{{Short description|Christian service and evangelism organization}} An '''apostolate''' is a Christian activity or organization "directed to serving and evangelizing the world", most often associated with the Anglican Communion or the Catholic Church.<ref name="Shaw2002">{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Russell|title=Ministry Or Apostolate|date=1 January 2002|publisher=Our Sunday Visitor Publishing|language=English |isbn=9780879739577|page=18|quote=Ministry is something directed to the service of the Church and its members, while apostolate is directed to serving and evangelizing the world.}}</ref> In more general usage, an apostolate is an association of persons dedicated to the propagation of a religion or a doctrine. The word apostolate comes from the Greek word ἀποστέλλω (''apostellō''), which means to "send forth", to "commission", or "to dispatch".<ref>BibleHub.com, [https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_'apostello'_mean.htm What does 'Apostello' mean?], accessed on 12 April 2026</ref>
The Christian origin of the word comes from the twelve ''apostles'' who were selected by Christ; they had a "special vocation, a formal appointment of the Lord to a determined office, with connected authority and duties".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01626c.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Apostles |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1907-03-01 |accessdate=2019-01-17}}</ref> An "apostolate" can refer to a Christian organization made up of lay people or of a specific Christian religious order.
Within Anglican theology and Catholic theology, "ministry" pertains to the administration of a sacrament, or the celebration of liturgy and all that pertains to the liturgical functioning of the Church; as such it is specific to those with Holy Orders. Lay people have a different role, namely, to spread the truth of Christianity in the world through whatever means they can: this work is properly called "an apostolate".<ref name=aa>{{cite web|title=Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (''Apostolicam Actuositatem'')|author=Pope Paul VI|date=November 18, 1965|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651118_apostolicam-actuositatem_en.html|access-date=12 April 2026}}</ref> In the Catholic church, the Second Vatican Council's ''Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity'' (''Apostolicam Actuositatem'') states that a Christian believer's vocation is "by its very nature ... also a vocation to the apostolate".<ref name=aa />{{rp|Chapter 1}}
The '''lay apostolate''' is made up of lay people, who are neither consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, but need not be dependent upon them for direction.
Lay people can exercise a fruitful apostolate by their conduct in the areas of their work, profession, studies, neighborhood, and social life, and according to the Second Vatican Council's ''Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity'', they will look for opportunities to announce Christ to their neighbors through the spoken word as well.<ref name=aa />{{rp|13}}<ref name=DullesSJ>Dulles A., Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Kindle Locations 257-260). Paulist Press.</ref>
==Examples== An example of a Catholic apostolate is Catholic Answers, run by lay people, whose mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Catholicism in the world. The ''Opus Dei'' prelature has been described as fulfilling "an apostolate".<ref>See various quotations in the "Relations with Catholic leaders" of the Opus Dei article.</ref> ''Stella Maris'', the church's organisation concerned with the mission to seafarers, is referred to as an "apostolate" of the Catholic Church,<ref>United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, [https://www.usccb.org/committees/pastoral-care-migrants-refugees-travelers/stella-maris-who-we-are Stella Maris: Who We Are], accessed on 17 April 2024</ref> the American ''Crossroads Initiative'' describes itself as "an apostolate of Catholic renewal and evangelization",<ref name=elev /> and the Courage Apostolate or Courage International is another apostolate within the Church.<ref>Courage International, [https://couragerc.org/about/ About Courage], accessed on 13 May 2026</ref>
An example of an Anglican apostolate is the Saint Martin Apostolate of Prayer, whose aim is the "sanctification of all priests through the continual offering of prayers on their behalf by the faithful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fssm.info/|title=The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Martin|year=2002|publisher=Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Martini (FSSM)|language=English|accessdate=5 May 2015|location=Loxton, South Australia|quote=On the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours, November 11, 2002, at the initiative of Fr Marco Vervoorst, the Parish Priest of the Parish of The Resurrection in Loxton, South Australia, a fraternal association of Priests (and Deacons) came into being with three priests committing themselves to the Fraternity. The Priestly Fraternity of S. Martin - known by its Latin title Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Martini - hence FSSM. A group of Anglican (mostly TAC) priests who are dedicated to living out their promises made at ordination within the context of catholic worship in its English expression, ie the Prayer Book and English Missal.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fssm.info/|title=The Saint Martin Apostolate of Prayer|last=Vervoorst|first=Marco|publisher=The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Martin|year=2002|language=English|accessdate=5 May 2015|quote=The Saint Martin Apostolate of Prayer is part of the ministry of the Priestly Fraternity of S. Martin. The aim of "The Apostolate" is the sanctification of all priests through the continual offering of prayers on their behalf by the faithful.}}</ref>
==Lay apostolates in the Catholic church == In the Catholic Church, the Second Vatican Council has been seen as elevating the laity "from passive spectators to involved members". It was the first council in church history to specifically address the place of the laity in the life of the church.
