal meditation,
with adequate preparation of the homily, updating in catechetical topics, the exercise of lectio
Divina ...
Fidelity to daily Eucharistic adoration, as a moment of contemplation to be lived individually or
in the religious community or together with the people entrusted to us.
Availability for the care and spiritual guidance of souls: it manifests itself through the celebration
of the sacrament of Reconciliation, conversation and spiritual direction, the ministry of listening.

1.3 The Oblate parish: an oasis of the spirit and a laboratory of charity

The parishes in which the Oblates work must be "oases of the spirit" in which it is possible to experience
God, but also "laboratories of charity" in which it is possible to recognize the very presence of Christ in the
weak and suffering flesh of the brothers, as Pope Francis reminded us several times in his interventions.

On the other hand, "serve the interests of Jesus" means helping the men and women of our time to
experience God: on the one hand, leading them to Him to meet Him; on the other hand, to bring God closer
9
to their stories and their miseries.

This will be possible to the extent that the following attentions can be found in the parish community
under the care of the Oblates:

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: care for the homily at Mass and other celebrations;
proposal of a quality catechesis for children, young people and adults; exercise of Lectio Divina
as an opportunity to deepen and update the Word of God; moments of Christian formation in
families, in various groups and associations, etc ...
Care of the liturgy and celebrations: fidelity to liturgical norms and rubrics; attention to the
decoration of the places and sacred furnishings; concern for sacred singing, etc. 13
Initiatives for a pastoral care of charity that is not episodic, but structural.

2. THE CHARISM OF AVAILABILITY

2.1 An original tradition of the Congregation

Our Constitutions, referring to an attitude proper to St. Joseph, who «was always obedient to the voice
of God and was ready to leave his homeland immediately to complete the tasks that were gradually entrusted
to him»14, remind us of the importance of always being «open to the indications of Divine Providence», as

12
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 264.
13
It is always convenient to remember that the congregation had a great liturgical tradition, especially at the beginning
of its history, when the people came from other countries to attend the liturgies and songs that took place in Santa
Chiara, in Asti.
14
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 65.
the Founder recommended, and to continue in the wake of what was a characteristic present from the origins
of the congregation, or the “charism of availability”15.

2.2 Availability to the Bishop and the diocesan clergy

The administration of a parish entrusted to the Congregation must always be lived with great docility and
collaboration towards the local Ordinary. This implies full adherence to the pastoral programs of the dioceses
in which we are inserted, an openness to any services and positions that may be requested of the Oblates by
the diocesan Bishop, a personal involvement in those pastoral areas in which our apostolic charism gives us
the possibility of offering a qualified contribution.

As our Constitutions remind us, «the parish apostolate is exercised also in parishes that are not entrusted
to the Congregation, either by accepting the temporary administration of parishes or, in keeping with the
earliest traditions of the first Oblates, by helping diocesan priests who request occasional services of
preaching, catechesis, liturgical celebrations, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and spiritual direction»16. In
contexts of personnel precariousness and, often, of spiritual aridity, we know well how much our availability
can be of help to the people of God.

2.3 Availability to the people of God

The charism of availability must find the Oblates always ready for any requests coming from people or
situations, without opposing refusals that would suggest an interest that is not strictly evangelical or a selfish 10
cultivation of their own spaces and times.

Pope Francis urges us to «a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s
customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for
the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation»17.

In concrete terms, it is a question of meeting the needs of the same people of God that we serve in our
parishes, especially regarding the timetables and services that are required of us. Compatibly with respect
for their own conscientiousness and fidelity to community religious life, the Oblates must show a ready
availability for the service of confessions, not be excessively slaves to office hours but show a certain
flexibility, be present in the daily life of families, especially sharing their moments of joy and pain...

«The parish… can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity
of the pastor and the community»18, with the sole purpose of not losing its nature of being a "family of
families", and therefore committed to truly remaining in contact with families and with the life of the people,
without becoming a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen
few19.

In every situation, the Oblate expresses readiness and generosity, in imitation of its model and patron
Saint Joseph.

