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Sorry, Pilar but you're wrong.

The SSPX was founded as a Pious Union under the 1917 Code. Under the 1983 Code, and upon a deal with Rome, they'd be a Society of Apostolic Life.

Canonically speaking, as well-intentioned as Archbishop Lefebvre was, the SSPX 'Third Order' does not and cannot exist - barring an extraordinary and unprecedented papal intervention. A religious order (not congregation or society) needs to have a First and Second Order in order to have a Third Order. Only the great, major orders have them. The following are the only existing Third Orders:

Augustinian
Benedictine (not a Third Order properly speaking, but rather Oblates of individual houses)
Carmelite
Discalced Carmelite
Dominican
Franciscan
Mercedarian
Minim
Norbertine
Servite
Trinitarian

This is why many pre-Vatican II congregations had associated confraternities and societies but not Third Orders. For example the Redemptorists have the Confraternity of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. The Jesuits have the Apostleship of Prayer and the Happy Death Society.

As far as Motu Proprio groups (Societies of Apostolic Life), the FSSP has the Confraternity of St. Peter. The Institute of Christ the King has the Society of the Sacred Heart. The Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer has an associated Confraternity of the Rosary. On the sedevacantist side, the CMRI has the Confraternity of Mary Immaculate Queen.

Hope this helps.

Quote from: Bartholemew

You can't have a third order unless you have a first order... that is the problem... and neither the SSPX or the resistance have a first order. The only legitimate third orders in existence are Dominican, Benedictine, Carmelite and Franciscan.
Sure, it's nice to have a group of lay people that say extra prayers etc... but you can't just organize this and call them a "third order". The first order of each of the 4 orders listed above are the priests of those orders. The SSPX is not an "order" per se but a "society" of priests.
I would suggest that anyone that wants to be in the third order, to join one of the 4 existing third orders, some of which have been in existence for more than 500 years and have the full approval of the church. Despite the crisis in the church, you can still find traditional versions of each. The Dominicans of Auvrille, France come to mind.

You do not know what you are speaking of. The Society does have a First Order (priests), Second Order (sisters) and Third Order. It was lawfully established and Archbishop Lefebvre was always very careful not to take upon himself any authority he did not possess.

The traditional Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites etc...are all very good and praiseworthy, but there is most definitely a legitimate Third Order of the SSPX. We are not
bound under penalty of sin. The Society does not have to be an "Order" to have orders within it.

When the Third Order was established, there were few, very few, of any other orders saying the true Mass, and none of us who desired to belong to a Third Order, wished to join any of the corrupted Orders. What Archbishop Lefebvre gave us was a way to benefit from all the Masses, Offices and other prayers and good works performed by all of the priests of the Society. We were and still are thrilled with and benefiting from that.