A representation of the sorrowful mendicant, Benedict Joseph Labre.

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748 - 1783) was a French mendicant and Roman Catholic saint. The oldest of fifteen children, he was born in Amettes, near Arras in the north of France, and was religious from a very early age. He was noted for performing public acts of penance for his sins, even minor sins. At the age of sixteen, he attempted to join the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians, but each order rejected him as unsuitable for communal life. Image File history File links Labre. ... Image File history File links Labre. ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The term mendicant refers to begging or otherwise relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely exclusively on charity to survive. ... The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the Christian Church whose visible and spiritual head on Earth (representing Jesus Christ) is the Pope, currently Pope Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ... In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Penance is the actual name of the Catholic Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (also called Confession). ... Sin has been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disregard for the norms revealed by God is a sin. ... The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, or Trappists, are a Roman Catholic religious order, and follow the Rule of St. ... A Carthusian Monastery in Jerez, Spain The Carthusians are a Christian religious order founded by St Bruno in 1084. ... Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ...

He therefore settled on a life of poverty and pilgrimage. He travelled to most of the major shrines of Europe, often multiple times, and begged for his food while giving away any alms offered to him. He visited Loreto, Assisi, Naples, and Hari in Italy, Einsiedeln in Switzerland, Paray-le-Monial in France, and Compostela in Spain. Although his choices seem extreme, Labre was following in the role of the mendicant, the "fool for Christ," found more often in the Eastern Church. He would often swoon when contemplating the crown of thorns, in particular, and, during these states, his legend says that he would levitate or bilocate. He was also said to have cured some of the other homeless he met and to have multiplied bread for them. Pilgrim at Mecca A pilgrimage is a term primarily used in religion and spirituality of a long journey or search of great moral significance. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, covering around 10,790,000 km² (4,170,000 sq mi) or 2. ... Loreto is the Italian word for laurel-wood. ... Crest of the township (comune) of Assisi Assisi (Latin: Asisium) is a town and episcopal see in Italy in Perugia province, Italy, in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Mt. ... Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... Hari is another name of Vishnu or God and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama. ... Einsiedeln may refer to: Einsiedeln abbey Einsiedeln, Switzerland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Paray-le-Monial is a town and commune of northeastern France, in the region of Burgundy, in the Saône-et-Loire département, at 245 m (804 ft) above sea-level. ... Compostela could refer to any of the following: Compostela, Nayarit, Mexico Compostela, Cebu, Philippines Compostela Valley, Philippines Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός (transliterated as Khristós), which means anointed. ... The Vladimir Icon, one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of Mary. ... Antonio da Correggios Ecce Homo depicts Jesus wearing the Crown of Thorns. ...

This life, however, was exceptionally difficult. In the last years of his life (his thirties), he lived in Rome and made only a yearly pilgrimage to Loreto. He was a familiar figure in the city and known as the "saint of the Forty Hours" for his dedication to the Quarant' Ore. In his final weeks, he was taken into a house out of charity, despite his protestations. He died of his malnutrition on April 16, during Holy Week, in 1783. His confessor, Marconi, wrote his biography and attributed 136 separate cures to his intercession within three months of Labre's death. A cult grew up around him very soon after his death, and he was made Venerable by Pius IX in 1859, with canonization by Leo XIII in 1881. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... Holy Week is the Christian week from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday. ... The title confessor is used in the Christian Church in two separate ways. ... The Blessed Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, ( May 13, 1792 – February 7, 1878) was pope for a record pontificate of over 31 years, from June 16, 1846 until his death. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Canonization is the process of declaring someone a saint and involves proving that a candidate has lived in such a way that he or she is worthy of sainthood. ... Pope Leo XIII Supreme Pontiff (1878-1903) Leo XIII, né Gioacchino Pecci (March 2, 1810 - July 20, 1903) was Pope from 1878 to 1903. ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is April 16. The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ...

See also

• Pope Benedict XVI, whose first name is Joseph, and whose birthday is April 16.