Franciscan-hearted People and the So-Called "The Fourth Order:" The Tradition of Lay Franciscans
Lay People have been an integral part of the Franciscan tradition from the beginning. This talk traced the history of that lay participation in the earliest decades to see how it can inform our understanding of lay participation today. Dr. Pryds gave particular attention to what has been called “Fourth Order,” or the many people who self-identify as “Franciscan” without claiming any official membership in one of the traditional three orders of the Franciscan Family. Dr. Pryds concluded with some reflections on the future of the Franciscan charism in the 21st century.
Darleen Pryds
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality and History
Darleen Pryds specializes in the Medieval Franciscan Tradition (Lay Franciscans and the Third Order, Lay Preaching, Mysticism) and the Spirituality of Dying and Death. Her focus on lay Franciscans has analyzed the tradition of lay preaching as a form of “Somatic Theology,” or theology expressed through lived experience.