Benoît Joseph Labre

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St. Benoîts death mask

Benoît Joseph Labre , also Benedikt Joseph Labre (born March 26, 1748 in Amettes , today in the Pas-de-Calais department ; † April 16, 1783 in Rome ) was a holy pilgrim and mystic .

Life

As a son from a well-to-do family, he was originally supposed to be a priest. But after being a poor student, this goal seemed unattainable. At the age of 18 he was turned away by the Carthusians in Neuville-sous-Montreuil. At the age of 21 he was accepted into the Cistercian Abbey of Sept-Fonts . Due to illness, however, he could not attain consecration here either. With the Trappists he was accepted into the community, but inexplicable fears soon arose and he fled the monastery.

In 1770, after his recovery, Benoît set out on a pilgrimage to Rome. He wrote to his parents that he “finally found his calling”. For over 7 years he made a pilgrimage through Europe to visit important Christian sites. Refusing alms as well, he then lived another 6 years in extreme self-denial in Rome. Completely exhausted, he died on April 16, 1783 on the steps of the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti in Rome, where his remains are venerated as relics . When the poor beggar was buried, the streets of Rome were lined with innumerable believers. In the following three months, 136 healing miracles performed by Benoît Joseph were verified.

Aftermath

Stained glass in Monaghan Cathedral by Earley & Powell. The left window shows him saying goodbye to the Trappists, the right window shows Labre on the day of his death. In the middle he is shown with the walking stick, his bag and the rosary.

When James Donnelly, Bishop of Clogher , first came to Rome in 1867, he visited the tomb of Labre, held a mass there, and prayed for the completion of his cathedral in Monaghan , whose construction had stalled due to financial difficulties. He made a promise to commemorate Labre in his cathedral when it is completed and Labre is canonized. The promise was implemented in 1892 with a glass painting dedicated to Labre and a marble statue in the corridor to the chapter house.

Benoît Joseph was born in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. canonized . In Rome he is one of the most popular saints. He is considered the saint of the homeless .

In 1943, as a protest against the Nazi regime, Reinhold Schneider published his story Before the Horror , which Labre presents as an example of credible Christianity.

Facilities

The Caritas meeting place in Trier therefore bears his name as the Benedikt-Labre-Haus. In Cologne, a homeless aid organization bears the name Benedikt-Labre-Hilfe, in Munich there are the “Sisters and Brothers of Saint Benedict Labre eV” In Graz (Austria), the VinziDorf Benedict Labre, which has existed for 20 years, is dedicated. In VinziDorf, people who had previously lived on the streets for years have found a new home in residential containers. VinziDorf founder is the pastor Wolfgang Pucher, whose organization VinziWerke meanwhile operates 33 facilities for people on the margins of society (beggars, Roma, alcoholics, etc.).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Josef Duffy: The Stained Glass . In: Eltin Griffin (Ed.): A Cathedral Renewed: St Macartan's, Monaghan . The Columba Press, Blackrock 1998, ISBN 1-85607-251-7 , pp. 75-84 , pp. 76-77 .
  2. ^ Josef Duffy: A Patron for Passers-by: Benedict Joseph Labre . In: Eltin Griffin (Ed.): A Cathedral Renewed: St Macartan's, Monaghan . The Columba Press, Blackrock 1998, ISBN 1-85607-251-7 , pp. 85-88 .
  3. ↑ http://www.benedikt-labre.de

Web links

Commons : Benoît Joseph Labre  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Labre, Benoît Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Labre, Benedict Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION holy pilgrim and mystic
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1748
PLACE OF BIRTH Amettes
DATE OF DEATH April 16, 1783
Place of death Rome