The Cardijn Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1948 as a headquarters for Catholic lay apostolic work in the city. It took its name from Monsignor Joseph Cardijn, a Belgian priest who started the Young Christian Workers (YCW), an international group of Catholic lay workers. The YCW's Milwaukee chapter was loosely allied with the Cardijn Center and shared headquarters with it, first at 787 North Water Street, and then at 1304 West Wisconsin Avenue, to which it moved in 1958. Also affiliated with the Cardijn Center was the Cardijn Bookstore, a semi-autonomous corporation. It too shared the Cardijn Center headquarters.
The Cardijn Center engaged in social action and religious education (Study Days and Days of Recollection) programs. It employed a priest (“Spiritual Director”), an executive secretary, and several clerical workers. The Cardijn Center was most active in the latter half of the 1950s, but lack of funds and manpower, as well as the fact that most of its programs could be equally well administered by other offices of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, caused it to cease operation in 1961. The Cardijn Bookstore, however continued to exist.
