Do We Have Secular Orders like the West Does?

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MichaelinMD said:
Thanks for that link, Vico, though I’ve seen it before! St. Francis is one of my favorite saints. In my own searchings of secular orders I investigated the Secular Franciscan Order fairly thoroughly, to the extent of participating for a short time as an inquirer with one of the chapters local to me. I found it interesting, but not for me personally. There was nothing particularly “Eastern” or “Byzantine” in the spirituality taught and practiced and certainly nothing at all in the prayer or liturgical life. In fact, I found it thoroughly Latin and “Western” and as an Eastern Catholic, I felt much like a fish out of water, much as I do when attending a Roman Rite N.O. Mass. It wasn’t what I was looking for so I chose not to continue.
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I would not have guessed that, because I know Franciscan Friar Fr. Jerome Wolbert, O.F.M. and he has celebrated the Divine Liturgy at our Parish, and he is from
Holy Dormition Byzantine Franciscan Friary Sybertsville, Pa.
 
Vico said:
I would not have guessed that, because I know Franciscan Friar Fr. Jerome Wolbert, O.F.M. and he has celebrated the Divine Liturgy at our Parish, and he is from
Holy Dormition Byzantine Franciscan Friary Sybertsville, Pa.
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Why not? I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between the praxis at a friary or monastery and the praxis of the vast majority of local Secular Franciscan Order groups. Perhaps a group closely affiliated with the monastery in Sybertsville might reflect some Eastern influence, but that would be, I would think, much more the exception than the rule, especially considering how many (or how few, rather) Byzantine Monasteries there are, let alone Franciscan ones. Celebrating a Divine Liturgy is much different from what goes on in an SFO group, at least in my limited experience.

Unfortunately, due to the incredibly small number of men entering the priesthood in the Eastern Catholic Church in this country, an increasing number of Latin Rite priests are granted bi-ritual faculties so as to be able to celebrate the DL in parishes lacking a priest or a permanent, regular priest. But…that’s a whole other issue.
 
MichaelinMD said:
Why not? I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between the praxis at a friary or monastery and the praxis of the vast majority of local Secular Franciscan Order groups. Perhaps a group closely affiliated with the monastery in Sybertsville might reflect some Eastern influence, but that would be, I would think, much more the exception than the rule, especially considering how many (or how few, rather) Byzantine Monasteries there are, let alone Franciscan ones. Celebrating a Divine Liturgy is much different from what goes on in an SFO group, at least in my limited experience.

Unfortunately, due to the incredibly small number of men entering the priesthood in the Eastern Catholic Church in this country, an increasing number of Latin Rite priests are granted bi-ritual faculties so as to be able to celebrate the DL in parishes lacking a priest or a permanent, regular priest. But…that’s a whole other issue.
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Just ignorance on my part.
 
mardukm said:
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, there are secular orders, but they are only for celibate men (IIRC).
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There are? Might you please be able to provide more information about these? Do they only exist in Egypt?
I’ve only ever met one older celibate Coptic man who was living in the community as far as I’m aware.
 
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