Catholic author, educator, and apostle of charity, Antoine Frederic Ozanam was born April 23, 1813, in Milan, Italy. He attended the Royal College at Lyons, France, where he excelled in his studies, especially literature. Following his father's wishes, he began study for the practice of law, but the irreligious atmosphere at the school caused him great unhappiness. In 1833, having found among the students a few who, like himself, were eager to profess and defend the faith, Frederic and seven others organized themselves for the purpose of visiting and assisting the poor and distressed. Thus began the international organization now known as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frederic completed his legal studies and in 1839 the citizens of Lyon established a chair of commercial law for him. In 1841 he was appointed to the faculty of the Sorbonne in Paris, the second youngest person ever admitted to the faculty.

Frederic Ozanam was an eloquent, inspiring, and forceful teacher, loved by his students with whom he shared his love of the Catholic faith. A strong advocate of democracy, he wrote and lectured on the application of Catholic principles to social problems. Many of his ideas, such as the right of working peolple to earn a living wage, were considered radical in his time. His works of history and literary criticism filled 11 volumes and were posthumously published in 1862.

Frederic's health failed periodically and he was ordered to rest or travel. These trips afforded him the opportunity to visit widely scattered chapters of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. (The first American conference was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1845.) In 1853, accompanied by his wife and daughter, he toured Spain and parts of Italy. On this trip his health failed so seriously that other relatives were summoned. He was able to return to Marseilles, where he died on September 8.