Monasticism

Monasticism, religious way of life, usually communal and celibate, generally involving withdrawal from worldly concerns. People who join a monastic order are secluded from society; men (called monks) live in monasteries and women (called nuns) in convents. Monasticism exists in various religions, including Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity (also Greek Orthodox church). In Christianity, monasticism is mostly a phenomenon of Catholicism. Monastic orders include Franciscans, Carmelites, and Dominicans.