BOOK OF THE PROPOSALS

MANUSCRIPT A30"

The Book of the Proposals, commonly known as the Manuscript 30, contains the decisions of two chapters of the Company of the Servants of the Poor. The first one was held in Brescia on June 4, 1536, while the second was probably held at Sabioncello on August 24, 1538. Some pages of the Manuscript are handwritten by Jerome Miani himself.

The Our Prayer, though contained in this Manuscript, is reported elsewhere.

On June 4, 1536, the Company of the Poor Derelict met in Brescia. They are: Sir Priest Alessandro from Milan, Sir Priest Agostino from Bergamo, Sir Jerome Miani, first Father of these poor, Marco from Milan, Giovanni the third from Como, Cristoforo, Giovanni Antonio Vergesi, Romerio, Giovanni Francesco senior, Giovanni Antonio from Milan, Agostino, Giovanni senior, Pietro from Valdimagna, Iob is absent because he is sick and is in Bergamo, Francesco the first, Bernardino the first, Martino, Bartolomeo, Giacomo, Bernardino the second.

It is reminded that also those who do not belong to the Company can ask forgiveness when they do something evil they are not aware of. It is stated at the # 129.

It is reminded that the governors, when they find some poor in need, are to notify it to the person in charge, and are to help them. When someone knocks at the door, no one but the doorman is to go to open. It is also reminded to read during meals, when it is possible to find someone who could read in the hospitals.

Moreover, these orders are to be observed here, especially those about the knocking at the door, talking during meals, as well as reading during meals.

Sir Priest Agostino raises his voice: too little mortification, too little care of the souls, too little vigilance.

It is to be prepared an ordinance to be read to all those who join us, regarding all the things they need to know:

- especially about working, taking away goods;

- that whatever one brings in will be put in common and that anything will be no longer his;

- that, should one leave, he will not ask nor keep anything as his own;

- about obedience, poverty, and patience;

- about discomfort in eating, sleeping, and clothing;

- about devotion, confession, fasting, illnesses;

- about abstinence during illnesses, about mortification, talking in a low voice, with few words;

- and especially about not taking oats, blaspheming, as well as, lying;

- about never finding excuses for wrongdoing;

- about asking permission for everything;

- and, until one is a novice, he must not do anything without permission, and all the other things which pertain to a novice.

These ordinances for novices are to be exposed on a bulletin board hanging on a wall.

Should they leave, they are to be treated with love, and they are not to let leave in anger, if it is possible.

Passed.

Procedures to follow before the every-4-month chapter.

Since all the things done with judgement are always closer to the truth and such things please God and his servants, we decide that the chapter of the Servants of the Poor and of the three representatives from each place, be held every four months.

Since all the things planned have a better result than the ones improvised, we decide to establish in writing  the following procedures for the chapter of the Servants of the Poor and of the three representatives from the places, which is held every four months.

Eight days before  the Company meets, the three Servants of the Poor are to meet in order to prepare what is going to be proposed to the Company and to the three representatives from the places. The date for the meeting of the three Servants is to be notified to all the Commessi of the places. A month earlier, the date and the place of the chapter is to be communicated so that everybody may be notified, make himself free and prepare himself for the chapter. Eight days after the chapter of the Company, the three representative of the places will meet, prepared for the community.  When the Commessi come to the chapter, they are to bring five written lists regarding the children:

- one of the children who are going to be given away as apprentices;

- one of the officials;

- one of the children according to the old order;

- one of those who deserve to be moved down according to the new order;

- one of the orders and dis-orders which are going to be proposed. To this list is to be added a report on all the children of the place entrusted to each Commesso.

Besides the ones who will present the three representatives of the places, that is, a procurator and one of the three, the Commessi are to propose the two mentioned above, each in his own place.

Since the previous procedure is quite unclear, we will try to clarify it as follow: all the commessi of the places, after prayer, are to diligently consider who could be presented to replace that procurator who is to be substituted, when the four months expire. They are also to consider changing one of the three representatives from each town, even though this pertains to the three representatives from each town. We need to do this in order to easily know the sure way and to choose the most adequate men for this spiritual exercise and most prepared ones for the chapter.

