April 16 + Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special little ones. Born in 1748 in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle who was a parish priest. Because of his poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. At the age of 16, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the dismay of his relatives.

Benedict became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he was called “the poor man of the Forty Hours devotion” and “the beggar of Rome.” The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he did. His excuse to himself was that “our comfort is not in this world.”

On April 16, 1783, Benedict dragged himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed in a nearby house, dying peacefully at the age of 35. Immediately after his death, the people proclaimed him a saint. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.