Summer Stations of the Cross for Persons with Mental Illness and their Family and Friends Click Here: Sample Stations of the Cross pdf UPDATE: Due to high demand-You will now be able to pray with us Fridays at 3 PM- Starts Friday June 7th @ at 3 PM EST (June, July & August) (ZOOM MEETING OPENS AT 2:45pm)   Scr...

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Under Her Mantle- April/May 2024 Edition Join Us the Last Sunday of Every Month at 7 PM on the Zoom Patform Click here to download a copy    

Join Us Weekday Evenings at 7 PM EST Sorrowful Mother Rosary for Peace in the Middle East  See Sign on information Below Timothy D is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Sorrowful Mother Rosary for Peace Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8548047897...

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Updated MMOMI Support Groups on Zoom- Last Sunday of Each Month Next one to be held on May 26th, 2024: 7 PM ET   SCROLL DOWN FOR INFORMATION ON JOINING OUR GROUP ON ZOOM Hello Again, This week was another bechmark moment for us!  If you are a member, you should now have the 2024 Newsletter.&...

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Liturgy of the Hours- Our Call to Prayer WEEKDAYS AT 8:30 AM ET Hello Everyone, Nothing warms the desire of my heart than to pray with you all. When I was a young man in my twenties, I began to pray the Litrugy of the Hours daily and continued it for years even when I was in the seminary and afterwards. Even when I first...

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month  Each Decade of the Sr Isidora Rosary Reflections are dedicated to specifc diagnoses Come Pray with Us (click image to see Sr Isidora's meditations) Pray with us Each Weekday at 10 AM ET on Zoom or listen by phone "The Hail Mary has long been amongst the richest pray...

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2024 Newsletter- "The Holy Wayfarer" Good Morning, I am grateful for this opportunity to share with you our 2024 Newsletter: The Holy Wayfarer You can zoom in your browser and read the six pages below or scroll down  to "Related Files" and click the 2024 newsletter Master pdf and download it t...

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Bring in the Feast Day of St. Benedict Joseph Labre Pray the Novena Daily-with us Scroll to end for Zoom/Phone information Monday April 8th to Tuesday April 16th Twice each day 10 AM ET and 7:30 PM ET   "This year Pope Francis has asked us to focus on prayer. What is prayer? How do we do it? Well,...

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    Come Pray with Us Become “Guild PRAY-ER’S”: Father Groeschel’s words mean so much. We invite you to pray with us daily for each other.  We have our own prayers that we have printed. You can click and download them now our website  Visit our online chapel called: “Our R...

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6th Week Of Lent- Reflection on St. Benedict Joseph Labre "The Hoy Wayfarer" 2024 Newsletter is now complete and ready for release on Easter 2024 come read it next week Guild of Grace, Labor of Love for the Mentally Ill The Guild was borne of Our Blessed Virgin Mother’s embrace of those who suffer from mental&n...

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5th & 6th Week of Lent- Reflection on St. Benedict Joseph Labre   The following articles are an excerpt from our annual 2024 newsletter: The Holywayferer was completed earlier than expected and will be released in anticipation for April 16th, 2024  the Feast day of St. Benedict Joseph Labre ...

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Cardinal Burke's 9 Month Novena to Our Lady of Guardalupe started today- Click text: CardinalBurke.com below to join novena and watch the first video reflection (March 12th) https://novena.cardinalburke.com/novena/reflection-one MORE TO COME- BUT FOR RIGHT NOW- VISIT OUR HOME PAGE FOR DETAILS- CLICK LINK BELOW www.guil...

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4th Week of Lent Reflection -St. Benedict Joseph Labre's Life This week, I wanted to offer a summary of our patron's life. I found an article on our patron's life that needs a critique but overall is well stated and enjoyable to read. When St. Benedict Joseph was asked to leave Sept Fons Abbey in France, his dream...

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The Following Prayer Opportunites are available  CLICK EACH PRAYER ITEM TO BE TAKEN TO ITS CORRESPONDING BLOG WITH ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS TO JOIN Currently there are 4 Events   Every Weekday Morning at 8:30 AM ET- MORNING PRAYER FROM THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS   During May only- Pray the Sr Isidora Rosary with us...

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3rd Week of Lent- Reflection on St. Benedict Joseph Labre As we enter the mid-point in our Lenten season, we can ask the question: how do we examine ourselves? Looking at our patron when he was young my help. St Benedict Joseph made a few general confessions over his life.  Have you ever made one? Check out the following refle...

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Join Cardinal's Burke's Nine month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe- Starts in March Cardinal Burke is calling upon all Catholics to join him in a significant Novena seeking Our Lady’s intercession. Our Lady has not forgotten her children: her care for us is as strong today as it was 500 years ago. Will you answer the call...

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2nd Sunday of Lent St. Benedict Joseph Labre Reflection During this week's Mass readings we hear about Abraham "our father in Faith". He is challenged by God to remain faithful in the most difficult of circumstances. St. Benedict Joseph too, experienced life in a most difficult way. Our patron's prayer life, pra...

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Bishop Robert Barron Addresses the Mental Health Crisis Video on You Tube- Go to our Homepage Scroll Down to see video  Today, I received an email from one of our members sharing a Youtube video  with Bishop Robert Barron from Word of Fire  addressing the current mental health crisis in our country. I posted...

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"Our comfort is not in this world. God afflicts us because he loves us; and it is very pleasing to Him, when in our afflictions he sees us abandon ourselves to his paternal care." Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783)   During this first week of Lent we hear of two themes: first, Our Savior is led into the desser...

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This Translation of Psalm 50: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy kindness: According to the abundance of thy mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, a...

