Writings
It’s Been Three Years Now Since They’ve Gone Anywhere
More than ever, rest, leisure and holidays are rightly considered as essential activities. In this 1986 text, Father Joseph Wresinski (…) Read more
June 22, 2021, 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Alwine de Vos van Steenwijk
On 22 June 2021, Alwine de Vos van Steenwijk would have been 100 years old. This anniversary gives us the (…) Read more
We had only ourselves to offer
In the introduction of his book “The Poor are the Church”, after having evoked his childhood in the text “A (…) Read more
Proximity and distance
“We need to be simultaneously in proximity to extreme poverty and distant from it. Proximity, because the poorest are our (…) Read more
Rethinking Human Activity
Image above: The Strike, Robert Koehler, 1886, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin. This message, intended for the General Conference on Unemployment (…) Read more
It’s Not Easy to Forgive
In this time of crisis, this message, written in 1984, is as relevant now as in the plea made by (…) Read more
Women – the last line of defence against poverty
In this extract from a training session in 1962, Father Joseph Wresinski invites the volunteers working at the camp in (…) Read more
Facing my people
I arrived on the plateau called “Le Château de France” on the fourteenth of July, 1956. The sun was scorching (…) Read more
The Children of the Fourth World in Search of Knowledge
Few children have known such an early, diverse, and formative experience of life as those living in poverty. At an (…) Read more
All Human Rights for All People
The ultimate goal of human rights is the protection of human dignity. It follows that implementing these rights will lead (…) Read more