Joseph Leo Cardijn was a Belgian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was the founder of the Young Christian Workers.
Background
Joseph Cardijn was born in 1882 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, the eldest son of Henri Cardijn and Louise Cardijn, née Van Daelen. He lived with his grandparents in Halle until his parents quit their job as caretakers and his father started business as a coal merchant, while his mother opened a café.
Career
Both deeply Christian, they agreed to let Joseph continue his studies to become a priest instead of going to work in the factory. Priesthood
After studying at the College of Our Lady in Halle, Joseph went in 1903 to the Mechelen seminary. On 22 September 1906, he was ordained priest.
In 1912, after being ill, he was appointed to the parish of Laeken near Brussels, where he started creating and improving workers" organizations in earnest.
Twice imprisoned during World War I for so-called patriotic activities, he left Laeken in 1919 and devoted his time solely to social work from then on. The same year, he started the "Young Trade Unionists".
In 1924, the name of the organization was changed to "Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne", the Young Christian Workers. JOC grew rapidly throughout the world.
Its members were often known as "Jocists" (the movement was often called "Jocism").
By 1938, there were 500,000 members throughout Europe. In 1967, this had increased to 2,000,000 members in 69 countries. Cardinalate and death
On 12 February 1965, Pope Paul VI announced that he would create Cardijn a cardinal.
On the 15th Cardijn was appointed a bishop in anticipation of his elevation to the cardinate.
Leo Joseph Cardinal Suenens consecrated him as the Titular Archbishop of Tusuros on 21 February 1965, and the next day Cardijn was elevated to the cardinalate as the Cardinal-Deacon of San Michele Arcangelo. Cardijn died of kidney complications in 1967.
The official cause of canonization was opened on 16 January 2014 with the commencement of an inquiry into his life. In addition to Young Christian Workers, Joseph Cardijn"s See, Judge, Acting model influenced a number of lay movements around the world, including Young Christian Students, Student Catholic Action, Paulian Association, Young People for Development and Palms Australia.
In Noarlunga Downs, South Australia, Cardijn College which is a Catholic Secondary School has been named in his honour.
The school"s motto is adopted from Cardijn"s model.
Politics
The model has been popularly adopted in South America as a practical tool compatible with Liberation Theology, being used higher up the Catholic hierarchy than in other regions.