The rise of lay Catholics to prominence. Wasn't that one of the dreams of Vatican II? The laity would come out of the shadow of the hierarchy and would speak with its own voice. Wasn't that supposed to be one of the great achievements? That the most robust voice would be orthodox wasn't part of the plan though. That it would be distinctly Catholic, not just a dressed up amalgam of the warmest and fuzziest parts of the Episcopal/Presbyterian/Methodist/UCC conglomerate, was a surprise. Turns out the brave new world wasn't born in 1960's Rome but 1882 Connecticut. Vivat Jesu!