Quote
“Showing compassion isn’t an option. That’s what we have to do with people in need. Especially when they are facing threats to their lives and they’re at our door.”
–Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, during a recess at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington. The hearing sought to discuss the root cause of the massive influx of child migrants to the U.S. and to examine possible solutions. (Catholic News Service)
Profile
Allyson Franco
Youth ministry leader, St. John Vianney Parish, Kailua
- Favorite food: A combination of Hawaiian and Mexican food because I love my ethnicities and their food!
- Saint: St. Jude, because my grandpa taught me so much about him and I have grown to pray to him.
- Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6
- Island: Kahoolawe
- Movie: “Pitch Perfect”
- Gave up for Lent: Sweets! I have a HUGE sweet tooth, but decided to give it up.
- Mac or PC: I grew up with a PC, but I would have to say MAC!
- Best church: St. John Vianney Parish, of course!
Saints under 40
Stoking the flames of faith
Frederic Ozanam was set on a path toward establishing his legacy while still a university student, when a fellow student challenged him to show his Catholic faith rather than just talk about it.
Ozanam, an expert at the latter — he would become known as a dynamic and popular speaker at the university, where he later taught — took his peer’s words to heart. Along with several other students, he laid the groundwork for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a ministry focusing on the poor that spread rapidly throughout Europe.
The scholar came from humble roots in Milan, Italy, where he was born in 1813. He entered Sorbonne, the revered university in Paris, in 1831; the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s roots were established just two years later. Ozanam’s life then moved quickly from graduation to professorship to marriage and fatherhood.
Ozanam became a lauded writer and staunch promoter of the faith, but could not overcome the tuberculosis that claimed his life in 1853. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997 during World Youth Day celebrations. (www.vatican.va, www.catholicstewardship.com)