VincentWiki:Ephemerides/18 July

Paul Lamache born July 18, 1810

Paul Lamache was the oldest of the six students who came together to form the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He was also the last living member of the group. Born at Saint-Pierre Eglise in Normandy on July 18, 1810. Although less well-known today than his friend Frederic Ozanam, Lamache was a truly remarkable man who was recognized and respected in his day. Lamache died on July 28, 1892, in Grenoble. In a postmortem article, published on August 4, 1892 in the French newspaper Le Monde, Lamache was quoted describing his role in the founding of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul saying, “To tell the truth, not one of us, not even Ozanam, … could be described as the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul…. It is God and God alone who has done all. That is exactly why we have every reason to hope that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will live.”