A Saint for Those with Mental Illness — Part II (Conclusion)

By Timothy Duff, STM

St. Benedict Joseph Labre is singularly the patron Saint of the mentally ill in these latter days. This is the second of two articles about St. Benedict Joseph Labre. Read the first article, "A Saint for Those With Mental Illness — Part I."

There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. (Isaiah 53:2-3) 

The words stigma and stigmata are closely associated for a reason, as the Suffering Servant was stigmatized. And if man failed to see God in the face of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, how much more do we in 2025 still miss Our Lord in the being of those with mental illness? We still judge, ridicule, and reject by appearance and behavior. When someone repulses us with a raggedy appearance, an odious stench, eccentric, obsessive mannerisms, babbling, drooling speech, rants or threats, and wild gestures, we hide our faces and cross the street. Even if someone seems to be in a benign trance or whispering with an invisible person, we will at least cautiously bypass them. We fear the outlander and hurry to that we consider normal by human standards. Are these people seen as the lepers of today? We must ask Our Lord to help us be present to them.

Only God appreciated his Servant’s true greatness. (see Isaiah 53:2). Often, only God sees beyond the outward appearance and into the soul that radiates love.

Not a pretty saint: the unwashed beggar for Christ

 The room where the saint died is now a small chapel where the relics of his life are kept. His clothes still hang like rags in the reliquary on the wall.

Chapel of St. Benedict Joseph Labre

Let’s take a physical look at St. Benedict Joseph Labre: his uncovered and unkempt red hair and beard. A rosary around his neck. A large crucifix at his breast. His eyes always cast down. Arms crossed and holding another rosary in his hand. A knapsack over his shoulder which contained his Bible, The Imitation of Christ and the four volumes of his breviary. 

His extreme poverty would distinguish him from all the other beggars. His clothes were only sufficient to cover his body for the sake of modesty and not adequate to defend him against the cold. His trousers, stockings and a coat with sleeves were so ragged that their parts hung in pieces. Tied round his waist was a cord. His shoes were worn out and open so that his toes were bare to the rain and snow. His clothes were never washed or changed. Dirty and stinky. He was constantly under attack by an army of vermin and lice.

A beggar who never begged; but ate from the garbage heaps, living off discarded scraps and peels of food. To the world, this bundle of rags was considered a failure, an eccentric! 

He was called a fanatic, a crazy madman. Mud and stones were thrown at him which drew blood. He was despised, mocked and rejected and even imprisoned unjustly.

One day, while Benedict Joseph was walking along the road, he came across another beggar who had been mugged and left bleeding on the street. Our saint went to help him with his wounds but was mistakenly accused by the police for hurting the man. He was taken away and it was only a short time later that they realized they had made a mistake and released poor Benedict Joseph.

In truth, Benedict Joseph lived as a Trappist monk, whose Monastery was the world, where he lived out the rule of the order he had chosen and loved in his youth.

His refectory: the garbage heaps. His cell: under the stars and his chapel, every shrine in Europe and every church in Rome. The best way to sum up St. Benedict Joseph Labre:

He was the personification of the rejected suffering Christ!  Fr. Marconi, his confessor, described our pilgrim as, “the object of the angel’s veneration and the good pleasure of God himself.”

The image below is called “The Holy Wayfarer” and was painted for the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre by an artist who wished to remain anonymous. It depicts our patron walking from Loreto which is pictured in the background.

My 25-year study of his life, traveling around to holy places in Europe, the United States and Canada honoring our saint; reading and talking with people who are associated with him in some way prove to me that he lived continually in the presence of the Blessed Trinity. Pope Leo XIII called St. Benedict Joseph, "holiness itself" and the famous artist Antonio Cavallucci was so taken by his face that he painted St. Benedict Joseph Labre more than twice and even used his face to paint pictures of Christ. Below is a copy of the actual portrait of St. Benedict Joseph painted by the famous artist back in the eighteenth century. Antionio  Cavallucci was so deeply moved by his face that he called our patron, “The Incarnation of Mysticism.” The original is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in Massachusetts.

The famous picture by Cavallucci below is called "The Incarnation of Mysticism"

Our exceptional Patron

Our patron is extraordinarily special. I believe God has chosen St. Benedict Joseph Labre to have a future role in the Church — perhaps even in our lifetime. Allow me to explain: many saints are mystics who have had moments of ecstasy. This means that through the grace of God alone, they have been given a glimpse of the heavenly realities. The Catholic Encyclopedia gives a definition. New Advent is a website that places these volumes as an internet resource. Here is an excerpt on the experience of ecstasy: 

“Supernatural ecstasy may be defined as a state which, while it lasts, includes two elements: the one, interior and invisible, when the mind rivets its attention on a religious subject; the other, corporeal and visible, when the activity of the senses is suspended, so that not only are external sensations incapable of influencing the soul, but considerable difficulty is experienced in awakening such sensation, and this whether the ecstatic himself desires to do so, or others attempt to quicken the organs into action. That quite a large number of the saints have been granted ecstasies is attested by hagiology; and nowadays even free-thinkers are slow to deny historical facts that rest on so solid a basis.”

