The Difference Between "Ministry" and "Apostolate"

A very well written clarification (with sources) from Insight Scoop.

We need to appreciate the difference between "ministry" and "apostolate" in the Church. In this regard, Vatican II is most helpful:

"They [the lay faithful] exercise the apostolate in fact by their activity directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel. In this way, their temporal activity openly bears witness to Christ and promotes the salvation of men. Since the laity, in accordance with their state of life, live in the midst of the world and its concerns, they are called by God to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the ardor of the spirit of Christ." (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 2).

Furthermore,

"The laity derive the right and duty to the apostolate from their union with Christ the head; incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, they are assigned to the apostolate by the Lord Himself. They are consecrated for the royal priesthood and the holy people (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-10) not only that they may offer spiritual sacrifices in everything they do but also that they may witness to Christ throughout the world." (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 3).

This blurring of "ministry" and "apostolate" was already addressed in the document "On Certain Questions Regarding The Collaboration Of The Non-Ordained Faithful In The Sacred Ministry Of Priest" released in 1997. Some brief, relevant excerpts from Section 4 of the document:

"In some cases, the extension of the term "ministry" to the munera [functions or tasks] belonging to the lay faithful has been permitted by the fact that the latter, to their own degree, are a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The officia [office] temporarily entrusted to them, however, are exclusively the result of a deputation by the Church. Only with constant reference to the one source, the 'ministry of Christ' (. . .) may the term ministry be applied to a certain extent and without ambiguity to the lay faithful: that is, without it being perceived and lived as an undue aspiration to the ordained ministry or as a progressive erosion of its specific nature.

"The non-ordained faithful may be generically designated "extraordinary ministers" when deputed by competent authority to discharge, solely by way of supply, those offices mentioned in Canon 230, § 3(56) and in Canons 943 and 1112 . . . Temporary deputation for liturgical purposes — mentioned in Canon 230, § 2 — does not confer any special or permanent title on the non-ordained faithful."

"It is unlawful for the non-ordained faithful to assume titles such as "pastor", "chaplain", "coordinator", "moderator" or other such similar titles which can confuse their role and that of the Pastor, who is always a Bishop or Priest."

Herein lies the heart of the problem: the "extraordinary" has become "ordinary" in many parishes. “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion” become “Eucharistic Ministers.” I’ve heard more than once, in open and public settings, lay people refer to themselves as pastors and chaplains. Priests, who either lack a proper understanding of the distinction between "apostolate" and "ministry" or simply choose to ignore it, exacerbate the problem by empowering laity to exercise ecclesial ministry in lieu of the apostolate. In some places, deacons have a hard time exercising ordained ministry in the parish because the priest believes lay ministry would be threatened.

Don’t get me wrong: I believe lay collaboration in ecclesial ministry is often necessary. The problem stems from the fact that this collaboration is now seen as a “right” and, in many cases, lay Catholic identity has become associated with the level and complexity of participation in parish ministry and not in apostolic activity. This was clearly not the intention of the Council.

What is the result of all this? We spend so much time battling over who gets to exercise ministry at Mass or in the parish that we are losing the war against the culture of death. We must return to an understanding that “the lay person engages himself wholly and actively in the reality of the temporal order and effectively assumes his role in conducting the affairs of this order. At the same time, as a living member and witness of the Church, he renders the Church present and active in the midst of temporal affairs” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 29).

• The Role of the Laity: An Examination of Vatican II and Christifideles Laici | Carl E. Olson

Thank you and a big H/T to Insight Scoop.