The Cardijn Bookstore originated in 1949 as a semi-autonomous cooperative of the Cardijn Center, the headquarters of lay apostolic work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The center was founded by Father John Beix, a teacher at St. Francis Minor Seminary, and named in honor of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, who started the Jocist movement, better known as the Young Christian Workers (YCW), an international group of Catholic lay workers.
The Cardijn Center also housed the Milwaukee chapter of the YCW, as well as the bookstore. Originally located at 787 N. Water Street, the center and its affiliates moved to 1304 W. Wisconsin Ave. in 1958. Eventually, the center's work came to include the YCW; the Young Christian Students (YCS); the Christian Family Movement (CFM); and a program of Social Studies, an educational lecture series. Father Beix served as the center's spiritual leader until his death in March, 1952.
The Cardijn Bookstore, originally named the Cardijn Center Co-op Bookstore, was created in 1949 as a cooperative under Chapter 85 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Under the bookstore's articles of association, it was capitalized at 25,000 dollars with the issuance of 5,000 shares of common stock. The primary purpose of the bookstore was to serve as an arm of the Cardijn Center, “to implement and carry on the apostolate of Catholic Action through the dissemination of literature of every kind proper and consistent with the principles of Catholic Action.”
The Cardijn Center dissolved in 1961. The bookstore continued as a cooperative until 1964; on January 1, 1965 it became incorporated as the Cardijn Bookstore, Inc. The bookstore was still in existence at the time this collection of records was organized and cataloged in 1988.
