jeanflop/post-ocr-correction huggingface dataset:
proclaimed. Peace in the world, the year 2000, Europe of 1992... they all start this morning. All of us, as citizens, workers, farmers, civil servants, elected representatives, judges, heads of families, members of religious groups... what will we decide to undertake without delay?” Letters Telegrams Letters Telegrams Telegrams and letters flow in from around the world. In paying homage to Father Joseph, in saying thank-you to him, each person wants the International Movement ATD Fourth World to continue bringing all people together to end deepest poverty and exclusion. Each message is a sign of fraternity, friendship and commitment inviting us
is a sign of fraternity, friendship and commitment inviting us all to continue the road together. Families of the Fourth World For their countries “...Father Joseph was our spokesman. Since 1956, he has given us a history and his work will continue in his memory. His name will be forever engraved in our legend, from generation to generation...” M. R. Depooter. “...The heart knows no age nor does justice”, you said recently. And this evening I seem to have heard you say, “Don’t be afraid, keep going.”...” Colette. “...Sixteen years ago, I met the ATD Fourth World Movement thanks to
ago, I met the ATD Fourth World Movement thanks to you, Father Joseph. Today, I have understood what you were fighting for and I will continue to fight the same battle with all my strength. Every time I come up against an obstacle, I shall think of you very hard. You knew how to overcome obstacles. You were there with us for the same cause. Now you are gone, but in our hearts you will always be there. Today, we know our rights, again thanks to you. Goodbye Father Joseph...” Sophie. “Father Joseph is the father of all poor people.
Sophie. “Father Joseph is the father of all poor people. I never actually met him but it’s as though I’d always known him. When I used to hear him on television, I thought, there’s nobody who defends the poor the way he does. He is the only one who understands human misery, the only one who sees qualities in the poor. He defends the poor in front of everyone. Sometimes he even annoys the rich if he has to. He wore out his heart for the poor. He’s the only one who looks at the poor with hope. He saw
one who looks at the poor with hope. He saw that they were capable of so many things, but that life kept them from accomplishing what they wanted. He doesn’t look on us with pity...” Mme Bounessah. “...It was our Father Joseph who taught us to stand up straight and to say ‘no’ to misery. He made us believe in ourselves; we have won self-respect. With him, a people was born. In fact, it is with him that we, men and women of the Fourth World, have become a people who keep Father Joseph in our hearts. We will keep
who keep Father Joseph in our hearts. We will keep his dream alive, we shall continue fighting... Men and women of Antwerp. "...Looking at him you could imagine him being really upset by the suffering of the families, you could see he was taking the pain of the children and the people onto himself but never showed it on the outside. You felt good just talking to him; I beamed everytime I heard about him." Maria. "If he was here now, he’d pull our ears and he’d say, ‘Go ahead’." Georgette. "...I am sure he is looking down upon us
Georgette. "...I am sure he is looking down upon us and guarding over us all at this very moment, guiding us along. I will never forget him and I am sure that thousands of other people will not either... I think a memorial of some sort should be set up in his memory...” Margaret and Family. "...We have just lost the most important man of our family... Like Moses, he led his people to the promised land... He was heard by people, his warning cry passed frontiers; the word ‘justice’ remains with us, no one can ever again ignore it...”
remains with us, no one can ever again ignore it...” Isabelle. "...He was the friend and defender of my family, of all Fourth World families. For me, he was the man who enabled me to express myself and later to defend the poorest families and to make the Movement known...” Daniel. "...We are deeply moved by the death of Father Joseph for whom we have so much admiration. The Queen and I send our deepest sympathy to you and to the whole of your Movement...” Baudouin, King of the Belgians. "With his death, the poorest are losing an untiring defender
"With his death, the poorest are losing an untiring defender of their dignity and rights... The struggle of the members of ATD Fourth World must continue and I shall be at their sides...” François Mitterrand, President of the Republic of France. "...This is truly a sad time for those of us whose lives have been touched by Father Joseph... May we find in his death a chance to dedicate ourselves to relieving the condition of our least fortunate brothers...” Felipe Mabilangan, Ambassador of the Philippines to France, on behalf of Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Republic of the
Mrs. Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Republic of the Philippines. "...The work you accomplished in Colombia has been greatly appreciated... We share Father Wresinski’s proposals and analyses in the quest for a more just society. In his memory and with his support, we will continue...” Marina Uribe de Euse, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate, on behalf of the Government and the Colombian Delegation to Unesco. "...His passionate commitment to the poor has left its mark in the world...” Dr. Hanna-Renate Laurien, Mayor, Senator, Berlin, FRG. "...His loss is a bitter one, especially for the disinherited of this world. But to honor
