Rather than own things individually, they own what they have in common. Religious men also take a vow of chastity by which they promise one another not to marry or engage in sexual relations so that they may be entirely devoted to their common life and to the Lord who inspired them to come together. They also make a vow of obedience to their community superiors, whom they periodically elect. That means they freely choose to be available to do what their religious community, speaking to them through their superior, asks them to do. Among the religious congregations of men, some have only brothers, some only priests, some a combination of the two.
Brothers are full members of their communities without being ordained as priests or deacons.
They may engage in apostolic work ranging from grounds keeping to university professorships, care of the sick to missionary work. Priests in religious communities are likewise full members of their orders but, in addition, they have been ordained priests to add another dimension to their service to their religious congregation and the wider Church. Like brothers, religious priests may farm, run orphanages, teach in schools, counsel drug addicts, be missionaries in foreign lands or any number of other ministries. The former, usually called monks, follow a more regular way of life called a rule. They live in a monastery and gather in their chapel several times a day to praise God.