Third Order
Francis the Evangelist
Saint Francis of Assisi and his first companions were inspired by the Holy Spirit to live the gospel as a fraternity group, and following the example of Jesus and his apostles, they travelled through cities and countryside to preach the holy gospel and ask the people to live a Christian life more in keeping with the message of salvation.
Many people were moved by the living testimony of Francis, the Poverello (the Poor Man) and wanted to follow him. They wanted to behave as he did faithful to Christ and to the word of life in the gospels.
Popular enthusiasm and Followers
Francis welcomed everyone as a gift from God. The men who followed him became Minor Friars; young ladies became the Poor Ladies or Poor Clares. Francis also inspired many men and women who did not enter into religious service.
They remained in the outside world and continued their normal activities. This movement evolved into the Franciscan Third Order of Penance.
Origins of the Third Order
The Third Order movement began in the autumn of 1211, expanding during the spring of 1212 and enjoying a prodigious growth in both area and numbers over the next ten years.
The Rule of Evangelical Life
Francis offered his followers a Rule of evangelical life, giving the Tertiaries three precious documents: The First Letter to the Faithful Penitents in 1215; the Second Letter to the Faithful Penitents in 1221 and the Memoriale Propositi in 1221.
In 1289 the First Franciscan pope, Niccolo IV, wanted to recognise the Third Order of San Francis in an official way. He gave explicit approval to the Order of Penance, which had already been commended by many Popes, and reissued the Memoriale Propositi, the Rule of 1221 in a more juridic form. Those Penitent Fransiscans who remained in their homes (marrying or not) and who held a professional post constituted the Secular Third Order (TOS), which since 1978 has been called the Secular Fransiscan Order (OFS). Towards a more perfect life Not to be forgotten is the fact that, at the same time, a particular phenomenon was developing. From the time of St. Francis onwards there were some Tertiaries, men and women, who manifested the desire of a greater commitment towards a life of Christian perfection. They began to live in communities and in time decided to profess the gospel or evangelical counsels, that is, the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Some Tertiaries had a preference for the contemplative life, which they expressed by living in hermitages or in voluntary seclusion, far from earthly distractions, their hearts focussed entirely on the mystery of God.
Many began helping in hospitals and caring for the sick and aged. Some provided shelter for pilgrims or other travellers. Others established reception centres for homeless women and school for the education of young people.
Soon the friars began working in the parishes and offered the ministries of teaching, preaching, catechesis, as well as scientific and religious publications. Later a commitment to missionary work arose and developed with great intensity both in the past and in recent times.
The fraternities of Tertiary Regulars, which had been founded spontaneously and all over Italy, increased in number and diffusion, especially during the 14th Century. Soon they began to unite, both in order to be more effective and also to better cope with the many difficulties they faced.
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- This is the picture of the Church of St. John of Dukla in Zhytomir, which belongs to Franciscans.
- The statistical information about the Orders, the number of the members, the territories where they are spread is maintained in the section about the Orders.
- About the founded of the Order of St. Francis and St. Clare read in the section «Personalities»
- All illustrations in the site (in the text, in design) are gathered in the section «Miscellanies > Illustrations»
The lines from the text on the picture were taken from the hymns or from the prayers of St. Francis. Read them. Francis wrote them, looking at the environment. He found the hand of the God in everything.
