Third Order Regular of St. Francis

The Third Order of Saint Francis, historically known as the Order of Penance of Saint Francis, is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, married most of the time.

It has been believed that the Third Order of Saint Francis was the oldest of all third orders, but historical evidence does not support this. Similar institutions are found in documentation of some monastic orders in the 12th century. In addition, a third order has been found among the Humiliati, confirmed together with its rule by Pope Innocent III in 1201.

In 1978, the Third Order of Saint Francis was re-organised and given a new Rule of Life by Pope Paul VI. With the new rule, the name used by the secular branch of the order was changed to the Secular Franciscan Order.

Tertiaries, (from the Latin tertiarius, relative to "third") or what is known as "Third Orders", are those persons who live according to the Third Rule of religious orders, either in a religious community or outside of a monastery in the world. The idea which forms the basis of this institute is in general that persons who on account of certain circumstances cannot enter a religious order, strictly so-called, may, nevertheless, as far as possible enjoy the advantages and privileges of religious orders.

There are differing opinions as to the origins of the Third Order of St. Francis. According to church historians Karl Müller (Church historian) () (Die Anfänge des Minoritenordens und der Bussbruderschaften), Mandonnet, and others, the Secular Third Order is a survival of the original ideal of Francis of Assisi, i.e., a lay confraternity of penitents from which the First and Second Orders of the Friars Minor and the Poor Clares have been detached. Another group of scholars believe that St. Francis' name became associated with pre-existing penitential lay-confraternities, without his having any special connection with or influence on them.Thomas of Celano and others held that Francis did indeed found a Third Order and gave it a Rule.

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