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WORK TITLE: Antoine Frederic Ozanam
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
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NATIONALITY:
http://www.providence.edu/history/faculty/Pages/rsicking.aspx * https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-sickinger-1096a410/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | n 2017001536 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2017001536 |
| HEADING: | Sickinger, Raymond L., 1949- |
| 000 | 00444nz a2200121n 450 |
| 001 | 10348383 |
| 005 | 20170110212248.0 |
| 008 | 170110n| azannaabn |n aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 2017001536 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |
| 046 | __ |f 1949 |2 edtf |
| 100 | 1_ |a Sickinger, Raymond L., |d 1949- |
| 670 | __ |a Antoine Frédéric Ozanam, 2017: |b E-CIP t.p. (Raymond L. Sickinger) data view (b. 1949 ; chair of the Department of History and Classics at Providence College) |
PERSONAL
Born 1949.
EDUCATION:Providence College, B.A., 1971; University of Notre Dame, Ph.D., 1978.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Providence College, Providence, RI, professor of history and community service studies, 1974—, chair of history department. Appeared in documentary Supernatural Nazis: The Nazi Jesus.
MEMBER:Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (former national trustee, vice president, and president).
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including Vincentian Heritage, Journal of Popular Culture, and Parliamentary History.
SIDELIGHTS
Raymond Sickinger is affiliated with Providence College, where he serves as a professor in the school’s history department. He specializes in several periods and disciplines, including religious service, Napoleon, and Western society.
His book Antoine Frédéric Ozanam covers the teachings and life of its titular subject. Antoine Ozanam was alive during the 1800s and made great strides in Catholic scholarship. Sickinger covers the details of Ozanam’s life from beginning to end, detailing how he became the person he is known as today and what led him down his chosen path. Ozanam came into the world in the year 1813, and throughout his life he was forced to witness a slew of injustices the wealthy wrought against the lower classes, as well as the effects of the French Revolution on the public. Ozanam spent much of his life sympathizing with the plight of the poor and their efforts to create change. When he took up the mantle of religious work, Ozanam made it his mission to reach out to the poor as much as possible. He personally visited with multitudes of less fortunate individuals, and it is his experiences watching and speaking with the poor that shape the majority of his politics and scholarly works. He developed several ideas on how to best solve poverty-related issues, including making sure jobs were available for every individual. In 1833 Ozanam cofounded the charitable organization Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, which is still in existence.
In addition to explaining Ozanam’s social and political viewpoints, Sickinger also devotes much of the book to fleshing out who Ozanam was as an individual. He delves into Ozanam’s personal life on multiple dimensions, on both professional and personal levels. Sickinger also tries to underline Ozanam’s personal goals and fears, as well as how his inner world affected his decisions in life and within his career. Toward the end of the book, Sickinger explores how Ozanam’s philosophies went on to shape the ideas and theories of more modern scholars. A Publishers Weekly reviewer remarked that Antoine Frédéric Ozanam “effectively portrays Ozanam as a compassionate advocate for the poor.” On the Providence College website, a writer suggested: “This book will interest scholars wishing to know more about Ozanam and the period in which he lived.” Patheos contributor Mark Gordon commented: “Ozanam is a relatively unknown but important, even pivotal figure in the Church’s recent history.” He added: “Whether you are a Vincentian, Catholic Worker, both, or neither, I can’t think of a better introduction to the inspiring life and enduring legacy of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 10, 2017, review of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam, p. 67.
ONLINE
Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/ (January 17, 2018), author profile.
Patheos, http://www.patheos.com/ (May 16, 2017), Mark Gordon, “The Life of ‘An Apostle of Charity,’” review of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam.
Providence College, http://www.providence.edu/ (January 17, 2018), author profile; (January 17, 2018), review of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam.
Raymond Sickinger
Photo of faculty memberProfessor
Department Chairperson, History
Contact Information:
rsicking@providence.edu
401-865-2190
Ruane Center for the Humanities 215
Education:
Ph.D. - University of Notre Dame
Area(s) of Expertise:
Development of Western Civilization, The Era of Napoleon, Germany in the era of World War I and World War II, Service Learning, Faith and Service
Selected Publications:
Sickinger, Raymond. (2017). Antoine Frédéric Ozanam. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press.
Sickinger, Raymond. Apocalypse Now: Magic and the Millennium. Journal of Popular Culture, 34 (4), 183-194.
Sickinger, Raymond. Faith, Charity, Justice, and Civic Learning: The Lessons and Legacy of Frederic Ozanam. Vincentian Heritage Journal, 30 (1), 81-106. DePaul University.
