Third Order, Society of St. Francis

Introduction
In 1205, Francis of Assisi was called by God to rebuild the Church. Early in his ministry, Francis recognized the need to include people from all walks of life within his movement of reform and renewal. The work of following Christ in humility, love and joy, which is the vocation of all Christians, could not be restricted to the traditional life of the Friars and Sisters. This was true in the thirteenth century and it remains so today.

The Third Order consists of men and women, single or in committed relationships who, though following ordinary professions in everyday life are called to a life of dedicated service to our Lord Jesus through prayer, study, and work. Like the First and Second Orders, Tertiaries make a lifetime commitment to live by a rule of life in company with their sisters and brothers in dispersed community.

History
The Third Order, Society of St. Francis, may well have already had a presence in the Diocese of Pennsylvania prior to 1962. After all, it was the first of three Orders to be founded by Fr. Claude Crookston (our founder on this continent, who took the name Fr. Joseph in religion) in Merrill, WI in 1917 as the Third Order of St. Francis. In 1967 the Order of St. Francis joined with the Society of St. Francis, becoming part of a worldwide religious Society dedicated to following the way of St. Francis, the poor man of Assisi, now in five provinces across the globe. This was (and is) comprised of the First Order Brothers (Society of St. Francis) and Sisters (Community of St. Francis), Second Order Sisters (Order of St. Clare, in Freeland, UK—the Poor Clares of the Reparation, the second order sisters originally part of Fr. Joseph’s foundation have all passed on) and the Third Order (Third Order, Society of St. Francis), now the largest Christian Community in the Episcopal Church numbering over 600 just in the Province of the Americas. However from the very beginning the Third Order (which I’ll abbreviate as TSSF from here on) had a hidden character about it, and involvement by individuals has often—though not always—been lost to the mists of time.

Beginnings
In 1962 a young priest, Fr. John M. Scott, entered the Diocese of Pennsylvania. He had been ordained in the Diocese of Long Island, home of the First, Second and Third Orders of the then Order of St. Francis in the U.S., and was then called to be Rector of St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village (on the Penn Campus), which he served for more than 30 years. Fr. Scott was both an activist and contemplative. Fueled by his love for Christ and devotion to St. Francis he put his energies to battling racism and working for civil rights; he was involved in anti-war activities during Vietnam including the Sanctuary movement (several individuals lived in St. Mary’s Church tower as part of that movement); he was a proponent of the ordination of women; and he opened the doors of St. Mary’s to the Philadelphia Chapter of Integrity, an organization for gay and lesbian Episcopalians and their friends. He had been life professed as a Franciscan ten years prior to coming to Philadelphia.

The TSSF experienced reorganization through the 1970’s and into the 1980’s. This reorganization was completed in 1987 when the three Orders officially became separate, self-governing, and interdependent, each with it’s own Minister General. This is the organization presently in place. Fr. Scott was the first Minister Provincial in the American Province (now called the Province of the Americas) after reorganization. So a Priest of the Diocese of Pennsylvania had been involved in the changing face of the TSSF worldwide. Prior to reorganization the First Order brothers were responsible for the direction of the Third Order, following the custom of the Roman Catholic Franciscans. Now the TSSF was self-governing. And there were other followers of St. Francis who joined as well.

Activism
Between the 1960’s and 1980’s the emphasis of the TSSF was on activism. As the local Fellowship has aged, the overall activist spirit has given way to an often more introspective living of the Gospel. Many individuals joined the TSSF in the 1970’s and 1980’s and many of these individuals left the Diocese of Pennsylvania, but became recognized leaders in their fields of specialty, in the church, and in the Order. The Philadelphia Fellowship (now known as the Tau Fellowship) has been the starting place for many individuals who have served in the Order in a variety of leadership capacities including Minister Provincial, Formation Director and associates, and numerous others.

The current membership is no less active than our predecessors, though in a more subdued way. The Franciscan path is one that allows great breadth in ministry.

Today
The Tau Fellowship currently has nine professed members and two novices. We have nearly monthly meetings for encouragement and mutual support on the Franciscan journey, except during the summer months. Though we currently have no clergy within our ranks locally, we pray that this will change. Province-wide we have many priests and deacons, as well as a few Bishops! We are mindful that St. Francis himself was ordained as a deacon, most likely by Pope Innocent III himself.

Diocesan

Other