Cardijn Research
Cardijn in colour
Here is the only colour video of Cardijn that I am aware of (so far).
Léon Ollé-Laprune & the origin of the See-Judge-Act
Here is the video and slides of my Australian Cardijn Institute webinar talk on Léon Ollé-Laprune and the origins of the See-Judge-Act. Slides
Marcel Callo: The JOC at World Youth Day
As Pope Francis celebrates World Youth Day 2023 in Portugal with some 450,000 young people from some 200 countries, it’s great to learn that the martyred French jocist leader, Marcel Callo, is being remembered with a special exposition in Lisbon.
Centenary of the birth of Blessed Enrique Angelelli
This month marks the centenary of the birth of martyred Argentinian jocist chaplain, bishop, Vatican II Council father, signatory of the Pact of the Catacombs and the Pietralata Message, pioneer of Argentina’s Theology of the People, and martyr, Enrique Angelelli.
Lay movements and a synodal church
This is the presentation that I gave at the Global Catholicism panel at the European Academy of Religion conference at St Andrew’s University, Scotland from 19-23 June 2023.
Henry Cardijn & his son’s consecration to the working class
Today is the 120th anniversary of the death of Joseph Cardijn’s father, Henry, which means it’s also the 120th anniversary of Cardijn’s consecration of his life to the working class.
Was Cardijn a “worker priest”?
Was Cardijn a “worker priest”? Not a question that’s ever occurred to me before. After all, the “worker priests” were mainly French priests, including many YCW chaplains.
Marc Sangnier, the Sillon and the YCW
My presentation for the 150th anniversary of the birth of Marc Sangnier.
The grateful “Minis”
A nice piece of French JOCF history! A beautiful leather-bound copy of the classic 1930 2nd edition of the “Manuel de la JOCF” (Girls YCW Manual) with the JOC badge embossed on the cover in colour.
A letter by Léon Ollé-Laprune
Another letter today, this time from my own collection of papers and documents, a letter written by the French philosopher, Léon Ollé-Laprune, a great influence both on Marc Sangnier and the Sillon movement as well as on Cardijn himself.
The growing pains of the JOC and JOCF
This is a second letter from Cardijn to the Rome-based Jesuit sociologist and canonist, Arthur Vermeesch, that Jean Tonglet kindly sent to me from the hard drive archives of the late Fr Marc Leclerc SJ. (See the earlier one here: https://www.cardijnresearch.org/2023/01/cardijns-student-movement-la-jeunesse.html) This letter is dated 24 November 1933, eight years after the official foundation of the…
Cardijn’s student movement: La Jeunesse Sociale Catholique
In 1919 Cardjn launched a student movement, La Jeunesse Sociale Catholique or Catholic Social Youth, in parallel with La Jeunesse Syndicaliste or Young Trade Unionists, which became the YCW.
Updated Jocist anniversaries 2023
We’re still at the beginning of 2023 but I’ve already missed one big jocist anniversary – the 150th anniversary of the birth of St Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of the YCW – so time to get to work.
Cardijn’s Greatest Battle: Lay apostolate vs Apostolate of the faithful at Vatican II
This is my presentation for the October 2022 Australian Cardijn Institute webinar, with the accompanying slide presentation.
Alphonse Gratry: Precursor and prophet of Vatican II
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the death of French Catholic philosopher and theologian, Alphonse Gratry.
What is the “new evangelisation”?
The term “new evangelisation” has gained much currency since Pope Saint John Paul II adopted it on his return from the Latin American Bishops Conference at Puebla, Mexico in 1979.
Jocist anniversaries in 2022
Time to begin compiling a list of jocist anniversaries for the new year of 2022 beginning with the 140th birth anniversary of Cardijn himself.
Pepe & Amalia Palacio and Enrique Angelelli: Synodality in action
Today, 11 December 2021, marks the 46th anniversary of the abduction by security forces of José Serapio “Pepe” Palacio, an Argentinian JOC leader, later a trade unionist and leader of the Workers Catholic Action and finally the first lay collaborator of the IYCW.
Young domestic workers at Vatican II
Young domestic workers at Vatican II? Unless they were serving any of the 2500 Council Fathers and 500-odd periti and other officials, there were certainly no young domestic workers there.
Cardijn and the First World Congress on Lay Apostolate 1951
This month we celebrate the 70th anniversary of one of Cardijn’s keynote speech to the First World Congress on Lay Apostolate in Rome from 7-14 October 1951.
See, judge, act… with the Laymen’s League of New York
In 1911, the Laymen’s League of New York organised social study groups using an early form of the see-judge-act.
Paulo Freire and the Jocist movements
Today, 19 September 2021, we celebrate the centenary of the birth of the great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, known for his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which described the literacy education programs he had developed for promoting critical consciousness and action among the poor.
Remembering Pierre Haubtmann, redactor of Gaudium et Spes
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of Pierre Haubtmann, the co-author, compiler and editor of the final, definitive version of the Vatican II Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, Gaudium et Spes.