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Mary Opens the Door to Lent EDITORIAL: The Father willed that Mary’s free choice would bring the Messiah into the world. And he wills that each of his sons and daughters use this same freedom to receive the gift of his merciful love and turn back to him with every fiber of their being. “God created us without us: But he di...

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Hello Everyone, As I prepare for Lent this year, my memories went back to remember the times on this day that my late wife Theresa would bake for our daughters the traditional "King" cake with the figurines inside. This prompted a desire for me to do some historical research looking at how diffrent cultures pre...

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A Lenten Practice- The Liturgy of the Hours                   Praying the Liturgy of the Hours during the season of Lent The Liturgy of the Hours is an act of ultimate, pure selflessness in which countless Catholic clergy, religious, and lay people engage ev...

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Sunday's Chaplet to Merciful Mother of the mentally Ill (MMOMI) prayed on Zoom Come Pray with us on Sunday's at 7:00 PM EST New: You can now join by calling in with any phone (scroll down) Click image to be taken to home page and then scroll down to save a copy 0f the chaplet to your computer   Ti...

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Miracle in the MiddleEast- more than 200 Muslem men convert to Christianity One of our Guild members recently told me about this article. I just had to share it. God Bless! Tim Duff    'Miracle': Muslim Men in Gaza Seek Christ After Over 200 Dream of Jesus on Same Night - Report More than 200 Muslim men in...

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  Pope Francis Asks for A Novena for World Peace   Hello Everyone, I came across this today. I know it's a few days old, but we can still join in the Pope's Novena for World Peace As we resume our own weekday Rosary for Peace on Monday, November 27th - please join us. see our blog about our Weekday...

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Seven Sorrows of Our Lady Mirror the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit How does it relate to those affected by mental illness and their families and friends? Meditations for the Chaplet to the Merciful Mother of the mentally ill prayed on Zoom every Sunday 7PM EST           &nbs...

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Pope Francis led an hour and a half of prayer for peace, denouncing the “folly of war, which sows death and eliminates the future.” The Pope entrusted “countries and regions at war” to the Virgin Mary during a prayer for peace in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica on October 27, 2023. Without...

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  Please Consider Praying with Us for Peace- Latest article on the Middle East Conflict and Such What are you doing on this day of prayer and fasting? Will you consider asking Mary to avert a possible WWIII? Click here for information on praying with us for World Peace every weekday evening at 7 PM EST on Zoom or by ...

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Bishop of Jerusalem & Pope Francis   Request Second Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace- This Friday October 27th PLEASE PLEASE JOIN US IN ANSWERING THIS REQUEST!  Also answer the request from Mary in her many apparitions to pray the rosary daily Pray with us every weekday evening - the Seven Sorrows Rosary for W...

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Reflections on the Seven Sorrows Rosary A Prayer for Peace in the Middle East After prayerful recollection, I offer the following Seven Sorrows Rosary prayer intentions  Timothy Duff, STM,  MA Cert., ERD , BCC Guardian/Co-Founder Opening Prayer: Crucified Jesus we pray at your feet and offer you the tea...

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ِA Call for Prayer and Fasting for Peace  "Since he is not the God of disorder but of peace" (1 Cor. 14,33) Last night, during our Sunday chaplet prayers to MMOMI, one of our devotees shared about  a letter sent out requesting to make Tuesday, October 17th a day of prayer and fasting for the situation in the Midd...

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The Rosary- Its Origin and A Theological Reference Saturday, October 7th Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary     The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was a naval battle between the Ottoman empire and Christian forces (Venice, Spain, and the pope) during the Ottomans’ attempt to acquire Cyprus. Pope St. Pius V asked...

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Sacrifice, Suffering...and Salvation Today, I received an email from one of our spiritual support: the The Discalced Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Fairfield, Pennslvania. It is a reflection on redemptive suffering and death. I was really moved by the Hermit's reflections.  Send me any comments about ...

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Flowers: Reminders of Redemptive Suffering After praying the Joyful Mysteries last night, I came across an article in the on-line enyclopedia All About Mary at the Marian Library at the University of Dayton, Ohio. The article, Reparation through Flowers, by John S. Stokes Jr., is one of the most in-depth and beautiful ar...

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Since, we are going to be spending time meditating with Mary in October, I wanted to offer a little in-depth history of the Blessed Virgin. Over the years, my go-to place to look up scholarly questions about Mary is at the Marian Library at the Univeristy of Dayton, Ohio. It is now fully online and many resources are available. Take ...

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Finding Christ in those with Mental Illness- What does the Church say? From my own experience  of living and caring for someone with mental illness, I ask and meditate on the following question often: What is the Mystery of Christ within them? How does it affect those who love them and care for them? W...

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Opening Prayer: Lord, may all of the graces and benefits of this Rosary fall upon those with Mental Illness, Psychiatric Disturbance, Behavorial or Learning Disabilities, and those who love and care for them. Grant them peace, health of mind, heart and soul according to Your Most Holy Will. We ask this ...

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The Guild of St Benedict Joseph Labre's History of Devotion to Mary- Under the title Merciful Mother of the Mentally Ill (MMOMI) Prayer the Chaplet with us during Lent. A few years after founding the Guild in 1996, my mother and I felt a call to bring a new title of Mary specifically under Our Lady Guadalupe and wit...

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Relics and the Bible When discussing relics and the Saints, there are those people who think it is superstition or some type of erroneous worship that takes away from Christ. Properly understood, Catholic veneration of a relic (like the one of St Benedict Joseph Labre pictured on the right) is the way we honor God through the...

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Our Guild and Our Relics             Over the many years of giving talks and bringing the Guild to many places, I aquired gifts that religious people gave me. Yes! What you see in the picture above is the top of my fireplace mantle. You see the cross and the reliquaries. When a relic ...