15
Cfr. CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 73.
16
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 74.
17
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 27.
18
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 28.
19
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 28.
 «Charity, availability, and a humble spirit of work, to the exclusion of all personal ambition and
promotion, characterize the work of the Oblates of St. Joseph»20.

3. IN THE NAME OF THE CONGREGATION

3.1 A community that serves without individualism or protagonism

Even if, juridically, the appointments of parish priests and vicars are individual, the Oblates cannot forget
that they are expressing a ministerial service in the name of the Congregation (which presented them to the
bishop) and in communion with its authority and charismatic nature. For this reason, any situations of
individualism, protagonism, anarchy, lack of collaboration with the confreres and pastoral choices that do
not reflect the style and priorities compatible with our charism and our spirituality must be eradicated.

«The Oblate works in a parish in the name of and as a representative of the Congregation. He should
remember that work in the parish is the work of the entire community and so should seek the collaboration
of confreres as well as the laity. He should ensure that there is continuity with the work done by his
predecessor»21.

In concrete terms, this priority must find space in some attentions presented below.

3.2 Harmony between diocesan life and life of the congregation

11
One of the major difficulties that are often felt among Oblates concerns the ability to harmonize the
commitments and activities of congregational life with that of the diocese in which one is inserted. This is of
particular interest to the calendars of appointments, the formation of pastoral workers, youth and vocation
ministry events. It should be reiterated that it is not a question of making an alternative choice between one
reality and the other, but rather of understanding that we are in the local church as Oblates of St. Joseph and
therefore, on the one hand, we must not create a parallel and competitive reality; on the other hand, we
must not run the risk of losing our identity. Therefore, at the beginning of the pastoral year, one must first of
all concentrate on not creating conflict of dates between diocesan programs and those of the congregation.
Furthermore, the themes to be followed and the objectives to be achieved must as much as possible put us
in harmony with the diocesan paths, making sure that our own spirituality and the experience of our Institute
enrich and complete the diocesan paths.

3.3 Choices thought together and shared

When an Oblate is inserted in a parish pastoral reality, he must always remember that behind him there
is a community of confreres and an entire congregation that he represents. For this reason, the choices and
individual decisions must be thought of within a context of communication and comparison, without
protagonism or individualism, rather learning to review and correct one's idea if it fails to harmonize well
with those of the other oblates. «Oblates in parish ministry should work together in unity of mind and
harmony of effort. They should support one another in common prayer, mutual advice, assistance, and good
example»22.

20
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 27.
21
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 76.
22
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 32.
 3.4 Creativity in continuity (especially with the alternation of priests)

The transfers of the confreres and the alternation in the posts of parish priest or parochial vicar always
represent a very delicate phase in the life of the parish communities entrusted to the Oblates. This stage,
more or less frequent, depending on the traditions in the various Provinces, must be lived with a sense of
great respect for individuals and, even more so, for the parish community which must not be subjected to
continuous traumas and upheavals depending on the ideas and style of the pastor on duty. It is important to
ensure continuity in the paths undertaken and to be prudent in changes, while not mortifying the creativity
and originality that each confrere can bring to the apostolic field entrusted to him. A pastoral community
made up of mature and responsible lay people, together with the vigilance of the provincial superior, will
certainly help not to create unpleasant situations that in some way damage the local church and the good
reputation of the confreres and the congregation.

12
Part Three: OUR PASTORAL PRIORITIES
FOR A “JOSEPHITE-MARELLIAN” PARISH

In the apostolate of the Oblates, St. Joseph will be “the exemplar in their ministry,
which like his, is a ministry of intimate relationship with the Divine Word” (Letter 37).
From him they will learn “to serve the interests of Jesus” (Letter 83) in the Church.
With him they will carry out “whatever Divine Providence points out to them from time
to time” (Rules of 1892), open to the signs of the times, with special attention to the
different forms of poverty, both in the people and in the places most in need. The
ministerial ends proper to the Congregation, according to the spirit of St. Joseph
Marello are: - “the Christian education of youth according to the manner that God shall
choose” (Rules of 1892) in the activities suggested by time and place; - pastoral
ministry in aid to local churches, in missions and in parishes, especially in the most
poverty-stricken areas and where priests are lacking; - spreading the spirituality of St.
Joseph and devotion to him, through the witness of a life of poverty and hard work
and through a commitment to make the Guardian of the Redeemer known among the
Christian people (Constitutions OSJ, art. 4).

