Cardijn Research
The lost property of the YCW
In many countries, YCW leaders have stories of properties – offices, camp sites, training centres and the like – that once belonged to the movement but have been lost to the Church or other entities.
Jozef Michalik, architect of World Youth Day
As the first head of the Youth Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (PCL) during the mid-1980s, Jozef Michalik, the future archbishop of Przemsyl in south-western Poland, became one of the main architects of the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day events.
Formation in Catholic Social Doctrine
As we saw previously, Cardijn always wanted Catholic Social Teaching or Doctrine to be taught in the context of life and social reality. Moreover, he often regretted the fact that it was not taught more and better.
Cardijn and Catholic Social Doctrine
Someone recently asked me about the relationship between the Cardijn or jocist method and Catholic Social Teaching, or as Cardijn preferred to call it, Catholic Social Doctrine. Let’s explore how that relationship developed over the years.
Venerable Henri Caffarel, YCW chaplain and founder of the Teams of Our Lady
Pope Leo has approved a decree declaring venerable Henri Caffarel, a French YCW chaplain, who later founded the Teams of Our Lady movement.
2026 anniversaries
Once again, I’m beginning the new year with a short overview of anniversaries connected with Cardijn and the various jocist-inspired movements.
Restarting the clock on the role of lay people & lay movements
The Vatican II Decree on the Lay Apostolate, Apostolicam Actuositatem, is one of the Council’s most overlooked documents. It’s time to rediscover its radical message.
See clearly, understand well and act well
Delivering his opening address to the 1913 French Social Week (Semaine Sociale), Bishop Charles Gibier of Versailles, the host diocese, exhorted the more than 1,000 participants “to see clearly, walk straight and understand well in order to act well.”
Pier Giorgio Frassati and Cardijn
In 1938, Joseph Cardijn wrote to Pope Pius XI in support of the cause for beatification of the young Italian social activist Pier Giorgio Frassati.
1912: The first worker apostles
As we celebrate the centenary of the foundation of the YCW, let’s remember the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of the “first worker apostles” at Laeken in 1912.
Cardijn, Pius XI & the YCW: A prophetic encounter
This month marks the centenary of Cardijn’s first meeting with Pope Pius XI in March 1925 in which the pontiff gave his blessing and endorsement to the Young Christian Workers (YCW) saving it from condemnation.
Centenaries, centenaries: JOC, JEC, JAC, JUC, JIC…
The fact that this year is celebrated as the centenary of the foundation of the JOC raises the question: When were the other Specialised Catholic Action movements for young people founded?
Cardijn, a cardinal: Intrigues and tears
Sixty years ago this month on 22 February 1965, despite his personal doubts about the honour, Cardijn accepted his red hat as a cardinal from Pope Paul VI just days after his consecration as an archbishop.
Fernand Tonnet, a vision for the JOC
Today, is the 80th anniversary of the death of Fernand Tonnet, lay co-founder of the Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne (JOC) or Young Christian Workers (YCW) on 2 February 1945.
Fighting fascism… in 1924
The fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, came to power as Italian Prime Minister on 31 October 1922. Many Catholics in Italy had supported his rise. So too did many Catholics in Belgium and France, lamented YCW lay co-founder, Fernand Tonnet.
People anniversaries 2025
Once again, this year’s list of “jocist” people anniversaries reveals an extraordinary range of movement leaders and chaplains who lived – and sometimes died – lives of incredible commitment and sacrifice.
2025: YCW centenary and other anniversaries
The biggest jocist anniversary of the year is indisputably the centenary of the official foundation of the Belgian Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne or JOC in 1925.
Peter Maurin, Le Sillon, Cardijn and the YCW
In September 2024, I had the privilege and pleasure of taking part in what was billed as the first ever Peter Maurin Conference.
Patrick Keegan, lay pioneer
On 13 October 1964, Patrick Keegan, pioneer of the YCW in England and with the International YCW, as well as co-founder of the World Movement of Christian Workers (WMCW) became the first lay person to address the Second Vatican Council.
Silvo Krčméry, co-founder of the Slovak JOC
Today 5 August 2024 marks the centenary of the birth of Silvo Krčméry, a young Slovak Catholic activist, who helped found the JOC in Slovakia in the late 1940s after the end of the Second World War.
A priests’ meeting in July 1924
The name “Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne” or JOC first appears in the first edition of the “Bulletin des Dirigeants” or “Leaders Bulletin” published in July 1924.
Remembering martyred YCS chaplain, Carlos Mugica
Today, on the 50th anniversary of his death on 11 May 1974, we remember the Argentinian priest and JEC/YCS chaplain, Fr Carlos Mugica, shot after mass by an off duty policement from a right-wing terrorist group, the Triple A.
Drop the ‘judge’ in the see judge act? Or not!
“A big changeover has taken place in the reflection of the Church over the last years,” according to Bishop Emeritus Lucas Van Looy of Ghent, who claims that Pope Francis has dropped the “judge” from the see-judge-act!
