Hello Br. Ignatius,

Please accept my apology as i has to separate out my question into two pieces per the 2000 character max.

One final question on vows:

I read in one of your past responses that:
"As for vows, Private Vows are given in the hands of a priest, usually, or the Superior of the Community, and not before the Bishop. Vows offered in the hands of the Bishop generally makes them Public Vows instead of Private Vows.

The difference is that Public Vows requires certain things canonically. Private Vows are more potentially flexible but can require the same level of commitment and be just as binding as public vows."

Now, as a novitiate of the Holy Family Institute, I have attended our last two Annual Triduums. And this is the time that most, if not all, members make their vows, whether first profession, perpetual etc.

Now, they do this in the presence of the Superior, or Provincial acting under the Secretary General. This is also done in the presence of an assembly or congregation, notably, in our case other members and families of the Holy Family Institute, as well as two witnesses.

I believe that these are public vows, are they not, in your understanding? But they are not made in the presence of a Bishop, so they would not be public by your definition above. So I am still a bit confused...as the HFI has full approval from the Holy See and as these vows are made as described bove, are these not considerd public vows?

Thanks so much