especially for the disinherited of this world. But to honor his memory we should become more closely united so as to continue the admirable work he carried out all his life...” Christophe Maidou, Ambassador, Central African Republic. "...We are profoundly shaken by the death of Father Joseph. We pray that God give you the courage to accept his will...” Don David Guzman-Machorro, Mayor, San Jacinto, Guatemala. During a visit in Africa, 1984. Religious figures The message of John Paul II "...The Pope remembers this figure of a priest entirely dedicated to serving the poor, to fighting for the dignity of
to serving the poor, to fighting for the dignity of the most destitute, to supporting the families wounded by extreme poverty. The Pope prays Christ to welcome Father Joseph into His Kingdom among the blessed of his Father and he invokes upon all participants in this funeral liturgy the gifts of hope and fraternal peace..." Message of John Paul II, read by Cardinal Lustiger at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on February 18th. "...The Archbishop of Canterbury... held Father Wresinski in the highest regard both as a priest and as a champion of the poorest of the poor. He
as a champion of the poorest of the poor. He admired his untiring efforts to ensure that the Church did its utmost to put the needs of the poor at the center of its life. He was glad to acclaim the way in which Father Wresinski extended the bonds of friendship and support between disadvantaged families and the wider communities in which they lived. Father Wresinski’s work was close to the heart of the Gospel... a fitting testimony to him would be to persevere in the unwavering efforts to improve the lot of the poorest people in the world...” The
the lot of the poorest people in the world...” The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Robert Runcie, MC, Archbishop of Canterbury "...The crowd that filled Notre-Dame on February 18th was certainly just a microcosm of the huge assembly of men and women across the world who have been affected by this death. They feel greatly indebted after having been, at some time in their life, moved or dazzled, unsettled or jolted, loved and forever marked by this passionate fighter of deepest poverty who acted out of love for the poorest... I too had the privilege of knowing Father Joseph. And,
I too had the privilege of knowing Father Joseph. And, with emotion I reread the messages and appeals of friendship and confidence that he sent to me on various occasions...” Cardinal Etchegaray, Rome. "...He was a man of the Church, a man of the poorest, hence a man of the whole of the Church. He excluded only exclusion...” Cardinal A.J. Simonis, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands. "...Now, when the Encyclical on integrated development and solidarity has just been published, the work and words of Father and of all the volunteers are shown as an example for the Church today. The passing
shown as an example for the Church today. The passing of this priest whose heart was sensitive like God’s... makes us realize even more acutely the urgent need to mobilize everyone so that those who live with and around us may have their share of the security necessary for a dignified and serene life. Albert Houssian, Bishop of Liège, Belgium. “...I share your determination to pursue Father Joseph’s commitment to bring us together, around the poorest, to end human misery...” Dom Helder Camara, Brazil. “...We can also count on his intercession because a life like his always has repercussions in
intercession because a life like his always has repercussions in eternity. Like little Sister Theresa of Lisieux, Father Joseph will spend his time in heaven doing good on earth...” Pierre Tritz, S.J., Manila, Philippines. “...I was stunned to learn of Father Wresinski’s demise. It is a great loss for those who are fighting against economic and social injustice...” Cheikh Abbas Bencheikh el Hocine, Rector, Islamic Institute of the Paris Mosque. “...You could, like many others when faced with striking injustice, have accused the Church of always being on the side of the winner, of associating with all the powerful, in
of the winner, of associating with all the powerful, in short, of being the Church of the rich. You, Joseph, cried loud and strong, and with what love: The Church is the poor! You proved it abundantly not only in your writing but in your own life and the lives of those whom you swept along in your wake...” Jean Pardon, Senior Parish Priest, France. continued p.7 By Gabriel Erpicu “ The poorest families have inspired everything I have undertaken” “Thanks to my mother, I learned how to fight injustice and I found my faith in God. Since early childhood,
and I found my faith in God. Since early childhood, I was involved in the struggle for food. That was around 1922 in Angers. For serving at early morning mass I had the right to a big bowl of milky coffee and bread and jam every day. I was also given two francs per week. That is how I began to look after my family when I was not quite five-years-old. My mother must have been very hungry for all of us to let the little boy that I was go out into the Street each morning. And I must
go out into the Street each morning. And I must have been aware of her distress to have accepted this servitude without becoming bitter or cursing God. My mother taught me to command respect from those who were helping me. In my childhood A childhood image that often comes to mind is that of a dead bird. It was a goldfinch. On the way home from serving mass my brother and I found the wounded bird and carried it home. There followed days when we were very unhappy. My mother neglected to care for our house. After our evening meal
neglected to care for our house. After our evening meal and on Thursdays, the weekly school holiday, we used to pack our ration of cigarette papers into cases in order to earn some money together. But during those unhappy days we didn’t do even this work. We just stayed there, not daring to say a word, as if our voices would produce another catastrophe. Did we go to school? I no longer know. It seemed that time had stopped for us, that nothing mattered anymore, as if we were dead. Then one day, the sun shone again. It was then
