Saint Alphonsus Liguori was born in Marianella near
Naples on September 27, 1696. He was the first born of a rather large
family belonging to the Neapolitan nobility. His received a broad
education in the humanities, classical and modern languages, painting
and music. He composed a Duetto on the Passion, as well as the most popular Christmas carol in Italy, Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle,
and numerous other hymns. He finished his university studies earning a
Doctorate in both civil and canon law and began his practice in the
legal profession.
In 1723, after a long process of discernment, he
abandoned his legal career and, despite his father’s strong opposition,
began his seminary studies. 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 young people of Naples. He founded the
“Evening Chapels”. Run by the young people themselves, these chapels
were centres of prayer, community, the Word of God, social activities
and education. At the time of his death, there were 72 of these chapels
with over 10,000 active participants.
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 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, Alphonsus founded the
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, popularly known as the
Redemptorists, in order to follow the example of Jesus Christ announcing
the Good News to the poor and the most abandoned. From that time on, he
gave himself entirely to this new mission.
Alphonsus was a lover of beauty: musician, painter,
poet and author. He put all his artistic and literary creativity at the
service of the mission and he asked the same of those who joined his
Congregation. He 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
authors. Among his best known works are: The Great Means of Prayer, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, The Glories of Mary and The Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament.
Prayer, love, his relationship with Christ and his first-hand
experience of the pastoral needs of the faithful have made Alphonsus one
of the great masters of the interior life.
Alphonsus’ greatest contribution to the Church was in the area of Moral Theological 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 the sterile legalism
which was suffocating theology and he rejected the strict rigorism of
the time… the product of the powerful elite. According to Alphonsus,
those were paths that were closed to the Gospel because “such rigour has
never been taught nor practised by the Church”. He knew how to put
theological reflection at the service of the greatness and dignity of
the person, of a moral conscience, and of evangelical mercy.
Alphonsus was consecrated bishop of St. Agatha of the
Goths in 1762. He was 66 years old. He tried to refuse the appointment
because he felt too old and too sick to properly care for the diocese.
In 1775, he was allowed to retire from his office and went to live in
the Redemptorist community in Pagani where he died on August 1, 1787. He
was canonized in 1839, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871 and
Patron of Confessors and Moralists in 1950.
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