I was thinking today about the upcoming Christmas Basket program that our Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society organizes every year. When I logged into Facebook today, I had an invitation to "like" the page for our Diocesan Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council. So in keeping with the emerging theme, today we will talk about the Blessed who founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Bl. Frederic Ozanam was born in 1813 in the region near Lyon, France. As a young man, he went to study law in Paris where he made friends with several prominent Catholics of the time. While still a student, he took up journalism contributing to a French Catholic newspaper. He and his friends founded a discussion group which became a forum for lively discussions among students. At one meeting they tried to prove from historical evidence alone the truth of the Catholic Church as the one founded by Christ. Their adversaries challenged, "What is your church doing now? What is she doing for the poor of Paris? Show us your works and we will believe you!"
In response to this challenge, Frederic and fellow students founded the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The students worked under the guidance of a Sister (now Blessed) Rosalie Rendu. The members of the conference collaborated with Sister Rosalie to care for cholera victims during an epidemic.
In 1841, he married Amélie Soulacroix. They had a daughter, Marie. Frederic had a naturally weak constitution and fell prey to consumption and died at the age of 40. His feast day is September 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment