Fourth Synod Compiled Acts, Declarations and Statutes

54. The chaplain is entitled to one month (continuous or interrupted) annual vacation with full compensation, and his substitute is to be paid by the institution he is serving.

CHAPTER III

RELIGIOUS

55. a) Religious life is highly esteemed in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The faithful should support and be always mindful of the faith and charity, the spiritual and the corporal works of mercy, inspired by and flowing from established religious communities.

b) In these statutes, the term “religious” is understood to apply also to members of “secular institutes” and “societies of apostolic life.”

56. a) All priests who serve as confessors for religious are expected to esteem and to prepare appropriately for this important work and to fulfill this duty faithfully.

b) Should a confessor be unable at any time to fulfill a commitment he has made to hear the confessions of religious, he shall arrange for a substitute from the list among the priests with faculties for ministry in the Diocese. 57. Religious houses legitimately established in the Diocese are to have at least an oratory in which the Blessed Sacrament is to be reserved and in which Mass is to be celebrated at least twice a month so that it is truly the center of the community. 39

CHAPTER IV

THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL

58. The Lay Christian Faithful are called, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, to “seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God.” 40 While participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is an obligation for all, frequent and daily Holy Mass and Holy Communion is encouraged as a means to holiness. Through active

39 Cf. cc. 608 and 904, §1, 2°.

40 Lumen Gentium , 31.

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