Priests vs. Friars vs. Monks and EWTN

  • Thread starter Thread starter prairiedog
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

prairiedog

Guest
Hi All,
RCIA candidate here. I’m reading Catholicism for Dummies and watching a lot of EWTN.
I just read in this book the differences between Diocesan and Regular Priests, Nuns and Sisters, and Monks and Friars.
I’m a little confused on a few points.

On Life on the Rock on EWTN, Fr. Francis and Fr. Mark both wear brown robes, which leads me to think they’re Franciscan brothers (friars?). They also preside at Mass on EWTN, so I guess they’re priests, too.

Catholicism for Dummes does not clarify the following:
Are all brothers priests? Can all brothers (Friars?) say mass?

What about Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Is he a monk? Of what order? Can he say mass, too? I have heard him say he hears confessions, and I guess that does indicate he’s a priest. I just don’t understand if friars or brothers are full blown priests, or what…

Can someone staighten this out?
Thanks for your indulgence…
 
I can’t give you specific information about people but I can give you some general information.

Brothers, monks and friars (and nuns and sisters) are members of religious orders. These orders vary as to their functions. Some have rather public occupations and are ‘out in the world’, so to speak. Others are more cloistered.

“Monk” and “nun” are terms used for the more cloistered orders. A “friar” is called to more public service.

“Sister” and “Brother” are more general terms for those who are members of religious communities. The words are also used as a salutation.

Some men who are members of religious orders are also ordained priests or deacons. But just knowing that a man is a friar is not enough information to tell you whether or not he is a priest. Likewise, knowing a man is a priest is not sufficient to tell you if he is also a member of a religious order. However you can probably tell that a priest is a member of a religious order if you see his name in print because an abbreviation of the name of that religious order is generally included with his name.

Doing a Google search on ‘friar’ should give you some addtional information.
 
40.png
prairiedog:
Hi All,
RCIA candidate here. I’m reading Catholicism for Dummies and watching a lot of EWTN.
I just read in this book the differences between Diocesan and Regular Priests, Nuns and Sisters, and Monks and Friars.
I’m a little confused on a few points.

On Life on the Rock on EWTN, Fr. Francis and Fr. Mark both wear brown robes, which leads me to think they’re Franciscan brothers (friars?). They also preside at Mass on EWTN, so I guess they’re priests, too. Yup, except they’re not brothers, they’ve been ordained, so they’re fathers.

Catholicism for Dummes does not clarify the following:
Are all brothers priests?** No, some are ordained priests (religious priests, belonging to an order, as opposed to diocesan priests, belonging to a diocese under a bishops. **Can all brothers (Friars?) say mass? **No, only the ones who’ve been ordained. **

What about Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Is he a monk? Of what order? Can he say mass, too? I have heard him say he hears confessions, and I guess that does indicate he’s a priest. I just don’t understand if friars or brothers are full blown priests, or what…

Can someone staighten this out?
Thanks for your indulgence…
Click to expand...
I had a brain spasm…I think Fr. Benedict is a “Capuchin of the Reform.” I don’t think he or his order are technically monks (who are cloistered or enclosed), but friars. He’s a priest, so he hears confessions and celebrates the Holy Sacrifice.
 
Hi Prariedog,

Welcome to the forums!

Congratulations on RCIA (graduate of RCIA myself).

I am sure that other posters will give you a more complete response, but:

Friars can be either a “brother” or a “father” (ordained a priest). No brothers" can say mass, only priests. So not all friars can say mass. Not all friars are priests.

Fr. Benedict Groschel is a priest (hence Fr. = Father). He is of the order of Capuchin Friars of the Renewal, the C.F.R’s. He founded that order. The Capuchins are a branch of the Franciscan Friars.

The confusing part for some is that Friar (literally “Frater”) means brother. So Friar so and so and Friar so and so are all “brothers in the lord” but one may be a priest and one may be not a priest, often called a brother so and so.

Does this help at all, or was it more confusing?

Stay tuned for a more complete answer from some other poster, I’m sure!

God Bless and welcome again,
VC
 
Fr benedict is a friar, the colloquial name for his order is the franciscan friars of the renewal.
 
Another difference between monks and friars is that monks (as an order) generally have a means of support (farming, a grist mill, a vineyard, copying manuscripts, et cetera); friars are mendicants (beggars) and subsist on donations.

tee
 
40.png
tee_eff_em:
monks (as an order) generally have a means of support (farming, a grist mill, a vineyard, copying manuscripts, et cetera);
Click to expand...
Ah, I think I am getting the **grist **of it now.

🙂
 
I learned a lot from reading these post too. Thanks for posting the question and thanks to those who posted the answers. :clapping:
  • Kathie :bowdown:
 
40.png
JKirkLVNV:
I had a brain spasm…I think Fr. Benedict is a “Capuchin of the Reform.” I don’t think he or his order are technically monks (who are cloistered or enclosed), but friars. He’s a priest, so he hears confessions and celebrates the Holy Sacrifice.
Click to expand...
franciscanfriars.com/
 
I must say… This reminded me of those IQ tests…

“If all goorgs are bloogs, and all bloogs shorgs, are all goorgs shorgs?”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top