Word of the Day: Mendicant Friars

MENDICANT FRIARS. Members of religious orders who are forbidden to own property in common, are therefore required to work or beg for their living, and are not bound to one monastery by a vow of stability. Originally the name was restricted to the Franciscans and Dominicans. Later on the name and privileges were extended to the Carmelites (1245), the Hermits of St. Augustine (1256), and the Servites (1424). Other orders received the same title later on. According to the Church law, mendicant friars are allowed to beg for alms where their houses are located, given the permission of their own superiors. In other places they must also obtain the permission of the bishop of the diocese. (Etym. Latin mendicus, beggar; and infirm, wretched, miserable person.)

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Unlike the Franciscans and the Dominicans, who began as Begging Friars, the Carmelites began as an eremitic Order, an Order of hermits, as the Rule of St Albert illustrates.  When our Forefathers were driven off Mount Carmel, where our Founder, St Elias, had his hermitage, by the jihadists, they migrated to Europe. There, after some controversy, they were confirmed as Mendicants, and Mendicants they have remained.