1. YOUTH APOSTOLATE: THE OBLATE EDUCATOR OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND ESSENTIALLY CATECHIST 13
The desire of the Founder first, and then the tradition of the Congregation, has always seen us engaged
at the forefront in the care and education of young people. As our Constitutions affirm, «the Congregation
walks along the way of God and according to the directives of the Founder if it succeeds in forming members
capable of inspiring and educating the youth»23. This reminds us that there cannot be an Oblate who does
not have youth at heart, with its challenges, its problems and its potential. His spiritual and charismatic
identity is at stake. The modalities of this care have various forms, depending on the personal nature,
traditions and possibilities of each geographical and cultural reality in which the Congregation is present.
However, even in the context of parish pastoral care, the Oblates must express this privileged attention to
young people and their paths of education in life and in the faith.

1.1 Saint Joseph the educator as a model

The main model that inspires us remains Joseph of Nazareth, in his role as educator of Jesus. The Founder
reminds us that «he was the first on earth to serve the interests of Jesus ... he took care of him as an infant
and protected him as a child and stood as a father for him in the first thirty years of his life here on earth»24.

«Joseph saw Jesus grow daily… and in Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God»25. Jesus learned at the
school of Joseph to do the will of the Father26 e from him «He learned the value, the dignity and the joy of
what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s own labour»27.

At the school of Saint Joseph, we must learn the great educational value of the example that must
precede every word and teaching. «Out of respect for himself and for the young, the Oblate should be a

23
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 69.
24
SAINT JOSEPH MARELLO, Letter 83, on October 25, 1872.
25
POPE FRANCIS, Patris Corde, 2.
26
Cfr. POPE FRANCIS, Patris Corde, 3.
27
POPE FRANCIS, Patris Corde, 6.
model of order, of cleanliness, of propriety in personal grooming, of manners, and in his living quarters. Let
him always remember that both St. Joseph and St. Joseph Marello were men of the highest human dignity»28.

1.2 Reception, care and formation

A parish entrusted to the care of the Oblates must stand out for the way it takes care of children and
young people, especially the most difficult and problematic ones. Each parish community must become a
small Nazareth in which the children feel welcomed, respected, valued, educated and prepared for life and
the journey of faith. In the "House of Saint Joseph" there is no place for discrimination or an elite pastoral
care that is not instead inclusive of all young people, indeed, with a predilection for «poor youth, too much
abandoned and neglected ... too much left out in mercy of themselves ... too much slandered or at least
harshly judged»29. To this end, the tradition of the congregation in the creation and organization of parish
oratories in Italy and, where possible, also abroad, should be encouraged and strengthened.

A very concrete way of this attention to young people is expressed in the ability to train them to be
leaders and assume responsibilities within the Christian community and society, to make them «virtuous
Christians and excellent citizens»30.

Furthermore, every path of youth accompaniment must always bring itself in a vocational orientation, or
in an Oblate commitment to «help young people to listen to the will of God for them and to discern His call…
particularly, to discover, care for, and guide the emergence and affirmation of new vocations to the religious
life and the priesthood»31. The Oblates involved in the parish should always find time for conversation,
discernment and spiritual accompaniment with young people and must have the capacity and courage to
propose to them the Josephite-Marellian ideal as a concrete way to respond to God’s call.
14
1.3 Extent and quality of catechesis

The care of youth in the parish is commendably expressed with attentive and qualified attention to
catechesis, both for children preparing for the sacraments and for young people who continue their Christian
formation, especially in belonging to various parish groups.

The oblate, who is a catechist by vocation, should increasingly refine his doctrinal and didactic
competence32, thus keeping alive a characteristic that dates back to the origins of the congregation.

