I thought that our Saint for today would make a good post when I heard his name mentioned on Catholic Radio today. I think it's important to remember that Saints come from all walks of life, not just clergy or vowed religious. Saints are sometimes those people who are "hidden in plain sight."
St. Benedict Joseph Labre was born in 1748 in France. He was the oldest of 15 children of a prosperous shopkeeper. He received his early education from an uncle who was a parish priest, until his uncle died in an epidemic. As a young man, he tried to join the Trappist Order, but he did not meet their requirements. He also was turned down by the Carthusians and the Cistercians.
Benedict then settled on a life of poverty and pilgrimage. He traveled to Rome on foot, living only on what he could get by begging. He also traveled to all the major shrines of Europe, sleeping on the ground and dressed in shabby clothes. When he received more than he needed by begging, he would share with those he deemed less fortunate. He is reported to have spoken rarely and prayed often - sometime having mystical experiences, swooning, levitating and even bilocating. He was also said to have cured other homeless people and to have multiplied their bread.
In his last years, he stayed in Rome and became a familiar figure around the city. The day before he died, he collapsed in the church of Santa Maria ai Monti. He was carried to a nearby house where he was administered the Last Rites. He died of malnutrition on April 16, 1783 at the age of 35. He is the patron Saint of beggars, hobos and the homeless - his feast day is April 16.
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