The Order of Penance & St. Francis of Assisi
The Third Order Regular (TOR) of St. Francis traces its origins to the ancient Order of Penance, which dates back to the fourth century AD. Men and women voluntarily embraced lives of penance for the sake of the Kingdom of God and their own spiritual growth.
During his early conversion experience, St. Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) became associated with the Order of Penance, an itinerant movement known as the Penitents of Assisi. He addressed them through an Exhortation, encouraging them to lead holy lives of penance.
Among the early Franciscan penitents were both Seculars and Regulars who lived according to a regula (rule of life). The Regulars embraced religious life characterized by the profession of vows, observance of the Third Order Rule, and communal living in hermitages.
Unification & The Generalate in Rome
In 1447, Pope Nicholas V, through the bull Pastoralis Officii, united approximately sixty communities of male Franciscan tertiaries in Italy under a single Minister General. This marked the formal beginning of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
The Third Order Regular received a revised Rule from Pope Pius XI in 1927. This Rule was renewed on 8 December 1982 by Pope John Paul II through Franciscanum Vitae Propositum, becoming the Rule and Life of nearly four hundred Franciscan Third Order congregations.
Franciscan Identity & Spread
Conversion, contemplation, poverty, and humility lie at the heart of Franciscan identity. The fundamental charism of the Third Order Regular, however, is penance, understood as ongoing conversion. This involves turning to God in love, reconciliation with Him, harmony with oneself, and charity toward one’s neighbour.
Today, the Order comprises three provinces in India; two provinces each in Italy and the United States; one province each in Sri Lanka, Spain and Croatia; vice provinces in South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, and Mexico; delegations in the Philippines, France, Sweden, and Bangladesh; and a commissariat of the Spanish Province in Peru.
The History of the TOR in India & Ranchi Province
The history of the Third Order Regular in India began in the late 1930s. Guided by divine providence, American friars from the Province of the Sacred Heart (Loretto, Pennsylvania) arrived in Bhagalpur, Bihar, in December 1938.
On 20 March 2006, the Commissary of St. Francis of Assisi, Ranchi, was officially elevated to the status of a Province—the Province of St. Francis of Assisi, Ranchi.
Recognizing the remarkable growth and expansion of the Vice Province between 1999 and 2005, as well as the strategic importance of India for the future of the Order, the Most Rev. Ilija Živković, TOR, Minister General, elevated it to a full-fledged Province on 20 March 2006. The ceremony took place in Ranchi during a Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Most Rev. Dr. Vincent Barwa, Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi.
The Province presently has 104 professed friars, including 84 solemnly professed and 19 temporarily professed members. Among them are 71 priests and 3 brothers. The Province has 28 major seminarians, 4 novices, 9 pre-novices, and 36 candidates.
The Province maintains four houses in the Archdiocese of Ranchi, four in Khunti, three in Simdega, two in Rourkela, two in Jalpaiguri, and one each in the dioceses of Bagdogra, Gumla, Purnea, and Bongaigaon. The friars serve the People of God through ministry in 14 parishes and 22 schools. Two friars are currently engaged in ministry abroad. The Province has three formation houses: one in Ranchi, one in Dorma, and one in Bichna.