Catholic Youth Organization
Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) is an international Catholic youth movement founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil in Chicago in 1930. It became a major factor in the development of race relations in the US Catholic Church following World War II.
For the orchestra, see Contemporary Youth Orchestra.Abbreviation
History[edit]
The first CYO was initiated by prison chaplain and auxiliary bishop Bernard J. Sheil in Chicago in 1930 during the Great Depression. The first CYO was conceptualized as an athletic association. Its aim was to offer young males, especially from the working class, a community and constructive leisure activity in the hope to dissuade them from taking part in criminal activities.
The first CYOs adopted structures similar to the older Protestant youth movement, the YMCA. However, unlike the YMCA, the CYO used Catholic social teachings and New Deal ideology. Furthermore, under the patronage of archbishop George Cardinal Mundelein, it became a core principle of CYO not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or gender—as was common in other youth organizations of the time.[1]
CYOs operate around the world in the 21st century.
Activities[edit]
Usually each group uses the church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. Activities vary in accordance with local culture but often includes prayer, singing, charity, sales, sports and visiting the sick. In the United States, CYO is mainly known for its organized sports programs, notably boxing, basketball, baseball, track and field, and volleyball, as well as drum corps. Its athletic contests are often so competitive that CYO has been jokingly described as "Crush Your Opponents."