Editing Franciscans (section)

====Third Order Regular====
Within a century of the death of Francis, members of the Third Order began to live in common, in an attempt to follow a more [[ascetic]]al way of life. [[Angela of Foligno]] (+1309) was foremost among those who achieved great depths in their lives of prayer and service of the poor, while living in community with other women of the Order.

Among the men, the [[Third Order of St. Francis#Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance |Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.francescanitor.org/ |title=Third Order Regular |publisher= Francescanitor.org |date=2013-05-12 |access-date=2013-06-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130609222919/http://francescanitor.org/ |archive-date=2013-06-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref> was formed in 1447 by a papal decree that united several communities of [[hermit]]s, following the Third Order [[Catholic religious order |Rule]], into a single Order, with its own Minister General. Today it is an international community of friars who desire to emphasize the works of mercy and on-going conversion. The community is also known as the Franciscan Friars, '''TOR''', and they strive to "rebuild the Church" in areas of high school and college education, parish ministry, church renewal, social justice, campus ministry, hospital chaplaincies, foreign missions, and other ministries in places where the church is needed.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Franciscan Friars, TOR |title=The Franciscan Orders |work=FranciscansTOR.org |url= http://www.franciscanstor.org/orders.htm |access-date=2007-07-10 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080723165740/http://www.franciscanstor.org/orders.htm |archive-date= 2008-07-23 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 

The association of Franciscans (Grey Friars) with education became a stock fictional reference in, for example, the works of [[William Makepeace Thackeray |Thackeray]] ("Grey Friars School" in ''[[Pendennis]]'' and ''[[The Newcomes]]'') or of[[Charles Hamilton (writer) | "Frank Richards"]] ([[Greyfriars School]] of [[Billy Bunter]] fame).

After the formal recognition of the members of religious tertiary communities, the following centuries saw a steady growth of such communities across Europe. Initially, the women's communities took a monastic form of life, either voluntarily or under pressure from [[ecclesiastical]] superiors. The great figure of this development was [[Hyacintha Mariscotti]]. As Europe entered the upheavals of the modern age, new communities arose which were able to focus more exclusively on social service, especially during the immediate post-[[Napoleon]]ic period which devastated much of Western Europe. An example of this is [[Mary Frances Schervier]] (1819–1876).

=====Third Order Regular in North America=====
This movement continued in North America as congregations arose from one coast to another, in answer to the needs of the large emigrant communities that were flooding the cities of the United States and Canada.

The Third Order Regular of the [[Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis of Assisi]], '''CFP''', are an active community, based in the United States, with houses in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and Brazil. These Franciscans strive to live an integrated life through prayer, community, and ministry to the poor, neglected and disadvantaged youth, the powerless, people in need, and the elderly. The Brothers of the Poor live by their vows of poverty (living a simple lifestyle), consecrated chastity (loving all, possessing no one, striving sincerely, for [[singleness of heart]], a celibate way of loving and being loved), and obedience (to God, to the community, to the church, and to self). 

The Brothers of the Poor serve persons with AIDS and people who ask for help, regardless of their religion or their social/economic background. They are teachers, childcare workers, social workers, counselors, pastoral ministers, retreat ministers, religious educators, and school administrators, along with other tasks.

The Regular Tertiaries, officially the Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance, who operate the [[Franciscan University of Steubenville]], follow a rule approved by [[Pope Leo X]]. Today this group is present in 17 countries: Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, US, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, Peru, Sweden, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.francescanitor.org/storia-2/?lang=en|title=Tertius Ordo Regularis Sancti Francisci {{!}} History|language=en-EN|access-date=2018-12-18 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181219055757/http://www.francescanitor.org/storia-2/?lang=en|archive-date=2018-12-19|url-status=dead}}
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