Sickinger, Raymond. Hitler and The Occult: The Magical Thinking of Adolf Hitler. Journal of Popular Culture, 34 (2), 107-125.
Sickinger, Raymond. Regulation or Ruination: Parliament's Consistent Pattern of Mercantilist Regulation of the English Textile Trade: 1660 1800. Parliamentary History, 19 (2), 211-232.
Sickinger, Raymond. (2014). "Frederic Ozanam: Systemic Thinking, Systemic Change. Vincentian Heritage, 32 (1) De Paul University.
Recent Presentations:
Sickinger, Raymond., Annual De Paul University Ozanam lecture, Vincentian Studies Institute, De Paul University , "“Frédéric Ozanam, Systemic Thinking, and Systemic Change.”". April, 2013.
Sickinger, Raymond., Vincentian Family Gathering, Indianapolis, IN, "Vincentian Family Together Building Bridges Out of Poverty". October, 2011.
Sickinger, Raymond., National Faith, Justice, and Civic Learning Conference, Chicago, IL, "The Legacy and Lessons of Frederic Ozanam". June, 2009.
Sickinger, Raymond., Society of Catholic Social Scientists, Jamaica, Queens, NY, "Service, Democracy, and the Common Good in 19th Century France: The Example of Frederic Ozanam". October, 2007.
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Antoine Frederic Ozanam
Publishers Weekly.
264.15 (Apr. 10, 2017): p67. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Antoine Frederic Ozanam
Raymond Sickinger. Univ. of Notre Dame, $60 (460p) ISBN 978-0-268-10142-8
Sickinger, history and classics chair at Providence College, unveils the life of an early-19th- century Catholic who is surprisingly relevant to modern times. Ozanam was a devout French Catholic, a prominent scholar, and the principal founder of the lay Catholic charity St. Vincent de Paul. He lived through a turbulent era. Born in 1813, Ozanam saw the devastations wrought on workers by the wealthy and came to support many of the goals of France's 1848 revolutionaries (though never socialism). Sickinger meticulously shows how, through visiting and supporting the poor, Ozanam became an advocate of ideas considered radical in his day, such as trade unionism, progressive taxation, and a guaranteed job. Ozanam sought, both as a medieval scholar and social reformer, a central place for Catholicism in a society he saw as both spiritually and materially lacking. Unfortunately, though Sickinger hints at problems in Ozanam's life, he glosses over what readers might find most compelling in a saint (he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997): a full examination of his struggles and flaws. At times Sickinger's Ozanam feels larger than life, but the book also effectively portrays Ozanam as a compassionate advocate for the poor and deftly highlights the powerful lessons in this 19thcentury saint's witness. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Antoine Frederic Ozanam." Publishers Weekly, 10 Apr. 2017, p. 67. PowerSearch,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490319313/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=05f5cb6e. Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490319313
1 of 1 12/24/17, 12:10 PM
About the Book
Raymond Sickinger's biography of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam is more than a chronological account of Ozanam’s relatively brief but extraordinary life. It is also a comprehensive study of a man who touched many lives as a teacher, writer, and principal founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Ozanam's life encompassed a particularly turbulent time in French history, and he was a witness to two major political upheavals—the overthrow of the Bourbon dynasty that brought Louis Philippe to power in 1830, and the end of Louis Philippe's "Bourgeois Monarchy" as a result of the 1848 Revolutions. This book examines Ozanam's life in a variety of ways. First, it explores the various roles he played throughout his life—son, sibling, student, member of and an inspiration for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, spouse and father, scholar, and spokesperson for the common people. Second, it examines the lessons he learned in his life, including the importance of friendship, the meaning of solidarity, and the role and purpose of suffering, among many others that he shares with those who study his thought and work. It concludes with an account of Ozanam's enduring legacy.
Antoine Frédéric Ozanam feared that he would not have a fruitful career, but his legacy remains a powerful testimony to his greatness. This book will interest scholars wishing to know more about Ozanam and the period in which he lived, as well as a wider audience including those who are aware or are members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
The Life of “An Apostle of Charity”
May 16, 2017 by Mark Gordon
0 Comments
Book jacket. Copyright University of Notre Dame Press. Used with permission.
Book jacket. Copyright University of Notre Dame Press. Used with permission.
Antoine Frédéric Ozanam
by Raymond Sickinger
412 pages, University of Notre Dame Press
$60.00
Raymond Sickinger, a professor of history at Providence College, has written an impressive new biography of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, the mid-19th Century French layman who Pope St. John Paul II called an “apostle of charity” and “a precursor of the social doctrine of the Church.” As a 20 year-old student, Ozanam founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a lay Catholic apostolate focused on providing person-to-person service to the poor. The name of the organization was taken from the 17th Century “apostle to the poor,” the priest Vincent de Paul. Today, the Society is a global movement with 800,000 members, known as Vincentians, in 140 countries.