Before the council, the laity were purely passive spectators at Mass (in Latin) and this passivity also characterized their approach to the apostolate. Exceptions were charitable organizations like St. Vincent de Paul Societies and the Knights of Columbus, and developments in the 1950s which included diocesan, national and international activities promoting the work of lay people in the church and in the world.<ref>Pope Pius XII, [https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius12/P12LAYAP.htm Guiding Principles of the Lay Apostolate], Second World Congress for the Lay Apostolate, 5 October 1957, accessed on 1 June 2026</ref> But largely the task of teaching the faith was entrusted only to priests and religious sisters.<ref name=elev />
The Council promoted the active participation of lay people in its liturgy,<ref>Second Vatican Council, [https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html Sacrosanctum Concilium], paragraph 14, accessed on 20 April 2026</ref> and also restored to lay people "a much broader and richer participation in its apostolic life.<ref name=elev /> ''Apostolicam Actuositatem'' described the apostolate of lay people as "directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel", portraying lay people as continually exercising "faith, hope, and charity", "do[ing] good to all men, especially to those of the household of the faith". The decree set out a "plan for the spiritual life of the laity" which {{quote|"should take its particular character from their married or family state or their single or widowed state, from their state of health, and from their professional and social activity. They should not cease to develop earnestly the qualities and talents bestowed on them in accord with these conditions of life, and they should make use of the gifts which they have received from the Holy Spirit.<br/ >Furthermore, the laity who have followed their vocation and have become members of one of the associations or institutes approved by the Church try faithfully to adopt the special characteristics of the spiritual life which are proper to them as well. They should also hold in high esteem professional skill, family and civic spirit, and the virtues relating to social customs, namely, honesty, justice, sincerity, kindness, and courage, without which no true Christian life can exist."<ref name=aa />{{rp|Chapter 1}}}}
The apostolate of married persons and families is given a special place within the ''Decree'':{{quote|"It has always been the duty of Christian married partners but today it is the greatest part of their apostolate to manifest and prove by their own way of life the indissolubility and sacredness of the marriage bond, strenuously to affirm the right and duty of parents and guardians to educate children in a Christian manner, and to defend the dignity and lawful autonomy of the family."<ref name=aa />{{rp|11}}}} The decree adds that married couples can help engaged couples in their preparation for marriage.<ref name=aa />{{rp|11}}
It goes on the add that the "heightened influence" of young people in society "demands of them a proportionate apostolic activity", in which their "zest for life" and "ready eagerness to assume their own responsibility" would drive their apostolic endeavours.<ref name=aa />{{rp|12}} Similarly, while there is a clear mandate for individual believers to carry out an apostolate in their own situation, and "where Catholics are few in number and widely dispersed",<ref name=aa />{{rp|17}} the Council's view was that "in the present circumstances, it is quite necessary that ... the united and organized form of the apostolate be strengthened".<ref name=aa />{{rp|18}}
The need for a body within the Holy See concerned with "the service and promotion of the lay apostolate" was anticipated by the Council.<ref name=aa />{{rp|26}} Pope Paul VI established the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the period after the Council.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/34061/for-pope-francis-the-catholic-laity-can-transform-the-world|title=For Pope Francis, the Catholic laity can transform the world|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> Since the Council, lay Catholics have exercised leadership in many apostolates, such as organizing charitable works and advocacy groups on behalf of the poor and oppressed. With a declining number of priests and sisters, lay persons have also undertaken the responsibility for religious education and fill more and more administrative positions at Catholic schools. The council also specified that parents are the primary religious educators of their children. And It taught that “the secular employment of laypeople, far from being a distraction from their Christian vocation, was their primary way to sanctify, not only themselves but society.”<ref name=elev>{{Cite web|last= D'Ambrosio|first=Marcellino|url=https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2012/vatican-ii-elevates-laity-from-passive-spectators-to-involved-members.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230011649/https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2012/vatican-ii-elevates-laity-from-passive-spectators-to-involved-members.cfm|url-status=dead|date=11 May 2012|archive-date=December 30, 2019|title=Vatican II elevates laity from passive spectators to involved members|website=www.catholicnews.com}}</ref>