The parishes entrusted to the congregation are distinguished by the quality of the catechists, developed
through serious and constant training courses, and by the wealth of catechetical proposals to every category
of faithful (young people, engaged couples, adults, spouses, ...). Regular use should be made of the exercise
of lectio divina, as an instrument of growth in listening and understanding the Word of God.

2. FAMILY MINISTRY: REPROPOSING THE MODEL OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH

2.1 The "gospel of the family": social urgency, ecclesial mission, charismatic need
The whole Church is committed to the great challenge that concerns the care and defense of the family,
according to the evangelical model. And to make this attention concrete, «it is not enough to show generic

28
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 30.
29
SAINT JOSEPH MARELLO, Letter 31, on February 20, 1869.
30
SAINT JOSEPH MARELLO, Pastoral Letter IV.
31
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 29.
32
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 71.
concern for the family in pastoral planning. Enabling families to take up their role as active agents of the
family apostolate calls for “an effort at evangelization and catechesis inside the family”» 33.

For us Oblates of St. Joseph, attention to the family is a charismatic requirement and significantly imbues
our spirituality, since the example of St. Joseph looms before us, who cannot be separated from his deep
bond with Jesus and Mary, in the extraordinary everyday life of the House of Nazareth.
Therefore, even if our Rules do not speak explicitly of family ministry, it is easy to recover this priority
from our being Josephites who propose a path of sanctity of the ordinary life lived in an extraordinary way
and declined not in the singular (which would easily lead to individualism) but in the complementarity of the
relationships that are lived right inside the family unit.
It is not difficult to reflect each family in the exciting and complex experience lived by the Holy Spouses of
Nazareth: «May Saint Joseph inspire in all families the creative courage, so necessary in this change of age
we are experiencing, and may Our Lady accompany you in your married life the gestation of the culture of
encounter, so urgent to overcome the adversities and conflicts that obscure our time»34.

2.2 Formation and accompaniment in conjugal and parental life

Our attention to young people leads us to accompany all the life experiences they live, with particular
concern when they decide to welcome God's plan in the vocation to married and parental life. As Pope Francis
still reminds us, «we need to help young people discover the dignity and beauty of marriage. They should be
helped to perceive the attraction of a complete union that elevates and perfects the social dimension of
existence, gives sexuality its deepest meaning, and benefits children by offering them the best context for
their growth and development»35. 15
It is desirable that there be a specialization of the Oblates in preparing young engaged couples for
marriage and in accompanying their first steps in married and family life, as an evident sign of a "charismatic"
bond with the Holy Family of Nazareth36.
It is easy to understand that the parish is the most favorable setting for expressing in an organized and
comprehensive way a family ministry that reaches children, young people and parents, especially through
the occasions for the celebration of the sacraments.

2.3 Fragile and "wounded" families

In our pastoral care of the family, particular attention cannot be lacking for those families who live the
strong experience of fragility: «the Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her
children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence, like
the beacon of a lighthouse in a port or a torch carried among the people to enlighten those who have lost
their way or who are in the midst of a storm»37.
In this possible scenario of fragility and "wounded families", the concern that our parish ministry must
demonstrate, in harmony with the teaching of the church, regards situations of civil marriages only or even
simple cohabitation; “irregular” couples, made up of separated/divorced people who find themselves in a
new union; and, in general, the separated, the divorced, the abandoned. «These situations “require careful
discernment and respectful accompaniment. Language or conduct that might lead them to feel discriminated
against should be avoided, and they should be encouraged to participate in the life of the community. The
Christian community’s care of such persons is not to be considered a weakening of its faith and testimony to
the indissolubility of marriage; rather, such care is a particular expression of its charity”»38.

33
POPE FRANCIS, Amoris laetitia, 200.
34
POPE FRANCIS, Letter to the spouses on the occasion of the Year “Family Amoris laetitia”, December 26, 2021.
35
POPE FRANCIS, Amoris laetitia, 205.
36
See and deepen the pastoral perspectives outlined by Pope Francis in Amoris laetitia, nn° 205-230.
37
POPE FRANCIS, Amoris laetitia, 291.
38
POPE FRANCIS, Amoris laetitia, 243.
 For all these situations, the ability of discernment and accompaniment is asked of us, as a sign of the
maternal care of the church and of the tenderness used by Jesus himself. They are situations that «require a
constructive response seeking to transform them into opportunities that can lead to the full reality of
marriage and family in conformity with the Gospel. These couples need to be welcomed and guided patiently
and discreetly. That is how Jesus treated the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:1-26): he addressed her desire for
true love, in order to free her from the darkness in her life and to bring her to the full joy of the Gospel»39.

