comparing the lives of vincent and frederic

8/6/2019 Comparing the Lives of Vincent and Frederic

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St. Vincent de Paul & Bl. Frdric Ozanam

Lives of Distinction


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St. Vincent de Paul


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Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581 inPouy, France. Pouy is near Dax, not far fromthe Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees Mountains,in a region is known as the Landes. Vincentoften referred to himself as a Gascon, another

name for this part of southwestern France.


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Palo comes from the Latin (palus) or marsh. Hence, dePaul refers to the marshes and a stream called Paulwhich flooded this area. The Ardour River is nearby. Thisphoto is taken from outside the Church of St. Vincent inPouy, his place of birth. The stilts on the left are inside his

home, although very likely not the ones he used.


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St. Vincent is the third of six siblings: four boys and two girls. His parentswere Jean de Paul and Bertrande de Moras. His parents were loving andfaith-filled; hard-working, collaborative family; frugality of food on the table.They did not have the best of farming land to work from. Although not rich,this family was certainly not poor either.


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I addressed myself to God to beg him earnestly tochange this curt and forbidding disposition of minefor a meek and benign one. By the grace of our

Lord and with some effort on my part to repress theoutbursts of passion, I was able to get rid of myblack disposition. -Abelly, The Life of the VenerableServant of God, Vincent de Paul, Vol. III, p. 163.

None are more consistent and firm in doing good

than those who are meek and gracious. While, onthe contrary, those who allow themselves to give into anger and the passions of the irascible appetiteare usually very inconsistent, because they act onlybe fits and starts. They are like torrents, which arestrong and impetuous in full flood, but which dry up

immediately afterwards. By contrast rivers,representing that which is gentle and gracious, flowon noiselessly, tranquilly and unfailingly. from aconference on Meekness.


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Blessed Frdric Ozanam


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Bl. Frdric

Born in Milan, Italy on April 23,

1813; then under the Frenchgovernment.

He was the fifth child of a familyof 14.

Jean-Antoine Ozanam andMarie Nantas, Parents

Moved with Family to Lyon,France in 1815.

Taught by his sister, Elisa, 12years older than he.

Parents experienced nearfinancial ruin. Jean practicedmedicine and raised them tomiddle class standing.

Examples of faith andcompassion.


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In a letter to his friend Materne, dated June 5,

1830, Frederic said this of himself:Six months after my illness, my sister, mybeloved sister died. I shared in my familysgrief. Oh how painful it was! I studied Latinand I came to know spite. Truly, I was neverso mean and mischievous as I was at eight.

At that time, I had no other friends outside myfamily. I used to get angry and be stubbornand disobedient. I would be punished. Iwould rebel against the punishment. As forthe bad, I have reduced it to four majorcategories: pride, impatience, weakness, and

being meticulous.


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St. Vincent de Paul Bl. Frdric Ozanam Born April 24, 1581

In Pouy, France

3rd in family of 6

Farmer-shepherd and

priest Family was not rich, but

not exactly poor

Worked as a shepherd

as a young boy Vincent had a quick

temper

Highly intelligent, but

not original thinker.

Born April 23, 1813 In Milan, Italy 5th in family of 14 City-boy and layman Middle class family Was prone to illness Prone to anger and

melancholy, alsometiculousness

Highly intelligent andoriginal thinker


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St. Vincents father recognized his potentialacademically. Monsieur Comet, an attorneyat Dax and judge of Pouy, invited youngVincent to live in his home while attending

school. Vincent was highly creative andinventive in turning good ideas into practical.He was eclectic and could adapt easily; aman of keen sensitivity and high intuition.

Vincent received two academic degrees:theology from the University of Toulous in1604 and Canon Law in 1623. For Vincent,

studies were always a means to an end. Hewas filled with lofty ambitions.

Frederic Ozanam, on the other hand, wasan original thinker and the recipient of twodoctorates in law (1836 at the behest of hisfather) and foreign literature (1839). He

was fluent in Latin and Greek, and laterlearned German, Hebrew, English andSanskrit. Frederic was an author of poetryand many scholastic works. He could zeroin on issues that affected peoples lives.He had a high degree of sensitivity andlistening skills.


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Vincent was a good teacher and tutored for aliving as a teenager and young priest.

Frederic was renowned as a teacher andtaught at two schools before receiving aprestigious position at the Sorbonne, theUniversity of Paris.


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Surrounded by Influential PersonsSt. Vincent de Paul Bl. Frdric Ozanam

Cardinal Pierre de Brulle

Fr. Jean-Jacques Olier

St. Jane Frances deChantal

St. Francis de Sales

St. Louise de Marillac

St. John Eudes

De Gondi Family

Queen Anne of Austria

Abb Joseph MathiasNoirot

Fr. Henri Lacordaire

Andr-Marie Ampre

Bl. Rosalie Rendu

Emmanuel Bailly


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Who are influential persons in your life?


