Not less remarkable than the intensity with which Alphonsus worked is the amount of work he did. [4] He was ordained on 21 December 1726, at the age of 30. In 1731, the convent unanimously adopted the new Rule, together with a habit of red and blue, the traditional colours of Our Lord's own dress. St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775) and St. Alphonsus, who were altogether contemporaries, seem never to have met on earth, though the founder of the Passionists was a great friend of Alphonsus's uncle, Mgr. His life contains a number of minor inaccuracies, however, and is seriously defective in its account of the founding of his Congregation and of the troubles which fell on it in 1780. Alphonsus, like so many saints, had an excellent father and a saintly mother. When the day came the future Saint made a brilliant opening speech and sat down confident of victory. The impulse to this passionate service of God comes from Divine grace, but the soul must correspond (which is also a grace of God), and the soul of strong will and strong passions corresponds best. It was approved by the king and forced upon the stupefied Congregation by the whole power of the State. They also fought Jansenism, a heresy that preached an excessive moral rigorism: "the penitents should be treated as souls to be saved rather than as criminals to be punished". (1913). The result of the retreat to the nuns was that the young priest, who before had been prejudiced by reports in Naples against the proposed new Rule, became its firm supporter, and even obtained permission from the Bishop of Scala for the change. In theology Liguori is known as the principal exponent of equiprobabilism, a system of principles designed to guide the conscience of one in doubt as to whether he or she is free from or bound by a given civil or religious law. In 1723, he decided to offer himself as a novice to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri with the intention of becoming a priest. But he was a man of genuine faith and piety and stainless life, and he meant his son to be the same. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. Alphonsus was what we call a "gifted" student today. MIRACLES RELATED BY ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI from his book The Glories of Mary Some persons, boasting of being free from prejudices, take great credit to themselves for believing no miracles but those recorded in the holy scriptures, esteeming all others as tales and fables for foolish women. Alphonsus was the oldest of seven children, raised by a devout mother of Spanish descent. Whenthey had withdrawn into another room, the appearance of the youth changed, and Heshowed Himself crowned with thorns, His flesh torn, and said to her: Prayers in Times of Sickness Disease & Danger, True Devotion to Mary (St. Louis de Montfort), The Glories of Mary (St. Alphonsus Liguori), A young nobleman was reading one day, while at sea, an obscene book, in which he. Alphonsus Liguori was not a favorite with the windbags of his day. St. Alphonsus was a brilliant, articulate, pragmatic preacher. "St. Alphonsus Liguori." He was more concerned with the spiritual conflict which was going on at the same time. 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. He was ordained on December 21, 1726, and he spent six years giving missions throughout Naples. (London, 1904). He both made and kept a vow not to lose a single moment of time. "Let us have it." The traditional Stations of the Cross were written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, a bishop and Doctor of the Church, in 1761. Saint Alphonsus Liguori; Revelation Delivered Through Frances Marie Klug Dedicated to Fr. This submission altered the original rule, and as a result Alphonsus was denied any authority among the Redemptorists. 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". 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. The Saint's complete dogmatic works have been translated into Latin by P. WALTER, C.SS.R., S. Alphonsi Mariae de Liguori Ecclesiae Doctoris Opera Dogmatica, (New York, 1903, 2 vols., 4to). My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. It survived a catastrophic fire and was completed refurbished. Castle, H. (1907). R. 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 With their aid, Aiphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on November 9, 1732. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. " Wonderful worship experience ". The eighteenth century was not an age remarkable for depth of spiritual life, yet it produced three of the greatest missionaries of the Church, St. Leonard of Port Maurice, St. Paul of the Cross, and St. Alphonsus Liguori. He had to endure a real persecution for two months. [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. He refused to become the bishop of Palermo but in 1762 had to accept the papal command to accept the see of St. Agatha of the Goths near Naples. Ultimately, however, anything merely human in this had disappeared. The eighteenth century was one series of great wars; that of the Spanish, Polish, and Austrian Succession; the Seven Years' War, and the War of American Independence, ending with the still more gigantic struggles in Europe, which arose out of the events of 1789. What are Revelations? Again, we have a friendship of thirty years with the great Venetian publishing house of Remondini, whose letters from the Saint, carefully