vicar apostolic

noun

, plural vicars apostolic.

1. Roman Catholic Church. a titular bishop serving either in a district where no episcopal see has been established, or in one where the succession of bishops has been interrupted.
2. Ecclesiastical History. an archbishop, bishop, or other ecclesiastic to whom the pope delegated a portion of his jurisdiction.

vicar apostolic

noun

1. RC Church a titular bishop having jurisdiction in non-Catholic or missionary countries where the normal hierarchy has not yet been established

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicar apostolic¹

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

I reassured him that both the ex-Vicar Apostolic and my father found it so.

From Project Gutenberg

The outlook on the whole was consoling, for the vicar Apostolic, Mgr.

From Project Gutenberg

The redoubtable vicar-apostolic was not in Canada when Frontenac arrived.

From Project Gutenberg

The archbishop fined him—the vicar apostolic confirmed the sentence.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1862 an epidemic of cholera broke out in the province and lasted two years; the vicar Apostolic, Mgr.

From Project Gutenberg