“The question which divides men in our time is no longer a question of political systems. It is a social question: that is of knowing which will prevail: the spirit of selfishness or the spirit of sacrifice? Whether society is to be simply a great opportunity of exploitation for the benefit of the strongest or a dedication of everyone for the benefit of all and especially for the protection of the weak….” -Blessed Frédéric OzanamManuel Sanchez write to members of the SVDP in LA
Dear Young Vincentians and Friends,
Tomorrow, Friday, September 8, marks the death of our founder, Frederic Ozanam in 1853; this Saturday, September 9 we celebrate the Feast of Blessed Frederic Ozanam; the same day, coincidentally, that his mentor(Vincentian) Sister Rosalie Rendu, DC, was born in 1786 (see the Vincentian Family Website post entitled “Frederic Walked the Christian Talk”
Please consider joining together with your fellow Vincentians from your conference and celebrating Frédéric’s feast day on September 9 and/or that of our patron, St. Vincent de Paul, on Tuesday, September 27.
An article on our founder was published last year by the Western Catholic Report (“Canada’s Largest Religious Weekly”); go to http://www.wcr.ab.ca/columns/tedfitzgerald/2005/fitzgerald082905.shtml for the full story with graphics, or to the Vincentian Family website at http://www.famvin.org/enarchive/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4088 for a shorter version of the same article.
For a short biography of Blessed Frédéric, please go to http://www.cmvocation.org/html/saints/ozanam.html (at the vocation website for the Congregation of the Mission – Vincentian Priests and Brothers).
For a very short synopsis of the Society’s origins in the U.S., please visit http://www.svdpusa.org/AbouttheSociety/HistoryandBiographies/tabid/69/Default.aspx (at the Society’s USA website).
A short, one-page reflection, composed and compiled by Vincentian Sister Kieran Kneaves, DC, of the Society’s National Office, and taken from her “Vincentian Reflections: Seek refuge in the name of the Lord” third quarter of 2005, is attached as an MS Word document.
The entire quarter is available at http://www.svdpusa.org/Portals/0/Third%20Quarter%202006.doc. To access past and future reflections from this series, go to the Society’s national website at http://www.svdpusa.org/SpiritualResources/VincentianReflections/tabid/56/Default.aspx.
To see a short bio of Frèdéric by the Franciscan community, go to the FamVin (Vincentian Family) website at http://www.svdpusa.org/SpiritualResources/VincentianReflections/tabid/56/Default.aspx; you will also see a link to a short, ninety second audio bio offered by FrancscanRadio at the above web site (click on the link reading “source”). (The same information is available at “Saint of the Day” , though they incorrectly give his feast day as today.) Also attached hear is an icon by a Franciscan friar, Robert Lentz, ofm, as an MS Word document.
Yours in St. Vincent & Blessed Frédéric,
Manuel
Manuel A. Sanchez
Youth/Young Adult Conference Coord.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Council of Los Angeles