Cardijn and Pax Romana: 1921 – 2021
Although it’s mostly forgotten now, Cardijn was an active member of the Catholic intellectual movement, Pax Romana ICMICA.
The Australian Plenary Council: A Cardijn perspective
For the first time in over 80 years, the Australian Catholic Church is holding a Plenary Council, which will take place over two sessions in October 2021 and July 2022. It has the potential to shape the Church’s role for perhaps the rest of this century.
Cardijn, François Houtart and the princes of the Church
One of many stories François Houtart shared with me concerned Cardijn’s disgust at the opulence of the episcopal palace of the Cuban archbishop.
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski – A founding JOC chaplain
As a young priest, Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski founded the YCW in his home diocese.
Cardijn and the theology of work in Mater et Magistra
Let’s take a look at Cardijn’s theology of work present in the encyclicals of Popes Leo XIII, Pius XI, and John XXIII.
Mater et Magistra endorses the See Judge Act
On 15 May 1961 – 60 years ago this week – Pope John XXIII published his new encyclical, Mater et Magistra, Mother and Teacher, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Rerum Novarum.
Cardijn, work and the worker
It was Joseph Cardijn, who in February 1960 first made the original proposal to John XXIII for an encyclical to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Rerum Novarum
Postcript: Marc Sangnier, Le Sillon and Thérèse of Lisieux
Here’s a nice postscript to my previous post on “Therese of Lisieux: Pius XI, Cardijn, the JOC – and the Sillon” thanks to French researcher, Dominique Laxague.
Therese of Lisieux: Pius XI, Cardijn, the JOC – and the Sillon
UNESCO plans to honour St Therese of Lisieux, the young French Carmelite nun and author of the spiritual classic, “The Story of Soul,” in its list of 60 personalities for its 2022-23 biennial program.
Cardinal Edward Cassidy and the IYCW
I’m not sure when I first heard of Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, the Australian-born Vatican diplomat, who died on 10 April 2021, but it was long before Pope John Paul II appointed him as Substitute at the Holy See.
The Leaven in the Council – E-book – Now published
I’m pleased to say that my book has now been published and is available for free download in various formats on a website of its own: www.theleaven.com.au
The best definition of the YCW
A beautiful definition of the YCW presented by Cardijn in his Godinne Lecture Series “La paix” in 1940.
Celebrating Mass at our workbenches with Oscar Romero
“How beautiful will be the day when all the baptised understand that their work, their job, is a priestly work, that just as I celebrate Mass at this altar, so each carpenter celebrates Mass at his workbench.3
2021 in anniversaries
As the new year dawns, it’s time to glance at the significant anniversaries Cardijn and Cardijn-movement anniversaries that are coming up in 2021.
The JOC, JAC and JEC in Algeria from the early 1930s
Uriel Gadessaud, a master’s student at the Université Sorbonne Panthéon in Paris has just completed an interesting research paper entitled “Les catholiques dans le diocèse d’Alger : un fragile apogée (1930-1939)”.
Cardijn @ Vatican II: A new blog
Sixty years ago today on Monday 14 November 1960, Pope John XXIII launched the Central Commission and the 10 specialised preparatory commissions that were to work for the next two years to prepare the Second Vatican Council.
Antoine Sondag, a diaconal priest
Very sad to record and report the death on Saturday 7 November of French priest, Fr Antoine Sondag, a friend for over 30 years, chaplain to the International YCS and to Pax Romana.
Cardijn and Dorothy Day speaking live in Australia
Two live recordings of JOC founder, Joseph Cardijn, and Catholic Worker founder, Dorothy Day, speaking in Australia during their visits to Australia in 1966 and 1970 respectively have just been posted online.
Yves Congar and the priesthood of the faithful
Twenty-five years this week since the death of the Dominican theologian, Yves Congar on 24 June 1995!
Young Léon Ollé-Laprune
Today, I’d just like to share a “new” or in fact very old photo of French philosopher, Léon Ollé-Laprune (above top left), that I have “found” on the web.
The Cardijn influence in the US civil rights movement
As Black Lives Matters protests sweep the USA, it’s perhaps a good time to reflect on the often-overlooked and very under-documented Cardijn influence in the US civil rights movement of the 1960s.
RIP Jean-Michel Cadiot, Sillonist
Just a brief note today to remember my French journalist friend, Jean-Michel Cadiot, who died in Paris yesterday following heart surgery.
Marc Sangnier – 70 years
I can’t let today pass without mentioning that it is the 70th anniversary of the death of Marc Sangnier, founder of the French movement, Le Sillon, and who died on Pentecost Sunday, 28 May, 1950.
Universal brotherhood and solidarity: Cardijn & JPII
It’s a hundred years this month since the birth on 18 May 1920 of Karol Wojtyla, now better known as St John Paul II. Remarkably, the Polish pontiff was the fifth and last 20th century pope known personally by Cardijn
Cardijn’s proposal to John XXIII
Sixty years ago today on 13 April 1960, Cardijn wrote to Pope John XXIII enclosing a 5000 word note entitled “L’Eglise face au monde du travail” – “The Church and the world of work/labour.”
