Course XLIV - Teaching 3: The Superior of Community

The Superior of Community takes care of the Sons entrusted to him; the Superior of Community of men, of all the Sons, and the Superior of Community of women, of all the Daughters that compound the Community. The Superior of Community will lead all the Sons, when they enter the Community, to renew their Vow with total fervor, in the presence of all the Community.
When the Sons renew their Vows, they will utter just the formula, without the related ceremony of Vows. If the Superior Delegate is disabled, he must deal with the administration and correspondence of the Community in accordance with instructions.
The main concern of the Superior of Community is the most rigorous fulfillment of all duties of the Sons, the inviolability of the Radius of Stability and cloister, the observance of individual obligations and works entrusted to the Community (whether those of Table or those of Cafh) and the most perfect development of the observance.
The Superior must form the Son in spirit of obedience. The Son fulfills not only the injunction of obedience, but also must practice the contingent obedience of the injunction, in accordance with needs, circumstances and intentions of the injunction.
The Superior of Community is custodian of the treasures of the Community; namely, Regulation, Method, Ceremonial, Interpretation and Orders imparted by the Knight Great Master.
Weekly, the Superior of Community delivers to the Superior Delegate a report about his Community, which must be sent to the Knight Great Master.
This report must register faithfully virtues, works, obstacles, diseases and faults of the Sons; nothing has to remain hidden or badly outlined before the Knight Great Master.
The Superior of Community must impart orders of the day and communicate eventual changes and works during the greeting of the evening, in the presence of all to avoid misunderstandings and problems of last moment.
The most difficult mission of the Superior of Community is to correct faults, since for every Son is indispensable an especial method to lead him to a perfect fulfillment of his Vows, for some of them respond more easily to a loving observation and others need rigorous discipline.
As soon as the Superior of Community notices certain fault, over all he must observe himself to determine if he is the cause of this evil and to increase his spirit of observance in regard to this point. Later he must impart his warnings during the hour of greeting in general terms. In negative case, he must correct directly the Son and, if he does not succeed, he has to insist by every means with love and authority.
If a Son commits a serious fault, the Superior of Community will subject the case to the Superior Delegate for its solution.
Charity becomes indispensable with Sons who commit faults, especially with those who habits are contrary to the spirit of the Community, but tolerance of evil would be weakness. You must ever love the Son that commits a fault, but his evil should be hated.
In these cases, the Knight Great Master will impede that this Son may harm others and will decide his expulsion.
The Superior of Community never will permit reactions of the Sons to observations or their obstinacy about instructions or orders.
The Superior of Community must take special care of the Sons as to their needs, diseases and necessary dispensations; these dispensations should not be for light or futile cases, and never will become a habit in the Son.
Upon request, the Superior of Community will receive the Sons, and after the Rigorous Silence the Sons that are in need of it; his monthly lecture to the Sons of Solemn Vows should not be suspended for any reason.
If the Superior of Community is also Director of Seminary, in this case the Vice-Director can give the particular Lecture granted to the Seminarians, but the Superior and Director must receive the Seminarians once a month.
Moreover, the Superior of Community orders any work and obligation of his Sons in the Radius of Stability. Even though the Superior of Community may not take directly charge of the Work of Cafh, he intervenes in a direct way and fosters the proper development of the Work of Cafh entrusted to his Community, over all when the Superior Delegate is absent.
The Superior of Community must control all; his eyes have to be the eyes of the entire House and of all things; he must try that the clock of the Divine Mother works uninterruptedly, and all Sons of his Community have to be one soul and one heart.
Through his example and love, the Superior of Community will lead all Sons to trust in him and not to fear to tell their doubts and troubles.
The Superior of Community should not forget that the Community is the treasure that the Divine Mother entrusted to him, and that She will demand an strict account if Her treasure does not multiply in virtue and perfection.
The Superior sent to a newly founded Community must be a strong soul because the first seven years of a Community are the most uncertain and difficult; it is a work that needs consolidation, and environment and spirit of cloister. The ten subsequent years to those first seven will be of formation and integral development of the Community; a Community will be an unshakeable rock after fifty years of its foundation.