Then one day, the sun shone again. It was then that we noticed that the bird had stopped singing. We looked toward the silence, toward that cage and that friend we felt guilty about neglecting. We went back to school and to serving early mass. But is it possible to resume life again in this way? When such situations occur too often, as they do with the poor, these moments when time stands still leave very deep scars... I find my people Becoming a fighter for those who are excluded is not easy because you don’t become one for isolated
is not easy because you don’t become one for isolated individuals. I had to meet them as a people to recognize myself, now an adult, in those children from the slum areas, in those youngsters without work who cry with rage. They were perpetuating the deprivation of my childhood and they told me of the everlasting presence of a people in rags. Noisy-le-Grand was like a revelation. It was my bishop who had sent me to the emergency housing camp at Noisy-le-Grand, on the outskirts of Paris. I arrived there for the first time on July 14th, 1956. The families
for the first time on July 14th, 1956. The families I met reminded me of my own mother’s misery. The children who assailed me from the moment I arrived were my brothers and my sister. They were me, forty years earlier in St. Jacques Street in Angers. Since then, the families in that camp have inspired everything I have undertaken for their liberation. They took hold of me, they inhabited me, they carried me forward, they pushed me to found the Movement with them. They forged their own identity and named themselves the “Fourth World”. On that July 14, 1956,
named themselves the “Fourth World”. On that July 14, 1956, my life was transformed. On that day, I promised myself that the world would learn to know these families. I swore to obtain decent housing for them, work for the adults, skills for the youths and schools where the children could at last learn something. That was also the day I chose the path I would have to take so that the poorest would have a recognized and respected place in the world. I would have to enable them to climb the steps of the UN, Unesco, Unicef, the ILO,
climb the steps of the UN, Unesco, Unicef, the ILO, the Council of Europe and the Vatican, so that their voice might be heard there. Thanks to the families, I went to the end of that road. With the families we organized a first association which became the International Movement ATD Fourth World. From that beginning, we built the Movement, letter by letter, person by person. I could not do otherwise in the name of the families. For them, each person was an individual to be won over, someone indispensable. The idea of a voluntariat presented itself almost immediately. It
The idea of a voluntariat presented itself almost immediately. It has been their determination to live as a family which has held us together. At the time it was said and people still say that there is nothing more to be done for the parents but that it is possible to save the children. Saving the children by denying them parents and a home was, and still is, unacceptable. These family circumstances determined that ours be a family movement, with the poorest at its core, the driving force for all our action and thinking. A call for commitment. The hope
our action and thinking. A call for commitment. The hope of the families to rejoin the human community has progressively led us to other abandoned families, first in France, then in other countries. Admittedly, we didn’t know there were so many people on the road, that behind these first families was a multitude... Little by little, the word misery was erased as we caught sight of the human beings in flesh and blood, people whose only possession was their suffering and whose cry of pain was their only way to speak to others and remind them that they too were
speak to others and remind them that they too were human. It is these poor, across the whole world, who through their abandonment, their privations, their courage, and their need for dignity, constitute a living appeal to the commitment of all mankind. With children at Noisy-le-Grand camp, birthplace of ATD Fourth World movement. FATHER JOSEPH'S LEGACY: the keys to the future we must create In Burkina Faso, 1986. Christmas at the Noisy-le-Grand chapel, 1985. Children are kings “World poverty is child poverty. Two-thirds of the world’s poor are children. Behind the statistics, I hear Huguette asking, ‘What about me? Don’t
the statistics, I hear Huguette asking, ‘What about me? Don’t I have the right to eat?’ I see Violet who died in a fire; Nono who dreamed of growing up fast so he could help his mother... So many children I’ve known living in the mud of shanty-towns, in slums and vacant lots on the outskirts of big cities around the world, lost in the emptiness because they and their parents never met anyone who would love them. These millions of poor children ask us fundamental questions because society is being built at their expense. Doesn’t the terrifying reality of
being built at their expense. Doesn’t the terrifying reality of their lives show us what kind of life we are imposing on all children to a greater or lesser extent? For all children, rich or not, are poor in their dependence on adults and on their social milieu. In India, people say, ‘A child is the world’s smile’, and it’s true. This smile is the child’s strength. It stops short the reproaches and the questions and allows adults to meet each other. Every society should make kings of its children, base itself on their expectations, the source of its development.
