History
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. He believed the work of following Christ in humility, love and joy, which is the vocation of all Christians, should not be restricted to the traditional life of the Friars (First Order) and Sisters (Second Order) operating within a closed community. This belief was true in the thirteenth century -- and it remains so today.
Thus Saint Francis introduced the Third Order, Society of Saint Francis (TSSF), whose members are usually called Tertiaries. This Third Order includes men and women from all walks of life, both clergy and laity who are attracted to the Principles and Aims of the Third Order. Well-known historical Third Order Franciscans include, Louis IX (1270) and Elizabeth of Hungary (1231) – both patrons of the Third Order, Joan of Arc (1431) and Thomas More (1535) who was beheaded by Henry VIII.
In more recent times, during the 1930s, three people in particular were mainly responsible for the formation of today’s Third Order: Fr Algy, Fr Frank Dyson, and Miss Dorothy Swayne. This Order has grown apace. Today, Third Order Anglican Franciscans are divided among five provinces worldwide: (1) Europe, (2) the Americas (which stretches from Canada to Chile to the Caribbean) (3) Australia and (4) New Zealand (both of which extend throughout the Pacific and up into Hong Kong, Korea and Japan) and (5) Africa.