The “Perennial Wisdom” of Father Joseph Wresinski
By Laura Jijon
February marks the birth and death of ATD Fourth World's founder, Father Joseph Wresinski, a Catholic priest. He was also a practitioner of “Perennial Wisdom” - the deeply flowing Truth that nourishes the roots of the world's wisdom traditions. We find this Truth in the mystical poetry of Islam, the Orisha Path of the African Diaspora, the teaching tales of Zen Buddhism, the Beauty Way of the Dine' (Navajo) and in the Sacred Witness of the Jewish Diaspora, to name but a few. Simply stated Perennial Wisdom holds that:
Everything is connected; Nothing is excluded.
Suffering is caused by creating separations.
We sometimes get so attached to the details of our specific tradition, that we limit our vision. Yet, it is in the depths of our own traditions, that we find our unique lens for the grander view of Perennial Wisdom. Our narrow vision asks, "Why do I suffer?" Our expansive vision asks, "How can I ease the suffering of others?"
Fr. Joseph always had this expansive vision and possessed the rare gift of not only living Perennial Wisdom, but writing and speaking about his embodied theology. He thereby inspired others to follow, extending the work far beyond its roots in Noisy-le-Grand by creating the ATD Fourth World Movement. This movement reflects the endless flow of Perennial Wisdom underlying the rich diversity of all the people in the ATD Fourth World community.
Father Joseph did not create ATD to be a religious organization. For him personally, though, the Gospels were the Christian expression of Perennial Wisdom. Fr. Joseph looked to Jesus as an exemplar of this universal teaching and was so committed to the Gospels that he was ordained a Catholic priest and always wore his cassock to identify himself as such.
We often focus ourselves on the particulars of our own traditions instead of recognizing the universality at their roots. I imagine Perennial Wisdom as a river, like the life-giving waters of the Rio Grande flowing not far from my adobe home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The river feeds the gnarled mesquites and the delicate desert willows as well as the majestic cottonwoods along its banks. We enjoy the beauty of the different trees without realizing they spring from the same source. And sometimes, we prefer one tree to the others, deciding it is the best while failing to realize all of the trees have a role to play in sustaining the ecosystem, the Truth.
Let us value Perennial Wisdom and honor its expression wherever and however we are privileged to encounter it, such as in the Catholic life of Fr. Joseph Wrensinski and the strong, diverse, inclusive movement he founded.
Laura Jijon is Educator, Storyteller, Community Weaver, Member of ATD Fourth World USA Board of Directors
Wresinski did not aim for ATD to remain somehow neutral on the question of spirituality and religion. Instead, he invited each person, whatever their own beliefs or religious practices, to conduct their own search for meaning and spirituality in light of the lives of people in extreme poverty. The essential points for him were: understanding that people living in deep poverty aspire to something greater than their own personal happiness; and that ATD should honor each person’s fundamental right to this aspiration, respecting the wholeness of human identity, including aspects that may be spiritual or religious. - Diana Skelton, Revue Quart Monde #244