In response, leaders of some major lay organizations have argued that their liberty must be respected by the hierarchy.
In particular, they may be useful for parish groups, pastoral councils and members of lay organisations.
While government can and did maintain programs to handle these needs, they were better managed by lay organizations or the "neighbor helping neighbor" theory.
The Society was dedicated to improving the lot of the poor; and although a lay Catholic organisation, it had a strictly male membership.
You simply expected senior officials to be members of the Knights or some other lay Catholic organisations.
This too was primarily a lay organization, and outside the control of the bishops.
Although founded by the cardinal, the movement was intended as a lay organization.
And, he created new lay organizations to support an expansion of the many charity programs within the Archdiocese.
The Buddhist Society is an inter-denominational and non-sectarian lay organization.
"It is possible that the counseling could be placed in the hands of lay Catholic organizations."