On the centenary of his birth, Italian Catholic Action remembers Vittorio Bachelet (1926-1980), a key figure in a pivotal period for the life of the association and the presence of lay people in the Church. The introductions to the National Assemblies of 1970 and 1973, reproduced here, convey the thoughts of a president capable of interpreting the new era ushered in by the Second Vatican Council and of showing the laity a path of dialogue, responsibility, and engagement with the contemporary world. This is a valuable contribution to understanding a historic period and to reflecting today on the meaning of lay people's ecclesial and civil commitment.