Saint
Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (September 27, 1696 – August 1, 1787) was an Italian Catholic
bishopIn the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and
theologianTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and founder of the
RedemptoristsThe Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
, an influential religious
congregationThe term "congregation" has three usages specific to the Roman Catholic Church. One concerns the Roman Curia, the other two concern religious institutes.- Roman Curia :...
. He was canonized in 1839 by
Pope Gregory XVIPope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
.
Biography
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born in Marianella, near
NaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, then part of the
Kingdom of NaplesThe Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. He was the first-born of seven belonging to the Neapolitan
nobilityNobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. Two days after he was born he was baptized at the Church of Our Lady the Virgin as Alphonsus Mary Antony John Cosmas Damian Michael Gaspard de' Liguori. Alphonsus Liguori went to law school at age sixteen, becoming a very well known lawyer. He was thinking of leaving the profession, and wrote to someone: "My friend, our profession is too full of difficulties and dangers; we lead an unhappy life and run risk of dying an unhappy death. For myself, I will quit this career, which does not suit me; for I wish to secure the salvation of my soul." At the age of twenty-seven, after having lost an important case - the first he had lost in eight years of practicing law - he made a firm resolution to leave the profession of law.
In 1723, after a long process of
discernmentVocational discernment is the process in which men or women in the Catholic Church discern, or determine, their vocation in the Church. Though one may also speak of discerning a vocation to marriage or to life as a single person, discerning a vocation most frequently refers to a special vocation...
, he abandoned his legal career and, despite his father's strong opposition (and reluctant consent), began his seminary studies in preparation for the
priesthoodThe ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. He was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726, at the age of 30. He lived his first years as a priest with the homeless and marginalized youth of Naples. He founded the Evening Chapels which were managed by the young people themselves. These chapels were centers of prayer and piety, preaching, community, social activities, and education. At the time of his death, there were 72 of these chapels with over 10,000 active participants. His sermons were very effective at converting those who were alienated from their faith.
The saint suffered from
scruplesScrupulosity is a psychological disorder characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning...
much of his adult life, and felt guilt about the most minor issues relating to sin. Moreover, the saint viewed scruples as a blessing at times, he wrote: "Scruples are useful in the beginning of conversion....they cleanse the soul, and at the same time make it careful".
In 1729, Alphonsus left his family home and took up residence in the Chinese College in Naples. It was there that he began his missionary experience in the interior regions of the Kingdom of Naples where he found people who were much poorer and more abandoned than any of the street children in Naples.
On November 9, 1732, St. Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, when Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa told him that it had been revealed to her that he was the one God had chosen to found the Congregation. This congregation's goal was to teach and preach in the slums of cities and other poor places. They also fought
JansenismJansenism was a Christian theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. The movement originated from the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, who died in 1638...
which was a heresy that denied humans free will and barred many Catholics from receiving the Eucharist. He gave himself entirely to this new mission. A companion congregation of nuns was founded simultaneously by Sister Maria Celeste.
Alphonsus was consecrated Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762. He tried to refuse the appointment, proposing his age and infirmities as arguments against his consecration. During this time he wrote sermons, books, and articles to encourage devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1775, he was allowed to retire from his office and went to live in the Redemptorist community in
Pagani, ItalyPagani is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, administratively part of the Province of Salerno. It had 34,775 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2004.-Overview:...
where he died on August 1, 1787. He was beatified on September 15, 1816, by
Pope Pius VIIPope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
and canonized on May 26, 1839, by
Pope Gregory XVIPope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
. He was named patron of confessors and moralists by
Pope Pius XIIThe Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
on April 26, 1950, who subsequently wrote of him in the encyclical
Haurietis AquasHaurietis aquas is a landmark encyclical of Pope Pius XII. Written on May 15, 1956, it was attached to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pope Pius IX. The title is derived from , a verse which alludes to the abundance of the supernatural graces...
.
Overview
Alphonsus was proficient in the arts, his parents having had him being trained by various masters of the arts, and was a musician, painter, poet, and author at the same time. He put all his artistic and literary creativity at the service of the Christian mission and he asked the same of those who joined his congregation. His biography says that, in his later days, he liked to go to the local theater, which at the time had a very bad reputation. After being ordained, each time he attended the recitals Alphonsus simply took his optic glasses off and sat in the last row, listening to the music and not paying attention to anything else.
Alphonsus wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology. The 21,500 editions and the translations into 72 languages that his works have undergone attest to the fact that he is one of the most widely read Catholic authors. Among his best known works are The Great Means of Prayer, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ and The Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament.
PrayerPrayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and its power, love, his relationship with Christ and his first-hand experience of the
pastoral needsPastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
of the faithful made Alphonsus one of the great masters of the
interior lifeSpirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
.
