The revised International Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (pdf) gives renewed emphasis to the roles of all seven of the founders. In a presentation at the national meeting of the Society Labor day weekend Ralph Middlecamp stated in a soon to be published paper, “Moving beyond the debate over competing assertions about whether Emmanuel Bailly or Frederic Ozanam was the true founder of the Society, the Rule now states:
“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide Christian community, founded in Paris in 1833, by a group of young Catholic lay people and an older person, who joined together to create the first Conference. The Society wishes to remember them all with gratitude, as they set an example of dedication to the poor and to the Church. From LeTaillandier, who received the first inspiration, to Blessed Frederic Ozanam, Paul Lamache, Francois Lallier, Jules Devaux, Felix Clave, all of them knew, in their humility, how to seek the wise advice andsupport of the one who would become the first President General of the flourishing Society, Emmanuel Bailly. The Holy Spirit was undoubtedly present in all of them at the founding of the
Society, fostering the charisms of each one. Among them, Blessed Frederic Ozanam was a radiant source of inspiration.”
International Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
There is no question about the inspiration and leadership provided by Ozanam, but who were his friends without whom the organization could not have been founded, much less have flourished? These founders were friends who had known each other for little more than a year. All seven originally resided outside of Paris. Their non-student mentor, Emmanuel Bailly, had already established himself in the city for several years, however.
The young founders had much in common besides their provincial roots. Five of them were studying law. Four of them had fathers who were medical doctors. For the most part they came from families who were part of the professional middle class that arose after the French Revolution. The core group of friends consisted of Ozanam, Lallier, Lamache and LeTaillandier, and to varying degrees they would remain in contact throughout their lives. (Thirty years after Ozanam’s death, Paul Lamache, the last living founder, would report that he still prayed daily for Frederic.)
The founders shared a strong Catholic faith, and the need they felt to defend it among their peers drew them to participate in the Conference of History, presided over by Bailly. This desire to defend their faith in public was evident through most of their lives. Five of them continued on a regular basis to contribute well-reasoned articles to local journals and major newspapers. The core group of four friends would each go on to be well-respected members of the communities in which they settled and continued to serve the poor through the Society they had founded. Although their stories are unknown to most members of that organization today, all the founders led remarkable lives of distinction.
After an enlightening presentation of their lives he concludes.
“The six men whose lives are sketched above are all remembered for having attended that first Conference meeting on April 23, 1833, in the editorial offices of La Tribune Catholique. The seventh and principal founder, Frederic Ozanam, has had his life story told in many books and other publications. Although these seven were all present at that first meeting, they were not all the most important actors in the growth of the early Society. These men were fortunate to have been mentored in the practical and spiritual aspects of charity by Sr. Rosalie Rendu, whose fascinating life story is told in a recent publication by Sr. Louise Sullivan, DC. Many came forward to join the founding seven and made significant contributions to the early growth and formation of the Society.
These early members included Leon LePrevost, a non-student member who provided significant leadership, and Julles Gossin, a prominent Catholic Parisian who became a very capable successor to Bailly as President General. The contingent of Ozanam’s friends from Lyons – LaPerriere, Arthaud, Dufieux, Pessonneaux and Chaurand – contributed ideas that fostered a creative tension between the conferences in Paris and Lyons, and thus improved the prospects for the Society becoming a successful international organization. Finally, there was the significant contribution of Adolph Baudon, who led the organization through a very difficult transition period while he wasthe third President of the General Council. He served in that office for 38 years, and many consider him a second founder of the Society.
People of faith – as well as tremendous talent and integrity – these founders encouraged and challenged one another. The Revised Rule correctly states that “The Holy Spirit was undoubtedly present in all of them at the founding of the Society, fostering the charisms of each one.” Both Frederic Ozanam and Emmanuel Bailly were attentive to the diversity of gifts among these friends and inspired them with a practical vision of faith and friendship lived out as a vocation of service and compassion for their neighbors in need.”
Presumably the full text will appear on the website of the St. Vincent de Paul Society USA.
Tags: Founders, Rule, SVDP
