SAINT ALPHONSUS MARIA LIGUORI

(1696 – 1787)

Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and the founder of the Redemptorist Congregation, Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori was born on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. 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. Alphonsus was the oldest of seven children, raised by a devout mother of Spanish descent.

Educated at the University of Naples, Alphonsus received his doctorate in both civil and canon law at the age of sixteen. 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. Visiting the local Hospital for Incurables on August 28, 1723, he had a vision and was told to consecrate his life solely to God. In response, Alphonsus dedicated himself to the religious life, even while suffering persecution from his family. He finally agreed to become a priest