Young Christian Workers
Encyclopedia
The Young Christian Workers (Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne in French
) is an international organization founded by Rev. Joseph Cardijn
in Belgium
as the Young Trade Unionists; the organization adopted its present name in 1924. Its French acronym, JOC, gave rise to the then widely-used terms Jocism and Jocist. In 1925, the JOC received Papal approbation, and in 1926 spread to France and eventually to 48 countries.
workers the Brussels
area to evangelize their colleagues; the group was named Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne. Its teachings were based on labor encyclicals by Popes Leo XIII and Pius XI. It received approval from Pius XI in 1925.
Time Magazine, reporting on a Paris rally with 75,000 members in 1938, quoted Cardijn as telling his followers, ""Every Jocist has a Divine mission from God, second only to that of the priest, to bring the whole world to Christ."
Cardijn devoted the rest of his life to the movement, and in 1957, the JOC held its first world council in Rome. Cardijn served as an advisor to Vatican II and was made a Cardinal in 1965.
The international headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
The International YCW (IYCW) is a Non Governmental International Movement actively present in over 51 countries with members between the ages of 15 and 35. Thanks to its work with young people, the England branch is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
The IYCW has 4 official branches, the Panafrican YCW, YCW of the Americas, YCW Europe, and YCW Asia Pacific. IYCW adopted "Social Protection for all" as its International Campaign for next four years in the 12th International Council held in Thanjavur, India from 29th September to 12th October 2008.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) is an international organization founded by Rev. Joseph Cardijn
Joseph Cardijn
Joseph Leo Cardijn was a Belgian priest and cardinal and the founder of the Young Christian Workers.-Biography:...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
as the Young Trade Unionists; the organization adopted its present name in 1924. Its French acronym, JOC, gave rise to the then widely-used terms Jocism and Jocist. In 1925, the JOC received Papal approbation, and in 1926 spread to France and eventually to 48 countries.
YCW in the past
Cardijn blamed the death of his father, a mineworker, on harsh labor conditions. Working-class Belgians of the era tended to see the Church as serving the interests of the aristocracy, and some old friends considered Cardijn a traitor; he thus decided to devote his career to "reconciling his Church with the industrial workers of the world." When Cardijn was first made an assistant priest in the Brussels suburb Royal Laeken in 1912, he began to work with factory workers. In 1915, he became the director of the city's Catholic social work. In the years after the first world war, he began to organize young CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
workers the Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
area to evangelize their colleagues; the group was named Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne. Its teachings were based on labor encyclicals by Popes Leo XIII and Pius XI. It received approval from Pius XI in 1925.
Time Magazine, reporting on a Paris rally with 75,000 members in 1938, quoted Cardijn as telling his followers, ""Every Jocist has a Divine mission from God, second only to that of the priest, to bring the whole world to Christ."
Cardijn devoted the rest of his life to the movement, and in 1957, the JOC held its first world council in Rome. Cardijn served as an advisor to Vatican II and was made a Cardinal in 1965.
Today's YCW
Nowadays the YCW is organized in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas, in more than 2000 grassroots base groups with around 20,000 young workers who are regular members.The international headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
The International YCW (IYCW) is a Non Governmental International Movement actively present in over 51 countries with members between the ages of 15 and 35. Thanks to its work with young people, the England branch is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
The IYCW has 4 official branches, the Panafrican YCW, YCW of the Americas, YCW Europe, and YCW Asia Pacific. IYCW adopted "Social Protection for all" as its International Campaign for next four years in the 12th International Council held in Thanjavur, India from 29th September to 12th October 2008.
YCW national movements
(member of International YCW / 2008)| JOC América | YCW Asia Pacific | YCW Pan Africa | JOC Europe | JOC Middle East |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| América HQ, Quito Ecuador | Aspac HQ, Kwai Chung, China | Panaf HQ, Boksburg, South Africa | Europe HQ, Brussels Belgium | Middle East HQ, Dubai UAE |
| JOC Bolivia | YCW Australia | JOC Congo | KAJ Flanders | JOC UAE |
| JOC Brasil | YCW India | YCW South Africa | CAJ Germany | JOC Syria |
| JOC Chili | YCW Hong Kong | YCW Nigeria (Lagos Archdiocese) | JOC Wallonne | JOC Jordan |
| JOC Colombia | YCW Philippines | YCW Egypt | CAJ South Tirol | |
| JOC Costa Rica | YCW Japan | JOC Rwanda | ||
| JOC Ecuador | YCW Sri Lanka | JOC République du Congo | JOC Romania | |
| JOC Guatemala | YCW New Zealand | YCW Namibia | YCW Ucraïne | |
| JOC Haiti | YCW Pakistan | YCW Ghana | CAJ Austria | |
| JOC Nicaragua | YCW Thailand | YCW Zimbabwe | YCW Ireland | |
| JOC Paraguay | YCW Indonesia | JOC Sénégal | ||
| JOC Peru | JOC Bénin | |||
| JOC Quebec | YCW Ethiopia | |||
| JOC Republica Dominicana | ||||
| JOC Venezuela | ||||
| JOC Honduras | ||||
| YCW USA |
External links
- YCW Worldwide -eng/fr/spa-
- Flemish YCW -du-
- YCW England and Wales -en-
- Spanish YCW -spa-
- German YCW -ger-
- Hong Kong YCW -chi/eng-
- Walloon YCW -fr-
- Quebec YCW -fr-
- Brasilian YCW -por-
- YCW of the America's -spa/por/fr-
- India YCW -eng-
- Australian YCW -eng-
- Japanese YCW -jap-
- European YCW -eng/spa/ger/fr-
- Irish YCW -eng-
- Cardijn Foundation -eng/spa/ger/fr-
- YCW World Council-eng/spa/fr-
- The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (England)