I have noticed that some Franciscan priests have T.O.R. after their family name. What does that mean?
It means Third Order Regular. St. Francis of Assisi founded the Order of Friars Minor, helped St. Clare establish the Poor Clares (Second Order) and then set up the Third Order, open to men and women, married or single.
Eventually, the Third Order became two different groups: Secular Franciscan Order (men and women as described above) and the Third Order Regular movement (men’s or women’s religious communities, professing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience).
The Third Order Regular movement represented a new form of religious life, allowing women especially to engage in these “active” apostolates. There are approximately 12,000 Franciscan sisters within 83 U.S. congregations.
These sisters often use O.S.F. (Order of St. Francis) to avoid confusion with the international men’s group.
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