Archives

SOCIETY OF SAINT EDMUND ARCHIVES
General Council
1888-present

 Physical Description
2 ft. (4 boxes)

Arrangement:
Arranged into two series: Minutes; Miscellaneous.  Folder List

History:
The General Council of the Society of Saint Edmund is made up of elected members who assist the Superior General in the general administration of the Society.  The Superior General and his Council meet periodically to discuss issues pertaining to the Society or its apostolates.  The Superior General must seek the advice of the Council to determine the site of the Generalate, appoint a director, authorize a Superior to act as treasurer, appoint the Secretary General, or to accept the resignation of a general councilor, Treasurer General, Superior or Director of Novices.  Council advice is also needed to approve financial aid to a relative of a religious, to dispense a delegate from attending a chapter and to act on all other matters required by the constitutions or church law.

 The earliest leaders of the Society did not have formal councils.  When Rev. Muard was elected for his second term as Superior of Pontigny in 1846, Rev. Pierre Boyer was elected to be his assistant.  When Boyer succeeded Muard as Superior in 1848, Boyer opted for two assistants.  Beginning in his second term he had three, and this was true of subsequent Superiors until 1913.  At that time, Superior General Jules Garnier opted to have only two.  By the time the Constitution of 1940 appeared, four general councilors were required, the same number required by the 1986 Constitutions, under which the Society currently operates. 

According to the 1986 Constitutions, the general councilors should be “noted for their sound judgment, discretion, loyalty and competence.  They should be conversant with our apostolic works and sensitive to the needs of members.”  The first assistant assumes the duties of the Superior General in the case of the death, resignation, incapacity, or removal of the Superior General.  He is the first councilor elected of the four and must possess the same qualifications as the Superior General.  All other councilors must be perpetually professed for at least five years. 

The Superior General keeps the minutes of the General Council, sets the agenda and maintains the correspondence.  Individual councilors may keep their own files, but the office of record is the Generalate.     

Scope/Contents
The General Council records consist of two series, Minutes and Miscellaneous.  The larger series is the minutes.  These minutes, which are arranged chronologically, are an excellent record of the Society.  Since the General Council has had final decision making on most issues affecting the society, the minutes document who would be accepted, what apostolates the Society would pursue, and how the Society would manage its resources and personnel.  Most of the minutes are handwritten and the earliest records are in French.  Most contain little apart from a record of decisions—there is rarely supporting documentation or  commentary on discussions around the decisions.

In addition to the minutes, there is also a miscellaneous series.  This series, arranged alphabetically, contains correspondence of some of the councilors, some records of meetings with local superiors, a few agendas and notes and research files. Most correspondence between a councilor and the Superior General is found with the Superior General Correspondence under SSE/General Council.

Related Terms
Society of Saint Edmund

Back to Top

Folder List

Box 1
Minutes            1888-1961
                        1962-1969
                        Jan. 1962 – Aug. 1970
                        Jan. 1970 – Dec. 1972
                        1973
                        1974
                        1975-76
Box 2
Minutes            1976 – May 1978
                        July 10, 1978 – Dec. 20, 1979
                        Feb. 6, 1980 – May 21, 1981
                        July 8, 1981 – Dec. 28, 1983
                        Feb. 8, 1984 – Aug. 10, 1985
                        Sept. 30, 1985 – April 24, 1986
                        June 18, 1986 – June 11, 1987
                        July 13, 1987 – June 2, 1988
                        July 6, 1988 – May 9, 1990
Box 3
Minutes            July 1990 – May 1991
                        June 1991 – April 1992
                        June 1992 – May 1993
                        June 1993 – April 1994
                        June 1994 – April 1995
                        June 1995 – April 1996
                        June 1996 – May 1997
                        June 1997 – June 1998
Box 4
Misc                 Agendas/Notes 1990-1993
                        Correspondence 1952-58 Councilor Maloney
                        Correspondence 1958-64 Councilor Maloney
                        Correspondence 1964-70 Councilor Morin
                       Correspondence 1974-78 Councilor P. Couture
                        Correspondence 1978-82 Councilor McLaughlin
                        Meetings with Local Superiors 1962, 1977-78, 1984-5
                        Meetings with Local Superiors 1990-1996
                        Mission Statement 1985
Research File – Charism (by R. Myhalyk – 1983)
                         Research File – An Evaluation of the Edmundite Presence in Gadsden and Anniston, Alabama conducted by Connective Ministries
                        Research File Re: SSE – SMC Governance (1986-1993)

Back to Top
Prepared by:    Elizabeth B. Scott     June 27, 2004

Back to SSE Archives Collections

Back to Archives Home

Maintained by Elizabeth Scott, last update - Thursday April 13, 2006