preserved as became business men, fill a quarto volume. Liguori suffered from scruples much of his adult life and felt guilty about the most minor issues relating to sin. Beatified: September 15, 1816. A companion, Balthasar Cito, who afterwards became a distinguished judge, was asked in later years if Alphonsus had ever shown signs of levity in his youth. The suffering which this brought on Alphonsus, with his sensitive and high-strung disposition, was very great, besides what was worse, the relaxation of discipline and loss of vocations which it caused in the Order itself. His very confessor and vicar general in the government of his Order, Father Andrew Villani, joined in the conspiracy. At his General Audience, 30 March 2011, in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father presented Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church. Alphonsus said nothing in his "Moral Theology" which is not the common teaching of Catholic theologians. Alphonsus was a lawyer, and as a lawyer he attached much importance to the weight of evidence. [10] He tried to refuse the appointment by using his age and infirmities as arguments against his consecration. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). While the continual intensity of reiterated acts of virtue which we have called driving-power is what really creates sanctity, there is another indispensable quality. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Alphonsus Liguori. Tannoia was born about 1724 and entered the Redemptorist Congregation in 1746. [7], On 9 November 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer,[10] when Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa told him that it had been revealed to her that he was the one that God had chosen to found the congregation. St. Alphonsus likened the conflict between law and liberty to a civil action in which the law has the onus probandi, although greater probabilities give it a verdict. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. On 3 October, 1731, the eve of the feast of St. Francis, she saw Our Lord with St. Francis on His right hand and a priest on His left. His own prayer was perhaps for the most part what some call "active", others "ordinary", contemplation. Furthermore, St. Alphonsus was a great theologian, and so attached much weight to intrinsic probability. There can be little doubt but that the young Alphonsus with his high spirits and strong character was ardently attached to his profession, and on the way to be spoilt by the success and popularity which it brought. "I follow my conscience", he wrote in 1764, "and when reason persuades me I make little account of moralists." [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. St. Alphonsus Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He said himself that he was so small at the time as to be almost buried in his doctor's gown and that all the spectators laughed. Perhaps in any case the submission of their Rule to a suspicious and even hostile civil power was a mistake. Sarnelli was almost openly supported by the all-powerful Tanucci, and the suppression of the Congregation at last seemed a matter of days, when on 26 October, 1776, Tanucci, who had offended Queen Maria Carolina, suddenly fell from power. In 1749, the Rule and Institute of men were approved by Pope Benedict XIV, and in 1750, the Rule and Institute of the nuns. You have overlooked a document which destroys your whole case." At the time of his death, there were 72, with over 10,000 active participants. [2][3], He was born in Marianella, near Naples, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, on 27 September 1696. In 1780, Alphonsus was tricked into signing a submission for royal approval of his congregation. [11], Liguori was consecrated Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762. His perseverance was indomitable. . He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. I will love you all my life. Of extraordinary passive states, such as rapture, there are not many instances recorded in his life, though there are some. Alphonsus was preaching missions in the rural areas and writing. 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. Alternate titles: Saint Alfonso Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria de Liguori, Saint Alphonsus Maria deLiguori. The foundation faced immediate problems, and after just one year, Alphonsus found himself with only one lay brother, his other companions having left to form their own religious group. He had a pleasant smile, and his conversation was very agreeable, yet he had great dignity of manner. He knew that trials were before him. Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), p. 99, Appendix to his work on the Council of Trent, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, patron saint archive, St. Alphonsus 'Rock' Liguori Church (St. Louis), "St. Alphonsus Liguori, Our Founder", Redemptorists, Baltimore Province, Tannoja, Antonio. While affecting to treat the novice with severity and to take no notice of her visions, the director was surprised to find that the Rule which she had written down was a realization of what had been so long in his mind. Finally, St. Alphonsus was a wonderful letter-writer, and the mere salvage of his correspondence amounts to 1,451 letters, filling three large volumes. So the Saint was cut off from his own Order by the Pope who was to declare him "Venerable". But one may easily overcrowd a narrow canvas and it is better in so slight a sketch to leave the central figure in solitary relief. In addition his father made him practice the harpsichord for three hours a day, and at the age of thirteen he played with the perfection of a master. The chapels were centres of prayer and piety, preaching, community, social activities, and education. Here he discovered more than thirty thousand uninstructed men and women and four hundred indifferent priests. Alphonsus the Patron. He said: "I have never preached a sermon which the poorest old woman in the congregation could not understand". He was not afraid of making up his mind. His best plan would have been to consult the Holy See, but in this he had been forestalled. But before he called a witness the opposing counsel said to him in chilling tones: "Your arguments are wasted breath. 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. In fact, despite his youth, he seems at the age of twenty-seven to have been one of the leaders of the Neapolitan Bar. Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 8am-4pm, Saturday: 9am-12pm . In 1723 there was a lawsuit in the courts between a Neapolitan nobleman, whose name has not come down to us, and the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in which property valued at 500,000 ducats, that to say, $500,000 or 100,000 pounds, was at stake. 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. Still there was a time of danger. For six years he laboured in and around Naples, giving missions for the Propaganda and preaching to the lazzaroni of the capital. At three different times in his missions, while preaching, a ray of light from a picture of Our Lady darted towards him, and he fell into an ecstasy before the people. From the year 1759 two former benefactors of the Congregation, Baron Sarnelli and Francis Maffei, by one of those changes not uncommon in Naples, had become its bitter enemies, and waged a vendetta against it in the law courts which lasted for twenty-four years. Filangieri forbade any change of rule and removed Falcoia from all communication with the convent. A star preacher, he called his fellow sermonizers on the carpet for sermons of "empty, rumbling rhetoric" or "flashy . Soon after this the boy began his studies for the Bar, and about the age of nineteen practised his profession in the courts. 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. Unable to be idle, he had preached to the goatherds of the mountains with such success that Nicolas Guerriero, Bishop of Scala, begged him to return and give a retreat in his cathedral. The days were indeed evil. He is credited with the position of Aequiprobabilism, which avoided Jansenist rigorism as well as laxism and simple probabilism. 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. 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. "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. Dissension within the congregation culminated in 1777 when he was deceived into signing what he thought was a royal sanction for his rule. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). Saint Alphonsus Liguori described in detail this miracle and took the opportunity to reawake the faith and devotion of the people towards the Eucharist. Many Miracles are wrought through the intercession of Alphonsus. In December, 1724, he received minor orders, and the subdiaconate in September, 1725. Paths to Heaven; Revelations. So many times I have sinned, but I repent sincerely because I love you. For three days he refused all food. But to all this secular history about the only reference in the Saint's correspondence which has come down to us is a sentence in a letter of April, 1744, which speaks of the passage of the Spanish troops who had come to defend Naples against the Austrians. Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. (Rome, 1896). To supplement this, God allowed him in the last years of his life to fall into disgrace with the pope, and to find himself deprived of all external authority, trembling at times even for his eternal salvation. Cavalieri, himself a great servant of God. With the aid of two laymen, Peter Barbarese, a schoolmaster, and Nardone, an old soldier, both of whom he converted from an evil life, he enrolled thousands of lazzaroni in a sort of confraternity called the "Association of the Chapels", which exists to this day. 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. Two days after he was born, he was baptized at the Church of Our Lady the Virgin as Alphonsus Mary Anthony John Cosmas Damian Michael Gaspard de' Liguori. An attack of rheumatic fever, from May 1768 to June 1769, left him paralyzed. 1. Alphonsus' last illness and Deaths 548 CHAPTER XXXVII. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, in November 1732. He who ruled and directed others so wisely, had, where his own soul was concerned, to depend on obedience like a little child. Now the saint has a very great momentum indeed, and a spoiled saint is often a great villain. Printable Catholic Saints PDFs He is said never to have refused absolution to a penitent. A pure and modest boyhood passed into a manhood without reproach. To follow an opinion in favour of liberty without weighing it, merely because it is held by someone else, would have seemed to Alphonsus an abdication of the judicial office with which as a confessor he was invested. To this altered Rule or "Regolamento", as it came to be called, the unsuspecting Saint was induced to put his signature. So indeed it proved. 