Moreover, all participants, either belonging to the Company or being representatives of each place, are to bring proposals to the chapter.

Passed.

The chapter will be held during these three times: on Pentecost, All Saints and St. Matthias day or the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, if it does not fall during the Holy Week.

The chapter will be held one time in one place, and other times in others, according to the necessity. [We have to see whether it pertains] to the chapter to decide if it is better to go begging according to the times rather than according to the needs. To the Company it seems it does not. However, begging according to the needs means that the beggars are out continuously. To the chapter we are to ask how...to give water to those who go underneath.

We remind the chapter to send the Visitors with the new orders; [to send them] before the chapter to invite to the chapter, to prepare and to question the children about how the Commesso behaved himself.

(Prayer: Sweet Father of Ours)

We propose, any times there are the Forty Hours, to display the Blessed Sacrament immediately, to have a small procession, at least around the church; once He is put back on the altar, to sing the praise of the Sweet Jesus. This procession is to be done with the mysteries of the Passion, if they are there; otherwise, without. At the end of the Hours, after the Hail, Holy Queen, it is to be said Deus qui nobis sub Sacramento mirabili. Likewise during  Mass.

To send the children begging, especially to send them to the doors of the churches with boxes, is cause for the souls to get lost and for the spiritual things to be ignored. Therefore, we propose to never send the children to the churches doors for the purpose of collecting money with boxes or other alms. On the contrary, we are to find the way to work much so that we could live by our sweat. Only when in dire need, we are to look for alms.

Passed: it must be done with permission of the Ordinaries.

Passed: as we work and the work increases, we must decrease the frequency of sending out boxes to the doors.

It is proposed that: on Sundays, besides the Office of the Blessed Virgin, after the Evening Prayer of the Blessed Virgin, will be said also the Evening Prayer of the Deceased, especially for the benefactors; on Mondays, after the Office of the Readings of the Blessed Virgin, will be said the Night Prayer and the Morning Prayer of the Deceased; on Wednesdays, will be said the Seven Penitential Psalms, staying sit; on Thursdays, the Office of the Holy Spirit; on Fridays, the Office of the Cross or Passion; on Sundays, after the Office of the Readings of the Blessed Virgin, be said, kneeling, the Seven Penitential Psalms, the Litanies and the prayers.

It is proposed that all the members of the Company, on Fridays, will do the discipline early in the morning and in private, in remembrance of the Passion of our Lord.

It has passed that on Sundays, after the Office of the Blessed Virgin, the Seven Penitential Psalms will be said. On the weekdays, only the Office of the Blessed Virgin is to be said. If any feasts fall in the same day, also the Office of the Deceased is to be said. On Wednesdays also the Seven Gradual Psalms are to be said; on Thursdays the Office of the Holy Spirit and on Fridays the one of the Cross, always if any feasts fall in those days.

It is proposed to give a helper to the Commessi who work in the hospitals; this helper, belonging or not to the Company, during the chapter is to replace the Commesso. When the Commesso participates in the chapter, the helper is to summon all the children of that institution and, after much praying, is to question them in secret, one by one, about the commesso’s mistakes. And he is to take with him two presidents who are to investigate the same thing. Everything is to be put in writing and sent to the chapter, but not through the Commesso.

We know by experience that in almost all the hospitals much disobedience and many disorders occur, and many people are scandalized and ill impressed. This is caused by the Commessi who are indiscreet, who have no zeal for the souls or care for themselves. Moreover, those who cause these disorders are not faithful and constant in the works. Therefore, we propose that the Commessi must take care first of themselves and then of those who are entrusted to their custody; that an investigation on the management of the house has to be done diligently; and that for those who are found to be the cause of disturbance and who are unable to settle down, another way will be found, that is, either to send them to live with others or to give them a better way of salvation.

My opinion.

