By CAROLE BRESLIN
One of the best-known Catholic charities in the world is the St. Vincent de Paul Society. When challenged by a non-Catholic that the Church no longer helped the poor, Frederic Ozanam and his college friends decided to prove the man wrong. They would go out and help the poor. Today this society has over 800,000 members in over 140 countries, more than two centuries after its beginning in Lyons, France, in 1833.
As Napoleon’s armies marched across Europe, one of his officers was stationed in Milan, Italy — Jean-Antoine Ozanam. On April 23, 1813, he and his wife, Marie, had their fifth child born in Milan. They named him Frederic and he was the fifth of 14 children the couple would have.
When Milan fell to the Austrians two years later, Jean-Antoine retired from the French Army and took his family back to France, settling in Lyons. The army did not fit well with this strongly Catholic man and his family, so Jean-Antoine then became a tutor and practiced medicine.
In Lyons, Frederic received his early education at home with his mother and sister, Elise, providing much of his instruction. Frederic and Elise became very close during this period as he describes her virtues, “I had a sister, such a beloved sister! Who used to take turns with my mother to teach me, and whose lessons were so sweet, so well-explained, so admirably suited to my childish comprehension as to be a real delight to me.”
When Frederic was seven years old, Elise died, leaving him devastated by her loss. He then was sent to the day school at the Royal College of Lyons where his gift for literature quickly developed. He then began the narrative of his formative years, continuing with the death of his sister.
“At seven years old I had a serious illness. . . . I was saved by a miracle. . . . I recovered, and six months later my sister, my darling sister, died.” Then he described his faults: laziness, rebellion against punishments, evil thoughts and later pride, and also that he “exchanged a number of blows with his companions.” Not long after Elise died, he again fell ill, needing to go to the country where he stayed with a woman who gave him “some degree of polish.”
After Frederic received his First Holy Communion, he had become more gentle, modest, and industrious, but — to his regret — he also became more scrupulous.
When he was 16 he began a course in philosophy which caused him to have doubts about his faith. He struggled with them for about a year until Abbé Noirot guided him out of the crisis. He then devoted his entire life to the defense of the Truth. He also developed a strong compassion for unbelievers, having flirted with unbelief himself.
In 1831, he wrote a highly acclaimed article, refuting a prevalent social teaching not in keeping with Catholic doctrine. This found much favor with the leading men of the Catholic Renewal in France. At this same time, his father insisted he study law, so Frederic transferred to the Sorbonne.
Even though he continued to study literature and write in addition to studying law, this period began a very dark stage of his life. He missed his home and his family desperately. The atmosphere at the university — because of its anticlericalism and immoral lifestyles — drained his energy.
Fortunately, he found a faithful Catholic family with whom he could stay. Nourished by their love of God and the frequent visits of many Catholic leaders and apologists, Frederick began a new project: a written history of the Catholic contributions to Western Civilization, beginning from the Middle Ages up to the 13th century.
Well aware of the damage inflicted on the Catholic Church during and after the French Revolution, he sought to draw people to the Church. He found some Catholic students who also wanted to defend the faith. Together, under the guidance of J. Emmanuel Bailly, the men began a study group: the Society of Good Studies. The meetings became popular and the discussions became heated, especially when related to the Gospel.
When one student complained that the Catholic Church did not help the poor anymore, Frederic took this to heart and exclaimed, “Yes, let us go to the poor!”
The initial step into public works as a layman led to many other endeavors while he continued his law studies. Seven men from the study group met in May 1833, to organize works of charity. This apostolate rapidly spread throughout France, Europe, and the world.
Although he yearned for a literary career, he needed to continue his law practice to support his mother when his father died in 1837. He still continued his literary pursuits and wrote such profound reviews that he was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature.
After his mother died in 1840, he briefly considered the priesthood, but his lifelong spiritual director, Abbé Noirot, advised him to continue his work with the Conference of Charity that was growing so rapidly.
Frederic soon became a full professor at the Sorbonne and began lecturing on German literature. He emphasized the contributions of Christianity, very unlike his predecessor.
In 1844, Frederic married a lovely woman introduced to him by the abbé. They honeymooned in Italy while Frederic did research for his upcoming lectures. Marie, their only daughter, was born in 1848.
The burden of lecturing, research, and organizing the conference — now called the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul — wore down his already fragile health until he had to take a sabbatical in 1846.
In 1848, when another revolution broke out, he was forced to serve briefly in the National Guard. Afterward he continued to champion the cause of the poor, which turned not only conservative Catholics against him, but even some of his friends. They opposed his promotion of Catholic participation in developing a truly democratic state.
In the fall of 1851 he continued his series of lectures at the Sorbonne, but once again his health deteriorated. He kept on lecturing through the winter months, barely able to complete the semester. Once again his doctors ordered him to take a break, so the family returned to southern Italy.
Although Frederic no longer lectured, he did continue his work with the charities. Finally, he revealed to his wife that he wanted to die in France, so his family took him to Marseilles. He died on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, September 8, 1853. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in 1997. His feast day is on September 9.
Dear Blessed Frederic, pray for us. As in France during your time, there are many enemies of the Church at work among us. Pray that while defending Holy Mother Church, we also remember to help those who are poor, homeless, and in need of comfort. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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