Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Blessed Frederic Ozanam, servant of the poor

Blessed Frederic Ozanam (1813 - 1853) was the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frederic was a husband and father, professor and servant of the poor. He founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a young student with others of the Sorbonne in Paris. Sister Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, is considered a mentor of Frederic and of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as she taught the first members the art of helping the poor and the sick. Frederic's writings on social justice anticipated the first social encyclical of our modern times, Rerum Novarum.

On September 9, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Frederic Ozanam