International Union of Catholic Students

International Union of Catholic Students 1887-1921  - was closely linked to the Fribourg Union 1885-1891

The idea of creating a Catholic international student union was proposed in 1887 by Baron George de Montenach of Fribourg, Switzerland, the president of the Swiss Student's Society. Montenach's proposal was approved by Pope Leo XII. The provisional committee discussions were led by future Cardinal Mermillod (bishop of the diocese) and Montenach was chosen as the Union President. He visited existing European student organizations and helped to establish new ones.

What started as an enthusiatic pilgrimage of over 7,000 students traveling to Rome in 1891, with 1,700 attending the Union assembly and 300 students worked on drafting the statues for the IUCS to be based in Fribourg. However, political complications "gave a mortal blow" to the group and efforts in 1893, 1900, and 1917 to revive the Union failed.

In spite of the short life of the IUCS, the vision it had held continued on with national groups, "especially the Swiss Students' Society, the Federazione Universitaria Cattolica Italiana (FUCI) and the different German student associations."

1921 IMCX- PAX -ROMANA-MEIC

http://www.imcs-miec.org/who_we_are-English,m,4