Introduction

Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement

Welcome to our revamped Cardijn Resources website.

Our aim is to present a number of key resources for leaders of YCW, YCS and other Cardijn-inspired movements.

These resources are, of course, based on Cardijn’s classical see-judge-act method of formation.

But if there’s one document above all to read, it’s surely his famous 1935 Three Truths article, which concisely summarises the whole Cardijn methodology under the headings of Truths of Faith, Experience and Pastoral Method.

Note also that when Cardijn wrote, he did so for the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement he founded. Within five years of its foundation, however, other movements based on the same principles and methods – beginning with the Young Catholic Students (YCS) – quickly sprang up.

When reading Cardijn’s writings, please therefore bear in mind the need to adapt them to other contexts – as so many people and groups have already done.

To assist in the study of these resources, we also present a structured guide for studying them.

This is a “beta” version of this site and we welcome feedback at:

aci@australiancardijninstitute.org

And we’d also love to hear your stories of how you’ve implemented the Cardijn method!

Stefan Gigacz

Editor

Study guide

Cardijn Resources
A structured guide to studying Cardijn’s method and ideas
Cardinal Joseph Cardijn (1882–1967) founded the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement and developed a distinctive method for apostolic action rooted in the lives of young workers. Use the tabs above to explore his key ideas.
Triples & doubles
See–judge–act and the other formulas that capture his core ideas
The three truths
Faith, experience and pastoral method — the foundation of the YCW
The enquiry method
Practice see–judge–act with guided prompts and reflection
Classic texts
Primary sources: speeches, bulletins and foundational writings
How to use this tool. Start with Key concepts to see the map of ideas, then use Study cards to test your understanding, and the See–judge–act tab to practice the method with real reflection prompts. Classic texts links back to the original sources on cardijnresources.org.
Cardijn condensed his thinking into memorable triples and doubles. Click any item to visit the relevant page.
The core method
Mission of the movement
Youth & movement
Leadership approach
Life spheres
Card 1 of 10
The enquiry method is the heart of Cardijn’s formation approach. Use these prompts to work through a real situation from your own life or team context.
1
See — observe the facts
Look at the reality of the situation without judgment yet
  • What exactly is happening? Describe the concrete facts.
  • Who is involved? What are their names, ages, situations?
  • What conditions — work, home, environment — are at play?
  • What do you know from direct observation vs assumption?
2
Judge — evaluate in light of the Gospel
Does the situation match the dignity and mission of the person?
  • Is this situation in harmony with the person’s dignity and eternal destiny?
  • What does the Gospel say about this reality?
  • What contradictions do you see between the ideal and the actual?
  • Why does this situation exist? What are its causes?
3
Act — transform the situation
Concrete steps that individuals or teams can take
  • What can I do personally — today, this week?
  • What can we do together as a team or group?
  • What needs to change in the environment or system?
  • How will we know if the action has made a difference?