The Young Christian Workers (after 1965 called Young Christian Movement) was a Roman Catholic action group founded in Belgium in 1912 by Father (later Monseignor) Joseph Cardijn. The organization was officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium in 1925 and later spread internationally. YCW reached the United States shortly before World War II, and by 1947, when the International YCW organization held its Third World Congress in Montreal, U.S. delegates were able to fully establish the American YCW. By the early 1950s, the American YCW was large enough to require two national headquarters, one in Chicago and one on the West Coast. Individual men's and women's sections were founded in several major American cities to provide leadership training for young workers and to inspire them to do missionary work. Members of YCW also were encouraged to “intervene” in work sites and elsewhere to spread Catholicism among laborers, to build a community of young Catholic workers in each parish, and to foster cooperation between parishes. In 1953 there were sections in thirty-eight cities.
The Milwaukee Federation of the YCW was organized in 1948 by Father John R. Beix. By 1963, there were 13 Milwaukee and area sections, based on individual parish groups. In Milwaukee, each section was comprised of both young men and women, who held weekly meetings with the chaplain of the group to discuss liturgy and other topics. Federation meetings were held each month.
The YCW defined its methods as “organization, study, action” by the laity in the organized apostolate of the religious hierarchy. Thus, “specialized organization” was based on the “cell,” a group of members of the same age, sex, and occupation. The Milwaukee YCW federation conducted periodic study days, nights, and weeks, some of which were held near the feast day of St. Therese, the YCW patron saint; and days of recollection, retreats, seminars, and “inquiries” to pursue topics in greater detail. “Specialized action,” for which the study was preparation, included personal contacts, community service, open meetings, and other projects. During the period covered by the records, Father Eugene Bleidorn was the Federation's chaplain and advisor. The chaplain of the St. Veronica section was Father James Groppi. Each spring there was a state YCW convention; in January delegates attended a national convention, and in August, a national study week. In Milwaukee, the YCW was closely affiliated with the Cardijn Center, which acted as headquarters for YCW, Young Christian Students, and the Christian Family Movement; and the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists (ACTU).
The YCW apparently disbanded about 1965 or 1966.
