History of the Third Order Regular Rule: A Source Book

The work that produced the approved text for the Rule and Life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis in 1982 has several sources. The energy and enlightenment that gave rise to this first international collaboration in Third Order Regular history was fed by multiple streams and the most important are enumerated here.

Sr. Margaret Carney, a native of Pittsburgh, PA, holds a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University, and a master's degree from the Franciscan Institute. She was the first woman to receive a doctoral degree from the Franciscan University in Rome. Sr. Margaret has taught at the Franciscan Institute of Asia in the Philippines, at the Antonianum in Rome, and in Canada, Italy, England, Ireland and Japan. She served as the general superior for her community, The Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God, Pittsburgh, PA. In 1999, she became the director of the Franciscan Institute and dean of the School of Franciscan Studies. In 2003, she added Senior Vice President for the Franciscan Charism to her duties. In 2001, she was chosen by the editors of the new Encyclopedia of Monasticism to write a piece describing the traditions of the Poor Clares, women of the Third Order tradition, and the recurring phenomenon of solitary Franciscan women living as hermits and recluses. She was honored by the Franciscan Federation in 2002 for her work on the writing of the Rule for the Third Order Regular. She was appointed St. Bonaventure University's twentieth president and first female president in June of 2004. Her publications with FRANCISCAN INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS include Franciscan Studies: The Difference Women Are Making (1995, with Elise Saggau, OSF) and The Third Order Regular Rule: A Source Book (2008, with Jean Francois Godet-Calogeras and Suzanne Kush, CSSF).

Jean François Godet-Calogeras is a Franciscan scholar internationally known for his publications on the early Franciscan documents, in particular the writings of Francis and Clare of Assisi, and for his lectures and workshops on early Franciscan history. A native of Belgium, Jean Francois received his education in classical philology and medieval studies at the Catholic University of Louvain. In the early 1980s he facilitated the international work group which elaborated the text of the new Rule of the Third Order Regular. He currently serves as an associate professor of the Franciscan Institute/School of Franciscan Studies. He is general editor of the journal, Franciscan Studies. Works published by FRANCISCAN INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS by Godet-Calogeras include An Unencumbered Heart A Tribute to Clare of Assisi (2004, with Roberta McKelvie, OSF) and The Third Order Regular Rule: A Source Book (2008, with Margaret Carney, OSF, and Suzanne Kush, CSSF).