"Especially in remote isolated mission territories, it is the laity who keep the Faith alive in places where the priest does not live. They have no regular Mass, no Sacraments, no ordained Ministers. The priest visits from time to time, but it is the lay leaders, the Catechists who hold these Churches together. Even in New Zealand, the laity are assuming leadership roles in parishes more and more. These lay leaders are well-formed."
January 1, 1970