Catholic Action facts for kids

Catholic Action refers to groups of Catholic people who are not priests or nuns. Their main goal is to help the Catholic Church have a greater positive influence on society. These groups were very active, especially in the 1800s, in countries like Spain, Italy, France, and Belgium, where governments sometimes tried to limit the Church's power.

In 1934, Adolf Hitler ordered the killing of Erich Klausener, a leader of a Catholic Action group in Nazi Germany, during a violent event known as the Night of the Long Knives.

Catholic Action is not a political party itself. However, these groups often took part in political activities in different times and places. After World War II, the idea of Catholic Action was often replaced by Christian Democrat political parties. These parties were formed to oppose Communist parties and promote Catholic ideas about fairness and justice in countries like Italy and West Germany.

Catholic Action usually includes different smaller groups for young people, women, workers, and others. After the war, national Catholic Action groups for workers joined together to form the World Movement of Christian Workers. This group is still active today, speaking up for working-class Catholics within the Church and in society.

How it Started

The Catholic Action movement began in the late 1800s. It started as an effort to push back against growing feelings against the Church, especially in Europe.

Many different groups formed under the idea of Catholic Action. Some of these include the Young Christian Workers, the Young Christian Students, the Cursillo movement, RENEW International, the Legion of Mary, Sodalities, and the Christian Family Movement. There were also community organizing groups like COPS in San Antonio and Friendship House in Harlem.

Real-Life Examples

The symbols of Acción Católica Mexicana on altar walls in Fábrica-María village, Otzolotepec, Mexico. In the 1900s, workers in the local textile factories strongly supported this movement.

Around 1912, Joseph Cardijn was a priest in Laeken, near Brussels. He wanted to help working-class people. He started a branch of the Needleworkers' Trade Union for young seamstresses.

In 1919, he founded the Young Trade Unionists. In 1924, the group's name changed to "Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne," which means the Young Christian Workers (JOC). JOC grew all over the world, and its members were often called "Jocists." By 1938, there were 500,000 members across Europe. By 1967, this number had grown to 2,000,000 members in 69 countries.

Another result of the Catholic Action movement was the International Catholic Union of the Press (UCIP). It was founded in Belgium in 1927. A year later, the International Catholic Organization for Cinema (OCIC) was started in the Netherlands. The International Catholic Bureau for Radio Broadcasting (BCIR) began in Germany. This group later became Unda in 1946.

Members of these Catholic groups, who worked in media, wanted to unite their efforts. They felt that newspapers, radio, and cinema were making society less religious. But they also used these media to spread the Christian message. They believed they were called to bring Christian values to the mass media. In 2001, OCIC and Unda merged to form a new organization called SIGNIS.

Catholic Action Around the World

Catholic Action groups were formed in many countries. Here are a few examples:

In Australia

The National Civic Council is an Australian Catholic Action group. It was formed in 1957 from an earlier Catholic social studies movement. This group was led by B.A. Santamaria. Before 1957, members of this movement were active in the Australian Labor Party. However, they were later removed from the party by less conservative members during a split in 1955. The members who were removed went on to form new political parties, including the Democratic Labor Party.

In Chile

In Chile, Catholic Action was a country-wide youth movement. Under the guidance of Saint Alberto Hurtado, it helped to create the Chilean Trade Union Association.

In Italy

Azione Cattolica is probably one of the most active Catholic Action groups still around today. Catholic Action was very important in Italy. This was because it was difficult for Catholic political parties to operate. First, under the government from 1870 to about 1910, which was against the Church. Later, under the Fascist government, which banned independent political parties.

The current group, Azione Cattolica, was founded in 1867 by Mario Fani and Giovanni Acquaderni. It was first called the Italian Catholic Youth Society. It was later reorganized during the Mussolini government and renamed Azione Cattolica.

Other Countries

Catholic Action was also active in many other countries, including:

• Argentina (still active)
• Brazil (see Alceu Amoroso Lima)
• Canada (see Catherine Doherty)
• Croatia (see Croatian Catholic movement)
• France (see La Croix)
• Ireland (see Legion of Mary)
• Mexico (Acción Católica Mexicana)
• Poland (See Aleksander Cardinal Kakowski)
• Philippines (see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila)
• Spain (still active), where it helped start Cursillo
• United States (See Friendship House, Catholics for the Common Good and Catholic Worker Movement)

See also

In Spanish: Acción Católica para niños