The Statutes of the
"Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic
Covenant Communities and Fellowships"

Article 1. Constitution and Aims
Article 2. The Fraternity's Relationships
Article 3. Members
Article 4. Ecclesial relationships
Article 5. Organization
Article 6. The Spiritual Adviser
Article 7. Powers
Article 8. Activities
Article 9. Temporal Goods
Article 10. Statute Changes
Article 11. Dissolution

Article 1. Constitution and Aims

1.1 The "Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities¹ and Fellowships" (hereafter known as the "Fraternity") is an international private association of members of the faithful having juridical personality in accordance with Canon 322 of the Code of Canon Law. The Fraternity recognizes its membership of the communion of the Catholic Church and its structure in accordance with Canons 298-300, 304-311, and 321-329. It is the desire of the Fraternity to identify itself with the salvific mission of the whole Church² in communion with the local bishop and with the Roman Pontiff. The principal means by which the Fraternity expresses its relationship with the Roman Pontiff is through a formal link with the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

1.2 The strengthening of ties between the Fraternity and the Holy See gives additional clarity to the Catholic identity of the Fraternity.

1.3 Through Baptism, Christians are incorporated into Christ and into the Church which is His Body³. In various places throughout the world, members of this one, holy catholic and apostolic Church have expressed their desire to support one another in following Christ and in responding to His call by forming covenant communities⁴⁵. A covenant is a formal commitment to enter into relationship with members of a community and to participate in their lifestyle and mission. At the heart of such a commitment is the desire to grow in holiness and to be involved in apostolic work in service of the Church's mission⁶.

1.4 Communities desiring to be admitted to membership of the Fraternity must show that they are willing to uphold the aims of the Fraternity as outlined in the Statutes. These communities must also show evidence that they are:

1. living a committed Christian lifestyle; and
2. in good standing with the local Church.

1.5 The Fraternity desires that its member communities be formed in such a way that they grow in holiness; in their communion with the Church and in their apostolic witness in the world⁷.
The covenant communities⁸ and fellowships⁹ of the Fraternity endeavour to develop structures and relationships which provide environments where those, who are drawn to Christ, may have their faith nurtured and consolidated within the Church¹⁰;

1.6 The fundamental aims of the Fraternity are to:

1. Share, encourage and consolidate the fruit of the Christian life that the Lord has brought about through his Spirit within member communities and fellowships;
2. Promote all the riches of the spiritual heritage of the Church in the life of the Fraternity:- faithful listening to the Word of God, participation in the liturgy (especially the sacramental life of the Church and in particular the Eucharist and Reconciliation), and practices of popular devotion¹¹.
3. Reaffirm and deepen an awareness of membership in and love for the Catholic Church, as well as the primary and essential bond of communion with it;
4. Improve knowledge of Catholic doctrine and to guarantee its faithful observance, particularly in regard to constitutive ecclesiology, the centrality of the sacraments and devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints;
5. pay particular attention to important events in the Catholic world and reflect on suitable ways of participating and collaborating in such events;
6. Encourage the sharing of the Fraternity's specific experiences of community life with other communities, associations and movements in the Catholic Church;
7. Undertake specific initiatives related to the work of evangelization and Church renewal in accordance with the Code of Canon Law relating to the authority of the local Church¹²;
8. Encourage the use of charisms, as given by the Spirit, for the upbuilding and renewal of the Church¹³;
9. Both foster an authentic ecumenism in the hope of perfect unity and form member communities of the Fraternity in ecumenism in accordance with the teachings, orientations and norms of the Catholic Church¹⁴; and
10. Encourage its member communities to participate in spiritual ecumenism and other ecumenical activities, when circumstances permit, under the guidance of the local Church¹⁶. Ecumenical activities of an international nature will proceed only after consultation with the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Article 2. The Fraternity's Relationships

2.1 The Fraternity is made up of Catholic communities and fellowships of the faithful who are vivified and enriched by gifts of the Spirit. The Fraternity identifies itself with the graces of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and is a structure of service for the Renewal.

