The roots of the Roman Catholic laity in the United States of America, a group referred to as 'The Faithful' in the seminal book by James O'Toole, date back to European colonization beginning in the fifteenth century with Spanish missions, extends through English colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on the eastern seaboard, and continues with the thriving immigrant church of the American republic. In the decades before the American Civil War, and continuing thereafter, there were increased numbers of Catholic immigrants, mostly Irish and German. As they assimilated and became more established, they became eager to emulate the types of charity work being done by their Protestant counterparts. This included such activities as temperance, poor relief, and resettlement by the founding of organizations such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians in New York City in 1836 and affiliating with such existing groups as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1845.

Catholics also wanted to show that while much Protestant charity, in their view, came from upper class largesse, Catholics efforts were the result of working class sacrifices inspired by faith in time tested papal encyclicals and other old world values. They did, however, want to be accepted by American society and demonstrate that Catholics were not foreign and intemperate paupers. They took part in the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, with a Columbian Exposition designed to demonstrate the Catholic place in American history. These lay Catholics efforts also took place at a time when internal conflicts arose among ethnic groups like the Irish and the Germans while new waves of immigrants, primarily Italian and Polish, from southern and Eastern Europe respectively fomented renewed anti-Catholic sentiments among non-Catholic Americans. There was also the Vatican suspicion about American ideas in the Church that resulted in the 1899 condemnation of 'Americanism.' It is not surprising then that the Vatican had special concerns about the U.S. and formally considered it a mission country until 1908.

As the twentieth century dawned there were increasing efforts at national Catholic unity and a greater role for the laity. This is evidenced by the organization of the American Federation of Catholic Societies in 1901, the Daughters of Isabella (later the Catholic Daughters of America) in 1903, the Catholic Education Association (later the National Catholic Education Association) in 1904, and the National Conference of Catholic Charities (later Catholic Charities USA) in 1910. This trend continued after the outbreak of the First World War, with Catholic leaders, hoping to demonstrate Catholic loyalty, created the National Catholic War Council (NCWC) in 1917, an emergency organization based in Washington, D.C., representing Catholic interests by addressing the needs of soldiers at home and overseas, promoting the Americanization of recent immigrants, and developing a Program for the Social Reconstruction of American society.

After the end of hostilities, the War Council was succeeded by the National Catholic Welfare Council (known since 2001 as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), which was composed of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat. Thereafter, the NCWC blossomed into the single most important national organization in the American Catholic Church through the middle years of the twentieth century. It became the principal Catholic lobbyist with the federal government against federal aid to education bills for fear such laws would impose government controls on private schools; though later it would fight for parochial school funding. The NCWC issued national guidelines and provided training and national coordination for hosts of local Catholic societies. This was especially true for the Lay Organizations Department that oversaw the activities of the fledgling National Council of Catholic Men (NCCM) and the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW). It served as a channel for the interchange of information and service between the bishops and the laity in promoting Catholic principles and ideals in education, social, and civic life.

The NCCM was organized on September 29, 1920 in Washington, D.C. with a structure that included parish councils that were in turn part of district and then diocesan councils. Initial activities included study clubs, support of scouting, and outreach to minorities and immigrants. There were also efforts to influence legislation, motion pictures, and the press against perceived anti-Catholic prejudice. Membership included subscriptions to the 'NCWC Bulletin' and NCCM's 'Information Bulletin' (and later additional publications such as 'Alert' and 'Catholic Men'). By 1924, there were 1,025 affiliates in 87 dioceses. In 1926, there was a strong emphasis on the religious turmoil in Mexico, with efforts to lobby interested parties and care for refugees. By 1928, promotional work focused on supporting Catholic radio stations nationally and opposing birth control legislation.

The tenth anniversary of NCCM's founding in 1930 was a watershed year. There were 1,464 affiliated lay societies, including eight national such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the Catholic Central Verein, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Six permanent NCCM committees were established: Catholic Education, Crime and Disregard of Law, Practical Apologetics, Industrial Problems, Catholic Press, and Organization and Development. The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) offered free use to sponsor a Catholic radio hour, which was approved by the bishops. 'The Catholic Hour' was inaugurated on March 2, 1930 by NBC and was broadcast every Sunday from 6 pm to 7 p.m. initially on 24 stations but reaching 47 stations in 28 states by end of the year. Notable early speakers included John J. Burke, Fulton J. Sheen, and George Johnson and some 100,000 print copies of Catholic Hour addresses, including nearly 20,000 of Sheen's 'Divine Romance,' were distributed.

In 1934, episcopal chairman Joseph Schrembs was replaced by John F. Noll of Fort Wayne while the Knights of Columbus (KC) contributed a $3,000 annual pledge to support The Catholic Hour which now was on 50 stations. The 300th program was broadcast on November 24, 1935 and the annual audience mail was nearly 23,000 letters. Apologetics work continued, both with the radio hour and in the field nationally with fostering and promoting evidence work. In 1928, there were 1216 affiliates, with 12 national, 5 state or regional, 389 parish councils, 418 KC councils, 225 Holy Name societies, and 167 other local societies. The number of radio stations carrying the Catholic Hour reached 75 in 40 states, with nearly 42,000 items of mail received with about 39, 000 related to the Catholic Hour, with 8,000 from non-Catholics, including the claim of twelve conversions directly traceable to the program.

