Writings
A State of Emergency for Children
Since the end of the 1970s, and in particular during the Year of the Child in 1979, the (ATD) Fourth (…) Read more
Everything came from a shared life
In his interview with Gilles Anouil, Father Joseph Wresinski recounts the beginnings of the ATD Fourth World Movement in the (…) Read more
Take Justice To Heart
Just one month before October 17, “World Day for Overcoming Poverty”, this speech by Father Joseph Wresinski reminds us of (…) Read more
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