I. In General

1. The lay Personnel collaborate in making the Collegio truly a home for Priests. They have specific roles to play towards this end.

2. The Collegio is also a Pontifical institution. Thus not only the Priests’ and Sisters’, but also the lay Personnel’s behavior and performance, should be at the level of other Pontifical and world-class institutions.

a. Words, gestures and the structure’s physical state communicate the inner dispositions of those who live in a place.

b. Taking into account the Collegio’s religious nature, the lay Personnel (and their visitors) should be presentable at all times when outside the privacy of their rooms, even outside work hours (hair combed, clothes not for sleeping, no sleeveless, shorts or miniskirts, etc.); not reclining on the sofas, etc.

c. The facilities, furniture, work instruments, etc. should always be kept clean, properly functioning, orderly and returned to their proper places. Not only the guests, but also the residents (Priests, Sisters and lay Personnel) need to have a space that is welcoming. A dirty and disordered place reflects a lack of concern towards each other.

d. Items needing repair or maintenance should be immediately referred to the one in charge.

e. All requests of Collegio Student Priests and guests (laundry, food, cleaning, airport services within working hours, errands, etc.) should be coursed through the Administration, who in turn will assess the request, and ask the lay Personnel for help as needed.

f. The work hours should be respected. If the work assigned for a certain period is completed before the end of the work period, the lay Personnel may not leave the workplace, but should instead try to carry out other tasks related to his or her assignment. This is because in the first place, the lay Personnel is paid to work on those hours. In the second place, the Collegio could be held responsible in case some untoward incident takes place involving the lay Personnel during work hours.

g. One should do the specific task requested and not pass it on to another, unless there is a valid reason to do so, and with the knowledge of the one requesting. For non-ordinary tasks, the one requesting should also be informed as soon as the task is carried out.

3. The Collegio provides spiritual services for the lay Personnel and their close friends. In a special way, they are encouraged to participate in spiritual activities such as the Masses, Rosary and Vespers, and may approach the Spiritual Director and other Priests (except the Rector and the Procurator) for Confession. Recollections and other spiritual inputs are also provided.

4. The lay Personnel are classified as “Collaboratori Familiari” (COLF), also known as “Collaboratori Domestici”.

a. The idea is that the tasks assigned to them are tasks that are normally done by the family members to care for the home (cooking, washing, cleaning, opening the door, preparing rooms for guests, etc.); but since the family members have other things to do, such as their professional work, they need collaborators in the family. This classification may also be legally applied to those working in religious houses, which are stable non-profit communities, whose income, if any, is used only to support the community.

b. Though they are usually given specific areas of work, they may actually be asked to do any task that may fall under the responsibility of a “Collaboratore Familiare”, and are not limited to a list. The designation as “Porter”, “Cook”, etc. in this manual is for an easier distribution of usual tasks, not a description limiting one’s work to a certain area, as what might happen, for example, in a company (which besides cannot employ as COLF).

c. All should be free to ask help from one another in tasks that require two or more persons to do properly or more efficiently, without of course, abusing of each other’s generosity. For this, the lay Personnel may request help from each other; or in case of doubt, they may ask the Sisters or the Administration for assistance from the other lay Personnel.

d. In families, the COLF’s work schedules could be very flexible, starting work very early in the morning until very late at night, and in very staggered and irregular hours. In the PCF, the Administration organizes and respects as much as possible the schedules of the lay Personnel, to give them enough time for rest and other personal activities. However, at times, such as in special occasions, or the presence of many guests, the staff’s work hours can be modified as needed. In these cases, the staff are expected to help until all the necessary tasks are done, and they may ask from the Procurator an adjustment of work hours on the day(s) before or after the activity.

e. All are expected to be normally in their work areas at the designated time, eating their meals outside their work schedules. When they finish the work normally assigned to them, they are given other tasks to help in the upkeep of the PCF.