We poor ask that our priests: may live on alms, in a community; may celebrate in Roman rite, privately, for us poor, even during those prohibitions not caused by us; may hear confessions in all our institutions also of those who are related to us; may recite the Office together; may preach publicly in our institutions; may read and explain the Sacred Scriptures in our institutions; may receive the Sacred Orders even without having any income, if they are candidate to priesthood; may choose among themselves a leader to whom they could give obedience; may renounce everything according to the requirements of community life. Moreover, [we ask] that all those who will be in these institutions or related to them, may receive plenary indulgence at their death, and the statione in their life.

For any other things, [we ask] to stay under the jurisdiction of the Ordinary.

We propose to hold the chapter only twice per year and, in order not to disrupt devotions, to see to it that it will not be held during Lent. Instead of the chapter, [we propose] to send visitors more often; they should be at least two, who will divide the towns, since one alone cannot visit all the places easily.

We propose to hear the opinion of all the brothers before admitting somebody into the Company.

It passed that the chapter will be held only twice per year, every six months, but between chapters, the custom of visiting twice is to be maintained.

It passed that:

- no one who is in the institutions will keep silk bookmarks in their books;

- in the refectories of our institutions no tablecloths will be used, but a small tablecloth for each one; table cloths will be cut for other needs; had any institutions abundance of them, they are to     share them with others; should a noble person come to have a meal among the poor, the same    custom must be used, but with cleaner linen;

- meat will not be bought, except in cases of true necessity, for the sick or the elders; the Commesso will have authority, when no alms are given, to buy something cheap for the Sundays and other    solemn feasts;

- shouldn’t there be enough food to eat with bread for everybody in the house, it will be given only to the elders and  small children; in delivering it, it will be assured that everybody is given his/her own portion;

- in the houses of the poor, no roast of any kind will be prepared either during chapters or other    circumstances, except for the sick;

- in our institutions the Commessi will continually remind to observe poverty, especially in seasoning the soup and burning wood;

- the brothers of the Company will be reminded to observe the rules made up and established by the happy and blessed soul of our Father Jerome regarding poverty, either interior or exterior, rules  which are contained in the Rules for the Due Circumstances; the observance of these rules is  manifested in the way we dress;

- if somebody, inspired by the Spirit of the Lord to confirm himself more to the will of the happy soul of our Father sir Jerome about poverty (that he loved so much and he demonstrated  in his deeds), does not want to wear linen shirts, will be given woolen shirts, but not serge shirts; and this will not be for the reason of being different, but for spurring the other brothers to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, naked on the cross;

- in our institutions some hoods or small mantles will be made for those who go around begging so that they may cover themselves during the begging and traveling.

It must be done.

In all our institutions they are to do what they can.

Those who have been elected as first father and Councilors are: sir priest Federico, sir priest Angelo Marco and sir priest Marco. They will have authority over the whole Company but they cannot admit into or dismiss anybody from the Company, or add and take away any practice. This chapter was held at St. Mary in Sabioncello, on August 24, 1538, feast of St. Bartholomew.

In Pavia, younger children can be put with some older ones, so that the latter may help them out, but they are to have no maliciousness.

We are not to take the place of Sabioncello unless it is completely empty.

To sir Fr. Marco is given the task to transcribe all the practices in order in one book, and as many copies are to be made as many are the communities, so that every place may be given a copy.

I, Don Luca Antonio Fasolo, cleric regular from Somasca, under oath state that I have heard the testimony from Togno and Togni, eighty-year old men, who were questioned by me whether they knew Father Jerome Miani. They told me this detailed story: Two brothers, hostile to each other, met while one was coming down from Somasca and the other was going up from Vercurago. Facing each other on the path, they started cursing the Blessed Virgin and our Lord. Father Jerome, arrived while they were quarreling, spoke these words: ABrothers, what kind of evil did our Lord and the Blessed Virgin do, that you blaspheme so atrociously? I will do penance for you. He knelt in the mud and started to take mud with his mouth, while asking our Lord for mercy and forgiveness. Seeing that, the two brothers made peace by hugging and kissing each other.