Difference between friar and monk

Foolonthehill · Dec 10, 2014

This is quite tricky, there is a "priest" in my novel Though he's not a priest, because he wears a brown robe. Here in Italy we would call them "Frà (short for Fratello, which means brother) and then their name..... let's say "Frà Giusppe" for example. Priests are called Padre (Father) or Don..... (yes, that's not only for the mafia guys). Thing is I would find it useful to be able to refer to him with different terms as I hate being repetitive with words in the same scene but I have not been able to come to the conclusion as to where he can be called a Friar (which I am sure he can) as well as a Monk, which I SUPPOSE he can because the term monk appears to be much more general to me.
Can anyone help?

mirandashell · Dec 10, 2014

TBH, I think that would be more confusing. Especially to those not familiar with religious titles. I would pick one and stick with it for the character.

aruna · Dec 10, 2014

I associate friar with St Francis and his followers; a community of simple guys, probably barefoot, in raggedy habits. That's probably a romantic notion of mine, though! Monk to me is more all-inclusive. Maybe the word "brother" is a viable alternative? I'm sure that it is used by all monks, and isn't that the real meaning of friar? I'm thinking frere.

ajaye · Dec 10, 2014

I have no idea what the correct terms and usage are but as a reader, if the monk did one thing and the friar the next thing I would be seeing two different characters.

King Neptune · Dec 10, 2014

Monks can be priests or Brothers. Friars are Brothers in certain orders (the mendicant orders); not all Brothers are Friars. If this is intended to be historical, and the Brother wears a brown robe than he could be Cistercian. Some Franciscans also wear brown, but their official color in gray.

Siri Kirpal · Dec 10, 2014

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

My understanding is that monks like in monasteries and friars do not.

However, I'm not Catholic and could be way wrong.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

ULTRAGOTHA · Dec 10, 2014

Friar.

From Lat. frater, through O. Fr. fredre, frere, M. E. frere; It. frate (as prefix fra); Sp. fraile (asprefix fray); Port. fret; unlike the other Romance languages French has but the one word frère for friar and brother].

A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.

The word friar is to be carefully distinguished in its application from the word monk. For the monk retirement and solitude are undisturbed by the public ministry, unless under exceptional circumstances. His vow of poverty binds him strictly as an individual but in no way affects the right of tenure of his order. In the life of the friar, on the contrary, the exercise of the sacred ministry is an essential feature, for which the life of the cloister is considered as but an immediate preparation.

Deb Kinnard · Dec 10, 2014

In medieval Europe, a distinction was made between monks who lived and did their work in monasteries and friars who were out "in the world." Some friars wandered from town to town preaching and were roundly hated by the regular clergy for stealing their thunder, since the locals sometimes got tired of their parish priest and wanted novelty.

I wouldn't use "monk" for anyone who was out and about and I probably wouldn't use "friar" for anyone who spent his life in a monastery, cloistered or otherwise. Why confuse the reader with nuances? Pick one, IMO, and stick with it.

benbenberi · Dec 10, 2014

Monks are not friars. Friars are not monks. Friars belong to certain orders (the traditionally "mendicant" orders) of religious within the Catholic church. Monk is a more generic term -- there are monks and monasteries that are not Catholic, some not even Christian. But monk & friar are non-overlapping sets: one or the other, not both.

Though he's not a priest, because he wears a brown robe.

Brown robe is indicative, not causative.

Also, a monk can be a priest (though most are not). Unlike monk vs. friar, monk & priest are not mutually exclusive categories. I think friars in at least some orders can also be priests, but I'm not certain.

RN Hill · Dec 11, 2014

benbenberi said:
Monks are not friars. Friars are not monks. Friars belong to certain orders (the traditionally "mendicant" orders) of religious within the Catholic church. Monk is a more generic term -- there are monks and monasteries that are not Catholic, some not even Christian. But monk & friar are non-overlapping sets: one or the other, not both.

Brown robe is indicative, not causative.

Also, a monk can be a priest (though most are not). Unlike monk vs. friar, monk & priest are not mutually exclusive categories. I think friars in at least some orders can also be priests, but I'm not certain.

This, all of this. You'll need to figure out which order your guy belongs to, and then research how they would have referred to each other, and how others would have called them. (Though you may find that you have to give up the brown robes; Jesuits, for example, wore black; Cistercians' are un-dyed. Everyone's different.)

Bolero · Dec 12, 2014

In terms of robes, a period detail for you is that dye was expensive. Undyed sheep's wool was the cheapest option. So a creamy colour. For some reason, in the period, undyed wool cloth was referred to as "in the grey" - which I've know to cause all sorts of re-enactment confusion. (This is assuming that Medieval sheep were a creamy colour, which as I come to write this, I am wondering about - can't see why they wouldn't be but.....)

Also dark colours were more expensive than pale. Black was a really expensive dye. The reason you see portraits of folks in black so much was because they were wearing their most expensive clothes.

cornflake · Dec 12, 2014

Foolonthehill said:
This is quite tricky, there is a "priest" in my novel Though he's not a priest, because he wears a brown robe. Here in Italy we would call them "Frà (short for Fratello, which means brother) and then their name..... let's say "Frà Giusppe" for example. Priests are called Padre (Father) or Don..... (yes, that's not only for the mafia guys). Thing is I would find it useful to be able to refer to him with different terms as I hate being repetitive with words in the same scene but I have not been able to come to the conclusion as to where he can be called a Friar (which I am sure he can) as well as a Monk, which I SUPPOSE he can because the term monk appears to be much more general to me.
Can anyone help?

Friars can be priests, afaik. Priests can wear brown robes - see Jesuits. In a general sense, what everyone said about determining what order and job he has. However, I really think then you're better off following miranda's advice, below.

mirandashell said:
TBH, I think that would be more confusing. Especially to those not familiar with religious titles. I would pick one and stick with it for the character.

Don't change how you refer to people. It's only confusing to the reader.

Dennis E. Taylor · Dec 12, 2014

A couple of priests opened a Fish and Chips stand in order to raise money in a small town. The stand did amazingly well, and actually achieved some minor local fame. A reporter decided to do a story on them. He walked up to the stand, where one of the priests was holding the fort, and said, "Are you the fish friar?"

"No," the priest replied. "I'm the chip monk."

Sorry. Sorry.
(runs away)

Deb Kinnard · Dec 12, 2014

That's a pun-nishable offense, Angry.

Foolonthehill · Dec 14, 2014

I live in Rome, so you can imagine I see lots of friars priests and whatnot. The thing is here in Italy lots of what they call Comunità (communities which are rehabilitation centres) are in monasteries, former convents etc and are managed by clergy who live within their walls but are still allowed to go "out and about". This particular "friar" works and lives in one of these rehabilitation centres. I am beginning to think Friar IS the right term.

kkwalker · Jan 28, 2015

Different religious orders wear different vestments, often distinctive in color. Franciscans (brothers and priests), for example, wear hooded brown robes with an undyed rope cincture (belt). Friar usually refers to a brother or priest who is itinerant, and is a fairly old-fashioned term from the middle ages. Monk is usually a monastical priest or brother--one who is sequestered away in a monastary.

Difference between friar and monk

Foolonthehill

mirandashell

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

ajaye

partial to a gum tree

King Neptune

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

ULTRAGOTHA

Merovingian Superhero

Deb Kinnard

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

RN Hill

Bolero

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

Deb Kinnard

Foolonthehill

kkwalker