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August 4th 2023- Tim's visit with the Diocese of Arlington,Virginia and Takes a Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC This was a special visit:  Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will be offering Mass for those affected by mental illness on August 26th in the Catherdral. I met with the diocese of Ar...

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Recommendation to Reflect upon Mary's Life and Heartfelt Sorrows  Timothy Duff, STM, BCC Good News! Our Sunday prayers are already bearing fruit. I'm traveling to Washington DC this week so I will not get a start on the Seven Sorrows blogs for a little bit. On August 26th, the Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the...

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Why Should We Meditate on the Seven Sorrows of Mary? Image: St. Anthony's Messenger September 2017  Hello Everyone, I am in the process of developing a series of blogs on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. I have just finished writing the new meditations on this devotion and how we can receive support for mental illness....

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          Saints who battled mental illness Meg Hunter-Kilmer - published on 05/16/20 - updated on 10/10/21   Those who suffer aren’t in any way less holy than those who don’t. With the stigma surrounding mental illness, many Christians feel quite sur...

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Our Guild's Spiritual Advocacy- Embrace those with Mental Illness- No Euthanasia!   When I left the seminary in the early nineties, I spent almost an entire year writing hundreds of letters to religious communites asking to join me in Spiritual Advocacy praying for those with mental illness and advocating for them ...

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 Pope Francis Shares His Concerns Regarding Euthanasia Let us join with Pope Francis in raising concern about Euthanasia.  It has affected my life and in particular my brother Scott. In fact,  this was how our Apostolate came about in 1996. Have you read our story lately? Go to the About Us page on our website for a...

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Recent Rise of Euthanasia in Holland for People Living With Disabilites  As I was searching the internet today, I saw two articles on Aleteia I thought might be relevant for us as advocates for those with mental disabilities which includes mental illness. These are very concerning times we live in. We need to step up our a...

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Pray- the Chaplet to the Merciful Mother for those with mental illness- Starts Sunday July 16th- 7PM EST Hello Everyone, I am going to start praying the Merciful Mother of the mentally ill (MMOMI) Click image to be taken to home page and scroll down to save a copy 0f the chaplet to your computer     &nbs...

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Have I Failed?- I Don't Think So- God's Taking Care of this Apostolate I am going to share my honest feelings.  Over the years, I have often struggle with asking myself if I have done the right things with the Guild. People have come and gone asking me why not do fund raisiing or get involved with this or that ministry and...

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Happy Fourth of July, Hello Everyone,  Happy Fourth July,  its been hard for me as you all know, but I am still going to remain on the Apostolate as long as I can. I am asking for your help going forward.  I am happy to say that I am still here and I do intend to carry on as I have said. If we are to st...

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HAPPY FEAST DAY OF OUR PATRON- APRIL 16TH Hello Everyone, Thank you for all the prayers offered for our members during 2023. I encourage our 40 Hour Adorers to keep storming heaven for our members and for discernment going forward.  As I promised, I am starting a 30 day retreat in the Ignatian Way. My goal is to rekindle...

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What Can We Do  as Catholics for Those with Mental Illness? Are you a Guild Pioneer? Hello, my dedicated friends, Can you believe another year has come to us. Iwant to reshare and article I wrote a few years ago. I am not doing a newsletter for 2023 as I am in transition but I really feel this article is still very important. ...

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One Miracle used to canonize St Benedict Joseph Labre Below is an excerpt from a talk I gave a few times at different Churches. The last one was 2017 near his feast day of April 16th at my chilhood parish of St Margaret of Scotland in Buzzards Bay, MA. I hope this inspires you to keep reading the reflections on his life. The image...

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Guardian's Message- Holy Week 2023 Hello Everyone, I hope your preparations for Holy Week are going well.  May all of your Lenten practices bear fruit for your Easter celebrations. Over the past months a lot of soul searching for myself has been going on. Holy Week is such a grace filled time for everyone. Spendi...

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Jesus speaks to the depressed and to the bereaved. by Timothy Duff, STM, MA CHL Cert. edited by Theresa Duff "Mental Illness is represented by Jesus' Crown of Thorns"-  St. Teresa of Calcutta As Catholics, we honor the days between Palm Sunday and Easter, our Holy Week, as the holiest time of the liturgica...

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Hello Everyone, I am setting up for the Novena restart on Decemebr 16th thru the 24th. Prepare for Christmas with us. Ill be sending an separate email soon.\ Peace! Tim D

Hello Everyone, It has taken much more time after my move. The reason is that my body has had some decline and I am now using a transport chair in my home and a walking device when going outside. For me, longterm COVID seems to be turning into a longterm disability.  This, along with the grief from my losses has been ...

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Hello Everyone, Praised Be Jesus Christ!   I am happy to report that our move to North Carolina was successful.  I still have  a lot of work to do to set everything up.  I am trying to ask a friend or two if they could lend a hand, I will let you know soon when the Novena and online Support Groups will be up...

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Hello Everyone, I am so sorry you haven't heard from me.  I am sometimes not the best at keeping you all updated and I ask for your forgiveness in this area. Please know there is not a day that goes by that I am not thinking of you and holding you in my heart up to God. Lately, It seems that whenever I try to star...

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Eucharistic Adoration:  Healing of Mental Illness   Over the years, following the foot steps of our patron in his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in Eurcharistic Adoration has proven very fruitful. In the early days of founding the Guild, we would promote Eucharistic Adoration through the 40 Hours Devotion. On&nbs...

