Apostolicam Actuositatem is the Second Vatican Council's

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

 Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. It was approved by a vote of 2,340 to 2 of bishops assembled at the Council, and promulgated by Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI

Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

 on November 18, 1965. The title is Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 for "Apostolic Activity," which is from the first line of the decree, as is customary with significant Catholic documents.

The decree defines the mission of the lay Christian faithful to both "lead non-believers to the faith and to instruct, strengthen, and encourage the faithful to a more fervent life". [6].

"God's plan for the world is that men should work together to renew and constantly perfect the temporal order." [7].

Contents

The numbers given correspond to the section numbers within the text.

1. Introduction (1)
2. The Vocation of the Laity to the Apostolate (2-4)
3. Objectives (5-8)
4. The Various Fields of the Apostolate (9-14)
5. The Various Forms of the Apostolate (15-22)
6. External Relationships (23-27)
7. Formation for the Apostolate (28-32)
8. Exhortation (33)