Religious brother in the context of Religious sister

Lay brother is a term referring to unordained religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focus upon manual service and secular matters. They are distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they do not pray in choir, and from clerics, in that they were not in possession of (or preparing for) holy orders. This specific definition is no longer applied universally by the Catholic Church, though the term continues to be used by many religious orders. Lay brothers play a crucial role in maintaining the upkeep of facilities, performing community service work, and providing technical and administrative expertise to assist with the mission of their order, while clerics typically focus on preaching, liturgy, and leadership.

In female religious institutes, the equivalent role is the lay sister. Lay brothers were originally created to allow those who were skilled in particular crafts or did not have the required education to study for holy orders to participate in and contribute to the life of a religious order.

The Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri (Latin: Confoederatio Oratorii Sancti Philippi Nerii), abbreviated C.O. and commonly known as the Oratorians, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men (priests and religious brothers) who live together in a community bound together by no formal vows but only with the bond of charity.

Founded in Rome in 1575 by Philip Neri, today it has spread around the world, with over 70 Oratories and some 500 priests. The post-nominal initials commonly used to identify members of the society are "CO" (Congregatio Oratorii). The abbreviation "Cong. Orat." is also used.

In the Catholic Church, a choir monk is a monk who is planned to be or already is ordained as a priest. In particular, they are distinguished from religious brothers and lay brothers, who do not receive holy orders.

Edmund Ignatius Rice, F.P.M., C.F.C. (Irish: Éamonn Iognáid Rís; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who founded two institutes of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers.

Rice was born in Ireland at a time when Catholics faced oppression under Penal Laws enforced by the British authorities, though reforms began in 1778 when he was a teenager. He forged a successful career in business and, after an accident that killed his wife and left his daughter disabled and with learning difficulties, devoted his life to the education of the poor.