Sickinger’s most important contribution here is his rigorous scholarship. In this book, he has clarified the details of Frédéric’s life and work, sweeping away much of the hagiographical detritus that has grown up around Ozanam. Over the course of many years, Sickinger pored through primary material, much of it gleaned from records at the headquarters of the International Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris, and at the Sorbonne itself. The result for readers interested in the origins of the Society is a much clearer, more deeply human portrait of Frédéric as son, student, husband, father, friend, sufferer, and devoted servant of the poor. Thanks to Sickinger’s faithfulness to his authentic subject – which is to say, the man himself, not the image of the man – this book is sure to become the definitive biography of Ozanam for decades, if not longer.
What Sickinger’s book also reveals is that Ozanam lived in a time very much like our own, when many of the same questions about poverty, inequality, and injustice – and the dangers that flow from them – were roiling the West, including France. Ozanam himself gives a flavor of his times in passages like this:
“The question that divides the men of our time is no longer a matter of political forms, but rather a social question. The issue is to know who will triumph: the spirit of egoism or the spirit of sacrifice; or whether society will be either a large-scale exploitation for the good of the strongest, or a consecration of each person for the good of all, and especially for the protection of the weakest. Many men have too much and want even more; there are also many more who do not have enough, or who have nothing, and who want to take what others do not give them. Between these two types of men, a struggle is being prepared, and it promises to be terrible. On the one side is the power of gold; on the other, the power of despair.”
But it wasn’t just Ozanam who was analyzing the decomposition of society and formulating a response. In England, Karl Marx was gathering his prodigious descriptive and prescriptive abilities into an explosive ideology which would burst upon the world in 1848 with the publication of The Communist Manifesto (and, it is worth noting, an obscure book titled The Class Struggles in France, published in 1850). Of course, though analyzing the same social phenomena, Marx and Ozanam came to very different conclusions about what to do. Marx, the materialist, foresaw and encouraged “the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.” Ozanam, the Catholic, discovered “our Christian duty to intervene between these irreconcilable enemies.”
In a brilliant and most valuable chapter titled “Systemic Thinking and Systemic Change,” Sickinger traces Ozanam’s theory of Christian intervention as both a platform for advocacy (justice) and a practical program of direct action (charity). Where Marx saw the “proletariat” as a single engine in the complex machinery of a vast dialectical process, Ozanam saw the poor as individual persons; and more, as his masters! Where Marx foresaw both justice and charity as end-products of the inevitable historical triumph of the working classes, Ozanam saw justice in a peaceful restoration of social equilibrium and charity in a Christian bringing food and clothing to his destitute neighbors. Sickinger shows how these and other seeds of Ozanam’s theory and praxis served as a basis for Catholic Social Teaching, beginning with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, and continuing to this day. He also demonstrates that these seeds evolved into the strong root of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s work as it approaches its 200th anniversary.
Finally, in his chapter, “An Enduring Legacy,” Sickinger highlights Ozanam’s influence on Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, both directly and indirectly through the work of the French personalist Emmanuel Mounier, who was himself a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul:
In her 1939 book, House of Hospitality, Day commented: “I have been reading a lot of Ozanam lately.” Day found Ozanam’s thoughts and actions compelling. She and … Peter Maurin firmly believed “that the work is more important than the talking and writing about the work. It has always been through the performance of the works of mercy that love is expressed, that people are converted, that the masses are reached.” Citing several passages taken directly from Ozanam’s writings, Day concluded that “in season and out of season, he [Ozanam] pleaded for ‘the annihilation of the political sprit in the interests of the social spirit'” Ozanam’s influence on the Catholic Worker Movement also extends beyond Day’s comments in her 1939 book. Peter Maurin, for example, was profoundly influenced by the thought of the 20th Century French philosopher and theologian Emmanuel Mounier … the founder of the French School of personalism, [who] was profoundly influenced by Frédéric Ozanam. As a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Grenoble, Mounier first actively experienced poverty and gained a deeper understanding of the terrible conditions in which many workers lived. Mounier openly praised Ozanam as one of the few Catholic intellectuals of his time to recognize that the Catholic Church had to embrace the issue of poverty.
Ozanam is a relatively unknown but important, even pivotal figure in the Church’s recent history. Whether you are a Vincentian, Catholic Worker, both, or neither, I can’t think of a better introduction to the inspiring life and enduring legacy of Antoine Frédéric Ozanam. Buy it here.