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¹ The term "Charismatic Covenant Community" is used mainly in the English speaking world. In other contexts, the term most used is simply "Charismatic Community."
² Vatican Council II, DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH 33.
³ Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, CHRISTIFIDELES LAICI 9.
⁴ CODE OF CANON LAW, Can. 299.
⁵ Vatican Council II, DECREE ON THE APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY 11.
⁶ CODE OF CANON LAW, Can. 298.
⁷ Cardinal Eduardo Pironio, "THREE OBJECTIVES OF THE FORMATION OF THE LAITY", in "The Formation of the Laity", Published by the Pontifical Council For the Laity, 1987.
⁸ See Article 1.3
⁹ "Fellowship" is a term that describes a constituted group of Catholics who live a covenant community lifestyle and maintain a bond of charity, prayer and witness with Christians or groups of Christians belonging to other confessions within a broader ecumenical community. ¹⁰ Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, CATECHESI TRADENDAE 24.
¹¹ Practices may include Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament, Pilgrimages, Way of the Cross, the Rosary, etc.
¹² CODE OF CANON LAW, Can. 323.2
¹³ Vatican Council II, DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH 33, 12.
¹⁴ Vatican Council II, DECREE ON ECUMENISM, 8.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ "ECUMENICAL COLLABORATION AT THE REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS", Published by the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, 1975:
[Especially Sections 3 and 7]

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Article 3. Members

3.1 Member communities of the Fraternity are Catholic communities and fellowships who:

1. Have the acknowledgement of their Ordinary¹⁷;
2. Have declared themselves to be founders of the Fraternity by expressing their full acceptance of these statutes through a written ratification of the constitute Act of the Fraternity by their legal representatives; or
3. Have explicitly manifested their wish to belong to the Fraternity through a full acceptance of these Statutes and are accepted by the Executive of the Fraternity's Council with a two-thirds majority vote.

3.2 A community or fellowship excludes itself from the Fraternity by self excluding behaviour. This self-exclusion will be effective after it is recognized as such by a two-thirds majority vote of all the members of the Executive. Any community which is the subject of exclusion has a right to present their defence either in person or in writing, either to the Executive or to members of the Executive.

Article 4. Ecclesial relationships

4.1 The Fraternity maintains relations of faithful listening, dialogue and collaboration with the Holy See, particularly the Pontifical Council for the Laity;

4.2 It is also called on to establish bonds of fraternal charity and collaboration with the International Council of Charismatic Renewal Services for the good of the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church.

Article 5. Organization

5.1 The Council of the Fraternity has the same number of members as there are communities and fellowships belonging to the Fraternity. Each community or fellowship will appoint or recall its own delegate to the Council in accordance with its own constitution. Delegates may bring with them another member of their community or fellowship to act as a non-voting consultant during Council meetings¹⁸. The Council will meet on a date and in a place decided by the Council meeting or proposed by the current President with a two-thirds majority approval of the other members of the Executive. The Council will meet at least every two years.

5.2 The Council has an Executive which may consist of up to 2 representatives from each of the five continents and representatives from other regions and realities within the Fraternity as may be determined by the Council¹⁹. Appointments to the Executive are made by members being nominated by their respective regions. The regional representative/s have a responsibility to be in ongoing dialogue with members of the region so that they may represent their views in any meetings of the Executive. Regional representatives also have a responsibility in the region to ensure good and regular communication between members of the Executive and Council for the ongoing development of relationships. Members of the Executive will serve for a three year term and cannot be re-elected for more than two consecutive terms. A quorum will consist of 50% of the members of the Executive plus 1.

5.3 The Council provides a means by which member communities and fellowships may formulate their ideas, plans and concerns and be involved in decision making, facilitating and implementing the living out of the aims and objectives of the Fraternity. The meetings of the Council will also create opportunities for "teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer."²⁰

5.4 Meetings of the Executive will be called by its President and are to take place at least annually. Its tasks are to:

1. Ensure respect and observance of these statutes by member communities of the Fraternity;
2. Accept or reject requests for admission to the Fraternity and also reflect on and define the ways in which other communities, who do not fulfill all the requirements for membership²¹ may participate;
3. On the basis of a simple majority vote, choose Office Bearers, viz. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, from its own members for a three year term, with the stipulation that the same persons or delegate of the same community or fellowship cannot be re-elected for more than two consecutive terms. By virtue of their appointment they shall also function as Office Bearers of the Council;
4. Design and implement the Fraternity's plan of activities²² ; and
5. Develop the Fraternity's relationships with other organizations within the limits laid down in the aims of the Fraternity.