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It was in this chapel that Vincent de Paul was ordained tothe priesthood by Bp. Francois de Bourdeilles onSeptember 23, 1600. He was under age (19) when he

was ordained to the priesthood, according to the Councilof Trent. However, the tenets of Trent had not beenadopted at that point in France. Therefore, the ordinationwas valid. For Vincent, ordination was a means of upwardmobility. It is noteworthy to hear Vincents recollection ofhis ordination some fifty years later. He said: As for me, ifI had known what it was all about when I was rash enoughto enter it, as I have come to know since, I would rather

have worked the soil than engage in such a fearsomestate in life.

Frederic married Amelie Soulacroix at 28 yearsof age in the Church of Saint Nizier in Lyon,France, on June 23, 1841. He wrote to Franois

Lallier: You must find me completelyinfatuated, head over heels in love, but I cannothide it, although I sometimes laugh at myself. Ireally thought my heart was immune. Theywere both very ready for marriage and hadmade a number of important decisions beforethe wedding itself.


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Crisis of Faith

In January, 1617, Vincent learned about a man who wanted him to hear his confession. Thiselderly man felt that his spiritual well-being would be in jeopardy without the opportunity of ageneral confession. Vincent would see the peril of many others thru the eyes of this man. Healso perceived how ill prepared the clergy were in general to hear confessions when a womanhad to hand the priest a copy of the prayer of absolution. These experiences and the responseof the people to a mission given by Vincent and others in Folleville (near Amiens) following asermon on Jan. 25, 1617 began to give focus to Vincents vocation as a priest. The ambitionswhich had driven him to find financial security for he and his family were replaced with a keencall to follow Christ by serving the poor. Priesthood was no longer just a career but a vocation.Whereas before he strove to escape poverty, now Vincent was willing to embrace those whowere poor. Here was someone who prior to his conversion had been quite ordinary, but choseto live his life with zeal and a genuine inner transformation.


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By dint of hearing talk of unbelievers and unbelief, I began to ask myself why Ibelieved. I doubted, my dear friend, and yet I wanted to believe. I dismissed mydoubts, I read all the books containing the proofs of religion and I could not find asingle one that satisfied me. I believed for a month or two on the authority of oneor another of the arguments, and then an objection arose in my mind and Idoubted again. Oh, how I suffered, for I wanted to be religious! My faith was not

strong and yet I preferred believing without reason to doubting because ittormented me too much. I started studying philosophy. The theory of certaintyturned everything upside down. I believed for an instant that I could doubt myexistence, but it was impossible. I at last decided to believe, and little by littleeverything became steadier. - Letter to Auguste Materne, June 5, 1830

Frederic Ozanam similarly found a profound inner peace once he made a vow toGod in service of the truth. With this inner clarity Frederic saw his vocation as a

team (husband and wife); was less preoccupied with money; and strove to formmeaningful and mutual relationships. This regard for others was expressedthrough gestures such as flowers, locket, poems and letters.


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What events in yourlife have changed

your perspective onyour vocation andthe manner in whichyou live your life?

How did yourecognize Godspresence inthese events?


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In a real sense, because of Gods providence, we can say that St. Vincentwas a father in as much as he lived his very words: Love is inventive untoinfinity. Thus Vincent created, authored and gave life/inspiration to a myriadof works in his day and many of these same works continue today. His was afatherhood of action in which he responded to human needs by discerningthe situation, placing it in prayer, and responding decisively. He wasconvinced that God acted in events, persons and situations.


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Frederic could equally be called a father. He, together with his wife Amelie,had their daughter Marie. He was the author of many works, includingscholarly books and newspaper, The New Era. In this periodical we findsome of his clearest and definitive teachings on social justice. He was reallyahead of his time. But his greatest creation was the establishment of theSociety of St. Vincent de Paul.


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St. Vincent knew povertyfirst hand.

Influenced by thepoor.

Charity andEvangelization areinseparable.

Poor gave him theopportunity topractice virtue.


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Frederic also had a preferential option for the poor. He, too, knew the desperateneeds of the poor and advocated on their behalf. He was even urged to run for apolitical office in Lyon and, no doubt, advocated strongly on behalf of the poor. Youwould certainly not hear this, today, among politicians seeking office. He, like

Vincent, did not work exclusively with the poor. He invited many persons, especiallystudents, to collaborate with him in this all-important ministry.

He and Vincent both were evangelized by the poor.


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Vincent died on Monday, September 27that 4:45 a.m. His last word was: Jesus.His last months, however, wereexcruciatingly painful. He died calmly,

though. Vincent had been a priest for 60years. His only regret was that he had notdone enough for God.

At 7:50 p.m. on the evening ofSeptember 8, 1853, the Feast of theBirthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary,Frederic cried out: My God, my God,have mercy on me. He had been

married 12 years, and was surrounded byhis wife, daughter, two brothers-in-law,and members of the Society. Before hisdeath, he said: What better preparationfor death than a long sickness and plentyof good works?

comparing the lives of vincent and frederic

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