As a teenager, university psychology lecturer Nicholas Gabriel Lim dreamt of becoming a Franciscan friar. He even lived with them to discern a possible vocation.
Although he did not join them and later married, Mr Lim remained in contact with the friars and worked at the Franciscan-run Church of Saint Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok, serving the youth ministries and the parish community.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he attended online meetings of the Secular Franciscan Order, a community of Catholics founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1221 to allow lay people to follow his vision of the Gospel life without making religious vows.
Its members follow a Rule of Life—inspired by the Italian saint and approved in its current form by Pope St Paul VI in 1978—which emphasises prayer, community life, and peace-making, among other Christian values.
The road to profession
Inspired by the community’s Franciscan spirituality, Mr Lim, now 47, invited his wife, Geraldine, to join its meetings. Although reluctant at first, she began to appreciate how the Secular Franciscans lived out their life with love and service.
“Though difficult and even painful to live out at times, the Rule is like an SOP (standard operating procedure) for life,” said Mrs Lim, 49. “It leads us to the joy of the Gospel.”
After four years of preparation, the couple made their solemn profession alongside three others as members of the order on Oct 4 at a Mass at St Mary’s.
Secular Franciscans in Singapore
Unlike their religious counterparts—the Friars Minor and Poor Clare nuns—Secular Franciscans do not take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and its lay members may marry.
The Order was established in Singapore in 1952 and has 40 members in four active fraternities today. They meet monthly at the Catholic Centre and churches for prayer and formation, where they reflect on their founder’s life and spirituality, the Rule, and Church teaching.
They also participate in works of mercy which include carolling at homes for the aged, reaching out to the homeless in collaboration with Catholic Welfare Services, and joining overseas missions.
Earlier this year, three members were received into the order, and six more are preparing to make their profession later this year.
What is a third order?
The Secular Franciscans are a “third order”— a branch of a religious order whose members live “in the world” in accordance with their group’s charism. They do not vow poverty or celibacy, and many get married and have families.
For the Franciscans, the “first order” consists of three fraternities of Franciscan friars, including the Order of Friars Minor, who are present in Singapore. The “second order” refers to the Poor Clare nuns.
Women religious who are not cloistered nuns are also tertiaries – members of a third order. These include the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and the Franciscan Missionaries of Divine Motherhood who founded Mount Alvernia Hospital.
Membership in “secular” third orders is not limited to lay people. Pope St Pius X, who reigned from 1903 to 1914, became a Franciscan tertiary when he was a diocesan parish priest.
Other examples of third orders in Singapore include, the Lay Dominicans and the Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Two Lay Dominicans made their perpetual profession on Oct 7, the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, at the Dominican friary in Serangoon Gardens.
Famous tertiaries include:
- St Catherine of Siena, an Italian mystic who reconciled rival claimants to the papacy (Dominican)
- St Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian activist also involved in the Society of St Vincent de Paul (Dominican)
- Christopher Columbus, an explorer who pioneered European exploration of the Americas (Franciscan)
- Servant of God Dorothy Day, American social activist (Benedictine oblate)
Source: Catholic News
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