Why did St. Francis of Assisi create the Third Order?

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Bonaventura Berlinghieri: St. Francis and Scenes from His Life — St. Francis of Assisi *St. Francis and Scenes from His Life*, tempera on panel by Bonaventura Berlinghieri, 1235; in the Church of San Francesco, Pescia, Italy.

St. Francis of Assisi created the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance around 1221 to provide a way for individuals to incorporate the principles of the Franciscan life into their daily routines without needing to leave their families, homes, or take formal religious vows.1

This lay fraternity allowed people who could not join the friars or the Poor Clares to still participate in the movement and carry out its spiritual mission while remaining in the world.1