Sr. Betty Ann McNeil, D.C. gave a lecture about her recently published book Balm of Hope. Sr. Betty Ann a scholar in residence at DePaul University. Sr. McNeil’s discovery of 500 pages of handwritten memoirs by Daughters of Charity Civil War nurses led her into a multi-year project to transcribe, annotate, index, and publish Balm of Hope: Charity Afire Impels Daughters of Charity Civil War Nurses. This compendium includes: 1. Notes of the Sisters’ Services in Military Hospitals; 2. Civil War Recollections and Accounts; and 3. Correspondence. The texts invite readers to listen to courageous women reminisce in their own words about nursing amid the ravages of war.
lecture
DRMA Spring Lecture 2015
Title: Romantic Catholics: Frédéric and Amélie Ozanam, Marriage, and the Catholic Social Vocation
Speaker: Carol Harrison, Ph.D. professor of History at the University of South Carolina. Author of the book: Romantic Catholics: France’s Post-revolutionary Generation in Search of a Modern Faith.
Marriage to Amélie Soulacroix in 1841 transformed Frédéric Ozanam’s sense of his obligations to the society in which he lived. The sacrament of marriage in general and the particular marital relationship that Amélie and Frédéric developed were central to his understanding of the Catholic social vocation. The younger Ozanam valued fraternal ties among male friends above all, and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, founded in 1836, reflected this attachment to an egalitarian world of bachelor men. As Amélie’s husband, however, Frédéric came to see society as analogous to the family and he perceived his obligations to society as parallel those he owed his family: love, respect, and care for the weak. Ozanam carried this mature view of society into the Revolution of 1848, and it informed his confidence that French Catholics could participate in the work of the new republic by directing it toward a social mission that drew on charitable traditions infused with a modern sense of justice and democracy.
DRMA Spring Lecture, 2015
Title: Romantic Catholics: Frédéric and Amélie Ozanam, Marriage, and the Catholic Social Vocation
Speaker: Carol Harrison, Ph.D. professor of History at the University of South Carolina. Author of the book: Romantic Catholics: France’s Post-revolutionary Generation in Search of a Modern Faith.
Marriage to Amélie Soulacroix in 1841 transformed Frédéric Ozanam’s sense of his obligations to the society in which he lived. The sacrament of marriage in general and the particular marital relationship that Amélie and Frédéric developed were central to his understanding of the Catholic social vocation. The younger Ozanam valued fraternal ties among male friends above all, and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, founded in 1836, reflected this attachment to an egalitarian world of bachelor men. As Amélie’s husband, however, Frédéric came to see society as analogous to the family and he perceived his obligations to society as parallel those he owed his family: love, respect, and care for the weak. Ozanam carried this mature view of society into the Revolution of 1848, and it informed his confidence that French Catholics could participate in the work of the new republic by directing it toward a social mission that drew on charitable traditions infused with a modern sense of justice and democracy.
DRMA Winter Quarter Lecture 2015, The Gondi: Family Strategy And Survival In Early Modern France
This lecture was presented at DePaul University on March 11, 2015 in the Richardson Library.
Notwithstanding widespread French admiration for Italian culture in the sixteenth century, Italian influence at the heart of French government aroused xenophobic antagonism amongst many in French society. The Gondi: Family Strategy and Survival in Early Modern France throws light on this complex relationship by offering the first detailed examination of the Gondi, one of the most powerful of the Italian families active during this period. The Gondi family played a leading part in the finance, government, church and military affairs of the nation, and were indispensable counselors to the French monarchy. Based on my new archival findings, this lecture will detail the family’s use of patronage, financial acumen, and other strengths and tactical strategies which allowed them to maintain control and influence in France during the turbulent Wars of Religion. In 1612, St. Vincent de Paul entered the services of the Gondi family as tutor to the children of Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi and his wife, Françoise Marguerite de Silly. He also served as Françoise Marguerite’s spiritual guide and confessor and was active as a missionary on the Gondi estates. One of the children tutored by St. Vincent, Jean-François Paul de Gondi, grew up to be the historically notable Cardinal de Retz, author of Mémoires du Cardinal de Retz, published posthumously in 1717.
Newsnote: The Little Ice Age and the 17th century
Here is a great Youtube video with a ten minute presentation on the “Little Ice Age” and its impact on the 17th century world, including France.
Unaffiliated Lay Vincentians: Trends & Opportunities For The Vincentian Family
How do young adults fit within the larger Vincentian Family? In 2013, DePaul’s Office of Mission & Values (OMV) commissioned a survey of “unaffiliated lay Vincentians,” young adults, ages 18-35, who have had a formative experience in the Vincentian mission either as a student or post-graduate volunteer at a Vincentian institution. Dr. Scott Kelley, assistant vice president for Vincentian Scholarship for OMV, shares the survey’s results & what they mean for the larger Vincentian Family.
Lecture on Jansenism
This may be of interest to some of you, Dr. Brian Strayer presented a lecture at DePaul University on: “Jansenism: Its Key Figures, Themes, and Relevance Today”
Jansenism: Its Key Figures, Themes, and Relevance Today
This is a recording of the Fall Quarter DRMA Lecture that took place at DePaul University. The lecturer was Brian Strayer, Ph.D. from Andrews University.
Writing a Global History of the Daughters of Charity
On Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Matthieu Brejon de Lavergnée presented a lecture on the History of the Daughters of Charity. This was recorded on site at the Richardson Library.
Our Good Will and Honest Efforts
This podcast originally aired in September of 2007. This podcast was written and read by Rev. Edward Udovic, C.M.,Ph.D.