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St. Benedict Joseph Labre was an extreme ascetic, who voluntarily lived by begging alone. Though he died young, he was well known by his death because of his pilgrimages to major shrines throughout Europe and the ecstatic states he would achieve during contemplative prayer. Lifetime:  1748 to 1783 Region:  France; Rome Patronages: Married men; Mental illness; Beggars; Rejects Iconograpy:  Tattered clothing; Alms; Tricorn hat Feast Day:  April 16 Benedict was the oldest of fifteen children born to a wealthy shopkeeper family. As a child, he studied under his uncle, who was a parish priest, hoping to one day become a parish priest himself. However, he changed his mind at the age of sixteen and instead desired to become a monk. At eighteen, an epidemic struck, and Benedict and his uncle worked together to care for the victims, but near the end of the outbreak, his uncle too died of the illness. Benedict applied to join a Trappist abbey, but was turned away for being ...

When I was joining the Catholic church, I was torn between choosing as my confirmation saint either Benedict or Brigid . Each appealed to a different side of me: Brigid to hospitality, creativity, and love of nature, and Benedict to scholarship, work, and my desire for clear rules. I ended up choosing Brigid, but Saint Benedict is still very special to me.  Lifetime:  480-543 Region:  Roman empire (modern Italy) Patronages:  Students; Europe; Against poison Iconograpy:  Black robes; Book of the Rule; Raven Feast Day:  July 11 Like many saints, especially those in the early church, Benedict grew up wealthy and learned young that the things of the world couldn't bring lasting fulfillment. According to tradition, Benedict also had a twin sister, Saint Scholastica, though there is some debate as to whether they were actual twins or it was used more abstractly, as in "spiritual twins".  While studying in the Roman equivalent of college, Benedict began to se...