The presented article presents a historical and statistical analysis of pastoral activity in the rural areas of the Kielce region after the Second World War and aims to show the variety of forms of associations of lay Catholics and the range of their influence in the parishes of the Diocese of Kielce. The research material consisted of manuscript sources held in the Diocesan Archive in Kielce and printed by the Diocesan Curia in Kielce in the periodical: “Kielecki Przegląd Diecezjalny” in years 1945–1949 and “Katalog Duchowieństwa i Parafii Diecezji Kieleckiej za rok 1946”. During the researched time, the most flourishing activities were: Rosary Confraternity, Living Rosary Circles, Eucharistic Crusade and Marian Sodalities. These associations, at this difficult moment in history, were an attempt to oppose the religious decay of the country. They were the Church’s response to secularisation and the increase of atheism, and contributed to the formation of a Catholic elite.