base itself on their expectations, the source of its development. When we neglect to do this, not only does the world not renew itself, but it does not mature either. The cause of children is that of humanity’s future and it is of this that the poorest children remind us. At a Movement Street library in Thailand 1987. With Claude Ferrand at the 1983 Voluntariat annual assizes. 10,000 fourth world delegates publicly call to end generations of persistent poverty at international gathering, Brussels, Belgium, May 15,1982. “No child, no person, no people is born excluded. No one is destined to
no people is born excluded. No one is destined to be excluded. I bore witness to this throughout my life: no matter how deprived they are, the poor refuse to give up fighting, to let themselves go. But when a person is tortured by human misery for too long, he needs fraternity in order to believe in himself. I did not choose the first men and women who joined me in the Noisy-le-Grand shanty-town. They were manual workers, teachers and engineers. All they had to offer was their refusal of human misery, their skills and their hearts. They came empty-handed,
human misery, their skills and their hearts. They came empty-handed, without money, power or prestige. Their tenacity and their courage built our voluntariat. Immersed as I was in the extreme poverty of the camp, I asked the volunteers to let themselves be taught by the families and to make the families who had suffered most the center of their lives... I was asking them to give up everything in order to start anew with the poorest, re-evaluating what they had learned before about religion, brotherhood, truth and justice... As calls of distress came to us from every corner of the
of distress came to us from every corner of the globe, the volunteers set out to join the world’s poorest. They have become the spearhead of the battle led by a poverty-stricken people for their dignity and freedom. WE NEED YOU We want all people to become aware that extreme poverty is a terrible tragedy. We, the volunteers of the Movement, will never be more than a few hundred witnesses who, here and there throughout the world, will embody this permanent denunciation of deep poverty. But if this small group does not awaken others and win them over, we will
does not awaken others and win them over, we will be speaking only in the desert and human misery will never be overcome. This is why we must say, ‘We need you. If you don’t come, it’s a shame for you, but it’s especially a shame for the very poorest because, without you, there will be one less witness. And each one is absolutely necessary’. “The peace of the poorest is not the same as the peace of the rich. Extreme poverty is like war. It is total evil, an evil so pervasive that it destroys even to the very
evil so pervasive that it destroys even to the very root of humanity. And yet, in this face-to-face encounter with deepest poverty, I can say that I have met with an intense search for love and gentleness. The poorest families never cease struggling to unite and save the family. But they need other men and women to tell them that, in so doing, they are living out all humanity’s deepest hope for charity and that their struggle is one of solidarity, justice and the liberation of the poor. "To be on one’s feet is not enough. One must be able
on one’s feet is not enough. One must be able to move towards others. Fully conscious then of their vocation, the families of the Fourth World can in turn become defenders of the poorest and of every person’s dignity. To be on one’s feet is not enough. One must be able to move towards others. MANKIND, OUR MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION When we get to know very poor families, we always marvel at the human value we find in them. In the depths of extreme poverty, no-one allows himself to be ground down and crushed. A human being always resists. Organizations,
ground down and crushed. A human being always resists. Organizations, principles and ideas all give way before a human being, for each person carries humanity’s fortune within him. The more a person is abandoned, despised and crushed, the more he is precious. The more he is exposed, the more he reveals the essence of humanity. HUMANITY’S GREATEST ADVENTURE The poor have always challenged the powerful, not with weapons, for the poor are disarmed, and not with words because they have been reduced to silence. The poor have challenged the powerful because of their misery and because of the suffering that
because of their misery and because of the suffering that keeps others lying awake at night. "The more a person is abandoned, despised and crushed, the more he is precious. The more he is exposed, the more he reveals the essence of humanity." It is not possible to hear the cry of the poorest people’s suffering and not change. It is impossible not to join together in a determined effort to work for the freedom of all people and to tear out the shame from the hearts of the poor. Everything that kindles in us a spark of brotherhood, of
Everything that kindles in us a spark of brotherhood, of love, friendship and gentleness, must light a flame... a fire that sweeps the world. The liberation of the poorest is the greatest adventure of humanity." "The sharing of knowledge is at the core of the Movement’s commitment to the Fourth World, for it is through knowledge that the people of deepest poverty will gain their freedom. Its pedagogy is that of reciprocity, the very foundation of knowledge-sharing, ‘Let those who know teach those who do not know’. Knowledge means understanding who one is and what one experiences, in order to
who one is and what one experiences, in order to share it with others. It means having experiences which are not humiliating, experiences of which one can be proud. It means being able to take part in what others do. All children, all young people want to learn, want to know how to work, to express themselves, want to carry the hope of their people. IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE LIBERATORS, WE MUST KNOW HOW THE POOREST EXPERIENCE LIFE. We must let them tell us what they think about the proposals concerning them. Otherwise, we risk using people rather
the proposals concerning them. Otherwise, we risk using people rather than liberating them. For a whole social milieu to be left unable to master its own or others’ ideas is the greatest injustice that could be inflicted. The poor who have not been admitted into the understanding of mankind will not find their way into the human community. As long as the poor remain outside our thinking, as long as the humanities and social sciences do not contribute real and universal knowledge based on the experience of the poorest, the world will be built without them." "For a whole social