lay brother

American  

noun

1. a man who has taken religious vows and habit but is employed by his order chiefly in manual labor.

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lay brother British  

noun

1. a man who has taken the vows of a religious order but is not ordained and not bound to divine office

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Etymology

Origin of lay brother

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

“The most vulnerable are always an easy target, even if they are under our sanctuary,” said Jun Santiago, a lay brother of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer and a member of Rise Up.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2017

After Serenelli's release from prison, he became a lay brother in a monastery.

From Reuters • Oct. 14, 2015

“MEETING them where they are” is a mantra among St. Boniface’s five priests and a lay brother, who make it a point to invite new faces to monthly home-cooked lunches in the rectory.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2012

The two daily meals, silently delivered to each house by a lay brother, make a frugal diet: rice or beans, eggs or fish, fruit, bread and water or wine is the main meal.

From Time Magazine Archive

The compilers were Brother Michael O'Clery, a lay brother of that convent, with three associates who with him are so well known by the name of “The Four Masters”.

From The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, November 1864 by