What is the difference between Monastic and Apostolic?
Historically, monastic communities were self-sufficient as far as they were mainly dedicated to worship of God through the many prayers marking their day. Their main mission would be to give praise to God and pray for the needs of the world and the salvation of souls. They generally would do work within the monastery and many people would come to them with spiritual needs. The monasteries were the great centers of life in western civilization. In the 12th and 13th century new forms of consecrated life sprung up in the orders of St. Francis and St. Dominic. Their lives were no longer strictly monastic, but members went out to the people to proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their rhythm of life remained the same with the praying of the liturgical hours but differed in how and when they prayed them. Expression of the consecrated life reflected the life of the Apostles, not knowing where they would lay their heads, or have their next meal, but always proclaiming the Goo
