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Book II - People of God

Part III - Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (cc. 573-746)

• What are the fundamental differences between an institute of consecrated life, a secular institute, and a society of apostolic life (see cc. 607, 710, 712, and 731)?
• What other two expressions of consecrated life are recognized in the code (cc. 603 and 604)?
• What authority approves new forms of consecrated life (c. 605)?

  Section I - Institutes of Consecrated Life

  Title I - Norms Common to All Institutes of Consecrated Life (cc. 573-606)

• Different institutes of consecrated life have different gifts according to the grace that is given to them.   What are some of different gifts that characterize the mission of different institutes (c. 577)?
• What constitutes the patrimony of an institute which must be faithfully observed and preserved (c. 578)?
• By whose authority is an institute of consecrated life erected (cc. 579 and 589)?
• By whose authority is an institute of consecrated life suppressed (c. 584)?
• What authority does a diocesan bishop exercise over an institute (c. 586 §§1 and 2, 591, and 594)?
• Generally speaking, what is contained in the constitution of an institute (c. 587 §1)?
• By whose authority is the constitution changed (cc. 587 §2 and 595 §1)?
• What other document also contains norms that govern an institute and by whose authority are these norms changed (c. 587 §4)?
• What are the evangelical councils whether professed through vows or sacred bonds (cc. 573 §2, and 599-601)?
• Which of the evangelical councils does not admit of degrees?   That is, which of the evangelical councils requires perfect observance which is not qualified by the proper law of an institute (c. 599)?
• Which of the evangelical councils does admit of degrees?   That is, for which of the evangelical councils does the proper law of an institute determine how the evangelical council is observed (cc. 600 and 601)?

  Title II - Religious Institutes (cc. 607-709)

• Who erects a religious house and whose consent must be obtained for this erection (c. 609)?
• What rights flow automatically from the erection of a religious house (cc. 608 and 611)?
• Who can suppress a legitimately erected religious house (c. 616)?
• Who are major superiors in the code (cc. 620 and 613 §2)?
• What is a province (c. 621)?
• What is a supreme moderator (c. 622)?
• How are the supreme moderator and the other superiors in an institute chosen (c. 625)?
• What must a superior do to act validly when the consent of his or her council is required?   What must a superior do if the counsel of his or her council is required (cc. 627, 127 §1, and 166)?
• Compare a superior of a religious house and a rector of a seminary with respect to the sacrament of confession (cc. 630, 240 and 985).
• What authority does the general chapter exercise in an institute?   What kinds of matters does the general chapter treat (c. 631 §1)?
• What law governs the administration of the temporal goods of an institute (c. 635)?
• What is required for the valid alienation of an asset of an institute (c. 638)?   Compare and contrast the requirements for the valid alienation of an asset of an institute with the requirements for other public juridic persons (c. 1292).
• What are some of the qualities a candidate for the novitiate should possess (c. 642)?
• What qualities must a candidate possess to be validly admitted to the novitiate (c. 643)?
• Where must a novice live and how long must the novice remain there for a valid novitiate (cc. 647-649)?
• What is the purpose of the novitiate?   To what things should a novice devote his or her time of novitiate? (cc. 646, and 652 §§1 and 2)?
• What other things, not consistent with the purpose of the novitiate, should be avoided during this time (cc. 648 §2 and 652 §2)?
• How long is temporary profession?   What is the shortest or longest period of temporary profession permitted by the code (cc. 655 and 657 §2)?
• At what times can a person freely leave an institute (cc. 653 §1, 657 §1, and 688 §1)?
• At what times can an major superior freely dismiss a member (cc. 653 §§1 and 2, 657 §1, and 689)?
• What are some examples of reasons for which a religious might live outside of his or her own religious house for more than a year (c. 665 §1)?
• A member of an institute makes an act of cession prior to first profession.   What rights does the member then have to acquire, possess, and administer temporal goods (c. 668)?
• In what respects are religious subject to the power of a local bishop (c. 678 §1)?   What is subject to the visitation of the diocesan bishop (cc. 628 §2 and 683 §1)?
• If a religious priest is to become the pastor of a parish, who presents or appoints the candidate to the office (c. 682 §1)?   Who has the power to remove him from office (c. 682 §2)?
• What is required for a religious to transfer to another institute (c. 684)?
• What is exclaustration and how long can a member be exclaustrated (c. 686)?
• How does a perpetually professed member depart a religious institute (c. 691)?
• Give an example of an act for which a member is dismissed ipso facto, an act for which a member must be dismissed, and an act for which a member may be dismissed (cc. 694-696)?
• What rights does a member of an institute have in a process of dismissal (cc. 697, 698, 699 §1, 700, and 702 §2)?

  Title III - Secular Institutes (cc. 710-730)

• What does the term "secular" indicate about a secular institute as distinguished from an institute of consecrated life (cc. 710, 712, 713, and 714)?
• What term does the code use for secular institutes in place of "perpetual vows" (e.g. c. 720, 723 §3)?
• What term does the code use for secular institutes in place of "novitiate" (e.g. c. 721)?
• A member can be dismissed from a secular institute for a cause mentioned in the constitution that is "proportionately grave, external, imputable, and juridically proven" (c. 729).   Explain the meaning of these four terms.
• How can a member of secular institute transfer into an religious institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life (c. 730)?

  Section II - Societies of Apostolic Life (cc. 731-746)

• Do members of societies of apostolic life have vows (c. 731 §1)?   Do societies of apostolic life assume the evangelical councils (c. 731 §2 and 732)?
• Where are clerics incardinated who are members of a clerical society of apostolic life (c. 736 §1 and 738 §3)?
• What rights to members of a society of apostolic life have to acquire, possess, administrate, and dispose of temporal goods (c. 741 §2)?