Remembering Frederic Ozanam and his legacy
Today, the St Vincent de Paul Society worldwide celebrates the Feast Day of our Founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam. a day in the Catholic Church where we remember the life of a particular person – a Saint or Blessed. Frederic has the title, 'Blessed', meaning he is one step before officially being recognised as a Saint within the Catholic Church.
Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s legacy is considerable, thanks to his role in the founding and growth of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Arguably as important was his writing and advocacy that formed much of the groundwork of what is now mainstream modern-day Catholic social teaching and indeed many aspects of the modern-day welfare state. Ideas that were considered quite radical at the time amongst Frederic’s contemporaries in the Catholic, academic and political spheres of 1830s and 1840s France.
While studying and later teaching at the Sorbonne University in Paris, establishing and growing the St Vincent de Paul Society and devoting himself to family life with his wife and young daughter, Frederic wrote extensively on social issues.
He advocated strongly for the rights of workers.
France in the 1830s was in great turmoil, with opposing camps facing off against one another at various times in bloody, destructive conflict.
On one side was the born-to-rule conservatism of the monarchy, the elites, and many in the church, who had little interest in the plight of the barbarians in the slums, preferring a laissez-faire free market.
Diametrically opposing these were advocates of a radical socialism that saw the exploitation of the poor of Paris and sought to address this via destruction of all institutions, all expressions of faith, through violent revolution.
Frederic viewed neither as acceptable.
One side sought the good of the few, the elect, by maintaining the status quo of human misery in the slums and amongst the working class. The other sought the greater good, but one which would create further suffering by sacrificing rich and poor alike on the altar of social change, while doing little to address the social issues they claimed to solve.
Frederic advocated for a third way, that sought the common good and upheld the dignity of each person, and their right to work and provide for themselves and their families.
As he wrote to a friend of his in 1838:
“The question which divides men in our day is no longer a question of political forms, it is a social question-that of deciding whether the spirit of egotism or the spirit of sacrifice is to carry the day… There are many who already have too much, and who wish to possess still more; there are a greater number who have not enough, and who want to seize it if it is not given to them. Between these two classes of men a struggle is imminent, and it threatens to be terrible-on one side the power of gold, on the other the power of despair. It is between these two opposing armies that we must precipitate ourselves.”
Many of the reforms Frederic advocated for were seen as quite radical at the time, and, painfully for him, saw him denounced by many Catholics - these proposals included:
Abolition of slavery, which was still practiced in the French colonies at the time.
A natural wage – where, at the minimum, wages are set at a level that a worker can provide for a family. He argued that a worker was by nature entitled, at a minimum, to a wage sufficient to provide for necessities of life such as housing and food, their children’s education, and for the support of the worker in old age.
Workers’ rights to freely form unions, which he saw as a legitimate way poverty could be alleviated through mobilising workers to negotiate improved conditions and wages, as opposed to resorting to mob violence.
A pension for the retired and sick.
That education should be available and affordable for all workers, not just the rich.
All of these were to be in time embraced by the church, especially after 1891, when Pope Leo 13th wrote the encyclical “Rerum Novarum”, directly echoing the writings of Ozanam 50 years earlier.
With other voices also joining with Frederic to advocate positive change, much of what Ozanam wrote about has been also embraced as foundational elements of modern western democracy, and of Catholic Social Teaching.
The principles of Catholic Social Teaching address matters of social, political and economic justice in our world. Some of the key principles that guide us and many other organisations include:
The Dignity of the Human Person.
Being created in God’s image, every person is invaluable and worthy of respect. This is the bedrock principle of Catholic social teaching, and also forms the basis of Vincentian ethos and spiritualty.
Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable.
From its earliest days, the Church has taught that we will be judged by what we choose to do or not to do in regard to the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the homeless, the prisoner.
Solidarity.
We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. ‘Loving our neighbour’ means being called to act in solidarity with all people globally, not just our closest neighbours or those we identify more closely with.
The Common Good.
All people should be able to reach their full human potential and to realise their human dignity. Structures should be promoted that assist development for all – seeking the common good, as opposed to the “greater good”, which may leave individuals or groups behind for the benefit of the majority.
Subsidiarity.
That no higher level of organization should perform any function that can be handled efficiently and effectively at a lower level of organization by those closer to the problems and closer to the ground.
Human Equality.
Based in the simple principle of fairness; discrimination in fundamental rights goes against this principle.
Respect for Human Life.
Human life at every stage of development and decline is worthy of protection and respect.
Freedom of Association.
The capacity to freely associate with others in families and other social institutions that foster growth, protect dignity and promote the common good.
Participation.
All have a right and a duty to participate in society - not to be shut out from participating in those institutions that are necessary for human fulfilment.
Stewardship.
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation and have a moral responsibility for the protection of the environment.
These principles have been properly articulated in the past century or so, through the writings of Ozanam and others.
However, they were not an entirely new invention, but the result of centuries of Judeo-Christian teaching, scriptural reflection and works.
When Blessed Frederic Ozanam built upon this tradition through his works and his writings, these proved a prophetic forerunner to what would soon coalesce into modern Catholic Social Teaching.
Frederic believed in the principle of the common good and that society should be based on the revolutionary values of liberty, fraternity and equality.
While he provided charity to people in need through the Society, he also worked for the rights of those people – once saying:
“Charity is the Samaritan who pours oil on the wounds of the traveller who has been attacked. It is justice’s role however, to prevent the attack”.
He taught that both charity and justice were needed, that we need to care for people in need and to work for change to unjust structures.
Today, The Rule says: “The distinctive approach of Vincentians to issues of social justice is to see them from the perspective of those we visit who suffer from injustice.”, echoing Frederic’s words, which I will finish with:
“The knowledge of social well-being and reform is to be learnt, not from books, nor from the public platform, but in climbing the stairs to the poor man’s garret, sitting by his bedside, feeling the same cold that pierces him, sharing the secret of his lonely heart and troubled mind.
"When the conditions of the poor have been examined, in school, at work, in hospital, in the city, in the country, everywhere God has placed them, it is then and then only, that we know the elements of the formidable problem, that we begin to grasp it and may hope to solve it.”
ROHAN SMITH
MISSION & SPIRITUALITY LEAD