ANTOINE FRDRIC OZANAM
ANTOINE FRDRIC OZANAM
RAYMOND L. SICKINGER
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
undpress.nd.edu
Copyright 2017 by the University of Notre Dame
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sickinger, Raymond L., 1949 author.
Title: Antoine Frdric Ozanam / Raymond L. Sickinger.
Description: Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016058502 (print) | LCCN 2017008978 (ebook) | ISBN 9780268101428 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 0268101426 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780268101442 (pdf) | ISBN 9780268101459 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Ozanam, Frdric, 1813-1853. | CatholicsFranceBiography. | Society of St. Vincent de PaulHistory.
Classification: LCC BX4705.O8 S53 2017 (print) | LCC BX4705.O8 (ebook) | DDC 282.092 [B] dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058502
ISBN 9780268101459
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at .
This book is dedicated to the memory of my parents, Gerhard and Cecile Sickinger, whose deep love for one another, for family, for friends, and for all people is a constant source of inspiration and strength.
Illustrations are located between Parts I and II, following page 172. Unless otherwise indicated, photos are reproduced by permission of the museum Souvenir Ozanam/Council General International (CGI), Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP).
1. Frdric Ozanams certificate of First Communion. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
2. Frdric Ozanams notebook from the collge royal of Lyon. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
3. Abb Joseph Mathias Noirot, who had a lasting impact on Frdric. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
4. The young Frdric Ozanam. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
5. Ozanams Law Degree. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
6. Ozanams Letters Degree. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
7. Pre Lacordaire preaching in Notre Dame Cathedral. A man in the front row, middle, with a top hat resting on his knee may be Ozanam, who was responsible for starting the Lenten series of sermons and after whom it is still named. By permission of Bibliothque nationale de France.
8. The First Conference of Charity. Artist unknown. By permission of the Maison Mre of the Congregation of the Mission, 95 rue de Svres, Paris.
9. Ozanam at the age of thirty-five, by Charles Soulacroix. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
10. Amlie and Marie. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
11. Ozanams academic robes, worn at the Sorbonne. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
12. Amlie Soulacroix Ozanam at the age of thirty-five. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
13. Tomb of Frdric Ozanam at St. Joseph des Carmes. Authors photo.
14. Amlie Soulacroix Ozanam in later life. Souvenir Ozanam/CGI, SSVP.
15. Soulacroix family grave in Montparnasse Cemetery. Authors photo.
16. Frdric Ozanam, in his Sorbonne academic robes, visiting a poor family at their home. Painting by Gary Schumer. Two students, carrying a book and basket of food, accompany Ozanam. In the distant background are Sister Rosalie Rendu in the white wings of the Daughters of Charity and a man in a top hat, representing Emmanuel Bailly. By permission of Association of the Miraculous Medal (www.amm.org).
The mural shown on the cover of this book, painted by Sieger Kder, illustrates the lifelong commitment of Antoine Frdric Ozanam to serving the needs of those in poverty.1 Kder attempted to depict Ozanams awareness that the Catholic Church of his day had failed to protect or secure the rights and dignity of the poor and marginalized. The dark windows of Pariss Notre Dame Cathedral in the painting evoke this failure. Lacking the support of the Church, many desperate people had turned away from religion and found refuge in ideologies such as socialism. At the center of the painting, in a busy street among poor and working-class citizens of Paris, is Ozanam, speaking from his Sorbonne podium. The collegiate motto of the Sorbonne is emblazoned on the podium: vivere socialiter, et collegialiter, et moraliter, et scholariter (to live as a member of society, a colleague, a moral being, and a scholar).
Ozanam believed that the Gospels contained the true principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity that had been promised in the French Revolution. In both his teachings and his writings he called on the Catholic Church to embrace the worker classa class often thought of as a new wave of barbarians in civilized society. Although Ozanam stands behind his podium in Kders mural, his hands and body extend outward in solidarity with those in need. He put his words into practice. In the background of the mural is Christ, filled with compassion for those who suffer. Father Kders painting captures Ozanam and his times and offers some insight into the reasons why Ozanam founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
I remember the first time I heard of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. I was a teenager who had just lost his grandfather. To me, he was simply ppre, a wonderful French Canadian patriarch whose family was the most important thing in his life. As the family greeted the numerous guests who attended his wake, it quickly became apparent that many of them had been helped by the Society, and especially by my ppre, who had been a member most of his life. The stories that I heard about him and the Society intrigued me, and when I was invited some years later to an information night about the Society, I attended. At that meeting I first heard the name of Antoine Frdric Ozanam, the principal founder of the Society. As a young university professor, I was inspired by the example of Ozanam. I was drawn to him as a moth to a flame. From that moment, it was as if he and I became friends. It has been a friendship developed over more than twenty-five years. Although Ozanam would be the first to admit his weaknesses, he was determined to overcome them. His overriding desire was to anticipate and to help fulfill the will of God in his life. Ozanam understood that the road to sanctification is one that is neither straight nor smooth. But it is a road worth traveling if one wishes to lead a better life. For Ozanam, to live better and to do a little good was not only an aspiration but a vision for a better world.
1. For details on the German priest and painter Sieger Kder (19252015), see an obituary by Gemma Simmonds, Sieger Kder RIP, Independent Catholic News, February 11, 2015. http://www.indcatholicnews.com/. For another treatment of his mural on Ozanam and more information on Kder, see http://vinformation.famvin.org/prayers-reflections-novenas/frederic-ozanam-mural-tribute-to-german-priest-painter-sieger-koder/.