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Zoom Invite Information Timothy Duff is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.  Topic: Novena to St. Benedict Joseph Labre- For Penetcost Time: Saturday May 28th, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)         Every day, through Pentecost Sunday June 5th , 2022, 9 occurrence(s)   ...

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Hallelujah! The 2022 Newsletter is Here!- The Work Has Begun!   We have all waited two years.  Unfortunately, the local mail house informed me that they could not help me this year. So, the responsibility falls to me and I have started the mail process myself at the dining room table: nearly 2000 thousand pieces of ma...

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Blessed Easter To You! Happy Feast of St. Benedict Joseph Labre from the Duff's

 MentaI llness in light of the Catholic View of the Human Person  Before we begin to define mental illness which is such a broad term, a few distinctions have to me made. First, there is a difference between the biochemical and even genetical diagnosed clinical mental diosorder and one which is t...

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Where do the Churches Stand (both Catholic and Protestant) in their Ministry Towards those with Mental Illness? Over the years that I have been working on this ministry, (and I am talking over twenty-five now),  I have come across much fear and misunderstanding. Many times I have been turned down when I tried to offer sp...

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Timothy Duff is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.  Topic: Novena to St. Benedict Joseph Labre Time: Apr 8, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)         Every day, until Apr 16th, 2022, 9 occurrence(s)         Apr 8, 2022 07:00 PM         Apr 9, 2022...

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Hello Everyone, I can not believe it has been almost a year since I blogged. Well, I promise to be more active once again. What greater time to begin than the last few weeks of Lent. Are you gearing up for Holy Week? I don't know about you, but I have been under unprecidented spiritual attack during March.  I never have read s...

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I bet you have been  wondering why you havent heard from me in so long.  I have been dealing with so much and now the summit of grief has come and we are entering the down sloap to calm and healing. EXPECT NEW THINGS TO COME FOR THE APOSTOLATE PLEASE PRAY FOR Mildred Duff who passed to the Lord on Sunday May 16th 2021...

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HELLO MY FIRENDS,   THE REASON YOU HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ME IS THAT WE HAD HAD SVERE CRISIS. MY WIFE THERESA DIEED MONDAY JANUARY 11TH AND TO MKAE IT WORSE I CAME DOWN WITH TEH SEVERE STRAIN OF COVD 19. I WAS IN THE HOSPTIAL TWICE IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS I AM SEPERATED FROM MY DAUGHTERS DUE TO STILL BEING POSITIVE FOPR COV...

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The Latest on Fr. Michele Rodrigue My phone continues to ring and the emails continue to come inquiring about the Catholic priest Michele Rodrigue. I personally have not had any contact with the man. I sent him a letter and the Guild packet about six months ago but we have had no response. I hold no ill will or judgement...

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Rebooting - Starting over and Seeing What is Important. Thanking God for Mental Illness and Holiness Life is like a roller coaster: some years seem to go smooth without going through much tension or trouble. Then, some years become that great stretch going up the steep incline before that geat dive down. The anticipation and ...

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Hello Everyone, Just wanted you to know that I have not forgotten you. Unforeseen events are happening at the Duffhouse and we need your prayers. I am not able to post the blogs or work on the mail until things are resolved. My wife is sick and I am being laid off . So we could REALLY use your prayers right now.  Thanks! ...

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Providing Ministry to those with Mental Illnesses Part 1 Hello Everyone, PRINTING UPDATE: I wish to thank everyone who helped donate to print the Stations of the Cross. They came out beautiful. The cost to mail one is more than $2.00 in postage. Order your booklet today by email or snail mail.guildbjlabre@gmail.com THIS WEEK&#...

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Praying for Those Who Have Mental Illness By Marianne Komek - see:  Advisory Committee of the Guild of St Benedict Joseph Labre If we are going to truly empathize with and accompany those who have a mental illness, as Christians, we must pray for them. Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Although m...

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We are All Called to be Missionaries in this time of the COVID19 Virus- Prevent Suicide What does the Catholic Church believe about baptism? For Roman Catholics, baptism by water is a sacrament of initiation into the life of the children of God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1212–13). It confi...

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Stations of the Cross for Persons with Mental Illness and their Family and Friends Hello Everyone, I am very excited to share with you our new devotions to The Stations of the Cross. I recently mentioned that this devotion was in process and I asked for your recommendations about what images should be placed in the de...

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Litany of Saints for Mental Illness- Take #2 I am ever amazed when I research topics pertaining to this Apostolate. Two years ago on my blog dated Dec 13th 2018, I asked myself,  Can Saints have mental illness?  I started researching about saints with mental illness and I still continue to find more. ...

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L'Arche Community Homes- An Aspiration for the Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre Hello Everyone, I wanted to share this week my reflections about the L'Arche community residences, I am sure many of you have heard of Jean Vanier who is the founder of the community homes for those with intellectual and mental disabilities.&nb...

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The Special Relationship That Exists Between a Person with Mental Illness and God - A Cause for Meditation on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Timothy Duff, STM, NACC board certified chaplain Since the beginning of the Guild's founding, I have pondered the question: Can someone who is mentally ill become a saint? The answe...

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You Input is Needed: The Stations of the Cross for the Mentally Ill Hello Everyone, I want to thank everyone who donated to help us produce, print and mail out our 2020 Newsletter.  It is being completed in record time this year. So many of you have generous hearts whether it is by prayerful suppor...

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St Benedict Joseph Labre and A Litany of Saints to End the COVID 19 Pandemic Well, here it is, as promised. I put together a litany of saints for the COVID 19 pandemic.  I chose 13 saints which also includes our own St. Benedict Joseph Labre as you know from my previous blog. (click here if you haven't read it). I havent place...

