What is the Third Order of St. Norbert?
The Third Order of Saint Norbert is an association founded by Saint Norbert, the founder of the Premonstratensian Order, and is considered the oldest third order in the Church. Saint Norbert, as an apostolic preacher, attracted many faithful followers through his devout and exemplary life. To serve and continue to spread the apostolic mission among them, he established additional monasteries. Many of these Christians wished to maintain a close and lasting connection with Norbertine monasteries to enrich their spiritual lives, collaborate with them, and provide assistance. They were thus admitted to the Third Order and received a white scapular or its symbol as a sign of their affiliation with the Norbertine Order.
The history of the Third Order, like that of Norbert's entire foundation, is long, rich, and diverse. However, it has always involved the affiliation of its members with a specific religious community, focusing on spiritual support, friendship, and collaboration.
The contemporary era is also suitable for life within the Third Order. Individuals who join the Third Order are believers who associate themselves with a particular Norbertine brotherhood or sisterhood community, and they are admitted by a superior. They unite with the religious brothers and sisters to honor God and, in their family life, employment, and surroundings, live out the principles of Norbert's foundation to the best of their abilities. The community assists the tertiaries spiritually and, when possible, in concrete situations that life presents.
