Restarting the clock on the role of lay people & lay movements
A reflection on the 60th anniversary of the Vatican II Decree on Lay Apostolate, Apostolicam Actuositatem
Writing to Cardinal Marc Ouellet in 2016, Pope Francis recalled “the famous phrase: ‘the hour of the laity has arrived’.”
This was a sentiment often expressed in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, the first ecumenical council to dedicate a chapter of a document, Lumen Gentium, to the laity in 1964, and a year later the first to devote a whole decree to the apostolate of the laity, namely Apostolicam Actuositatem in 1965.
Since then, however, as Pope Francis lamented, “it seems the clock has stopped” on that hoped for hour of the laity. So much so that the 60th anniversary of Apostolicam Actuositatem, which falls today – 18 November 2025 – is passing almost unremarked.
What’s more the Vatican II term “apostolate of the laity” (or “lay apostolate”) – a controversial expression at the time that Cardijn (and others) began to promote it in the mid-1930s – has all but disappeared from theological discourse, particularly in the anglosphere.
There’s much we could say about this. But here I’ll limit myself to one important causal factor, namely the way in which Vatican II’s teaching on the mission and vocation of the laity ended up being scattered over three main documents – Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes and Apostolicam Actuositatem.
Indeed, it’s often forgotten that when Pope John XXIII on his own initiative created a tenth preparatory commission for Vatican II precisely on the lay apostolate, the commission was tasked with preparing a draft Constitution – not just a decree – on laity and the lay apostolate.
And the Commission did so, preparing a Constititutio de Apostolatu Laicorum in April 1962, a document later regarded as one of the best of the conciliar preparatory documents, many of which were rejected when the Council Fathers began to meet in October of that year.
So what happened to the content of that Constitution? In short, its content was divided and spread out over the three documents I’ve already mentioned above.
The theological part became the basis for the eventual Chapter IV on The Laity that formed part of Lumen Gentium.
The practical part, which became known as Schema XIII – was handed over to a joint commission comprising members of the Council’s doctrinal and the lay apostolate commissions. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, Gaudium et Spes, was the outcome of these deliberations.
And what was left – in effect, the rump – provided the content of the Decree on the Lay Apostolate, Apostolicam Actuositatem. Not surprising then that the decree was so quickly forgotten.
The decision to divide the Council’s work in this way was made by the Central Commission in late 1962. And when he finally learned of this in early 1963, Cardijn was appalled, fearing that the integrity and the impact of the proposed Constitution on the Lay Apostolate would be lost.
Sadly, the Church’s history of the last sixty years appears to have proved him right.
The radical message of Apostolicam Actuositatem
Nevertheless, being the actual anniversary of Apostolicam Actuositatem, I would like to highlight four important points that the decree did make.
First, Apostolicam Actuositatem in §1 insisted on lay people’s “proper and indispensable role in the mission of the Church.” In other words, a role specific to lay people to act as a leaven in the transformation of life and the world in light of the Gospel as previously expressed in Lumen Gentium §31.
Second, in the same paragraph, Apostolicam Actuositatem set out an important principle for understanding and interpreting the Council’s teaching on lay apostolate, emphasising and highlighting the fact that the most important aspects of the subject had “already been dealt with in other documents.”
It lists these in Note 2:
Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Nature of the Church, nos. 33 ff.: A.A.S. 57 (1965) pp. 39 ff.; cf; also Constitution on the Liturgy, nos. 26-40; A.A.S. 56 (1964) pp. 107- 111; cf. Decree on Instruments of Social Communication: A.A.S. 56 (1964) pp. 145-158; cf. Decree on Ecumenism: A.A.S. 57 (1965) pp. 90-107; cf. Decree on Pastoral Duties of Bishops, nos. 16, 17, 18; cf. Declaration on Christian Education, nos. 3, 5, 7; cf. Decree on Missionary Activity of Church, nos. 15, 21, 41; cf. Decree on Priestly Life and Ministry, no. 9.
This, I would suggest, provides a vital hermeneutic principle for understanding Vatican II’s treatment lay apostolate, redressing the scattering of its teaching over so many documents.
