Correct.
Apostles are just mortals with much larger limit on how much mana they can draw from the god pools/pantheon pools compared to mortal Priests
See the [url=http://www.astlan.net/Home/CouncilofWizardryLibrary/Clerics/TheChurchofTiernon.aspx]ranking chart for the Church of Tiernon[/url] (in Astlan same thing exists elsewhere but names vary)
Apostles would rank above the High Pontificate, but below a saint.
Apostles also have access (because of the books that Stevos gave Teragdor) to rituals/chants/etc of the other orders, E.g. Brothers, Sisters, Rod
So there is a ritual he could probably use on himself, if he had learned it.
And actually, given where he worked, on the border where there are orcs, alvar, humans and numerous other races, multiple governments/peoples, he might have learned it already. He would need it much more than someone in the middle of New Etonia.