5. The lay Personnel are assured of privacy in their living quarters, refectory, and, when applicable, respective work areas.

a. The Priests and Sisters have specific instructions to respect this privacy to which they are entitled.

b. At the same time, the lay Personnel are to refrain from entering the Priests’ and the Sisters’ areas, especially outside work hours, unless their work demands doing so. This also applies to other family members of the lay Personnel, especially minors – any entry of whom into the Priests’ and Sisters’ quarters, requires the express permission of a parent and of the Rector. On the other hand, an adult going out with a minor unaccompanied by a latter’s parent is illegal and even criminal in many countries. All these policies and reminders will help avoid any misconception, including of outsiders, that lay people or minors are free to move around with the Priests and Sisters, whether outside or in their rooms.

c. The lay Personnel may receive their guests outside work hours in the lay Personnel’s quarters, or for short visits, at the Collegio lobby. Guests are not to be received in the kitchen, the lay Personnel’s refectory, and other places in the building.

d. On Sundays, as well as on special solemnities and celebrations, the lay Personnel are invited to join the Priests and the Sisters for meals in the Priests’ refectory.

e. Since Priests also need time for bonding and interaction among themselves as persons who share the same vocation, the lay Personnel are also to respect these activities and avoid joining them, unless they are explicitly invited.

f. The lay Personnel are also to refrain using the facilities intended primarily for use by the Priests, such as the library (unless for research purposes) and ground floor facilities. Considering that the Collegio is a residence for Priests, lady lay Personnel in particular should avoid hanging out in the lobby area late in the evening.

g. lay Personnel should not use heavy duty PCF washing machine for personal use, since it would be very costly to do so.

6. The lay Personnel’s quarters are intended for them and not for their friends or other outsiders.

a. Hence, they are to inform the Administrators if they have guests in the Collegio who stay beyond 8:00 p.m., or if they plan to use the grounds beyond the area immediately outside their rooms.

b. To assure each other’s privacy, they should refrain from stationing themselves directly in front of the other lay Personnel’s rooms.

c. They are not to give out or lend any copy of any Collegio key (including those of the lay Personnel’s quarters) to any other person. Doing so is a ground for dismissal, since it affects the Collegio’s security. Losing a key will require a change of locks and keys, to be charged from the one who lost it.

d. Drinking with outsiders within the Collegio premises is not allowed.

7. The Collegio facilities are off-limits to outsiders.

a. Outsider volunteers should first report to the Procurator or the Sisters, advising them of their schedules, and logging their volunteer work in a log book for that purpose.

b. The lay Personnel should not entertain guests during work hours. In case someone visits them during work hours, they should immediately inform the Procurator or the Sisters.

8. The lay Personnel should respect all laws in performing their duties.

a. They should submit a copy of their updated documents (passport, Permesso di Soggiorno, Tessera Sanitaria, etc.) to the Administration for filing.

b. Outside contracts and concerns (part-time work, loans, etc.) should not be to the detriment of the Collegio. Hence, if the Collegio is in any way affected (for example, a court order instructing the Administrators to appear in court, or to withhold a certain part of the salary to pay a lending company), the Administrators could decide to terminate the lay Personnel in question.

c. In disposing garbage, they should not cross via Aurelia in front of the Collegio to reach the trash bins outside the Brazilian College, or load too much garbage that could easily fall. Doing any of these could cause a traffic accident and deaths, for example, if some of the trash would fall on the road. In these cases, the Collegio shall not be held responsible.

d. Since the Collegio could be involved, to its detriment, in case of accidents and hygienic problems caused by animals, pets are not allowed inside the Collegio compound.

9. As for the stay-in lay Personnel, as part of their arrangement:

a. They are given the following privileges, in addition to the monthly salaries:
i. Free board and lodging.
ii. Free electricity and water.
iii. Recollections, excursions and other trips.
iv. A refectory is allotted for them. They are also provided with utensils, plates and glasses, hence they should refrain from using the Priests’ and Sisters’ sets, so that these remain complete.
v. They may also use the Collegio’s washing machine on the days allotted for them.

b. During feasts and special celebrations, the stay-in lay Personnel are expected to help out in the household chores, even beyond their work hours.

c. Lay Personnel’s spouses who stay at the Collegio, in exchange for their free board and lodging, are expected to help out in some chores, for example, in the laundry, kitchen or cleaning, for a minimum of 8 hours each week. They are supervised by the Procurator and the Sisters.

10. This guide will be updated as needed.