Formation
Thirdly, I’d like to mention Chapter VI on “Formation.” As all of us who have followed the Australian Plenary Council and the Synod on Synodality over the last few years know, formation emerged as a key issue, and was adopted as a key priority for the development of a mission-oriented synodal Church. Apostolicam Actuositatem offers important guidelines for this formation.
Recalling that “the laity share in their own way in the mission of the Church,” §29 emphasises that the “apostolic formation” of lay people needs to be “specially characterised by the distinctively secular and particular quality of the lay state and by its own form of the spiritual life.”
This formation for the lay apostolate also “presupposes a certain human and well-rounded formation adapted to the natural abilities and conditions of each lay person,” each of whom needs to become “well-informed about the modern world,” and “adjusted to its culture.”
Hence, the lay person needs to “learn especially how to perform the mission of Christ and the Church by basing his or her life on belief in the divine mystery of creation and redemption and by being sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God and who urges all to love God the Father as well as the world and people in Him.
Such formation “should be deemed the basis and condition for every successful apostolate.” In addition to this spiritual formation, “a solid doctrinal instruction in theology, ethics, and philosophy” is also required.
However, – and not least – since formation for the lay apostolate “cannot consist in merely theoretical instruction, from the beginning of their formation the laity should gradually and prudently learn how to look, judge and act in the light of faith as well as to develop and improve themselves along with others through action, thereby entering into active service to the Church.”
Thus, while not neglecting spiritual and theoretical formation, Apostolicam Actuositatem is clear on the need for practical life-based formation using the see judge act.
Synodal representation of lay people and their organisations
Fourthly, let’s look at what §26 of the Decree says about the involvement in the Church of lay organisations and movements. In fact, let’s quote the whole paragraph:
In dioceses, insofar as possible, there should be councils which assist the apostolic work of the Church either in the field of evangelisation and sanctification or in the charitable, social, or other spheres, and here it is fitting that the clergy and Religious should cooperate with the laity. While preserving the proper character and autonomy of each organisation, these councils will be able to promote the mutual coordination of various lay associations and enterprises.
Councils of this type should be established as far as possible also on the parochial, interparochial, and interdiocesan level as well as in the national or international sphere.
A special secretariat, moreover, should be established at the Holy See for the service and promotion of the lay apostolate. It can serve as a well-equipped center for communicating information about the various apostolic programs of the laity, promoting research into modern problems arising in this field, and assisting the hierarchy and laity in their apostolic works with its advice. The various movements and projects of the apostolate of the laity throughout the world should also be represented in this secretariat, and here clergy and Religious also are to cooperate with the laity.
Here, I think it’s well accepted that the Church around the world – with honourable exceptions – has been slow to develop “councils” at diocesan and even parish level, let alone interdiocesan level.
But let’s here remember the Decree’s insistence that “the clergy and Religious should cooperate with the laity.” NOT lay people cooperating with clergy and Religious BUT clergy and Religious cooperating with lay people!
Which raises a vital question: Of all the diocesan and parish councils that do exist, how many are based on clergy and Religious cooperating with the lay people of the diocese or parish?
Let us also note the final sentence here, which emphasises that “the various movements and projects of the apostolate of the laity” should be “represented” in the proposed new Vatican “secretariat” that would deal with the lay apostolate. Thus, once again, the Decree insists that even at the level of the universal Church clergy and Religious “are to cooperate with the laity” rather than the other way around.
Let us stop here and note that this completely reverses Pope Pius XI’s definition of Catholic Action as “participation of the laity in the apostolate of the Hierarchy.” From now on, Apostolicam Actuositatem says clergy and Religious are to cooperate with the laity!
That is a big change!
Let’s be frank here! Are there any examples of parish or diocesan councils around the world that operate on the basis of clergy and Religious “cooperating with lay people”? I suggest that the number is vanishingly small.
What all this illustrates, I think, is the radicalness of the message of Apostolicam Actuositatem, which still awaits discovery by the Church as a whole.
The hour of lay people in the Church is still yet to come.
Stefan Gigacz