Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

Benedict Joseph Labre was born in 1748 at Amettes in northern France, the eldest of fifteen children. He longed to be a monk, but the Trappists, Carthusians and Cistercians all turned him away or sent him home because of his health and temperament. At last he understood that God was calling him to a different path: to be a poor pilgrim, without home or possessions.

For years he walked thousands of miles to shrines across Europe, including Loreto, Assisi, Einsiedeln and Santiago de Compostela, sleeping outdoors, wearing rags and living on alms, which he often shared with other poor people. He settled in Rome, where he slept in the ruins of the Colosseum and spent long hours in adoration, especially at the Forty Hours devotion. Exhausted, he collapsed on the steps of Santa Maria dei Monti and died on April 16, 1783, during Holy Week. Many miracles followed, and he was canonized in 1881.

Benedict Joseph is buried in Santa Maria dei Monti in Rome, near where he died. He is a patron for the homeless and for those living with mental illness, and many shelters and soup kitchens bear his name, including in the United States.