There were whole years, indeed, in which the Institute seemed on the verge of summary suppression. There is a somewhat unsatisfactory French translation of Tannoia's work. In addition, he published many editions of compendiums of his larger work, such as the "Homo Apostolicus", made in 1759. But Alphonsus's director, Father Pagano; Father Fiorillo, a great Dominican preacher; Father Manulio, Provincial of the Jesuits; and Vincent Cutica, Superior of the Vincentians, supported the young priest, and, 9 November, 1732, the "Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer", or as it was called for seventeen years, "of the Most Holy Saviour", was begun in a little hospice belonging to the nuns of Scala. a fresh vision of Sister Maria Celeste seemed to show that such was the will of God. Since its publication, it has remained in Latin, often in 10 volumes or in the combined 4-volume version of Gaud. Saint Alphonsus Liguori's Story Moral theology, Vatican II said, should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, and show the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. St. Alphonsus Liguori Born at Marianella, near Naples, 27 September, 1696; died at Nocera de' Pagani, 1 August, 1787. Even its Rule was made known to her. His system of moral theology is noted for its prudence, avoiding both laxism and excessive rigour. R. Actually, the document was a new rule devised by one of his enemies, thus causing the followers of the old rule to break away. "Banquets, entertainments, theatres," he wrote later on--"these are the pleasures of the world, but pleasures which are filled with the bitterness of gall and sharp thorns. In 1732, while he was staying at the Convent of the Consolation, one of his order's houses in the small city of Deliceto in the province of Foggia in Southeastern Italy, Liguori wrote the Italian carol "Tu scendi dalle stelle" ("From Starry Skies Descending") in the musical style of a pastorale. He remained thunderstruck for a moment; then said in a broken voice: "You are right. Shrines were built there and at St. Agatha of the Goths. In vain those around him and even the judge on the bench tried to console him. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. Thus was he left free for his real work, the founding of a new religious congregation. In 1724, soon after Alphonsus left the world, a postulant, Julia Crostarosa, born in Naples on 31 October, 1696, and hence almost the same age as the Saint, entered the convent of Scala. Visiting the local Hospital for Incurables on August 28, 1723, he had a vision and was told to consecrate his life solely to God. He became very popular because of his plain and simple preaching. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. (1913). Yet, to take anger alone, though comparatively early in life he seemed dead to insult or injury which affected himself, in cases of cruelty, or of injustice to others, or of dishonour to God, he showed a prophet's indignation even in old age. Raised in a pious home, Alphonsus went on retreats with his father, Don Joseph, who was a naval officer and a captain of the Royal Galleys. Castle, H. (1907). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. When the Saint began to hear confessions, however, he soon saw the harm done by rigorism, and for the rest of his life he inclined more to the mild school of the Jesuit theologians, whom he calls "the masters of morals". The Glories of Mary ( Italian: Le glorie di Maria) 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 . In April 1729, Alphonsus went to live at the "Chiflese College," founded in Naples by Father Matthew Ripa, the Apostle of China. It was only after his death, as he had prophesied, that the Neapolitan Government at last recognized the original Rule, and that the Redemptorist Congregation was reunited under one head (1793). by S. HORNER (Edinburgh, 1858); VON REUMONT, Die Carafa von Maddaloni (Berlin, 1851, 2 vols. Saint Alphonsus De Liguori Usage Public Domain Topics Blessed Virgin Mary, Miracles, Apparitions, Conversion, Saints, Rosary, Sin, Repentance, Catholic Collection opensource Language English Stories from St Alphonsus De Liguori, which he culled from various sources, which can be seen in the larger work, "The Glories of Mary". St. Alphonsus, after publishing anonymously (in 1749 and 1755) two treatises advocating the right to follow the less probable opinion, in the end decided against that lawfulness, and in case of doubt only allowed freedom from obligation where the opinions for and against the law were equal or nearly equal. Still it must in fairness be admitted that all priests are not great theologians able to estimate intrinsic probability at its true worth, and the Church herself might be held to have conceded something to pure probabilism by the unprecedented honours she paid to the Saint in her Decree of 22 July, 1831, which allows confessors to follow any of St. Alphonsus's own opinions without weighing the reasons on which they were based. (Rome, 1905). Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Alphonsus was the oldest of seven children, raised by a devout mother of Spanish descent. This lifelong friendship aided Alphonsus, as did his association with a mystic, Sister Mary Celeste. He was fervent about using common words in . Author and Publisher - Catholic Online His father, already displeased at the failure of two plans for his son's marriage, and exasperated at Alphonsus's present neglect of his profession, was likely to offer a strenuous opposition to his leaving the world. It happened that Alphonsus, ill and overworked, had gone with some companions to Scala in the early summer of 1730. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Paul T. Crowley. Believe me who have experienced it, and now weep over it." In the minutes it was Paths to Heaven; Revelations. His spirituality was both affective and active, centered above all on the passion of Jesus Christ as the principal sign of our Savior's love for us. It was all-important to the Fathers to be able to rebut the charge of being an illegal religious congregation, which was one of the chief allegations in the ever-adjourned and ever-impending action by Baron Sarnelli. For thirteen years Alphonsus fed the poor, instructed families, reorganized the seminary and religious houses, taught theology, and wrote. " Wonderful worship experience ". Although the doctors succeeded in straightening the neck a little, the Saint for the rest of his life had to drink at meals through a tube. Vague rumours of impending treachery had got about and had been made known to him, but he had refused to believe them. The fifth book has two treatises "De Actibus Humanis" and "De Peccatis"; the sixth is on the sacraments, the seventh and last on the censures of the Church. His perseverance was indomitable. From 1726 to 1752, first as a member of the Neapolitan "Propaganda", and then as a leader of his own Fathers, he traversed the provinces of Naples for the greater part of each year giving missions even in the smallest villages and saving many souls. "[17][18], Liguori's greatest contribution to the Catholic Church was in the area of moral theology. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. St. Alphonsus Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. She was declared Venerable 11 August, 1901. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Herbermann, Charles, ed. See also HASSALL, The Balance of Power (1715-89) (London, 1901); COLLETTA, History of the Kingdom of Naples, 1734-1825, 2 vols., tr. He both made and kept a vow not to lose a single moment of time. Very few remarks upon his own times occur in the Saint's letters. He was baptized two days later in the church of Our Lady of the Virgins, in Naples. "St. Alphonsus Liguori." The dissensions even spread to the nuns, and Sister Maria Celeste herself left Scala and founded a convent at Foggia, where she died in the odour of sanctity, 14 September, 1755. To this altered Rule or "Regolamento", as it came to be called, the unsuspecting Saint was induced to put his signature. His promotion to the episcopate in 1762 led to a renewal of his missionary activity, but in a slightly different form. Twelve years, however, still separated him from his reward, years for the most part not of peace but of greater afflictions than any which had yet befallen him. (London, 1904). [7] 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. Alternate titles: Saint Alfonso Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria de Liguori, Saint Alphonsus Maria deLiguori. Revelations from God, the Saints, and the Angels through the Miracle of Saint Joseph, started in 1967 and continuing to this day. [7] At 27, after having lost an important case, the first he had lost in eight years of practising law, he made a firm resolution to leave the profession of law. To come to saints, the great Jesuit missionary St. Francis di Geronimo took the little Alphonsus in his arms, blessed him, and prophesied that he would do great work for God; while a Franciscan, St. John Joseph of the Cross, was well known to Alphonsus in later life. This combination of practical common sense with extraordinary energy in administrative work ought to make Alphonsus, if he were better known, particularly attractive to the English-speaking nations, especially as he is so modern a saint. Key Concepts; Teachings; Visions; Search Revelations . Alphonsus was lawyer, founder, religious superior, bishop, theologian, and mystic, but he was above all a missionary, and no true biography of the Saint will neglect to give this due prominence. His friend the Grand Almoner betrayed him; his two envoys for negotiating with the Grand Almoner, Fathers Majone and Cimino, betrayed him, consultors general though they were. Early Christians began the devotion of following the footsteps of Christ's passion. He could never have said Mass again had not an Augustinian prior shown him how to support himself on a chair so that with the assistance of an acolyte he could raise the chalice to his lips. Blessed Clement Hofbauer joined