Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre
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The Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre is an Apostolate dedicated to the spiritual support of the emotionally troubled and mentally ill and their families and friends.
The Guild is spiritual, Marian, Eucharistic, ecumenical, family and advocacy. Its mission is to bring a specific model of pastoral care to the families and friends of those persons with: emotional troubles, depression and mental illnesses, and spiritually to support those who wear the Crown of Thorns.
Mildred and Timothy Duff, the mother and brother of a young man afflicted with schizophrenia, whose name is Scott, founded the Guild in the 1990s. Their love, support and advocacy on behalf of this weakest member of their family inspired them to offer the same consolation to others that they had received from the Lord. With that the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre was founded.
Timothy and Mildred Duff
Why Benedict Joseph Labre? He was a Frenchman born in 1748 whose love for God was so great that he longed to enter the contemplative religious life. Repeatedly his desires were thwarted by the mental illness that afflicted him throughout his life. Inspired by God, he spent the final thirteen years of his life as a pilgrim beggar in the city of Rome where he was noted for his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and Mary, Mother of God. He died in Rome April 16, 1783 and was canonized by Pope Leo XIII on December 8, 1881. Pope Leo said at Benedict Joseph Labre’s canonization, “He was holiness itself.”
Holiness is the theme that runs through the Guild: mental illness and emotional problems can be the cross that leads to the salvation and sanctification of its members and can be a salutary means of expiation for all the members of the Church. The Guild encourages its members to learn from the life of St. Benedict Joseph Labre. They share a common spirituality taken from his life and come together to offer support.
They follow the motto of St. Benedict Joseph who said:
“In order to love God, we need to 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.”
In order to reach heaven all of us must acquire this Heart of Christ, which was filled with burning love for the Father and tender mercy towards our neighbor while possessing a resolute will to carry the Cross. Those who are mentally ill or emotionally troubled may find this challenge to be exceptional and that is why the Guild exists, to provide spiritual and emotional support to those in the midst of this battle.
The Guild provides a channel of grace to those affected by mental illness. Over three hundred religious communities are offering prayers and sacrifices for the Guild and its members. The Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre has received the endorsement and support of both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and its members are enrolled in the Universal Congregation of the Holy House, Loreto, Italy; they receive the spiritual favors associated with it and with consecration to the Holy Family. In addition, the Guild provides two support groups for its members.
The Labre Support Group is intended for Catholics and anyone who is suffering from chronic emotional problems or mental illness. Those who are suffering from some sort of mental disorder such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or other such conditions and would like to participate in the Labre Support Group at Assumption Grotto should contact Fr. John Bustamante, the associate pastor, at 313-372-0762.
The Labre Support Group of Assumption Grotto parish meets on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month after the 9:30am Mass between the hours of 11:30am to 1:30pm. The normal format of the meeting is to open and close with the Guild prayers and to recite the Angelus at noon. Roughly half the meeting is reserved as a session where members can share their experiences with other members of the group in a non-threatening and confidential environment. The second half of the meeting is dedicated to study and discussion that relates to growth in the spiritual life. Past topics have included:
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
A Practical Commentary on Sacred Scripture by Bishop Frederick Knecht
Salvici Doloris (On Human Suffering) by Pope John Paul II
A discussion of St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle.
The second support group is dedicated to Mary, the Merciful Mother of the Mentally Ill (MMOMI). The MMOMI spirituality support group provides support and assistance to family and friends of those who experience mental illness. This confidential group is held on the third Sunday of the month from 12:00-1:00 pm in the Assumption Grotto School building. The group is free. For more information call the rectory.
For more information on the international Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre please consult the following official websites:
http://www.saintmargaretsparish.com/spiritualitysupport.html
To contact Timothy Duff who is the Guardian/Founder of the international Guild:
For a short biography of St. Benedict Joseph Labre see:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02442a.htm
For information on the Assumption Grotto Labre and MMOMI support groups contact Fr. John Bustamante at:
313-372-0762 or at grottorectory@ameritech.net
The following is an archive of past issues of “Under Her Mantle”, the official
newsletter of the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre. They are present in PDF
format. In order to read these newsletters you will need to have an Adobe
Acrobat reader
2006
February
March
April
May
2007
February March
There is no news for now.