Third Order of Saint Francis

The Third Order of Saint Francis, or Franciscan Tertiaries, is the third order of the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.

Francis founded the Third Order, originally called the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, in 1221, to accommodate men and women who, either from already being in consecrated life as hermits, or from being married, were ineligible to join the Franciscan First or Second Orders, respectively. In this way, they could live their lives affiliated to the Franciscan vision of the Gospel.

The Order is divided into two different branches, each with its own Rule of Life:

1) The Third Order Secular, now called the Secular Franciscan Order, who belong to local fraternities. These members do not wear a religious habit, take promises rather than religious vows, and do not live in community, but gather together in fellowship on a regular basis. They can be married, single or clergy. They were the original third branch and were reorganized and renamed in 1978, with the approval of Pope Paul VI.

2) The friars and women religious of the Third Order Regular, who take religious vows and live in community. They grew out of the original third order and took on characteristics similar to the Franciscans of the first and second orders. The original TOR Franciscans have since spawned various Third Order Regular congregations, and others have been founded independently.

The Lutheran and Anglican traditions also have Franciscan Third Orders.