the Redemptorist congregation in the aged Saint's lifetime, though Alphonsus never saw in the flesh the man whom he knew would be the second founder of his Order. Daily Readings for Friday, March 03, 2023, St. Katharine Drexel: Saint of the Day for Friday, March 03, 2023, Lenten Prayer: Prayer of the Day for Monday, February 27, 2023. He was a man of strong passions, using the term in the philosophic sense, and tremendous energy, but from childhood his passions were under control. Alphonsus himself was not spared. In 1871, he was declared a Doctor of the Church. As it was, he was refused the royal exequatur to the Brief of Benedict XIV, and State recognition of his Institute as a religious congregation till the day of his death. Confident that some special sacrifice was required of him, though he did not yet know what, he did not return to his profession, but spent his days in prayer, seeking to know God's will. Finally, St. Alphonsus was a wonderful letter-writer, and the mere salvage of his correspondence amounts to 1,451 letters, filling three large volumes. His own prayer was perhaps for the most part what some call "active", others "ordinary", contemplation. Perhaps in any case the submission of their Rule to a suspicious and even hostile civil power was a mistake. He spent several years having to drink from tubes because his head was so bent forward. Other personal friends of Alphonsus were the Jesuit Fathers de Matteis, Zaccaria, and Nonnotte. Raised in a pious home, Alphonsus went on retreats with his father, Don Joseph, who was a naval officer and a captain of the Royal Galleys. He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. With their aid, Aiphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on November 9, 1732. By age nineteen he was practicing law, but he saw the transitory nature of the secular world, and after a brief time, retreated from the law courts and his fame. His austerities were rigorous, and he suffered daily the pain from rheumatism that was beginning to deform his body. Even where he is not that, he may generally be trusted, as he was a Boswell in collecting facts. A religious founder, consummate theologian, and holy man of God, Saint Alphonsus never failed to utter a stirring word that draws out a lively penitence and redoubled dedication to the work of God from his congregation. Alphonsus was what we call a "gifted" student today. In case things became hopeless in Naples, he looked to these houses to maintain the Rule and Institute. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. A final attempt to gain the royal approval, which seemed as if at last it had been successful, led to the crowning sorrow of Alphonsus's life: the division and apparent ruin of his Congregation and the displeasure of the Holy See. In fact, in the beginning, the young priest in his humility would not be Superior even of the house, judging one of his companions, John Baptist Donato, better fitted for the post because he had already had some experience of community life in another institute. St. Alphonsus Liguori, in full Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, Alphonsus also spelled Alfonso, (born September 27, 1696, Marianella, Kingdom of Naples [Italy]died August 1, 1787, Pagani; canonized 1839; feast day August 1), Italian doctor of the church, one of the chief 18th-century moral theologians, and founder of the Redemptorists, a Although there are many modern . In the second edition the work received the definite form it has since retained, though in later issues the Saint retracted a number of opinions, corrected minor ones, and worked at the statement of his theory of Equiprobabilism till at last he considered it complete. In 1723, he decided to offer himself as a novice to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri with the intention of becoming a priest. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. It survived a catastrophic fire and was completed refurbished. On the other hand, ever since the Fall of Man, the will of man has been his greatest danger. He died on August 1 at Nocera. In a riot which took place during the terrible famine that fell upon Southern Italy in 1764, he saved the life of the syndic of St. Agatha by offering his own to the mob. The differentia of saints is not faultlessness but driving-power, a driving-power exerted in generous self-sacrifice and ardent love of God. a special feature of his method was the return of the missionaries, after an interval of some months, to the scene of their labours to consolidate their work by what was called the "renewal of a mission.". The Holy Father addressed the faithful taking part in the General audience of Wednesday, 1 August [2012], in Piazza della Libert, the square outside the Papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. "Let us have it." Riding and fencing were his recreations, and an evening game of cards; he tells us that he was debarred from being a good shot by his bad sight. The priest was Alphonsus. Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Not many details have come down to us of Alphonsus's childhood. He died on the very eve of the great Revolution which was to sweep the persecutors away, having seen in vision the woes which the French invasion of 1798 was to bring on Naples. He was not afraid of making up his mind. With Don Carlos, or as he is generally called, Charles III, from his later title as King of Spain, came the lawyer, Bernard Tanucci, who governed Naples as Prime Minister and regent for the next forty-two years. Alphonsus, having got so much, hoped to get a little more, and through his friend, Mgr. On 23 October of the same year, 1723, the Saint put on the clerical dress. He thought his mistake would be ascribed not to oversight but to deliberate deceit. One of the most widely read Catholic authors, he is the patron saint of confessors. Pure probabilism likens it to a criminal trial, in which the jury must find in favour of liberty (the prisoner at the bar) if any single reasonable doubt whatever remain in its favour. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 1. When he heard from her of the devotion of the Rosary, which she practiced, and the letter she had received, he ordered all the others to repeatit, and it is related that this monastery became a paradise. "Alphonsus was of middle height", says his first biographer, Tannoia; "his head was rather large, his hair black, and beard well-grown." Alphonsus left the Hospital and went to the church of the Redemption of Captives. There he met Bishop Thomas Falcoia, founder of the Congregation of Pious Workers. Saint Alphonsus Liguori 1696 - 1787. Most were in favour of accepting, but the superior objected and appealed to Filangieri, Falcoia's colleague in establishing the convent, and now, as General of the "Pii Operarii", his superior. His sermons were very effective at converting those who had been alienated from their faith. At all events, it proved disastrous in the result. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) was a Neapolitan who founded the Redemptorist Order of priests, a congregation dedicated to providing parish missions, especially to the poor in rural areas. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. The answer is that God kept him humble by interior trials. St. Alphonsus as a moral theologian occupies the golden mean between the schools tending either to laxity or to rigour which divided the theological world of his time. After 1752 Alphonsus gave fewer missions. In the eight years of his career as advocate, years crowded with work, he is said never to have lost a case. Liguoris extensive works fall into three genres: moral theology, best represented by his celebrated Theologia moralis (1748); ascetical and devotional writings, including Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, The True Spouse of Jesus Christ (for nuns), Selva (for priests), and The Glories of Mary, the latter of which became one of the most widely used manuals of devotion to the Virgin Mary; and dogmatic writings on such subjects as papal infallibility and the power of prayer. Colletta's book gives the best general picture of the time, but is marred by anti-clerical bias. Except in '45, in all of these, down to the first shot fired at Lexington, the English-speaking world was on one side and the Bourbon States, including Naples, on the other. First Station: Jesus Is Condemned to Death V. We adore you, Christ, and we praise you. Dissensions arose, the Saint's former friend and chief companion, Vincent Mannarini, opposing him and Falcoia in everything. Alphonsus was a lawyer, and as a lawyer he attached much importance to the weight of evidence. At the age of sixteen, on 21 January, 1713, he took his degree as Doctor of Laws, although twenty was the age fixed by the statutes. In all this there was no serious sin, but there was no high sanctity either, and God, Who wished His servant to be a saint and a great saint, was now to make him take the road to Damascus. Then the storm subsided, and he began to see that his humiliation had been sent him by God to break down his pride and wean him from the world. An interesting series of portraits might be painted of those who play a part in the Saint's history: Charles III and his minister Tanucci; Charle's son Ferdinand, and Ferdinand's strange and unhappy Queen, Maria Carolina, daughter of Maria Teresa and sister of Marie Antoinette. Alphonsus suffers great interior trials. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99 Born at Marianella, near Naples, 27 September, 1696; died at Nocera de' Pagani, 1 August, 1787. The Catholic Encyclopedia. A prolific writer, he published nine editions of his Moral Theology in his lifetime, in addition to other devotional and ascetic works and letters. St Alphonsus Mary Liguori and Prayer. Alphonsus was a devoted friend of the Society of Jesus and its long persecution by the Bourbon Courts, ending in its suppression in 1773, filled him with grief. Ultimately, however, anything merely human in this had disappeared. He opposed sterile legalism and strict rigourism. He was beatified in 1816 and canonized in 1839. St. Alphonsus Liguori Opening Prayer My Lord Jesus Christ, you have made this journey to die for me with infinite love. He was a born leader of men. at last came peace, and on 1 August, 1787, as the midday Angelus was ringing, the Saint passed peacefully to his reward. For three days he refused all food. Imprimatur. I have been mistaken. He had a love for the lower animals, and wild creatures who fled from all else would come to him as to a friend. Cavalieri, himself a great servant of God. [15] The church did not bestow this unique privilege lightly but was due to the extraordinary combination of exceptional knowledge and understanding of church teachings combined with the great precision in which he wrote. In 1871 he was named a doctor of the church by Pope Pius IX. This document gives you the case." In The Catholic Encyclopedia. In 1731, while he was ministering to earthquake victims in the town of Foggia, Alphonsus said he had a vision of the Virgin Mother in the appearance of a young girl of 13 or 14, wearing a white veil. It is the following of Jesus as a community of disciples, aware that we are sent to be a clear . He lived his first years as a priest with the homeless and the marginalized youth of Naples. The family was of noble lineage, but the branch to which Liguori belonged had become somewhat impoverished. More than once he faced assassination unmoved. Alphonsus's temperament was very ardent. He was helped in this by his turn of mind which was extremely practical. Tannoia, also, through some mental idiosyncrasy, manages to give the misleading impression that St. Alphonsus was severe. The rudder is humility, which, in the intellect, is a realization of our own unworthiness, and in the will, docility to right guidance. Other saints and servants of God were those of Alphonsus's own household, the lay brother, St. Gerard Majella, who died in 1755, and Januarius Sarnelli, Csar Sportelli, Dominic Blasucci, and Maria Celeste, all of whom have been declared "Venerable" by the Church. Of extraordinary passive states, such as rapture, there are not many instances recorded in his life, though there are some. If civil courts could not decide against a defendant on greater probability, but had to wait, as a criminal court must wait, for moral certainty, many actions would never be decided at all. Though a good dogmatic theologian--a fact which has not been sufficiently recognized--he was not a metaphysician like the great scholastics. [4] Myopia and chronic asthma precluded a military career so his father had him educated in the legal profession. SVO), gives an extremely full and picturesque account of the Saint's life and times. The English translation of the work is projected to be around 5 volumes. There are two Sunday services, one at 8:15 and the second at 11. Three years later he published the first sketch of his "Moral Theology" in a single quarto volume called "Annotations to Busembaum", a celebrated Jesuit moral theologian. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01334a.htm. Nov 2012. This Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory was written by St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), a bishop and founder of the Redemptorist order, and one of the Doctors of the Church. It may be he was even too anxious, and on one occasion when he was over-whelmed by a fresh refusal, his friend the Marquis Brancone, Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and a man of deep piety, said to him gently: "It would seem as if you placed all your trust here below"; on which the Saint recovered his peace of mind. St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church is known far and wide as "The Rock." The parish is staffed by the Redemptorists, making history in 1922 when it began the weekly novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. He who ruled and directed others so wisely, had, where his own soul was concerned, to depend on obedience like a little child. Were the vehement things in his letters and writings, especially in the matter of rebuke or complaint, to appraised as if uttered by an Anglo-Saxon in cold blood, we might be surprised and even shocked. As it was traditionally associated with the zampogna, or large-format Italian bagpipe, it became known as Canzone d'i zampognari, the "Carol of the Bagpipers". A respected opponent was the redoubtable Dominican controversialist, P. Vincenzo Patuzzi, while to make up for hard blows we have another Dominican, P. Caputo, President of Alphonsus's seminary and a devoted helper in his work of reform. I will love you all my life. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Canonized: May 26, 1839. In the last years of his life, he suffered a painful sickness and bitter persecution from his fellow priests, who dismissed him from the Congregation that he had founded. St. Alphonsus encouraged an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ through frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.