He urged Catholics to join the Peace Corps and Papal Volunteers for Latin America. Land reform was one of the most important common denominators in all of the social unrest in Third World countries in the twentieth century. The NCRLC called attention to the need for land reform earlier than most groups in the United States through the efforts of both Ligutti and O'Rourke.

NCRLC championed the principles and objectives of collective bargaining without endorsing any farm organization as such. This was one of several reasons which prompted O'Rourke to seek a coalition of farm organizations and enable them to speak with one voice and to act more effectively for the welfare of farmers and of the nation.

The intensive growth of commodity exports in the 60s led to intensive farming and the development of irrigation systems. A natural consequence was soil erosion problems and the dropping of water tables in the aquifers of our nation. NCRLC heightened its efforts at continuing education in responsible stewardship. It also exercised its leadership in bringing together growers and farm workers in California to discuss common problems. At about the same time, Caesar Chavez was learning from Father Donald McDonald, Rural Life Director, Archdiocese of San Francisco, the basics of Christian social principles. At the same time, NCRLC was waging an eventual successful battle to terminate the Bracero Program under Father James Vizzard, S.J., Director of the Washington office.

Monsignor O'Rourke remained at the Conference until 1971 when he became Bishop of Peoria. Reverend John J. McRaith joined Weber as co-director on January 1, 1972. When Weber left in 1975, McRaith became sole executive director. He retired from that post in 1978 to go back to his New Ulm Diocese as Vicar and Chancellor.

McRaith believed that the NCRLC's role should be that of "people changer," not "problem solver." He turned away from O'Rourke's emphasis on social and economic issues and self-help projects, to focus on bringing the Christian Gospel to rural people. He worked at building up the NCRLC organization -- more active diocesan directors and increasing membership, though it never reached 4,000. He provided services for rural priests, including workshops for them. He offered the Rural Parish Service to pastors and issued R.U.R.A.L. for religious education of children.

Father John McRaith, now Bishop John McRaith of Owensboro, inspired many during those years not to give up on the rural church, insisting that food and land and other natural resources must be understood and treated as gifts from a loving Creator to meet the needs of all. In the mid-70s, the NCRLC Board of Directors adopted major policy statements on Land Use, Taxes and the Land, Energy and Water. In each of these documents, the NCRLC entered the public policy debate from the perspective of Catholic social teaching on stewardship and social justice.

Under the leadership of Bishop Maurice Dingman, NCRLC President from 1976-1979, the NCRLC played a leading role in a 3-year process called the Heartland Project. Under the direction of Dr. John Hart, the process involved many people in the Midwest. The pastoral letter, Strangers and Guests: Toward Community in the Heartland resulted and was signed by the bishops of 44 dioceses on May 1, 1980. Another major event for the NCRLC, and for Bishop Dingman, was that of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Living History Farms, Des Moines, Iowa on October 4, 1979. Ten NCRLC members from across the country were official representatives of the Conference at this great event.