The Society of St. Vincent de Paul celebrates its 191st anniversary today, April 23, when its seven founders: Emmanuel Bailly, Auguste Le Tallendier, François Lallier, Paul Lamache, Félix Clavé, Jules Devaux and Frederic Ozanam as leader of the group, turned friendship into action, and founded the first Conference of Charity.

Frederic, a model of life at the service of good and truth, is the one who best interprets and continues the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul, enabling its rapid expansion throughout the world.

Frederic Ozanam was a tireless activist in favor of Christianity and in defense of social justice; as recognized by St. John Paul II in the Mass of his beatification, when he considers him “a precursor of the social doctrine of the Church, which Pope Leo XIII developed some years later in the encyclical Rerum novarum”. His writings are of great relevance today, but many of them are still unknown, so from the General Council we are making a great effort to disseminate them.

The problems and conflicts that Frederic Ozanam experienced in his time are, in many ways, identical to those we experience today, almost two centuries later. He did not limit himself to exposing social problems, but offered solutions and encouraged everyone, especially his friends, to take a step forward in favor of the most oppressed, as he did in his writings and also in his life. For Frederic, God’s blessing will come if we keep the faith, because by keeping our faith we will be able to communicate it to others through the channels of charity, knowing that our main mission is evangelization.

This is one of the founding messages that we remember on this 191st anniversary: to keep in mind that charity is not an end in itself, but the best means to spread the Love of God.

On this anniversary day, we share a special remembrance of our founders in the Eucharist, and we raise a prayer to the Lord in fraternal community, so that he may make us worthy of the legacy we have received.

Juan Manuel B. Gomez
XII President General
Source: https://www.ssvpglobal.org/