3. SOCIAL APOSTOLATE: INTEGRALLY ANNOUNCING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

Our Rules remind us of the example of our Founder who combined an intense spirituality with concrete
social promotion, in the commitment to the poorest and most abandoned of his time and in his city. For this
reason, we Oblates too, aware that we are not "strangers" to society, must be protagonists in proclaiming
the Gospel, also dealing with real human progress in justice and truth with great sensitivity40.

3.1 The predilection for the peripheries

Always committed to evangelization and social promotion, the Oblates of St. Joseph look at the parish
ministry as a chance to positively affect society and organize its pastoral work by showing a preference for
the geographic and existential peripheries.
The realization that our parishes are mostly located in peripheral and disadvantaged areas must continue
to express the preferential option of the congregation for the poor and help us to be a sign of hope and
human promotion where there is a greater need to restore dignity and trust to every human being: «the 16
marginalized, immigrants, individuals and peoples who are victims of social exclusion and of a throwaway
mentality, and most of all minors, victims of abandonment and violence, etc. The Oblates recognize in such
people the highest dignity of the children of God»41.
Precisely in the face and in the stories of these most needy people, it is possible to recognize and
strengthen those «virtues that ennoble their existence (solidarity, creativity, professional integrity, courage,
the thirst for justice), according to different cultures. The Oblates, by their presence and action, strive to
open the way to solutions of the grave problems of the poor, by working in such a way that make these same
the agents of their own human promotion»42.

3.2 Not just "Caritas group"

The Oblate parish is not content with delegating attention to the poor to any "Caritas group", but makes
them the main subject of its pastoral action.
«For the Church, the option for the poor is primarily a theological category rather than a cultural,
sociological, political or philosophical one»43. In the heart of God there is a preferential place for the poor, so
much so that he himself "made himself poor" (2 Cor 8: 9) and the whole path of our redemption is marked
by the poor. They have a lot to teach us and it is necessary to place them at the center of our pastoral care
in order to allow ourselves to be evangelized by them. «We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice
to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the
mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them»44. The commitment of a parish
community entrusted to the care of the Oblates «does not consist exclusively in activities or programmes of

39
POPE FRANCIS, Amoris laetitia, 294.
40
Cf. CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 79.
41
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 37.
42
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 37.
43
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 198.
44
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 198.
promotion and assistance»45. Rather, it is a question of learning to «appreciate the poor in their goodness,
in their experience of life, in their culture, and in their ways of living the faith»46 and, above all, allowing the
poor in our parishes to feel at ease, like "at home".
In these terms, it is truly desirable that, alongside each parish led by the Oblates of St. Joseph, a real
"social work" should take place, in which, according to the needs of the place and the real possibilities of
intervention, there is space to be close to old and new forms of poverty and fragility: children who are
culturally and socially disadvantaged, those who need attention for food, clothing, medical care, «the
homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and
abandoned... migrants... those who are victims of various kinds of human trafficking... brother and sister
whom you are killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in children used for
begging, in exploiting undocumented labour… women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment and
violence…»47.

3.2 Attention and support to the Missions

The parishes entrusted to the congregation are characterized not only by their diocesan territoriality, but
also by the openness and communion they maintain with all the works in which the Oblates of St. Joseph are
present.

