After the French Revolution from 1788 -1799, the collapse of the old Bourbon Monarchy in the 1830’s and in 1832 when cholera started killing up to 1200 people per day across Paris, Frèdèric started the St Vincent De Paul society on the 23^rdApril, 1833. He started this after having to walk through the streets every day and see people who were becoming poor and having to live off the bear minimum. The charity commenced operation in France and Italy where there were over 9,00 members. It then reached Rome in 1842, England in 1844, Belgium, Scotland and Ireland in 1845, the USA in 1846 and finally Australia on the 5^thMarch, 1854. St Vincent De Paul only reached Australia 21 years after it originally started in France. In 1856, they realised that to be able to benefit everyone who needed help across the world, women needed to be in the same role as men. After a trial, women finally started to work with men in 1967. This was 113 years after it was first brought up! 

 

Frédéric became a Catholic because both of his parents were also Catholic. His Catholic beliefs were also shared by Marie-Josephine-Amélie Soulacroix, more commonly known as Amélie Soulacroix. She was a charity worker and a French philanthropist. On the 23^rd June, 1841 she married Frédéric and four years later in 1845, she had a daughter who she called Marie. 

The Good Samaritan: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Good Samaritan parable was spoken by Jesus and is written in the Gospel of Luke. It is believed that because this parable is written in the Gospel of Luke, it was written into the bible some time between 80 AD and 90 AD. This parable is a narrative and it is also didactic as it is a message. 

 

This parable is very emotive because of the actions that the Good Samaritan did when no on else would. For example, the Samaritan first of all stopped to help the man unlike the Priest and Levite. He “bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.” This technique of using emotive language connects deeper with the reader by making them question if they’re doing even the smallest of things to help someone out whether they know them or not. Ozanam is just like the Good Samaritan as he has now helped millions of people across the world without any prior knowledge of personally knowing them. 

 

Ozanam has widely influenced people across the world to help out others who are less fortunate then themselves. He not only influenced people of his time, but his inspiring words and actions have carried on now into the 21st Century and will more than likely follow through in years to come. This can be seen by the 800,000 members who are working world wide across 135 countries to help others live the way everyone should, happy and safe. This has allowed millions of people living in the 21st Century to also benefit from what the society is doing to help out. 

Lord,

You made Blessed Frèdèric Ozanam a witness of the Gospel, full of wonder at the mystery of the Church.

You inspired him to alleviate poverty and injustice and endowed him with untiring generosity in the service of all who were suffering.

In family life, he revealed a most genuine love as a son, brother, husband and father.

In secular life, his ardent passion for the truth enlightened his thought, writing and teaching.

His vision for our society was a network of charity encircling the world and he instilled St Vincent de Paul’s spirit of love, boldness and humility.

His prophetic social vision appears in every aspect of his short life, together with the radiance of his virtues.

We thank you Lord, for those many gifts and we ask, if it is your will, the grace of a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.

May the Church proclaim his holiness, as a saint, a providential light for today’s world!

We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

 

Another prayer that was originally written for the Vincentian Family (St Vincent De Paul Members) was:

Lord Jesus, you who loved the poor, give us eyes and a heart directed toward the poor; help us recognise you in them, in their thirst, their hunger, their loneliness and their struggle. 

Enkindle within our Vincentian Family, courage, unity, simplicity, humility, grace and the fire of love that burned in St Vincent de Paul, St Louise de Marillac, Blessed Rosalie Rendu, Blessed Frederic Ozanam and Father Gerald Ward. 

Strengthen us, so that faithful to the practice of these virtues, we may contemplate you and serve you in the person of the poor, and may one day be united with you in your Kingdom. 

Amen. 

 

Another writing Ozanam wrote was ““Peace of heart – without it, no good can make us happy. With it, every trial, even the approach of death, can be borne.” I believe The message behind this message is that if you aren’t peaceful with yourself, you’re never going to be able to find the good or help anyone else around you. 

 

Although Ozanam did not live during the time of the Rerum Novarum, St Vincent De Paul helped the people who were still struggling across the world. Rerum Novarum changed the way people across the world were able to live their lives. The Rerum Novarum stated that there would be no child workers under nine years of age, employers must have an age certificate for their child workers, children of 9-13 years were to work no more than nine hours a day, children of 13-18 years were to work no more than 12 hours a day and children were not to work at night. To this day Rerum Novarum drives the motivation of Unions globally to continue the fight for fair wages and the 8 hour day as the minimum standard working conditions. St Vincent De Paul ensured that due to the Rerum Novarum and the impact it had, families and individuals were able to afford and live off more than just the basic necessities. 

 

Ozanam wanted justice in the world to be carried on, years after he had passed. Little did he know at the time that his organisation would help bring justice to the world not only years after, but centuries after he passed. He wanted justice in the world to be carried on, because he saw first hand the hudreds of people just in France who needed help and made him realise that if that was what it was like in France, then it could only be just as worse across the world. Frèdèric Ozanam is remembered as the man who helped millions of people across the world live happier and healthier lives due to him starting an organisation called St Vincent De Paul. He’s also remembered as he was able to keep what is now a global organisation going on for three centuries and still be helping out the less fortunate. 

 

Ozanam made change in the world by starting St Vincent De Paul which led to helping out hundreds of thousands of people globally. Also, he created equity instead of equality throughout the world by giving people what they needed rather than the same as everyone else. This changed the way people thought throughout the world as it made them realise that they didn’t need what others had to be happy, they only had to have what they really needed. 

 

Javier, F. Chento. (2018). Frédéric Ozanam Quotes. Retrieved from http://vincentians.com/en/quotes-collection/freder ic-ozanam-quotes/. 

 

Rooney, A. R., & CM. (n.d.). A Prayer for and with Frédéric Ozanam - FAMVIN NewsEN. Retrieved from https://famvin.org/en/2015/09/09/a-prayer-for-and- with-frederic-ozanam/

St Vincent de Paul. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.vinnies.org.au/icms_docs/186961_Freder ic_Ozanam__A_Life_in_Outline.pdf. 

St Vincent de Paul Society. (2018). Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society - St Vincent de Paul Society - Good Works. Retrieved from https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/About/History/Foun der_of_the_St_Vincent_de_Paul_Society/

Bible Gateway. (2018). Bible Gateway passage: Luke 10:25-37 - New International Version. Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV

 

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