God's Unusual Saints

God's Tramp

A quiet young boy sat by the window in his home, looking out at the rain-laden trees in northern France. He was a mere seven years old, and was to be the eldest of his parents’ fifteen children. He had been named Benedict Joseph at his baptism by his middle-class parents John and Anne Labre.

“What are you thinking about,” quizzed his mother.

The boy smiled at his mother but said nothing.

Benedict Joseph was the pride of his mother, who saw at his early age, a future priest. Anne Labre’s son was not like other children of Amettes. He smiled often and seemed happy, even though there was a certain sadness reflected in his young eyes. There really was no reason for this apparent melancholy, for the family was fairly well-to-do. His father was a shopkeeper in the village and provided well for his growing family in pre-Revolution eighteenth century France. Prizing education highly, his parents sent young Benedict to study at age twelve with his uncle, Cure Francis Joseph Labre, who was the parish priest of Erin … a neighboring village a dozen miles from Amettes.

What motivated this decision was the character of the young boy and the willingness of his paternal uncle to privately tutor Benedict in studies for the priesthood.

In his pre-teen years, prior to his taking up residence with his uncle, Benedict would speak with his mother of his horror for sin, and she would often find him practicing acts of mortification …unusual for a boy whose early education in the parochial school in his hometown was typical.

After being introduced to Latin by Cure Labre, the young Joseph commented to his mentor:

“Uncle, I find your teaching about the lives of the saints to be most interesting … but this Latin … I don’t understand it.”

“If you are to be a priest, you must learn Latin,” explained the Cure.

“Latin is a bore … maybe I am not called to be a priest.”

However, the teenager persisted and mastered Latin grammar and several classical writings. Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ became more of interest to him than world history or Cicero. He liked teaching catechism to the village children and reading to the sick. He especially enjoyed being alone in prayer.

So attracted did he become to the life of solitude that he asked his uncle if he could join the Trappists. His uncle put him off by referring him to his parents; his parents would have none of it, and told him he must wait till he grew older.