For this reason, knowledge of the missionary realities of our Institute, which represent a major challenge
for evangelization and social promotion, must be promoted within the parish community. And within the
limits of possibilities, initiatives of economic and spiritual support should be encouraged to make even more
concrete the perception of the family spirit that has always characterized the congregation in all its members
and in all its works.
17

4. JOSEPHITE MARELLIAN APOSTOLATE: SHARING THE SPIRITUAL PATRIMONY WITH THE LAITY
We are aware that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are never reserved only for certain categories of
persons, but always serve for the common good (cf. 1 Cor 12: 7). Therefore, also the charism granted by
the Spirit to our Founder and the spirituality that derives from it to the whole Congregation must also be
able to extend to the laity who, in various ways, share with us the path of Christian life. The parish
ministry offers a very wide and varied scope of action in this perspective, through some attention not to
be overlooked.

4.1 Our Patron Saints

In a parish entrusted to the Oblates of St. Joseph, an explicit reference to St. Joseph, our Patron, and St.
Joseph Marello, our holy Founder, certainly cannot be missing, together with other traditions of the
congregation that have been transmitted to us.

This requires a concreteness that goes from the most elementary to the most demanding things.

Exhibition of sacred images: Never lack statues or images that recall St. Joseph and St. Joseph
Marello inside a church entrusted to the Oblates. The other rooms used for pastoral care also
have a reference to our patron saints, so that it can be "seen" that we are Josephites.
Preaching and dissemination of the cult: The Oblates should make every effort to spread the cult
of Saint Joseph and the Founder, through a preaching nourished by a good doctrinal, theological

45
Cf. POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 199.
46
POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 199.
47
Cf. POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii gaudium, 210-212.
 and spiritual basis and all the other forms suggested by local religious traditions48. They are
proposed as teachers of the interior life and apostolic commitment and as examples of family
and social virtues49. Novenas, triduums, specific rosaries of St. Joseph and of the Holy Spouses,
pains and joys ... are certainly among the most common forms that must be used to keep these
devotions alive. Likewise, the repertoire of songs and prayers transmitted by the tradition of the
congregation and enriched by the artistic and cultural creativity of each Province and Delegation
should be promoted and disseminated.
Liturgical calendar: Compatibly with the universal and diocesan liturgical calendar, the Oblates
should not forget that there is also a liturgical calendar specific to the Congregation and a series
of traditions relating to votive masses and particular devotions that must be maintained as a
sign of fidelity to history and heritage transmitted to us by the founder and the first generation
of confreres. Therefore, liturgical feasts recommended by our calendar should be celebrated
with the right frequency and solemnity.

4.2 Josephite Marellian Laity

The involvement of the laity in a parish is fundamental because it expresses the common commitment of
every Christian based on the common dignity of Baptism, regardless of the specific role and vocation that
each expresses within the Church.

As Oblates of St. Joseph, we are also committed to sharing our spiritual patrimony with all those lay people 18
who wish to mirror themselves in the model of St. Joseph and in the intuitions that the Founder Father had
in proposing him as a guide on our spiritual journey.

Therefore, in every parish entrusted to the Oblates, the proposal of formation for Josephite Marellian
Laity cannot be missing, using the new vision contained in the “Carta di Comunione”, that is not reducing
only to the creation of a group among others, but involving in this identity all those lay people who work in
various ways within our communities: catechists, oratory animators, families, etc…50.

For these realities of Josephite Marellian Laity, it is our responsibility to guarantee «a more intense
spiritual and social formation through meetings, retreats, days of recollection, congresses, and
publications»51.

48
Cf. CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 39-40.
49
Cf. CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Constitutions, art. 80.
50
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, Carta di Comunione dei Laici Giuseppini Marelliani, n° 4: «The term
"Josephite Marellian Laity" rightly refers to all the baptized lay faithful who commit themselves to live the same
spirituality and to participate in the common apostolic mission of the Oblates of St. Joseph, on the basis of their state
of life, both individually and by reason of their belonging or affiliation to any Oblate spiritual and apostolic work, or
institution, or association or group».
51
CONGREGATION OF THE OBLATES OF ST. JOSEPH, General Directory, art. 43.
 APPENDIX/1
RULES ON ECONOMIC RELATIONS
BETWEEN THE PARISH AND THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

1. The parish priest has the duty to periodically present the financial balance of the parish
to the religious community, according to what is dictated by the internal directory of the
Provinces / Delegations.
See General Directory, 133.

