St. Alphonsus Liguori

Their story

Alphonsus Liguori was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy, the eldest son of a noble family. He was extraordinarily gifted, earning a doctorate in civil and Church law at just sixteen, and he quickly became a successful lawyer. Then, in 1723, he lost an important case because he had overlooked a key piece of evidence. Humiliated, he began to see how empty worldly success could be. Not long after, while visiting the sick at a hospital, he sensed God calling him to leave everything and give himself to God. Alphonsus was ordained a priest in 1726. He was moved by the poor people of the countryside, who had few priests to teach them the faith. In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, to preach to the poor and abandoned. In his day, many confessors were harsh and frightened people away from the sacraments. Alphonsus taught a moral theology that was faithful to the truth and full of mercy, helping people form their consciences and grow step by step. He wrote more than a hundred works, including The Glories of Mary, Visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and a much-loved Way of the Cross. He served as a bishop, endured long illness and painful misunderstandings, and died in 1787 at the age of ninety. He is a Doctor of the Church.