St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

St. Alphonsus Liguori was born into a noble Neapolitan family in the small town of Marianella, Italy, on September 27, 1696. His early education was under the care of tutors, and at the age of thirteen years (1708), he began to study law at the University of Naples. He graduated in 1713 with a degree in both canon and civil law. He then practiced law for several years, until October 1723, when he set his practice and the world aside and began to study theology. After ordination in 1726, he devoted his time and efforts to preaching and hearing confessions. In 1732, he founded a group of priests, which eventually came to be known as the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or more commonly as the Redemptorists. Alphonsus, being aware of the needs of the faithful of his time, directed his congregation toward preaching, giving missions, and instruction. In this way, he hoped to educate the people in the faith and win back those who had become lax in their practice of it. In 1762, he was appointed bishop of Sant’ Agata dei Goti; his interests now included the reform of the clergy and the upgrading of seminaries. As bishop, he put an end to certain abuses, restored churches, fostered good liturgy, and visited the many parishes in his diocese. In 1768, he was stricken with a rheumatic illness that eventually forced him to resign his see in 1775. He spent the rest of his life supervising the growth of his congregation and writing ascetical and theological books. His ascetical writings were the outpouring of his own rich spiritual life; he wrote on the mysteries of Christ’s life, the Mass, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, on Mary, and prayer. In all of these, he opposed the then-current Jansenist teachings. He is especially remembered for his text in moral theology, which was used in seminaries throughout the world. He died at Nocera de’ Pagani, near Salerno, on August 1, 1787, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839. In 1871, Pope Pius IX declared St. Alphonsus Liguori a doctor of the Church, and in 1950 Pope Pius XII made him patron of moralists and confessors.