2. "The parish priest should remember that "in every parish there is a Council for economic
affairs " (can. 537); and that " if it is appropriate in the judgment of the diocesan bishop
[...] a pastoral council should be constituted in each parish " (can. 536 §1) ".
General Directory, 34 .

3. At the time of the change of parish priest, the Provincial Superior accompanies the
transfer of economic responsibilities between the two confreres, including the verification
of the inventory of real estate and movable property, as required by canonical norms and
diocesan dispositions.
See CIC can. 1283.

4. In case of acts of extraordinary administration (maintenance work, purchase of

equipment, hiring of staff, contracts for the use of schools, gyms, sports fields, acceptance
of inheritance or onerous donations, etc.) before proceeding, it is mandatory for the parish
priest to ask for and obtain the authorization not only of the diocesan Bishop but also of 19
his Provincial Superior / Delegate.
See Constitutions, 203; General Directory, 135.140.144.

5. For a duty of justice and charity, the Internal Directory of each Province/Delegation shall
establish the economic relations between the parish and the religious community by
specifying in detail the items and percentages of contributions from the parish to individual
religious or to the community fund (eg. offers Holy Masses celebrated, religious services,
contribution for local utilities and use of the community, etc.).
See CJC can. 531; Constitutions, 26.27; General Directory, 12.13.33.

6. Every year the parish priest presents the parish report to the diocesan curia and to the
Provincial/Delegate Superior, within the times established by the diocesan norms and by
the internal directory of the Province/Delegation.
See CJC can. 1287 §1.
 APPENDIX/2
SCHEME OF AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CONGREGATION OF
THE OBLATES OF SAINT JOSEPH AND A DIOCESE
FOR THE ENTRUSTMENT OF A PARISH

A model agreement52 between our Congregation and the Diocese is proposed below to regulate the
entrustment of a parish.

Without prejudice to the fact that there are variants that depend on diocesan contexts or national episcopal
conferences, it should be assessed whether in this model there are all those minimal elements that serve to
protect the Congregation, in serene respect for autonomy and "mutual relations".

MEMORANDUM OF GREEMENT

Between the Diocese of _________________________________________________________

in the person of the Bishop ___________________________________________________

and the clerical religious institute ________________________________________________ 20

in the person of the competent Superior _________________________________________

located in _____________________________________________________________

according to the norm of can. 520, the following agreement was signed, for the entrustment of the parish
______________________________________________________________________________________

1.-The diocesan Bishop _____________________________________________

entrusts to the Institute _ ________________________________________________________

that in the person of the competent Superior _____________________________________

according to the norms of the constitutions, it accepts the pastoral care of the parish
______________________________ located in ______________________________ in the conditions
described in the Decree relating to the borders (annex A) and in the factual and legal situation in which it is
found.

2.-The competent religious superior undertakes to assign a full-time parish priest and vicar(s) to the parish
and may assign other religious to the parish on a part-time basis. The religious destined for the parish are
considered in full sense to belong to the religious institute: their introduction and their transfer are regulated by
the constitutions of the institute, except for what is said in n. 3. They will enjoy a certain stability; in the event
of a transfer, the real pastoral needs inherent in the care of souls will be taken into account.

52
This is a model-type proposed by the Italian Episcopal Conference and agreed with the Italian Conference of Major
Superiors.
 3.-The appointment and removal of the pastor and parochial vicars take place according to the norm of
can. 682.

4.-The parish, a specific community of faithful established on a permanent basis within the particular
Church, is an entity with a juridical personality distinct from the Institute.
a. When several religious animating the parish live together in one community, it can be canonically
erected according to the norms of law; it will have its own superior, appointed according to the
constitutions of the Institute and as regards the sacred ministry, it will govern itself according to the
norm of can. 678.
b. If the religious who animate the parish belong to a community which is also engaged in other pastoral
activities, they maintain the community bond, obey their superior according to the constitutions of the
institute and, for the sacred ministry, are regulated according to the norm of can. 678.

