mendicant

A mendicant (from Latin: mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic religious orders that depend entirely on the goodwill of others to live. They do not possess property either individually or collectively. The members of these orders have chosen radical poverty so as to bear witness to the Gospel. Arising with the development of cities and universities, these orders live in convents established in urban places and differ from monastic orders in that they live both the contemplative life and apostolic life.