Growing up in France in the 1800’s, Frederic Ozanam was a French scholar who loved to learn and also learned to love the Catholic faith in a time when being Catholic was not popular. Although not necessarily persecuted, Catholic beliefs were not promoted much. After finding others who shared his belief, he became a great writer of the Church, publishing many works, including several about the works of the historical Christian church. With the support of some friends, he founded the Charitable Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They devoted their time and resources to the service of the poor. Although Frederic Ozanam died at the young age of 40, his words and works still have an effect on the Church today.
If Frederic Ozanam’s name sounds familiar, it is because we have a local charitable organization that collects household items for the poor! So clean out those closets and donate them to an organization that began in the 1800’s!