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Pray to our Patron to Stop this Pandemic- St Benedict Joseph experienced something similar As I prepare to put together a litany of saints to pray to end the COVID 19 pandemic, I want to first share why "St. Benedict Joseph fits the bill" (see my blog from last week).  I could have chosen many images ...

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The COVID-19 Viral Crisis and Its Effect on Our Mental Health Lately, as I am present on the front lines of healthcare in both a religious community and in a secular hospital,  I can see the impact of the quarantine and isolation. This in a small way, is a sample of what the entire world is experiencing on some level. People are s...

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Who is Saint Corona?- Possible Patron of Epidemics . A lot of people have inquired about Saint Corona and not much has been clarified.  As I was searching myself, I came a across a secular website describing the saint. Again, this goes to show evidence that the COVID 19 viral pandemic has stirred up people's interest in s...

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Compassionate Listening- An Act to Bring God's Mercy Today, April 19:  Divine Mercy Sunday!  Blessings to you, our dear friend, St. Faustina!   I would like to share about the value and importance of being present to someone with mental illness (MI). We embody the Mercy of God when we offer ministry to...

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Hooray for the Guild of St Benedict Joseph Labre Please honor the tremendous work that my husband Tim has offered for those with mental illness for almost 25 years.  I am so proud of him to receive this recognition on the feast day of St. Benedict Joseph Labre (April 16).  Congratulations, dear! National Catholic Reporter ...

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Blessed Easter- Our 2020 Newsletter is being prepared to Mail. Hello Everyone, How was everyone's Easter Holiday? We made it special as possible by having some home made liturgy ideas and viewing live stream Masses. Also, not to mention praying the new novena to St. Benedict Joseph Labre by Sister Isidora.  T...

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The Loss of Holy Week Liturgy- Trust in God- Find New Liturgical Experiences My dear dear friends, Did you ever think it would be possible for the Masses during Holy Week to cease? Recently, I heard it said that the Covid-19 viral outbreak was "not" a punishment or sign from God. Well, that is not the genera...

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The Benedict Joseph Controversy New YouTube Video on Benedict Joseph Labre-Needs Correction- Our Patron Did Suffer from Mental Illness Hello Everyone, There seems to be a growing contraversy over whether or not our saint had mental illness. We have to be advocates for the truth about our saint.. The research and books say he...

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5 Things to Do at Home to Keep Your Spirits Up- Don't Give Up- You Can Do It! Here are some things you can do to practice your spirituality at home   1. Adore and Worship at Home   Many of the parishes are offering their Masses on-line. The past two Sundays we set up our living room as a make-shift church. W...

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Living Simply at this time of Uncertainty Hello my friends, Many of you may be wondering why you have not heard from me. We all have been affected by the COVID 19 virus whether we were exposed ot it or not.  My own family has had a horrendous experience with the flu which included multiple hospitlizations of my direct fami...

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French Religious Order Which Includes Down Syndrome to their community. I have had a few responses since I posted my last article regarding a possible patron saint for people diagnosed with Down Syndrome. There is a reglisious order of sisters now in France just for this cause. See the artilce below Tim Duff Guardian/ Co-...

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Down syndrome could get a patron saint   Hello Everyone, I just saw the following article Aleteia website and felt a need to post it. The following test describes the picture: "Jerome Lejeune was a French Catholic pro-life paediatrician and geneticist, best known for his discovery of the link of diseases to chromos...

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Continuation of the Life of St Benedict Joseph Labre in the 2020 Newsletter Throughout last year, I offered reflections on the life of our patron, St. Benedict Joseph Labre. They are posted on our website. (click here)  Again, as I continue to pray and discern where the spirit is leading me in writing the 2020 newsletter, I a...

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2020 Newsletter Appeal- Please Help us Many of you who have enjoyed our newsletters over the past few years have offered positive feedback and support. Together we can make 2020 a special year for those who suffer from the illness of the human mind. Many of you also help us monetarily.to kick it off.  May I ask that again, as w...

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Season of Three Comings- Holy Advent Yes! It is that time once again, Advent. How do you plan to receive Christ this year? We know that traditionally Advent is about "the three Comings of Christ".  The coming of Jesus in your heart at Christmas, the coming of Jesus when you meet him face to face at the hour ...

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Watch, Listen and Pray- St Benedict Joseph Labre Hello Everyone, Below is a story that is a bit off-color from what I usually write. However, if you have been reading my blogs for the past month or so, it is clear that I have been leading up to this current blog for today. I do believe this was the spirit leading me. ...

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St Benedict Joseph Labre- Contradiction of the times I recently was given a book by a friend of mine who has been a Benedictine monk for some time. He wanted me to share some of the points about our saint and also about the Eighteenth century which, in some respects, is not unlike our own. I couldn't help feeling that  Go...

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Her Comes the Holidays? This Year Thanksgiving and Advent are only three days apart. Here is a little bit of background on them. The dates are Nov 28th and December 2nd. Even though we are getting into the Holiday Season, please remember that it may be a difficult time for some people.  How can we make this time of...

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Who is the Profund Person?- St. Benedict Joseph Labre Our patron is extraordinarily special. I believe God has chosen St. Benedict Joseph Labre to have a future role in the Church perhaps even in our lifetime or maybe not. One thing for sure though is that only time will tell.  Allow me to explain: many saints are mystics who...

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Good Morning Everyone,  Much has happened this month around the world regarding our Catholic Faith.  I can't help but feel compelled to begin to share some of my thoughts on St Benedict Joseph Labre and his potential role in the future of the Church. In order for me to begin this type of discussion, I must first...

