A monk practices a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly sins.
 However, care for the poor and needy has always been an obligation of monasticism, so not all monasteries are "cloistered"
Most communities are self-supporting, and the monastic's daily life is usually divided into three parts: (a) communal worship in the catholicon (the monastery's main church); (b) hard manual labour; and (c) private prayer, spiritual study, and rest when necessary

