St. Anthony of Padua Fraternity Bulletin
Vol. 13 No. 2   February 2008

Franciscan column
by Mona

How can anyone ever say religion is boring! After reading about all of the various Catholic Third Order religious groups; their history, their concerns, their symbols and passions; their leaders and saints; I was totally captivated and entertained. I read of hatred, fights, militia, hopes, change, faith and perseverance. Many of these "tertiary" groups were in existence before the first and second orders were established because they were made up of ordinary people who lived ordinary lives all over the world but looked to make what seemed everyday and ordinary sacred. These lay men, women and in some cases children sought to sanctify their work, family, and occupations so that God would be known to everyone everywhere in the world.

It is truly a blessing and a miracle to us and to the church that most of these secular orders are well and thriving to this very day. As we all know the world changes fast. Technology has made amazing leaps in just my lifetime and that causes a domino effect in the way we communicate, think and access information. Even with all of this it is still God’s plan that the faithful laity remains and works with the world in spreading the Good News of the Gospel. I even found a group called the Pauline Cooperators who bring the Gospel to all people by using modern technology and the internet to socialize and communicate the Christian faith.The bottom line is God continues to call his people to a deeper walk with him. He knows that we all process things differently and we want and need different ways to connect and express ourselves within his church. These third orders provide his faithful opportunities for prayer in community and discipline in each rule designed within the charism of the order. After all this reading I see so many similarities between the orders because they all are based on living a God filled life but I can also see the differences in our founders and why I was especially called and blessed to be a part of the Secular Franciscan Order, here in Minneapolis MN USA.