lay brother
Manual labor monk
A lay brother is a man who has taken religious vows and lives in a monastery but is not ordained as a priest.
Lay brothers traditionally performed manual labor and domestic work rather than liturgical duties, serving the practical needs of the religious community while the ordained monks focused on prayer and scholarship.
Mendicant monks' residence
- abbeyMonastic house of worship
- cloisterCovered monastic walkway
- monasteryReligious seclusion dwelling
- conventReligious sisters' dwelling
novitiate · refectory · scriptorium · dormitory · chapter house · prior · abbot · oblate
Work done bodily
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- farmingCultivating land for food
- brewingBeverage preparation process
- bakingCooking with dry heat
carpentry · gardening · animal husbandry · cooking · cleaning · maintenance · trades · workshop
Address to deity
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- pietySincere religious devotion
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- meditationFocused attention practice
contemplation · liturgy · Mass · Eucharist · faith · holiness · sacred · blessing
Compliance with authority
- povertySevere lack of resources
- chastityAbstaining from sexual activity
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
commitment · dedication · consecration · self-denial · simplicity · humility · stability · conversion
friary
Mendicant monks' residence
convent · novitiate · refectory · scriptorium · dormitory · chapter house · prior · abbot · oblate · cenobite
manual labor
Work done bodily
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- farmingCultivating land for food
- brewingBeverage preparation process
baking · carpentry · gardening · animal husbandry · cooking · cleaning · maintenance · trades · workshop · kitchen
prayer
Address to deity
meditation · contemplation · liturgy · Mass · Eucharist · faith · holiness · sacred · blessing · chapel
obedience
Compliance with authority
- povertySevere lack of resources
- chastityAbstaining from sexual activity
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
renunciation · commitment · dedication · consecration · self-denial · simplicity · humility · stability · conversion · profession