• Nuns are women in cloistered communities, devoted to a life of prayer and work within their convent.

  • Sisters live and work “in the world,” serving in ministries like teaching, nursing, or evangelization.

  • Monks are men in monastic communities who live by a rule of prayer, work, and stability, usually in one place.

  • Friars are men in mendicant orders (like Franciscans or Dominicans) who live in community but move among the people they serve.
    Different titles, different lifestyles—but all centered on total dedication to Christ.