SSE Committees. Constitutions, 1968-1986 | Saint Michael's College Archives & Special Collections

By Elizabeth B. Scott

Printer-friendly |

Collection Overview

Title: SSE Committees. Constitutions, 1968-1986

ID: SSE 7/SSE 7.13/

Extent: 3.0 Linear Feet

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection is arranged into subseries by each Standing Centennial Committee and the files of the individual drafter, Rev. Richard Myhalyk, SSE. It also includes a bibliography of materials accumulated during the 18-year drafting period. The 1968-70 series contains many drafts. The 1970-74, 74-78, and 78-82 series contain correspondence, drafts, and protocols, which are sometimes actually minutes of meetings. The 1974-78 series also includes a list of the documents consulted by the committee. The principal drafter subseries is the largest. It includes correspondence, many drafts, reports from the cluster meetings and consultations, and some commentary.

Processing notes. Over the many years that this committee was in existence, it accumulated a large number of documents from a number of different sources. For the most part, these documents were only consulted, or looked to for examples, rather than used in any substantive way. The committee collected articles on all aspects of constitution writing and canon law, in addition to requesting copies of constitutions from many other religious orders. For reasons of space and condition, most of these documents

Collection Historical Note

The Constitutions Committee was formed in 1968 to draft a new version of the SSE Constitution. All religious orders were given this task following the Second Vatican Council. The drafting of the SSE Constitution was a long process that began as a committee assignment but ended as the work of one man, Rev. Richard Myhalyk. The records of the Constitutions Committee offer incredible insight into the Edmundites, as they include information from all aspects of the society, and document the processes used by the Edmundites both in and out of committee.

The process of drafting the constitution was quite lengthy. The committee needed to understand not only the governance of the Society, but also the spiritual life of the Society. They also needed a working knowledge of Canon Law in order to create the new Constitutions in the proscribed manner. The committee consulted works from scholars, religious organizations, other religious orders and material from the Edmundites own files. They also consulted with Edmundites. The Committee drafted a Provisional Constitution in 1970; it then went through two drafts that were never submitted to Rome for approval. The drafts languished for a number of years before Superior General Edward Leary appointed Rev. Richard Myhalyk,SSE the principal drafter of the constitution.

Myhalyk worked on the constitution for four years before it was sent to Rome. He consulted all the materials left by the committee members, worked with other SSE committees, including former members of the constitutions committee, and held a series of cluster meetings at Edmundite apostolates. He created a great number of drafts over the years, based in part on the feedback and input he received. In 1986, the constitution was approved by the General Chapter and then sent to Rome, where it received final approval.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Bibliography
Folder 2: 1968-70 1970 Constitutions
Folder 3: 1968-70 Pre-Chapter Communication
Folder 4: 1968-70 Provisional Constitution n.d.
Folder 5: 1968-70 Provisional Constitution 8-1-70
Folder 6: 1968-70 Reports
Folder 7: 1970-74 1970 Constitution Revised 1971
Folder 8: 1970-74 1970 Constitution Revised Nov. 1971
Folder 9: 1970-74 1974 Constitution
Folder 10: 1970-74 Letters Received (includes partial register)
Folder 11: 1970-74 Letters Sent (includes partial register)
Folder 12: Miscellaneous
Folder 13: 1970-74 Protocol Numbers 1-28
Folder 14: 1970-74 Protocol Numbers 29-58a
Folder 15: 1970-74 Protocol Numbers 100-140

Box 2

Folder 1: 1974-78 1974 Constitutions (French Translation
Folder 2: 1974-78 From Pontigny..by J. McLaughlin (French Translation)
Folder 3: 1974-78 Letters Received (includes register) 200-309
Folder 4: 1974-78 Letters Received 310-378
Folder 5: 1974-78 Letters Received 379-427
Folder 6: 1974-78 Letters Sent (including register) 200-338
Folder 7: 1974-78 Letters Sent 339-449
Folder 8: 1974-78 List of Documents Consulted/Select Documents

Box 3

Folder 1: 1974-78 Protocol Numbers 200-239
Folder 2: 1974-78 Protocol Numbers 240-269
Folder 3: 1974-78 Protocol Numbers 270-295
Folder 4: 1974-78 Protocol Numbers 296-325
Folder 5: 1974-78 Protocol Numbers 326-345
Folder 6: 1974-78 Reports
Folder 7: 1978-82 Commentary on Constitutions
Folder 8: 1978-82 Letters Received (including register)
Folder 9: 1978-82 Letters Sent (includes partial register)
Folder 10: 1978-82 Protocol Numbers 500-532

Box 4

Folder 1: 1978-82 Protocol Numbers 533-562

Folder 2: 1978-82 Protocol Numbers 601-602

Folder 3: Principal Drafter Background Material on Formation

Folder 1: 3a Principal Drafter Charism
Folder 2: 3b Principal Drafter Charism

Folder 4: Principal Drafter Cluster Meetings 1983

Folder 5: Principal Drafter Cluster Meetings 1985

Folder 6: Principal Drafter Cluster Meetings Summary 1986

Folder 7: Principal Drafter Commentary n.d.

Folder 8: Principal Drafter Consultations Constitutions and Directory March 1984

Folder 9: Principal Drafter Consultations First 1983

Folder 10: Principal Drafter Consultations Formation 2006

Folder 11: Principal Drafter Consultations Formation Comm. 1984

Folder 12: Principal Drafter Consultors 1985

Folder 13: Principal Drafter Correspondence Chapter Prep. Comm.

Folder 14: Principal Drafter Correspondence Cong. for Sacred and Rel.

Folder 15: Principal Drafter Correspondence General

Folder 16: Principal Drafter Correspondence Gokey

Folder 17: Principal Drafter Correspondence SSE Form Letters

Folder 18: Principal Drafter Drafts 1983 1001 (2 10v 83)

Folder 19: Principal Drafter Drafts 1983 1002-1004 8/83-10/83

Box 5

Folder 1: Principal Drafter Drafts 1984 Basic
Folder 2: Principal Drafter Drafts 1984 Doc# 1500-1502 (Authority and Gov't)
Folder 3: Principal Drafter Drafts 1600-1607 (material on chapters)
Folder 4: Principal Drafter Drafts 1984 May
Folder 5: Principal Drafter Drafts 1984 June Basic 2
Folder 6: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 1st Basic 3 (May?)
Folder 7: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 2nd
Folder 8: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 3rd
Folder 9: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 4th
Folder 10: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 5th
Folder 11: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 6th
Folder 12: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 7th

Box 6

Folder 1: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 8th
Folder 2: Principal Drafter Drafts 1985 9th
Folder 3: Principal Drafter Drafts 1986
Folder 4: Principal Drafter Drafts 1986 Approved
Folder 5: Principal Drafter Drafts Formation 2001-2007 (9/16/83-2/13/84)
Folder 6: Principal Drafter Drafts Formation 5th 6th (1985?)
Folder 7: Principal Drafter Drafts Formation A-F
Folder 8: Principal Drafter Drafts Formation Handbook, Temporal Goods (8/29/85)
Folder 9: Principal Drafter Sources 1983 Code of Canon Law
Folder 10: Principal Drafter Sources Muard's Rule
Folder 11: Principal Drafter Sources T. Geno Articles

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[All]