From La Jeunesse Syndicaliste to La Jeunesse Ouvrière
100 years ago in April 1924, the Jeunesse Syndicaliste (Young Trade Unionist) movement changed the name of its magazine to Jeunesse Ouvrière, first step towards the adopion of a new name for the movement: Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne – the JOC.
Cultivating the virtue of prudence
In his 24 March 2024 General Audience, Pope Francis analysed the virtue of prudence, which he characterised as “the coachman of the virtues,” or as we might also describe it in a more modern terms, the “driver” of the virtues.
Cardinal Pierre: Pope Francis and the See Judge Act
Delivering the 2024 Cardinal Bernardin Lecture Holy See Nuncio to the USA, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, spoke of the importance of the see-judge-method as a tool of ecclesial discernment, particularly in showing mercy.
The dignity, rights and priority of labour
Evaluating the influence of an important 1874 speech by Manning, The dignity and rights of labour, on Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical, Rerum Novarum.
See, discern, act: Back to the future
Addressing French Specialised Catholic Action movements in January 2022, Pope Francis drew a parallel between the “judge” process that is the second step of the see-judge-act and the process of discernment.
Join the Joseph Cardijn Digital Library
Today, I’m writing to you on behalf of the Australian Cardijn Institute (ACI) with a unique opportunity to contribute to a cause close to our hearts.
Lucio Gera, theologian of the people – and Pope Francis
This month we celebrate the centenary of the birth on 16 January 1924 of Argentinian theologian, Lucio Gera, a chaplain/theologian of the JOC, who later became a major source of inspiration for Pope Francis when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Cardinal Manning and the origins of Rerum Novarum
English Cardinal Henry Manning (1808-1892) was probably a major inspiration for Pope Leo XIII’s groundbreaking Catholic Social Teaching encyclical, Rerum Novarum, argues writer Russell Sparkes in the Tablet.
Millions and millions of young workers
How many members did the YCW have around the world at its peak during the 1950s and 1960s?
Ten years since the launch of Cardijn’s canonisation cause
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of the official process to investigate the cause for the canonisation of Cardijn.
Request to Pope Francis to visit Laeken
Pope Francis has announced that this year he will visit Belgium for the 500th anniversary of the Catholic University of Louvain/Leuven.
Jocist people anniversaries 2024
Happy New Year 2024! Here is a list of people anniversaries to celebrate and commemorate over the course of the coming year.
1924-2024: From the Jeunesse Syndicaliste to the JOC
Happy new year 2024, a year that’s going to be particularly rich in jocist anniversaries, beginning with the centenary of the name “Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne” or JOC
Nguyen Manh Hà, Hai Phong YCW founder
In contrast to most cities or countries outside of Europe where the YCW was launched by missionary priests, it was a layman, Nguyễn Mạnh Hà, who founded the movement in the Vietnamese port city of Hai Phong.
Au revoir, Jacques Delors: From the JOC to the EU
Sad news of the death on 27 December 2023 of former European Commission president and architect of economic and monetary union of the European Union, Jacques Delors.
Merry Christmas from the nightshift
So here’s a Christmas from the Belgian JOC in December 1930 – an image entitled “Noël à l’équipe de nuit,” which means “Christmas on the night shift” or perhaps for US readers “Christmas on the graveyard shift.”
Georges Abrassart, a Belgian Sillonist priest
Born in 1883, Georges Abrassart was a Belgian priest credited by Henri Tonnet as being responsible for “forming the soul and spirit” of his brother, lay co-founder of the YCW, Fernand Tonnet.
Cardijn slams the 1967 Vatican Council of the Laity
The Specialised Catholic Action movements laid out their vision for a representative laity body at the Vatican in an important document drafted in July 1964, just prior to the Third Session of Vatican II.
Cardijn’s mum: Louise Van Dalen
On 6 December 2023, it will be 100 years since the death of Cardijn’s mother, Louise Van Dalen. Cardijn spoke about her many times and was obviously very close to her.
The early YCW and its enquiries
Well, here is an amazing document compiled in 1951 by Marguerite Fiévez for a research paper she wrote for her social work degree! It’s a list of all the enquiry campaigns organised by the Belgian JOC and JOCF (YCW and Girls YCWs) from 1924 until 1950.
France, a mission country?
On 12 September 1943, a “bomb” exploded in France, Robert Dumont wrote of the initial publication of Henri Godin and Yvan Daniel’s classic work, France, pays de mission?.
Fears for the ICO Conference… in 1967!
To understand the development of an organisation, it’s often useful to look at its origins. Thus, looking at the problems that developed between the Pontifical Council for the Laity (PCL) and the ICO Conference, it’s useful to look back at the origin of the former body.
Cardijn proposes a ‘Roman Centre’ for the lay apostolate
As Marguerite Fiévez told her biographers, Luc Roussel and Lamya Ben Djaffar, Cardijn would not have liked the proposed structure of the the Pontifical Council of/for the Laity created after Vatican II in 1967.
Shedding light on what we see with Oscar Romero
The Romero Trust great Sunday has published a beautiful reflection from St Oscar Romero, illustrating his use of the see-judge-act method.
A Cardijn comic
This is a nice little biography of Cardijn in comic book form that I’ve come across.