Many saints had moments of ecstasy. St. Benedict Joseph Labre, on the other hand, lived in this state for most of his adult life. This was evident by many extraordinary events that took place. Our patron would often be witnessed kneeling for hours at a time even though he had massive tumors on his knees. It was documented that the janitor of Santa Maria ai Monti would leave a corner of the Church un-swept because Benedict Joseph would be seen in prayer the back corner of the Church levitating off the ground. There were many witnesses who shared that they have seen our saint in ecstasy before images and statues of Jesus and Mary.

Another miracle used for canonization

A year or so before his death, St. Benedict Joseph Labre gathered some of the local beggars to be present with him on Holy Thursday who were all hungry and had little to no food. Our saint held up his bowl in prayer and suddenly was transfixed into Jesus Christ in front of them and all of their bowls were instantly filled with food. This is displayed in a beautiful portrait in front of his tomb at the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti in Rome.

An example for our time

Angelo Cardinal Comastri, the territorial prelate to Loreto at the time and then a cardinal, wrote a pastoral letter in honor of the Jubilee year 2000 from Loreto, Italy where the famous shrine to Our Lady resides. He held out St. Benedict Joseph Labre and St. Therese Lisieux together as “The Saints” for the new millennium. Both saints maintained their baptismal innocence throughout their life and their examples should be followed for great holiness. Moreover, in our fast-paced and stressful culture where the focus is on materialism, these two souls were empty for God. They both had personal emotional healing. The cardinal is holding them out as an answer to the psychological troubles of our time. Caryll Houselander, the great spiritual psychologist was known for helping people with emotional problems. In her book “Guilt” she too links St. Benedict Joseph Labre and St. Therese of Lisieux together for the same reasons. More information about Carol Houselander is on Wikipedia.

A modern-day miracle

Shortly after we founded the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre on April 16th, 1996 which was also Easter Sunday, we read in a magazine about a miracle that happened on the same day (when we were founded) at the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti, Rome, Italy where our patron’s tomb resides. The story was told of a priest who was miraculously cured while offering Mass. Years before, this man was made blind by being bludgeoned over the head while being mugged. Once he recovered from his injuries, the priest’s mother had to teach him to read Braille so he could continuing offer his Masses. He received his sight back on our patron’s feast day while praying and offering Mass in his Church. When we read this story we felt that God was confirming our heartfelt decision to found the Apostolate. But more importantly, we felt in our heart that “our Benedict” was still very much a saint for our time today.

Our prayers and St. Benedict Joseph Labre

Through my work with the apostolate of the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre, I have come to understand “the spirit of prayer” as expressed by our saint. After these years of prayer and research this is what I have concluded from his spirituality and life:

What do you do when you are concerned about someone? Simply put, you have a conversation and express your concerns. The same can be said about prayer. Prayer is a love conversation. By raising our hearts and minds to God, we enter into the love conversation of the Blessed Trinity. We express our concerns about the other to God and His response to us is love turned to us and to the other in the form of grace and strength. This happens in whatever way God deems best.

As a Catholic chaplain and pastoral care educator, I often spoke of what is called the pastoral dimension in spiritual care. Every time we connect with another human being, all of us have the opportunity to commune with the Trinity. Keep in mind these three points: 1. First there is the relationship between you and the person you are relating or ministering towards. 2. That person has a pre-existing relationship with God. 3. Consider your own relationship with God and ask yourself: why has God allowed me to have this encounter with this person? What is God saying to me? Where is God in this pastoral encounter? This is what is known as a theological reflection.

Our saint personified this to a mystical degree and lived in the presence of the Trinity every day of his life. This was his spirituality. In almost everything I researched and read, it was said of our patron: he did not say much, but once you met him, he left a presence so strong that you never forgot him. One of the things St. Benedict Joseph Labre did say: "In order to love God, every Christian must have three hearts in one. A heart of fire for God, a heart of flesh for our neighbor and a heart of bronze for ourselves.

Our Guild too, through St. Benedict Joseph Labre's example, is constantly in a love conversation with God. We understand the need to pray for one another, especially when a person is unable to do so. This is how we share the love and compassion of Jesus through the example of our patron.