In 1940, the NCCM and The Catholic Hour noted their twentieth and tenth respective anniversaries. The world's first Catholic television program 'The Spiritual Symbolism of Television' with Fulton J. Sheen was telecast on Easter Sunday, March, 24, 1940. The NCCM began to support the Bishops Welfare Emergency Relief Committee (BWERC) and the National Office for Decent Literature (NODL) in 1942 and the apostolic Narberth Movement in 1943. In 1944, The Catholic Hour was credited with 37 conversions while NCCM began a second show called the Hour of Faith, described as a "chatty, carpet-slipper sort of talk in a musical setting that should be neither high-brow nor stiffly religious." In 1945, the number of affiliates was 24 diocesan councils, 8 national organizations, 1515 parish councils (including 1,168 KC), 541 Holy Name Societies, and 174 miscellaneous local organizations. The Catholic Hour had 106 stations and an audience mail of 123,000.

In 1949, The Catholic Hour had 127 radio stations and 88,642 pieces of audience mail. The NCCM also began experimenting with television with Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen's Easter Special. In 1950, Martin Work became Executive Secretary, a position he would hold until 1970. In 1951, The Catholic Hour moved time slots to 2:00 p.m. from 6:00 p.m. and saw a station increase to 144 and received 78,063 pieces of mail. In 1952, the NCCM took part in assisting the Congressional Committee Investigating Indecent Literature led by Congressman E.C. Gathings of Arkansas. The Catholic Hour, now a half hour program (2-2:30 on Sundays), was carried on 143 stations, and also heard on the Armed Forces Radio Network. The Catholic Hour also debuted on television with 62 stations by the end of 1952. It won an award as the finest network religious television program for 1952-1953 by the Ohio Institute for Education by Radio and Television.

The Catholic Hour celebrated its 25th year on radio in 1955, with 143 stations, while The Catholic Hour on television increased to 85 stations and a main television office for NCCM was opened in New York City. By 1957, there were 16 national organizations, 1,344 parish and KC councils, and 24 regional councils. The Catholic Hour on Radio had 144 stations with 3 million listeners and The Catholic Hour on television had 120 stations and an audience of 2 million people. In 1958, on television The Catholic Hour produced an award winning two hour special on the history of the Catholic Church. In 1960, the NCCM and The Catholic Hour turned 40 and 30 years old respectively. Radio-TV broadcasting had an increase of 20 percent with much of it going to religious specials such as 'The Living Church' program on television, and negotiations with ABC began for bringing Catholic programming to its network.

In 1961, federal aid for education was the main social issue while on television a notable program on ABC titled 'Directions '61' discussed the religious factor in the 1960 presidential election that resulted in the first Catholic, John F. Kennedy, becoming president. In 1962, The Catholic Hour focused radio broadcasts on racism in America and youth issues, with the highlight on television being a special on America and Communism and prejudice. Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Hogan wrote 'The Saintmaker's Christmas Eve' on ABC and Christmas Mass on radio. In 1963, there were a total of 7,274 organizations affiliated with the NCCM, including 66 diocesan councils and 21 national organizations. The NCCM provided staff for the Conference on Religion and Race in response to heightened racial tensions while The Catholic Hour on radio focused on the history of ecumenical councils and on television discussed the actual Second Vatican Council. Additionally, Martin Work led an NCCM delegation that met with President Kennedy at The White House.

In 1964, there was an increase in affiliates with 7,987, with national councils staying stagnant and a decrease in state councils. Radio and television programming focused on the theme of new pope Paul VI building a bridge to the contemporary world. Race in America and Latin American issues also became a focus on radio programs such as 'Catholics in Action' and on other television documentaries. In 1965, affiliates were at 7,852 with 35 councils for the Military Councils of Catholic Men due to the escalation of the War in Vietnam. A new diocesan council plan was also created to compete with the changing times. In 1966, television and radio highlights included a CBS special titled 'An American Perspective' that gave an oversight on the Second Vatican Council. In 1967, there was an increased focus on adult education and poverty outreach programs. There were 59 television programs, with the most popular being The Catholic Hour's special on 'The Church and War' dealing with the Vietnam War. Of the 100 radio programs the most notable was a ten part series titled, 'The Perplexed Catholic: A Guide through Confusion' that looked at the effects of the Vatican Council decrees.

In 1968, the NCCM produced 52 television and 130 radio programs; however, differences with the bishops resulted in the end of an era with all programs ceasing as of December 31, 1968 when the New York offices were closed, staff terminated, and files turned over to the new National Catholic Office for Radio and Television (NCORT). The final Catholic Hour programs included 'Faith in God and Man' and perhaps its best program in decades on radio or television, "Sing Freedom,' a tribute to the life of Martin Luther King Jr. As NCCM's fiftieth anniversary approached in 1970, there were efforts to understand the complex issues of changing times and to find a new role for the NCCM. A conference was held in Washington with ten other lay organizations to discuss lay cooperation in running parishes in the future, and, most importantly, a joint committee with the NCCW recommended a merger as a way to promote greater lay unity. However, the resulting National Council of Catholic Laity (NCCL) proved to be a brief union that ended in 1975 when the NCCM gave up the ghost and the NCCW went its own way thereafter.