In 2013, Francis Cardinal Arinze explained that lay persons "... are called by Baptism to witness to Christ in the secular sphere of life; that is in the family, in work and leisure, in science and cultural, in politics and government, in trade and mass media, and in national and international relations." Arinze noted that there are many things individuals may accomplish for Christ quietly without belonging to a particular association. In other instances, organizations are more efficient to address challenges beyond the capacity of one person.<ref name="Arinze">[https://books.google.com/books?id=kFJLAgAAQBAJ&dq=apostolicam+actuositatem&pg=PA4 Francis Cardinal Arinze, ''The Layperson's Distinctive Role'', Ignatius Press, 2013] {{ISBN|9781586177805}}</ref>
Pope Francis continually criticized clericalism and emphasized that all are "one, holy People of God".<ref>Elise Harris, "Pope’s visit to Jesuits highlights society friends old and new", ''Crux'', 10 July 2019, https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/07/10/popes-visit-to-jesuits-highlights-society-friends-old-and-new/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711150632/https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/07/10/popes-visit-to-jesuits-highlights-society-friends-old-and-new/ |date=2019-07-11 }}</ref> He emphasized that the "hour of the laity" had arrived and decried clericalism as rife in the Church, saying that it "leads to the functionalization of the laity, treating them as 'messengers'."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://zenit.org/articles/text-of-popes-letter-to-pontifical-commission-for-latin-america/|title=Text of Pope's Letter to Pontifical Commission for Latin America|date=2016-04-27|work=Zenit|access-date=2018-04-14|language=en-US}}</ref>
In November 2019, Pope Francis addressed the new Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life during its first plenary assembly which addressed the topic, "The Lay Faithful, Identity and Mission in the World". He urged them to use their talents as "missionary disciples" to address the various challenges of the whole Church and world, to be "visible signs" of the presence of Christ in every environment. He warned against "clericalizing the laity": "Move the deacons away from the altar. … They are the custodians of service, not first-class altar boys or second-class priests."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-11/pope-francis-dicastery-family-laity-life-plenary.html|title=Pope to Dicastery for Laity, Family, Life: make the heart of the Church your own - Vatican News|date=2019-11-16|website=www.vaticannews.va|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> In his first Apostolic Exhortation as Pope, he had entitled a section "We are all missionary disciples" and he returned to the term seven times in that exhortation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#We_are_all_missionary_disciples|title=Evangelii Gaudium: Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World (24 November 2013) {{!}} Francis|website=www.vatican.va|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> He has also pointed out that "In truth, the laity who have an authentic Christian formation do not have need of a 'bishop-pilot' or a 'monsignor-pilot', or of clerical input to assume their proper responsibilities, on all levels: from the political to the social, from the economic to the legislative!" He called rather for bishops to be encouraging toward lay apostolates, good shepherds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/32005/for-pope-francis-the-laity-must-be-formed-for-their-mission-in-the-world|title=For Pope Francis, the laity must be formed for their mission in the world|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Christianity}} * Apostle (Christian) * Christian ministry, as age-specific ministry, creative and performing arts, community service and outreach. *Apostolate for Family Consecration * Sodality
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite book|chapter=Sermon 36: The Christian Apostolate. |title=Sermons from the Latins|year=1902|publisher= Benziger Brothers|first=Robert|last=Bellarmine|author-link=Robert Bellarmine}}
Category:Catholic theology and doctrine Category:Anglicanism