Stained glass window from St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C. Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

The First General Chapter, at which Dominic presided, was held in 1220 in Bologna on the feast of Pentecost. A key objective was to organize the Dominican Order and frame its Constitution. Dominic wanted to increase the Order’s efficiency by embodying in its Constitution the fruits of the brothers’ practical experience and his steadfast rule requiring charity among all followers.

Even today a general chapter has three forms: a chapter of provincials (superiors), a chapter of diffinitors (delegates elected from the ranks), and an elective chapter (made up of both provincials and diffinitors), which meet in rotation. The chapter of diffinitors represents grass-roots thinking and balances the chapter of provincials. In all chapters, each delegate has one vote. A diffinitor is elected by a majority in each of the approximately thirty-seven Dominican provinces around the world, including four in the United States: Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western.

The above excerpt is from Reflections of Dominican Spirituality: The Windows of St. Dominic Church, Washington, D.C. by Dr. Mary Moran.