Apostolic vicariate is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese yet. It is led by a vicar apostolic, a titular bishop having jurisdiction over such areas without an established normal hierarchy. An apostolic vicariate may be administered by a neighboring or foreign diocese and is led by a priest, appointed by the bishop to the office of vicar forane, exercising limited jurisdiction over the apostolic vicariate. In Roman Catholic theology and canon law, a particular Church is any of the individual constituent ecclesial communities in full communion with the Church of Rome. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... When first appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, Joseph Anthony Ferrario became a titular bishop of the ancient Egyptian city of Cusae. ... Apostolic vicariate is a type of Roman Catholic diocese for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries. ...

Resources

• List of Current Apostolic Vicariates (http://www.ca-catholics.net/dioceses/data/typeapvc.htm)