Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born on September 27, 1696, in Marianella near Naples in the Kingdom of Naples. Trained for the law because poor eyesight and asthma ruled out a military life, he earned doctorates in civil and canon law at just sixteen and became a celebrated lawyer. Yet after losing a case and sensing God’s call, he left the courtroom behind and was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726. Alphonsus poured himself out for the poor and forgotten of Naples, preaching with a simplicity that even the humblest could grasp. His missionary journeys into neglected rural regions deepened his compassion, and in 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, to bring the Gospel to those most abandoned. A gifted writer and musician, he strengthened devotion to the Eucharist and to Mary through enduring works like The Glories of Mary and the Way of the Cross, and through hymns such as “Tu scendi dalle stelle.” Appointed Bishop of Sant’Agata dei Goti in 1762, he reformed clergy and cared tenderly for the poor. He is venerated as a Doctor of the Church and patron of confessors, as well as of Cancello Scalo, Liberi, Pagani, and lawyers. His feast day is August 1.