Fort Worth Diocesan Council

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Feast Day of Saint Vincent de Paul:
Sept. 27

St. Vincent was born of poor parents in the village of Pouy in Gascony, France, about 1580. He enjoyed his first schooling under the Franciscan Fathers at Acqs. Such had been his progress in four years that a gentleman chose him as subpreceptor to his children, and he was thus enabled to continue his studies without being a burden to his parents. In 1596, he went to the University of Toulouse for theological studies, and there he was ordained priest in 1600.

It would be impossible to enumerate all the works of this servant of God. CHARITY was his predominant virtue. It extended to all classes of persons, from forsaken childhood to old age. The Sisters of Charity also owe the foundation of their congregation to St. Vincent. In the midst of the most distracting occupations his soul was always intimately united with God. Though honored by the great ones of the world, he remained deeply rooted in humility. The Apostle of Charity, the immortal Vincent de Paul, breathed his last in Paris at the age of eighty.

Feast Day of Blessed Frederick Ozanam
Sept. 9

Frederick Ozanam was born in 1813 and grew up in Lyon, France. While still very young he went to study law at the University of Paris. He found that some of his professors were hostile to Catholic teaching and Frederick took them on defending the Church at every opportunity. His faith meant everything to him and it held top priority in his life!
At the age of 20 he longed to affirm his faith in other ways than with the spoken and written word. With a few friends Frederick decided to put his faith into practice and help the poor and underprivileged. They decided to start "Conference of Charity" to assist the poor. In a short time, they changed their name to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul after their patron. Frederic chose St. Vincent de Paul as the patron saint of his new Society for he said, "Even the revolutionaries admired St. Vincent, they forgave him the crime of having loved God." Frederic also had a true devotion to the Blessed Mother and regarded her as the Patroness of the Society. These young people also made the acquaintance of Sister Rosalie Rendu, D.C., a Daughter of Charity living in Paris, who led them to visit the poor of the visiting neighborhood.

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