Benedict Labre House was founded in October 1952 by, Tony Walsh, Dr. Magnus Seng - a doctor, who ran a free medical clinic in the inner city of Montreal.
[1] Patricia Conners - a Montreal dramatist and former staff worker at Madonna House Apostolate in Combermere, Ontario[1] and Stephan Hagarty - a young college graduate [...] disenchanted with his new career in advertising.
[1] In 1949, Tony Walsh became acquainted with Jim Shaw through his column discussing lay apostolates entitled "Among Ourselves" which had been published in Ensign, a Canadian Catholic Journal.
[1] The founding group met every Thursday evening to discuss the possibility of launching a house of hospitality, along with a socially conscious Catholic newspaper.
From 1951 to 1952, Tony experienced difficulty trying to support himself while only being able to afford one meal per day, all the while dealing with recurring issues of pneumonia.
[1] They opted not to officially align the project with the Catholic Worker movement due to the inability to determine their mission, mandate, and name.
[1] The centre's philosophy revolves around the innate dignity each human being holds and preaches of respect for servants and those being served.
This home would provide a source of food, clothing and shelter for the poor, where a personal, human, familial atmosphere existed rather than a clinical approach.
Such practices confused both the Montreal English Catholic community and the poor, leaving people to wonder if the House was some type of communist venture.
[2] Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the House operates a laundry service where guests may drop their dirtied garments in the morning and pick them up, cleaned, in the afternoon.
[2] Subjects include prevention of hepatitis C, targeting those who use syringes for various intravenous drugs, and presentations on low income housing.