In the Catholic religion, a friar is a member of a religious community or family who has made vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The friar leads a model of life according to the rules of his community.
Sometimes the terms friar and priest are confused
In this sense, being a friar does not necessarily imply being a priest, since the religious vocation does not necessarily have to be oriented to the priesthood. The priest or priest is the one who has received the sacrament of the priestly order and, therefore, can celebrate the office of Mass (the priest can be part of a religious family or be part of a diocese).
The terms monk and friar are similar, but each of them is related to a different historical context. The first Christian monks led a retired life dedicated to asceticism, that is, the purification of the spirit through the renunciation of material goods (with the passage of time some monks abandoned solitary life and founded communities that were governed by a certain rule , such as the rule of San Benito). The first Christian friars appeared in the Middle Ages.
Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian or Carmelite friars are integrated into their corresponding mendicant orders
A mendicant order is actually a religious order whose main rule is poverty as a way of life (the word mendicant comes from beggar, the poor person who lives on the charity of others).
The members of the different orders live in community and consider themselves brothers. If the religious community is male its members are friars and if it is female the sisters are called sores.
The various mendicant orders, especially the Dominicans and Franciscans, emerged in the 13th century in an attempt to reform the Catholic Church towards a new spirituality and a more humble religious lifestyle based on the ideal of poverty.
Saint Francis of Assisi, the archetype of a friar in the Middle Ages
The Franciscan order was founded by Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century. This friar came from a wealthy family that was dedicated to the cloth trade and in his younger years he liked to dress elegantly and enjoy material goods. After receiving God's call, Francis abandoned all his wealth and comforts and gave himself completely to those most in need.
The religious proposal that he advocated was based on the humble life and the ideals of poverty of the Gospels. With a few followers he founded the Franciscan order and later collaborated with Clara de Asís so that she founded the female order of the Poor Clares. In a few years the Franciscan friars spread throughout Italy, France and Spain.
Saint Francis of Assisi called his order with the term "minor friars", since in this way he wanted to underline the idea of humility among the members of his community.
Photo: Fotolia - Comugnero Silvana