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Starting Over Again- A Fresh Look At Things I have been wanting to write my blog for sometime now. My new jobs have been taking precedence and I am trying to balance it all so as to find time to continue with this Apostolic work.  Recently, a Guild member who has been with us a while sent me a book that is original and goes...

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Don't Be Afraid of God- "Fear of the Lord" is not what you think: It's a gift~ We do the right thing out of love for God not because we fear Him. How do you define your relationsh[p with God?  Why do you pray, go to Church and practice faith?  For most of my life, I have been blessed to be faith-fi]...

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Where is God?- The Theological Reflection Hello Everyone, I am sorry you haven't heard from me lately as I originally have promised. I am in the process of a life change and asking myself, where is God right now? I have been, like many of you know, working in healthcare for 18 years as a hospital chaplain. Lately, I...

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Person's Suffering from Mental Illness Belong to Body of Christ- Part 1 06/11/19- Part 1: The Outline I have been doing some personal reflection lately and I wanted to share some considerations.  The following article is my reflections of a paper which was produced back in 2011 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Th...

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2019 Summer Brochure Campaign - Will you become a Missionary for MMOMI?  The Merciful Mother of the Mentally Ill Last year we redesigned our brochure to fit our website.  Would you be willing to go out and place our brochures in Parishes, Hospitals, Retreat Centers, Catholic Stores and other places in your are...

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2019 Newsletter is Now Completed- What's Next? First, I very much want to thank all of you who have supported us to make this Apostolate possible. We (Timothy, Theresa and our two daughters Jaelyn and Kylie) started in February mailing out our yearly newsletter. We finished this week a little head of schedule. Two thousand and...

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     Happy Feast Day - April 16h       Feast Day of St. Benedict Joseph Labre Please Allow me to personally thank all of you for such a beautiful spiritual day. Many Masses and Prayers and Sacrifices were offered for all of our members! Timothy Duff, Guardian Please join me in offering the ...

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Our Weekly Blog Posts have been placed on hold until we complete the annual mailing of our newsletter. I look forward to communicating with you again just as soon as the project is complete. Please pray for us that we receive the funds to print in a timely manner. Have you seen the 2019 Newsletter?  Click Here ...

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The Holy Wayfarer- 2019 Annual Newsletter click here to download

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St. Therese of the Child Jesus, an Example for us all. Here is the final article on St Therese of the Child Jesus; her example is so important. I will soon post the Bishop's letter from, Loreto holding up St Benedict Joseph Labre and St Therese of the Child Jesus as the two saints for the millennium.  Peace!~ Timoth...

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The Father of St. Theresa, Sir Louis Martin-  A New Saint- Part 2 Below is the second part of the article I recently posted about Sir Louis Martin,  The link to the original site follows it. Timothy Hughes Duff Last Years of Monsieur Louis Martin (Part 2 of 2) Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D. In May 1892 Monsieur Mart...

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St. Theresa's Father, St. Louis Martin Another saint for us!- Part 1 of 2 One of our members made me aware of a most relevant article about St. Louis Martin who was recently canonized by Pope Francis. Below is what I was sent and the article follows. Our litany just keeps growing. Thank you Maryanne! Timot...

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Latest Reflection on the Life of St Benedict Joseph Labre- Chapter 7 (continued) Wednesday January 16th  by Timothy Hughes Duff Chapter 7 (part 2) St. Benedict Joseph returned home after the loss of his uncle. Once again, in his reflections he was discerning a plan for his religious life. He felt driven and was convinced ...

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Following Our Patron St. Benedict Joseph Labre- Perhaps a time for a little review by Timothy Hughes Duff Over twenty years ago, in 1996 when my mother and I started the Guild, we were in Larchmont, New York to meet with the late Father Benedict Joseph Groeschel. We told him of the things we needed: brochure, pictures, holy ...

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St. Benedict Joseph Labre and St. Therese of Lisieux Patron's for our Times For years now, I have had a devotion to both  St Benedict Joseph Labre and St. Therese of Lisieux. As I have traveled around different places in Europe and especially to Italy in particular, I learned that the Bishop of Loreto during the Jub...

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Wednesday, January 9th, 2019 Chapter 7   First Reflection- The Death of His Uncle He Returns Again to his Parents, and Again Endeavors to Obtain Their Consent for him to go to La Trappe by Timothy Hughes Duff Now that we return to ordinary time in the new year of 2019, it is time once again to reflect on the life of ...

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The History of the Christmas Creche Every year, the Christmas cards and all of the Christmas imagery portray the images of the Creche. My favorite sacred scripture verse depicting this is: " And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of...

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4th Week of Advent Early this morning, I received an email from my wife Theresa asking me to read an internet link. At that exact time, I was wondering how I was going to bring in this weeks reflection for the closure of advent and to prepare for Christmas; then I read the following article. Aleteia is one of my wife's favo...

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We have Changed our Email Address  Click Here to Send us an Acknowledgement Hello Everyone, In order to keep our website update we no longer are able to use America Online.  We have switched over to Google. I thankyou for your patience as we go through this transition. Our new email address is: guildbjlabre@gmail.com...

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Sr. Isidora's Rosary Meditations Now Printed One of our members who has had her own hardships dealing with mental illness wrote prayer meditations and petitions for the rosary.  Each decade of each mystery is dedicated to a different 1diagnosis of the illness of the human mind. Please pray with us fo...

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Can someone who is mentally ill become a saint? Mental Illness can bring holiness By Request- I decided to place something back into our blog: it is a booklet that someone sent me named Neuroses and Sanctity. God Bless Mr. Laruffa for his courageous effort.      Warning- The booklet may be contraversial...

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Holiday Stress...Oh No!...What is Next? I don't know about you, but when I start getting ready for the holidays, things can easily seem to get out of hand and become overwhelming. I know this and I have supported others with this same experience. How about you? Well,  most recently, I was surfing on the net again and came a...