His best known musical work is his Christmas
hymnA hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
Quanno Nascetti Ninno, later translated into Italian by
Pope Pius IXBlessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
as
Tu scendi dalle stelle"Tu scendi dalle stelle" is the best known Christmas carol originating in Italy...
("From Starry Skies Thou Comest").
Mariology
In the field of Mariology, Alphonsus Liguori wrote
The Glories of MaryThe Glories of Mary is a classic book in the field of Roman Catholic Mariology, written during the 18th century by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church....
, Marian Devotion, Prayers to the Divine Mother, Spiritual Songs,The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, Visitations to the
Blessed SacramentThe Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
and to the Virgin Mary, and other writings. His Mariology, though mainly pastoral in nature, rediscovered, integrated and defended the Mariology of
Saint AugustineAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and Saint Ambrose and other fathers and represented an intellectual defence of Mariology in the 18th century, the
Age of EnlightenmentThe Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, against the cold rationalism of which his often flaming Marian enthusiasm contrasted.
Moral theology
Alphonsus' greatest contribution to the Church was in the area of
moral theologicalMoral theology is a systematic theological treatment of Christian ethics. It is usually taught on Divinity faculties as a part of the basic curriculum.- External links :*...
reflection with his Moral Theology. This work was born of Alphonsus' pastoral experience, his ability to respond to the practical questions posed by the faithful and from his contact with their everyday problems. He opposed sterile legalism and strict rigorism. According to Alphonsus, those were paths closed to the Gospel because "such rigor has never been taught nor practiced by the Church". His system of moral theology is noted for its prudence, avoiding both laxism and excessive rigor. He is credited with the position of Aequiprobablism, which avoided
Jansenist rigorismJansenism was a Christian theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. The movement originated from the posthumously published work of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, who died in 1638...
as well as laxism and simple probablism. As a master of moral theology, he was proclaimed a
Doctor of the ChurchDoctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
in 1871 by
Pope Pius IXBlessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
, one of only 33.
Books
- "Attaining Salvation, TAN Books, 2008. ISBN 978-0-89555-883-1
- "The Blessed Virgin Mary", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-177-1
- "How to Converse and Familiarly with God", TAN Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0-89555-797-1
- "Preparation for Death Abridged", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-174-0
- "Visits To The Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary", TAN Books, 2001. ISBN 978-0-89555-667-7
- "The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori for All the Sundays of the Year", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-193-1
- "What Will Hell Be Like?", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-341-6
- "The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation", TAN Books, 1986. ISBN 978-0-89555-298-3
- "The Way of the Cross", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-313-3
- "Golden Book of the Commandments and Sacraments", St. Pius X Press, 2010
- PREPARATION FOR DEATH
- WAY OF SALVATION AND OF PERFECTION :Meditations.Pious Reflections. Spiritual Treatises.
- GREAT MEANS OF SALVATION AND OF PERFECTION : Prayer. Mental Prayer. The Exercises of a Retreat.Choice of a State of Life, and the Vocation to the Religious State and to the Priesthood.
- THE INCARNATION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST :The Mysteries of Faith.
- THE PASSION AND THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST
- THE HOLY EUCHARIST :The Sacrifice, the Sacrament, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.Practice of Love of Jesus Christ. Novena to the Holy Ghost.
- GLORIES OF MARY : i. Explanation of the Salve Regina, or Hail, Holy Queen. Discourses on the Feasts of Mary. 2. Her Dolors. Her virtues. Practices.Examples. Answers to Critics. Devotion to the Holy Angels, Devotion to St. Joseph. Novena to St. Teresa. Novena for the Repose of the Souls in Purgatory.
- VICTORIES OF THE MARTYRS :The Lives of the Most Celebrated Martyrs of the Church.
- THE TRUE SPOUSE OF JESUS CHRIST
- DIGNITY AND DUTIES OF THE PRIEST : SELVA, a collection of Material for Ecclesiastical Retreats. Rule of Life and Spiritual Rules.
- THE HOLY MASS : Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Ceremonies of the Mass. Preparation and Thanksgiving. The Mass and the Office that are hurriedly said.
- THE DIVINE OFFICE :Translation of the Psalms and Hymns.
- PREACHING : The Exercises of the Missions. Various Counsels.Instructions on the Commandments and Sacraments.
- SERMONS FOR ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR
- MISCELLANY :Historical Sketch of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Rules and Constitutions of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Instructions about the Religious State. Lives of two Fathers and of a Lay Brother, C.SS. R. Discourses on Calamities. Reflections useful for Bishops. Rules for Seminaries.
- LETTERS I
- LETTERS II
- LETTERS III
- LETTERS IV
- LETTERS V
- LIFE OF ST. ALPHONSUS LIGOURI
- HISTORY OF HERESIES I
- HISTORY OF HERESIES II
- Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to Most Holy Mary: The Classic Text and with a Spiritual Commentary by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R.
- The Religious State
External links