To really oversimplify, we can speak of three orders within certain religious institutes of consecrated life (e.g., but not comprehensively, Franciscan, Carmelite, Dominican): 1) the professed men, 2) the professed women, 3) associates living in the world.
Members of the third group are sometimes called “seculars”, sometimes “tertiaries,” sometimes associates. They are people who associate with the prayer, spirituality, and apostolic works of the institute. Canon 303 describes them: “Associations whose members lead an apostolic life and strive for Christian perfection while living in the world and who share the spirit of some religious institute under the higher direction of that same institute are called third orders or some other appropriate name.” The particular law of the institute indicates the nature of the bonds, rights, and obligations of the members of the association.
Visit
newadvent.org/cathen/06217a.htm regarding the first three in the context of the Franciscan tradition.
I am not aware that any institutes of religious life in the Catholic Church have a “fourth order,” but I could be wrong, and if so, hope someone will post the correction.
A so called “fourth order” of Franciscans is something created by a couple of individuals (
fourthorder.org/id3.htm). It is not sanctioned or approved by the Catholic Church.
It describes itself on its site thusly. “The Fourth Order of Francis and Clare is a non-traditional multifaith community whose companions practice radical awareness of the divine presence within ourselves, in others and in all creation. Although we come from diverse faith traditions or none at all, we proclaim the unity and transforming power of divine love experienced through prayer, contemplation, joy, suffering and compassion. The Fourth Order does not represent any particular religion or denomination. Companions of the Fourth Order maintain interfaith practice as well as practice within their own faith traditions.”
Secular institutes and societies of apostolic life would not have third orders.
Arlington has a good page for those wishing to know the difference among religious institutes, secular institutes and societies of apostolic life. See
arlingtondiocese.org/offices/religious.
