While away at school, at first he suffered a great deal from homesickness and unsuitable company in boarding house surroundings. But after moving in with the family of the renowned Andre-Marie Ampere where he stayed for two years, he had not only the nourishment of a very Christian and intellectual environment, but also the opportunity to meet some of the bright lights of the Catholic Revival like Chateaubriand, Montalembert, Lacordaire and Ballanche. It was at this time that Frédéric’s attraction to history took on the dimensions of a life’s task as apologist… His aim was to help restore Catholicism to France where materialism and rationalism, irreligion and anti-clericalism prevailed. It was not long before Ozanam found the climate of the University hostile to Christian belief.