5.-The parish is governed and animated by the parish priest who coordinates all parish activities according
to the directives of the diocesan Ordinary, to whom he is personally responsible for pastoral care, without
prejudice to can. 678. The religious dedicated to the pastoral care of the parish exercise their ministry in
harmony with the diocesan pastoral ministry, in the spirit and style proper to their religious institute, in fraternal
collaboration with the religious of the community, with the diocesan clergy, with other religious and members
of institutes of consecrated life and with the laity apostolically engaged in the diocese.

6.-The presence of the religious institute in the diocese constitutes an enrichment for it. Religious express
their charismatic identity with the witness of their fraternal life, remaining faithful to the spirit of the Institute in
21
pastoral activity, giving special attention to ______________________________ promoting activities
______________________________ groups of __________________________ taking care of vocations for
the benefit of the whole Church and of the their Institute.

7.-The pastor and parochial vicars have the same obligations and the same rights as diocesan priests, both
in the pastoral management of the parish and in the administration of goods, in compliance with canonical
norms and proper law.

8.-The parties mutually acknowledge that the church and the parish premises, better determined in the
attached plan (attachment B), are property53 and given in free use (or under the conditions to be determined)
to the parish with the burden of custody and maintenance.

The furniture and movable property of the church and parish premises are the property of
______________________________ as indicated in the inventory (attachment C).

9.-The administration of the parish will take place in compliance with canonical legislation and diocesan
norms. This administration will be totally distinct from the administration of the goods of the religious
community. According to the diocesan dispositions, the estimates and final balances of the administration of
the parish will be submitted to the competent office of the Curia, without prejudice to the right of supervision of
the religious superior (can. 678).

53
Indicate the owner of the building: diocese, parish, religious institute, other ecclesiastical or civil body (state,
municipality, public entity), private juridical person, natural person, etc.
 10.-The parish administration is responsible for the offerings of the faithful unless it is established otherwise
by the donor's declaration. In the event that the church has pastoral functions distinct from the parish service
(e.g., sanctuaries, interparochial services, etc.), the other offerings will be specified and arranged in this
contract with the agreement of the parties. The procedures will also be defined which will allow the Institute to
find what is necessary to support its own needs, such as seminaries, missionary works, charities ...

The parish administration is responsible for all the ordinary maintenance costs of the church and the parish
premises, the expenses relating to services (water, electricity, gas, telephone ...) and the personnel assigned
to the parish premises, the expenses relating to parish activities, as well as contributions to the diocese.

11.-The parties agree that the remuneration of the religious assigned full-time to the parish will comply with
the provisions of the norms for the support of the clergy, approved by the CEI (ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT) OR BY THE INTERESTED DIOCESE. For part-time religious, arrangements will be made
between the parties.

The administration of the religious house is responsible for the personal expenses of the priests, the
expenses for food, lodging and common life, that is, those relating to the services of the home of the religious.

12 a.-When the church and the buildings belong to the religious institute, the extraordinary works on the
church and the parish premises are carried out with the offerings of the faithful, with the prior consent of the
diocesan ordinary and the competent superior or the legal representative of the religious institute., in
accordance with the constitutions. (Other norms may be introduced for churches and premises of particular
value for the Institute).

12 b.-When the church and the buildings are not of the religious institute, the parish priest does not carry
out important extraordinary works without the written permission of the diocesan ordinary and the provincial
superior. The religious community will enjoy the use of the rectory; the expenses for ordinary maintenance and
management will be shouldered by the religious community, the expenses for extraordinary maintenance will 22
be borne by the parish.

12 c.-When the church and the buildings are owned by other entities (State, Municipality, private individuals,
etc. ...) if they have a contract with the Institute, they are governed by the provisions of no. 12 a, if they have
a contract with the Diocese, they are governed by the provisions of n. 12 b.

13.-The entrustment of the parish to the religious institute _________________ under the aforementioned
conditions, is agreed with effect from _________________________

- or in perpetuity
- or for an indefinite period: it may be terminated by religious with one year's notice and by dioceses
with three years' notice
- o for the duration of ___________ years and will be deemed automatically renewed unless there
is an explicit declaration to the contrary.

This memorandum of agreement may be amended at any time with the consent of both parties.
23
24