Catholic Action groups were the Christian Family Movement, YCS or Young Christian Students, YCW or Young Christian Workers, etc. There may have been more. The idea was join in a group to observe a situation, evaluate what needed to be done , and to act on that. See, Judge, Act may have been it. As a YCS member I was made to understand that we, as laity, were being allowed to share in the the responsibility of the Clergy who were to carry Christ out into the world. Naturally each group was usually organized around a priest.
Vatican II came along and the laity were let know that we have responsibilities for carrying the Faith into our work places and other places where the Clergy ordinarily do not go. So teaching catechism to young people, taking part in adult study classes, even leading Bible studies became something that lay people had a role to fill. One can still get a flavor of the old attitude when someone insists that only Father is qualified to lead Bible Studies and to teach, etc. In my opinion it is unfortunate that most of the active Catholics I know seem to limit their “ministry” to something that happens at Church or in the School and in my opinion fail in their mission to take Christ out into the community.
