Church Documents on the Third Order Secular of St. Francis

"There is no organization composed chiefly of laymen which has found greater favor with the Church than the Third Order of St. Francis."
(Handbook of the Third Order Order Secular of St. Francis, Basil Gummermann, O.F.M. Cap., St. Anthony's Guild, 1947)

How true the above statement is! The Third Order Secular of St. Francis has been praised by the Church throughout the centuries for leading laypeople to a life of sanctity and virtue. Let us hear what popes have said about it.

"The members of the Third Order proved their loyal and dauntless mettle in the defense of holy faith; and if for their merits they have incurred great enmity at the hands of the evil-minded, they never lacked the approval of the wise and good, which approval after all, is the most creditable and alone desirable. Yes, Gregory IX, Our Predecessor, publicly commending their loyalty and courage, did not hesitate to shield them with his authority and to distinguish them with the honorable title of 'Soldiers of Christ' and 'New Maccabees'."
(Auspicato Concessum, Pope Leo XIII, September 17, 1882)

"Wherefore, not without cause do We use this occasion to state again what We have stated elsewhere, namely, that the Third Order of St. Francis, whose discipline We a little while ago prudently mitigated, should be studiously promoted and sustained; for the whole object of this Order, as constituted by its founder, is to invite men to an imitation of Jesus Christ, to a love of the Church and to the observance of all Christian virtues; and therefore it ought to be of great influence in suppressing the contagion of wicked societies."
(Humanum Genus, Pope Leo XIII, April 20, 1884)

"The Third Order came as a kind of climax to the illustrious and immortal services which Francis rendered Christianity, and for which he was justly styled a pillar of strength given the Church at a critical moment; and nothing illustrates better the extent and intensity of his burning zeal to promote the glory of Jesus Christ in every direction."
(Sacra Propediem, Pope Benedict XV, January 6, 1921)

"What Our Predecessors, Leo XIII in the letter Auspicato and Benedict XV in the encyclical Sacra Propediem, wrote to all the bishops of the Catholic world and which greatly pleased them, We repeat and recommend to your pastoral zeal. We expect that you will favor in every way within your power the Third Order of St. Francis, either by yourselves or by means of trained priests and eloquent preachers teaching the people the aims of this Order of men and women who live in the world, how worthy it is of popular esteem, how easy it is to enter this Order, to observe its holy rules, and how abundant are the indulgences and privileges which the Tertiaries enjoy. Finally, make known the great blessings which flow from the Third Order to individuals and to the communities where they live."
(Rite Expiatis, Pope Pius XI, April 30, 1926)

"The Third Order of St. Francis was born to satisfy this thirst for heroism among those who though having to remain in the world did not wish to be of the world. The Third Order, then, seeks souls who long for perfection in their own state."
(Address to Tertiaries in Italy, Pope Pius XII, July 1, 1956)

My friends, do you see how the Church has praised the Third Order of St. Francis? Does this great love of the Church for the Third Order not inspire you to join this great army of Christ? One who greatly loves Christ and His Church can only be motivated to seriously consider the calling of the Church to this life of holiness.

Now I am aware that many of the laity belong to confraternities, pious unions, and the like, which of course are good in themselves. However, the Third Order is a true and real order of the Church, which makes it even greater. Why? Because whereas confraternities and pious unions mainly exist to promote works of charity and the enhancement of public worship, the purpose of the Third Order is the same as that of religious orders, that is, the attainment of Christian perfection.

"You are an order: a lay order, but truly on order, 'an order in the true sense of the word' as our Predecessor Benedict XV of holy memory called it (in Sacra Propediem)."
(Address to Tertiaries in Italy, Pope Pius XII, July 1, 1956)

I am also aware that there are other third orders of the Church (e.g., Dominican and Carmelite). However, no third order has received the great admiration of popes like that of the Third Order of St. Francis. It has proven to be the greatest of the third orders and continues today to have the most members. Let us not forget that its founder is known as "the second Christ"!

In order to promote learning of the Third Order Secular of St. Francis for both tertiaries and non-tertiaries alike, below are links to several Church documents regarding this great order.

The Primitive Rule - Cardinal Hugolino dei Conti di Segni - 1221

Supra Montem - The Approbation of the Third Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis - Pope Nicholas IV - 1289

Misericors Dei Filius - Constitution on the Law of the Franciscan Third Order Secular - Pope Leo XIII - 1883

Sacra Propediem - On the Third Order of St. Francis - Pope Benedict XV - 1921

Address to Franciscan Tertiaries in Italy - Pope Pius XII - 1956

May the Seraphic Father call you to join his family.