apostolate

[ uh-pos-tl-it, -eyt ]

/ əˈpɒs tl ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

noun

the dignity or office of an apostle.

Roman Catholic Church.

the dignity and office of the pope as head of the Apostolic See.
the mission of bishops in their dioceses.
an organization of the laity devoted to the mission of the Church.

Nearby words

apostle plant, apostle spoon, apostlebird, apostles' creed, apostles, the twelve, apostolate, apostolic, apostolic age, apostolic church, apostolic delegate, apostolic fathers

Origin of apostolate

1635–45; < Late Latin apostolātus the office of an apostle, equivalent to Late Latin apostol(us) apostle + -ātus -ate³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for apostolate

Mr. Archer has been followed, and perhaps outrun, in his apostolate by other writers full of ardour and talent.
The English Stage|Augustin Filon
It was about this period that he was favoured with the remarkable vision or dream relating to his Irish apostolate.
An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800|Mary Frances Cusack
He continued his apostolate and, on a second trial, he was condemned to perpetual prison and sanbenito.
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3|Henry Charles Lea
With these arrangements they tried to make a beginning in their apostolate.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXI, 1624|Various

It was left to me to carry on the Apostolate, and I can't take it on any other ground.
Strange Stories|Grant Allen

British Dictionary definitions for apostolate

apostolate

/ (əˈpɒstəlɪt, -ˌleɪt) /

noun

the office, authority, or mission of an apostle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012