A Short History of Pax Romana and the NCSC
In 1921, Catholic students from all over Europe gathered to work against the destructive forces of the war that just ended.  This meeting gathered students who months before were at war with each other.  By the end of the gathering these former enemies, French, German, Spanish, Polish and others all embraced each other.  It was at this meeting that the International Movement of Catholic Students was founded.  Later that year, IMCS sought approval from Rome.  The Pope at the time, impressed by the way IMCS was able to gather students from all over Europe, renamed IMCS as Pax Romana (in reference to how all of Europe was at Peace during the Roman empire when Christ was born).

As students graduated they formed another movement of professionals and intellectuals called the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA). Together IMCS and ICMICA are known as Pax Romana.  In some countries they are one movement but mostly are two distinct movements.

The International Young Christian Student (YCS) movement was founded in 1946 out of the Young Christian Worker Movement (YCW).  Both the YCS and the YCW movement are based in the See, Jude, Act Methodologies of Theological Reflection.  The YCS movement is mainly found in high schools around the world.  Over the past few decades, the IYCS and the IMCS have grown close in many regions and countries and in places are one national organization.

The predecessors to the NCSC, the National Federation of Catholic College Students and National Federation of Newman Clubs both become members of the IMCS.  In 1939, these two movements, in collaboration with Fordham University, Catholic University, and Manhattanville College hosted the World Congress of Pax Romana.  During this meeting, where great Catholics such as Dorothy Day spoke, World War Two broke out, leaving many of the delegates stranded in the US.  For the remainder of the war, Pax Romana, IMCS was based in Washington, DC at Catholic University with an American, Ed Kirchner as it's international president.  In 1980 after those two groups had both dissolved, Joe Kirchner (son of Ed) and the International Team of IMCS, lead by Linda Worth began to travel the country in hopes of starting a movement that would include both Catholic and non-Catholic schools.  In 1982, the NCSC was founded.  Today the NCSC is the US federation of IMCS Pax Romana.

Today the NCSC is one of three IMCS movements in North America.  The others include, the English speaking Canadian Catholic Student Association (CCSA), and the French speaking Mouvement des Etudiants Catholiques (MECQ).  In North America there are also some IYCS groups.  The three IMCS movements make up the North American Coordination (NAC).

In the USA, the NCSC is the IMCS branch of Pax Romana, the ICMICA branch is the Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (CMICA).  NCSC and CMICA work with each other in some areas.

Pax Romana (IMCS and ICMICA) is very active internationally, being present in over 80 countries.  They are active in many UN agencies and Church bodies.  NCSC has a special place with their international relations as NCSC is asked to help provide the support for the UN activities in New York.