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The Third Week of Advent 2018 Let Us Be Joyful! We are coming up on one of my favorite weeks in the "New" Liturgical Year preparing for Christmas and living out the Life of Our Lord for 2019.  This comes with my own anxiety around the holiday celebration; four years ago we received two beautiful Christmas present...

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Anxiety- What do we do with it? Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. (Philippians 4:6) "St Francis De Sales once said , “We must trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to our  faithfulness, and the future to his providence.&rd...

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               "The Sermon of St. John the Baptist" (1653) by Adriaen van Nieulandt (Newscom/Cameraphoto/akg-images) Message of second week of Advent full of urgent hopefulness   by Marty Haugen What a rich and delightful potpourri are our Adven...

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Advent: December 2nd First Sunday of Advent The following article is adapted from Catholic Culture.org MASS READINGS December 02, 2018 Clink link for the (Readings on USCCB website) COLLECT PRAYER Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his ...

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Let us Begin Advent and Prepare for Christmas Can you believe it is time for another NEW Year? How do you plan to receive Christ this year? Myself, I plan to focus on my own health. I have struggled with diabetes for over 25 years and I plan on working on my body more perfectly to make room for Christ. One of my favori...

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Latest Reflection on the Life of St Benedict Joseph Labre Every Wednesday (American Eastern Standard Time from 6pm to 7pm) my family and I adore our Lord in our local parish. This is when I will read each chapter and write my reflections. Perhaps you can join me now that we have live stream Adoration on our website and we can be un...

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Mental Illness or Depravity from God by Timothy Hughes Duff, STM, MA Cert. RCHL, ERD & BCC One thing I have always pondered over was that there is a difference from a diagnosed mental illness and a environmental/cultural depression from the lack of not being close to God. One may ask: What is the meaning in my life? or How ...

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The Importance of Environment on the Development and Treatment of Mental and Emotional Disorders by Carlos Solis, MD  One of the most interesting things I learned in medical school many years ago was the importance of the role environment plays in the cause of medical diseases. So much so, that I was tempted to further my studi...

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The Promethean Complex I never thought I would use a Greek mythology story as a an article header for our apostolate. However, it fits perfect here. Medical Research is very important! We have a responsibility to find out remedies and new medications to advance the treatment of the illnesses of the human mind. However, we mus...

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What Are "imprimatur" and "nihil obstat in Catholic books? Before addressing the terms themselves, we must remember that the Magisterium, the teaching authority of our Church, has the duty to “preserve God’s people from deviations and defections, and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing t...

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Saints and Mental Illness Is it possible for someone with mental illness to become a saint? A few years ago someone sent me a small booklet named: Neuroses and Sanctity It is quite remarkable and I posted the work below. If any of you are wondering about the meaning of Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, please see my nex...

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Our Litany of Saints -Thus Far So far we have collected quite a few saints and one venerable to make up our litany of saints This list of Catholic Saints pertains to mental illness in some fashion. They either had it themselves or were affected by someone suffering with it. In in some cases, the person had a special love a...

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Thanksgiving is Getting Nearer- I Am Grateful for your Support. Timothy Hughes Duff, STM, MA Cert. RCHL,ERD, BCC    Ubi caritas "Where Charity and Love Prevail"       Our Guild is NOT LIKE any other apostolate out there. Most of our constituents are on a fixed disabilities in...

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Wednesday, October 31st, 2018 Chapter 5 Sentiments of Esteem Which the Uncle and the Schoolfellows of the Servant of God Entertained for Him The pastor of Erin, Msgr. Emadon shared that the other children paid as much respect for Benedict as they did their teachers. Fr. Marconi states it is because of the saint’s piet...

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Mental Illness & Depression- Catholic Internet Resources by Timothy Hughes Duff, STM, MA Cert. RCHL, ERD & BCC This morning  I woke up extra early and headed upstairs to the office with my cup of coffee in hand. I began to google the words, "Catholic" and "mental illness" as I usually do. I read a fe...

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Dealing with Mental Illness as a Catholic I was working with a family this week who had mental illness and it was like looking in a mirror. I then thought I might surf the internet for a resource. Here is an article that I found on US Catholic which was written a while ago. I still feel it is relevant for today. I remember the late Fr....

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Our Litany of Saints- Help Me Collect Them   Hello My Friends in Christ, While on my journey in building of the Apostolate, I have come across numerous saints that pertain to mental ilnness in one way or another. They either had it themselves or have a concerned heart for those with it. Please join me in building up a new li...

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How is Your Stress Level? by Timothy Hughes Duff Lately, it seems my life has had its thorns. My wife and I have had four deaths of people close to us in less than two months. They were not immediate family members, but nevertheless it was enough to cause us to feel stressed by being around all of the raw emotion. Also, seeing the s...

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How is Your Stress Level? Mine seems to soar at times! Lately, it seems my life has had its thorns. as you know, I am being uprooted with my move. We are feeling stressed by being around a lot of raw emotion. Seeing the struggle that my immediate family is going through right now with the throws of depression, grief over my m...

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Have you heard of the book: "The Benedict Option" A STRATEGY FOR CHRISTIANS IN A POST-CHRISTIAN NATION By Rob Dreher From what I gather, the premise is that our culture has transitioned from being Christian-based to something else very different.  We must prepare ourselves!. So much has been posted on the in...

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Sometimes Our Ordinary Experience Brings Extraordinary Things by Timothy Hughes Duff About a month ago, I was at work in my office where I am the hospital chaplain and Coordinator of Spiritual Care. I was looking through my daily email and I came across a contact from a colleague who is a volunteer hospice chaplain. Her name...

