A Brother is a man who consecrates himself to God and performs some service to God’s people. His call is to relate to others as Jesus did, as a brother.

Brothers do take vows. The common vows for Brothers are the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

The call of a Brother is to live the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and offering some other non-sacramental service to God’s people through such works as education, health care, social work, spiritual accompaniment and prayer. The call of a priest is to the altar offering the sacraments of the Church to people.

Some Brothers do have prayer as their primary ministry, but all Brothers do some other kind of work, which we refer to as ministry. Recreation, exercise and household responsibilities are also part of a Brother’s life.

While some Brothers are monks who dedicate themselves to a more contemplative lifestyle in a monastery, other communities of Brothers who are not monks focus more on providing direct service to others.