A religious brother is a member of a Catholic religious institute who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the Church, usually by the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. A layman (in the sense of not being ordained), he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts. A brother might be a doctor, nurse, teacher, electrician, engineer, cook, lawyer, technician, parish minister, scientist or artist. He tries to live his faith by being a “brother” to others. Brothers are members of a variety of religious communities, which may be contemplative, monastic, or apostolic in character. Some religious institutes are composed only of brothers; others are so-called "mixed" communities that are made up of brothers and clerics (priests and seminarians).