Lutheran orders and societies

right|thumb|Arms of a Catholic abbot are distinguished by a gold crozier with a veil attached and a black [[galero with twelve tassels (the galero of a territorial abbot would be green).]]

thumb|upright|A group of friars; novices of the Order of Augustinian Recollects at the Monastery of Monteagudo in 2006 A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Evangelical-Lutheran Churches and Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the older monastic orders' allegiance to a single monastery formalized by their vow of stability. A

thumb|A novice is at the left. The religious habit|habit of a novice often differs from that of the full professed sisters.|alt= The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian novice (or prospective) monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to vowed religious life. It often includes times of intense study, prayer, living in community, studying the vowed life, deepening one's relationship with God, and deepening one's self-awareness. In the Catholic Church,

thumb|An anchorite's cell in Holy Trinity Church, Skipton thumb|Christine Carpenter (anchoress)|Christine Carpenter was walled in to a cell in St James's Church in [[Shere, Surrey.]] thumb|The Anchorite (1881), by Teodor Axentowicz

solitary place inhabited by a hermit or by several who live separately away from the world; sometimes there is a hermitage or chapel that can be a place of pilgrimage

distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order

A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.

promises made by members of religious communities

A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A novice can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.

In Christianity (specifically the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person associated with a Benedictine monastery or convent who is specifically dedicated to God and service.

type of lifestyle advocated by the Catholic Church

14th century Roman Catholic community

the Berlin-based Protestant branch of the Order, from which it separated during the Reformation

A postulant (from , "to ask") was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the period preceding their admission into the novitiate.

governor and trainer of the novitiate of a Roman Catholic religious institute

solemn admission of people into a Catholic Christian religious order by means of public vows

Swedish order of chivalry

Christian religious occupation

the Society of Saint Bridget

Lutheran religious order in Germany