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Frederic Antoine Ozanam |
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1813 23 April |
Born at Milan, Italy, the fifth child of fourteen children (and one of three to survive into adulthood), to Marie Nantes and Jean Antoine Ozanam, a physician |
| 1815 | The Ozanam family returned to their native city of Lyons, France |
| 1819 | Contracted a severe case of typhus |
| 1820 | Death of Frederic's elder sister, Elsie, who had tutored him at home |
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1821 8 April |
Began formal scholastic education at the Royal College |
| 1829 | Studied a course of philosophy which led to inner turmoil because of doubts against faith through which his mentor and spsiritual guide, Abb≠ Noirot guided him |
| 1831 | Yielding to his father's wishes, Frederic began an apprenticeship with a local attorney, M. Coulet but continued to write and study languages |
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1831 Spring |
Published work "Reflections of the Doctrine of Saint Simon" in defense against a false social teaching against the Roman Catholic faith which ws then attracting many young people. Helped organized and write for the Propagation of the Faith which had begun in Lyons. |
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1831 November |
According to his father's wishes, went to Paris to study law at the Sorbonne where he found the climate hostile to Christian believers. There he encountered the great Catholic minds of the day who influenced him greatly: Chateaubriand, Montalembert, Lacordaire, Ballanche, and Amp…re with whom he boarded for a time. J. Emmanuel Baily, an older ex-professor, became his mentor, in esxamining the social teachings of the gospel in a discussion setting called the Conference of History. |
| 1833 | Challenged by Jean Broet to demonstrate how the Church or the Conference of History ministered among the poor and oppressed, Ozanam responded: "Let us go to the poor!" |
| 1833 | Introduced to Sister Rosalie Rendu, D.C., age 46, through M. Bailly who had sent Frederic and members of his history conference to gain experience about the needs of persons oppressed by poverty |
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1833 23 April |
Seven of the members of the Conference of History met and decided to engage in parctical works of charity for the poor, forming the Confernece of Charity. |
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1833 May |
First meeting of the Conference of Charity, which became the Saint Vincent de Paul Society |
| 1834 | Passed the bar exam and returned to Lyons for the holidays |
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1834 4 February |
Renamed the Conference of Charity as the Conference of Saint Vincent de Paul |
| 1835 | Received his first degree in Literature from the Sorbonne |
| 1835 January |
Struggled in resistance to a law career; soon writes his famous passage about a Good Samaritan |
| 1835 24 February |
Expansion of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and its division into sections |
| 1835 8 December |
Conference of Charity officially assumed the title of Society of St. Vincent de Paul, with the formalization of itss rules and purposes. Publication of rule of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul by M. Bailly, its president |
| 1836 | First conference established in Italy; received a Doctorate in Law from the Sorbonne |
| 1837 | Death of his father, Jean-Antoine-FranOmegaois Ozanam |
| 1839 | Awarded Doctorate in Literature from the Sorbonne for which he submitted a brilliant thesis on Dante which revolutionized critical work on the poet |
| 1839 | Death of his mother, Marie Nantes Ozanam; assumed the first chair profesor in commercial law at the University of Lyons |
| 1840 | Abandons legal career for academia. Passed the qualifying exam for the Chair of Foreign Literature at Lyons in first place but accepted an offer to be a subsititute professor in Foreign Language at the Sorbonne |
| 1841 23 June |
Married Amélie Josephine Soulacroix |
| 1842 | Actively involved with the Society of the Propagation of the Faith as editor of its Annals and as a negotiator between its Paris and Lyons councils with the government on the Church's behalf |
| 1843 | Achiveved rank of full professor at the Sorbonne |
| 1844 | Received Chair of Foreign Literatures in his own right at the Sorbonne |
| 1845 7 August |
Birth of only child, Marie |
| 1847 | Visited Italy and was present for the inauguration of Pope Pius IX and enjoyed a private papal audience on 7 February |
| 1848 | Served briefly and reluctantly with the National Guard in France during the Revolution of 1848; initiation of The New Era newspaper; candidate for the national legislature |
| 1849 | Pupblicaiton of Civilization in the Fifth Century |
| 1851 | Health beginning to deteriorate |
| 1852 April | Gives final lecture at the Sorbonne and soon relinquishes professorial responsibilities |
| 1852 2 December | Makes a pilgrimage to Pouy, birthplace of Vincent de Paul |
| 1853 | Moved to seaside cottage near Leghorn, Italy because of failing health |
| 1853 8 September |
Returned to France and died at Marseilles on the birthday of his mentor, Sister Rosalie Rendu, DC, and was buried in the crypt of the Église des Carmes, near the Institut Catholique in Paris |
| 1925 10 June | First formal step for beatification taken. Beginning of the ordinary process of his Cause for Canonization |
| 1949 11 November | Decree of approval of writings |
| 1954 12 January | Pope Pius XII signed the decree of Introduction of the Cause earning Frederic the official title "Servant of God" |
| 1993 6 July | Decree of Heroicity of Virtues by Pope John Paul II |
| 1997 23 August |
Beatification by Pope John Paul II set for Paris in conjunction with World Youth Day August 21-24 |
Information prepared for this site by Sr. Betty Ann McNeill, D.C.
Announcement of Beatification
Stages Toward Canonization | Testimony for the Cause
Ozanam: A Man of Yesterday A Man for Tomorrow
Blessed Frederic Ozanam: a lay saint for our time
Index to the Frederic Ozanam Website | St. Vincent de Paul Society Index Page
