The better educated elite were not so prevalent in small rural parishes and thus less educated plebeians took as much of an active role as they could...because we didn't really have parish priests, we had sort of assigned circuit riders which had three or four small parishes.  Laity ran those small parishes or they didn't operate.  The major problem with the Church is it's way too freaking big and impersonal. In too many places Walmart and McDonald's have much better service.  South America has been the canary in the coal mine about this problem for decades which is precisely why Pope Francis has talked so much about going outward to the margins.  

The hierarchy has a Catholic monopoly and it needs to be broken up into smaller units if it has any hope of meaningful survival into the next century.  I truly believe this is going to happen whether the Vatican gives it's approval or not.  God seems to like diversity and it's good for human evolution.