02-27# The Rule of our Holy Father Benedict. Chapter 21: Concerning the Deans of the Monastery
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If the community be large, let some of good character and holy life be chosen from among the brethren and made deans: and let them exercise careful guardianship over their deaneries in all things, in accordance with God’s commandments and their abbot’s precepts. And let such be chosen as deans upon whom the abbot may safely lay a share of his burdens; and let them not be chosen by seniority, but for meritorious life and soundness of wisdom. And these deans if any one among them by any chance puffed up by pride be found worthy of blame, if he will not amend though corrected once and again and a third time, let him be degraded from his deanship and let another who is worthy be put into his place. And we establish the same procedure as regards the provost.