| The Carthusian Statutes |
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| Book Nine |
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| Book 9 Sacraments and Suffrages Chapter 62 The Sacraments Penance [1] In the Sacrament of Penance, God, the Father of mercies, through the Paschal Mystery of his Son, reconciles us in the Spirit with himself, with the Church and with ourselves. We encourage all to have frequent recourse to this sacrament; for, by it, that conversion of the heart which is the basic aim of the monk becomes rooted in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. [2] The Prior must name and appoint several of the more discreet monks to hear the confessions of the others. Moreover, any member of the Order can, for the peace of his conscience, both validly and licitly confess to any priest who has legitimate faculties. [3] We should avoid, as far as possible, hearing the confessions of those who are not members of our Order, and it is forbidden to hear the confessions of women (cf. 6.13). Chapter 65 Suffrages Since we are members one of another it is fitting that we take upon ourselves in prayer the burdens of our brothers, and that we pray especially for: Each Member of the Order For our Superiors For our Families and Benefactors For the Universal Church and for the Order [25] Although we offer many prayers for specific persons, we trust that all our prayers may, by the mercy of God, benefit first of all the universal Church, to the praise of the glory of God. |