5.5 The duties of the President are to:

1. Preside at all Council and Executive meetings of business;
2. Act on behalf of the Executive and Council and, in particular, liaise with the Pontifical Council for the Laity;
3. Instruct and supervise the other Office Bearers in the performance of their duties;
4. Ensure that all aims, objectives and obligations of the Executive and Council are pursued in accordance with the spirit of the Statutes of the Fraternity;
5. Maintain good order, peace and harmony at the meetings of the Fraternity;
6. Ensure that there is good and regular communication between members of the Executive and Council for the development of relationships;
7. Establish a communications centre in a location which will enable him to effectively carry out his responsibilities and facilitate the flow of information within the Fraternity²³ ; and
8. Preside over election processes and prior to the election of a new President, together with the other Office Bearers, will consult with the Pontifical Council for the Laity and seek approval of nominees for the office of President.

5.6 The Vice-President is to take an active role in assisting the President in all of his duties to the degree that the President requires. His duties are to:

1. Attend all meetings of the Council and Executive; and
2. Preside over the meetings at either the request of the President or in the event of the President's absence

5.7 The duties of the Secretary²⁴ are to:

1. Attend all meetings of the Council and Executive;
2. Keep all minutes of the meeting; and
3. Be responsible for the distribution of the minutes.

5.8 The duties of the Treasurer are to:

1. Attend all meetings of the Council and Executive;
2. Take and receive all payments to and from the Council and/or the Executive;
3. Keep a full and accurate record of all transactions; and
4. Make payments at the direction of the President, in accordance with the policy of the Executive.

¹⁷ CODE OF CANON LAW, Can. 299.3
¹⁸ The President of the Council may have at the meeting of the
¹⁹ Council any support staff or advisors he considers necessary. Every five to eight years, the Council should redefine the "regions and realities" and make decisions by the normal two-thirds majority.
²⁰ Acts 2:42
²¹ See Article 3
²² See Article 8
²³ See Article 9

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Article 6. The Spiritual Adviser

6.1 The Fraternity will have an Ecclesiastical Spiritual Adviser for the liturgical animation and doctrinal supervision of its activities. He will be appointed by the Pontifical Council for the Laity from a list of three candidates proposed by the Executive of the Fraternity. His term in office will be three years and this can be renewed for a further two consecutive terms. He will take part in the Executive and Council meetings and in other activities where his presence is deemed helpful and necessary by the President of the Executive.

Article 7. Powers

7.1 The Fraternity has no power of governance over its member communities and it will therefore be careful to avoid interfering in their internal life.

While the Fraternity has no juridical authority over its member communities or fellowships nor juridical responsibility for their individual activities, it has a pastoral and spiritual responsibility to encourage the development of its member communities and fellowships in their Catholic identity and to foster the spirit and bonds of Catholic communion between them.

The Fraternity does not restrict the relationships that each community or fellowship may set up with other organizations according to its own needs and interests while they remain within the aims of the Fraternity.

Lastly, the Fraternity represents only itself and not each individual community or fellowship in the pursuit of its specific statutory aims.

Article 8. Activities

8.1 In pursuit of its aims, the Fraternity can carry out the following and other similar activities²⁵:

1. Promote meetings, journeys and exchanges that can help strengthen fraternal bonds;
2. Plan and organize congresses, seminars and various types of meetings for study, prayer and the exchange and sharing of experiences of Christian and community life;
3. Represent the interests of the Fraternity in accordance with the powers, tasks and limitations laid down by the Council of the Fraternity²⁶ ; and
4. Coordinate any other activity in which some or all of the individual communities or fellowships may desire to be involved and which are directed to a sharing of material goods or spiritual resource