We have found that St. Benedict Joseph is the best example for anyone who is searching to understand the importance and meaning of prayer in one’s life. Whenever he entered a town, he made it his first priority to go to confession. He knew the value of spiritual guidance and he was always obedient to his confessor. We use this example of our patron’s life to further understand our own life’s pilgrimage. He shows us that the Holy Spirit is needed to make life’s most important decisions.

Called to holiness — sanctify our sufferings 

We know from his canonization processes that St. Benedict Joseph suffered from a deep dark depression. He had been rejected as a candidate for religious life on more than ten occasions. They feared for his sanity and health. He had difficulty because in his heart and mind, he felt that God had rejected him. He would not even receive communion. This must have been a time when his emotions did not allow him to converse with God. But it was also a great time of grace. He would eventually find great healing.

He said: “Courage! Illness is a greater grace from God than health. Many saints have desired to suffer the things that you suffer…but have not been able to do…” St. Benedict Joseph Labre’s mental suffering would become a great means for holiness. At his canonization, Pope Leo XIII called our patron, “holiness itself!”

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (aka Mother Teresa) states that mental illness is represented by Jesus’ crown of thorns. Our Guild encourages its members to reflect and pray with our patron. They have in their power the means for sanctity. They are called to become another Christ (with God’s Grace); for, that is what a saint is. They are another Christ in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and in the refuge of mental sufferings. Let us take Mother Teresa’s words to heart and often meditate on Jesus’ crown of thorns. 

Benefits and graces of Guild membership — Don't forget to sign up if you haven't

Our Lady, Mother of the Mentally Ill

Abundant graces flow to our members from all of this prayer support. Prayers are being offered almost continuously by many religious communities all over the world. They petition God on our behalf asking for the sanctification of all the suffering and experiences from mental illness. Our members, their families and their friends are remembered in their personal prayers. They hold us in their hearts to share love and compassion.

We are all placed under the mantle of the Merciful Mother of the mentally ill. She takes all of our life’s experiences and presents them to Her Divine Son. She herself is constantly conversing with the Trinity on our behalf.

In addition, the Guild has been entered into many prayer associations at holy places. In particular, a list of our members is placed in the altar vault of the Holy House in Loreto, Italy. The Holy House of Loreto is the actual house where the Annunciation and Incarnation took place. This was our patron’s favorite place. His love compelled him to go there because he knew that the Holy Family was the perfect reflection of the Blessed Trinity on earth. We are all called to follow in our patron’s footsteps.

Another way to understand St. Benedict Joseph is to see him as “Prayer” embodied in a man. Again, we learnt from Pope Leo XIII that our patron was: “holiness itself.” That’s it then! Prayer is our route to holiness! We have one of the best examples to follow. Come get to know the heart of our patron, St. Benedict Joseph Labre: the man with the triple heart. One of Fire, One of Flesh and One of Bronze; that is, to love God, to love your neighbor and to possess strength to deny yourself. Bring in the feast day of St. Benedict Joseph Labre on April 16th.

Our Guild Logo

THE THREE HEARTS depict the words of St. Benedict Joseph: "To love God properly we need three hearts in one: a heart of fire for God, flesh for our neighbor and of bronze for ourselves". 

IN THE HOLY HOUSE of Loreto in Loreto, Italy one would often find St. Benedict Joseph. Our patron would go on pilgrimage there, particularly during Holy Week. He had the greatest love for Our Lady of Loreto, and we do too. 

JESUS' CROWN of thorns represents the struggles of those persons with mental illness. St. Mother Teresa said, "Mental illness represents Jesus' crown of thorns." 

THE HOLY EUCHARIST — St. Benedict Joseph was referred to as: "The Lover of the Blessed Sacrament," and "Poor Man of the Forty Hours." Here, in the center of Jesus' crown of thorns is a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. It is the Guild's wish to rekindle that fire of love for the Blessed Sacrament here in the United States and around the world. 

Did you enjoy this article? Read the first installment of the life of our Saint, at "A Saint for Those With Mental Illness (Part I)."

The Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre

Our mission is: We bring the healing love of Christ to our brothers and sisters who wear the "crown of thorns" of mental and emotional suffering; we are their prayerful spiritual support.

Come join us with thousands who pray and spiritually advocate to God for their wellbeing. Visit our website to learn more: www.Guildbjlabre.org.

Timothy Duff is the co-founder of the guild and has spent over thirty years researching the life of St. Benedict Joseph Labre and has traveled abroad to do so. Timothy may be emailed at: guildbjlabre@gmail.com

 Read our related articles,

"A Saint for Those With Mental Illness (Part I)."

"Why Mental Illness Should be Understood From a Catholic Approach."

"Can a Mentally Ill Person Become a Saint?"