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Massachusetts Could Lose 1,000 Behavioral Health Beds if Question 1 Passes August 6, 2018  Research finds that mandated nurse staffing ratios will dramatically decrease access to mental health care; increase emergency department boarding; exacerbate opioid crisis Boston, MA – August 6, 2018 – A study released tod...

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Spiritual Trauma and the Catholic Church: How Do We Heal Our Broken Hearts? by Dr. Greg Popcak Horrifying.  Devastating. Apocalyptic. The sad fact is, none of these words are adequate to describe the events described in the recently released grand jury report on multigenerational clerical abuse in Pennsylvania and the P...

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The Catholic Priest Scandal: An American Marytr in Our Midst! A Personal Witness of a Man who Defended the Truth- Fr. Alfred Kunz. These questions have been on my mind and heart for a few weeks now.  This is so close to my mind and heart that it has taken a while for me to respond. It is not without its hardship and tearful moment...

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Hearing all of the latest news about our beloved Catholic Church   Join the Guild 1,000 Rosary Crusade for Priests   I feel compelled to ask people to pray the Rosary for our priests. The majority of       these men have heard their vocation and have dedicated their lives to the service of ...

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Bishop Donald J. Hying from the Diocese of Gary, Indiana Offers us a Reflection on St. Benedict Joseph Labre  "I know very holy people who are stymied by an anxiety so severe, they find it difficult to go to church and be in a crowd with other people.  Some folks struggle with depression so severe that they feel their li...

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Our Saint Benedict Joseph Labre:  Feast Day Reflection! As we enter 22nd year since the foundation of the Guild I find myself displaced at bit like St. Benedict Joseph Labre. All these years, I had big dreams think ing that someday, "We might have a volunteer center or chapel in his honor"?  Our reality t...

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The Seven Last Words Meditation for the bereaved  by the late Father Terence P. Curley T When those we love die they are, in death, very often more present to us than while they were alive. This is evident when we recall memories we thought were long forgotten. It may be some words or gestures or something t...

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  Hello, My Friends,  First, I wanted to thank you for your continued support of the Guild. I hope you have liked the weekly generated emails. If you find it a nuisance, you may unenroll at any time. In the past six months or so I have worked so hard to build up our web's presence. We currently have on...

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Fourth Week of Lent Reflection 4th Week of Lent 2018 Live Lent with me Timothy Duff, STM, MA Cert. RCHL What do we do when we see someone being picked on or made fun of in school?  Do we stick up for them? When was the last time you stopped at a traffic light and a homeless person held a sign-up at your window?  ...

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We are Currently Searching for Advisory Board Members. We are looking for at least two individuals to join our Leadership Team Minimal responsibilities We will have a phone conference twice a year to discuss the Guild Business This is a requirement for us to re-establish our Non-Profit Status Who are we looking...

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External Sacrifice: So why exactly are you not eating candy for the next month? This is a very popular penance during Lent, and the questions about it are just as popular. Heaven forbid you should avoid the cake at the birthday party! You LOVE cake! But it’s Lent – a time for penance and sacrifice. Christ has said, “...

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Second Week of Lent 2018 Chaplain Tim's Reflection Today's Reflection rings in my heart a special way. Just ten years ago, I journeyed to the Holy Land. One of my most favorite memories was the ride up to Mount Tabor. At the top of this very large mound of earth is the Franciscan Monastery. The view is breathtaking - se...

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Latest Reflection from Timothy Duff I took my family to the Benedictine Monastery near us today and heard a great homily. It really brought home how to apply my personal Lenten practice with Jesus leading us by example to fast and pray, the Gospel story tells how Our Lord is led into the desert for 40 days. At today Mas...

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Hello, My Friends, I don't know about you, but I seem to always to be looking for that "best practice" for my Lent. I always seem to ask myself: How can I do this Better?  I always have good intentions around my Lenten practices but sometimes fall short of them. I think I have to make it simple for ...

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Over the years, I have had many requests for psychologists and psychiatrists who understand the Catholic perspective. The clinicians from Pastoral Solutions get it right! They have some of the best Catholic resources out there today for anyone looking for such help. Lent is always a good time to take a personal inventory...

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Dr. Gregory Bottaoro, Psy. D. Our Lady of Guadalupe is such a fascinating apparition of the Blessed Mother. First of all, she poses a real problem to non-believers as she left behind scientifically scrutinized, undeniable proof of a miracle. There is no honest way for “I’ll believe it when I see it” atheists to exist ...

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The Guild of St. Benedict Joseph Labre actively promotes family support of mental illness. Recently, Timothy was contacted by Irma Silva-Barbeau, Ph.D., OCDS  who shared her personal experience of supporting the families of those with mental illness. He asked her to write an article.  Together with Irma, our Apostolat...

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Opening Prayer: Lord, may all of the graces and benefits of this Rosary fall upon those with Mental Illness, Psychiatric Disturbance, Behavorial or Learning Disabilities, and those who love and care for them. Grant them peace, health of mind, heart and soul according to Your Most Holy Will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen....

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Sr. Isidora’s Prayer for the Mentally Ill May God bless all those who suffer from disorders of the mind, their family and love ones, and all who sacrifice so much of their lives for their care. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who Loves and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. Amen! I a...

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Jesus speaks to the depressed and to the bereaved. by Timothy Duff, STM, MA CHL Cert. edited by Theresa Duff "Mental Illness is represented by Jesus' Crown of Thorns"-  St. Teresa of Calcutta As Catholics, we honor the days between Palm Sunday and Easter, our Holy Week, as the holiest time of the liturgica...

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