Mendicant Orders

Mendicant Orders, certain religious associations in the Roman Church, which, carrying out the principle of religious poverty and self-humiliation to its fullest extent, make it a part of their profession to denude themselves of all property, whether real or personal, and to subsist upon alms. In the mendicant orders alms were commonly collected by the lay-brothers; in some, by actual solicitation; in others, by the ringing of the convent bell when the stock of provisions was exhausted. See the articles DOMINICANS, FRANCISCANS, CARMELITES, AUGUSTINIANS; also PRIAR.