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". He had a love for the lower animals, and wild creatures who fled from all else would come to him as to a friend. This was in 1780, when Alphonsus was eighty-three years old. [12], He was beatified on 15 September 1816 by Pope Pius VII and canonized on 26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.[13][14]. d.kellysaintalphonsus.com Website Website Website Website Website Alyce Gilarski Business Manager / Ministry of Care 847-255-7452, x143 a.gilarskisaintalphonsus.com Dr. Carol Holden DRE, Grades K-8 847-255-9490 x116 c.holdensaintalphonsus.com Dee Munroe Religious Education Administrative Assistant 847-255-9490 x104 d.munroesaintalphonsus.com Among his best known works are The Glories of Mary and The Way of the Cross, the latter still used in parishes during Lenten devotions. Dissensions arose, the Saint's former friend and chief companion, Vincent Mannarini, opposing him and Falcoia in everything. "The life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori" (1855)John Murphy & Co., Baltimore, 1855, "Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori", St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, Peterborough, Ontario, The life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop of St. Agatha of the Goths and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer, Tannoja, Antonio (d. 1808), John Murphy & Co. (1855), "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Alphonsus Liguori", "Alphonsus Maria de Liguori", Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish, Makati City Philippines, "1st English Translation of St. Alphonsus Liguori's Moral Theology", https://www.avemarialynnfield.org/sites/g/files/zjfyce466/files/2021-01/Stations-of-the-Cross-St-Liguori.pdf, Liguori, Alphonsus. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. He called his system Equiprobabilism. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. There are two Sunday services, one at 8:15 and the second at 11. He was crushed to the earth. A prolific writer, he published nine editions of his Moral Theology in his lifetime, in addition to other devotional and ascetic works and letters. The childish fault for which he most reproached himself in after-life was resisting his father too strongly when he was told to take part in a drawing-room play. Canonized: May 26, 1839. The Vicar General, Monsignor Onorati drew up the minutes of the diocesan trial which lasted two years from 1772 to 1774. "You have founded the Congregation and you have destroyed it", said one Father to him. He was baptized two days later in the church of Our Lady of the Virgins, in Naples. Born: September 27, 1696. Quite recently, a duet composed by him, between the Soul and God, was found in the British Museum bearing the date 1760 and containing a correction in his own handwriting. Omissions? After a short interval--we do not know exactly how long--the answer came. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Alfonso-Maria-de-Liguori, The Catholic Encyclopedia - Biography of St. Alphonsus Liguori. 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. I therefore repeat: If the divine teaching authority of the Church, and the obedience to it, are rejected, every error will be endorsed and must be tolerated. Pardon me, my God. His infirmities were increasing, and he was occupied a good deal with his writings. The Saint's own letters are of extreme value in supplementing Tannoia. He was not allowed to resign his see, however, until 1775. Indeed, apart from those who become saints by the altogether special grace of martyrdom, it may be doubted if many men and women of phlegmatic temperament have been canonized. It was this which made him the prince of moral theologians, and gained him, when canonization made it possible, the title of "Doctor of the Church". In The Catholic Encyclopedia. First Station: Jesus Is Condemned to Death V. We adore you, Christ, and we praise you. To all his administrative work we must add his continual literary labours, his many hours of daily prayer, his terrible austerities, and a stress of illness which made his life a martyrdom. [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. In case things became hopeless in Naples, he looked to these houses to maintain the Rule and Institute. In this state of exclusion he lived for seven years more and in it he died. He fell into a clairvoyant trance at Arienzo on 21 September, 1774, and was present in spirit at the death-bed in Rome of Pope Clement XIV. His father opposed the plan, but after two months (and with his Oratorian confessor's permission), he and his father compromised: he would study for the priesthood, but not as an Oratorian, and would live at home. About 1729, however, Filangieri died, and on 8 October, 1730, Falcoia was consecrated Bishop of Castellamare. Alphonsus, however, was unflagging in his efforts with the Court. St. Alphonsus does not offer as much directly to the student of mystical theology as do some contemplative saints who have led more retired lives. St. Alphonsus Liguori was a bishop and moral theologian living and preaching in Naples in the eighteenth century. The saints are not inhuman but real men of flesh and blood, however much some hagiographers may ignore the fact. Alphonsus left the Hospital and went to the church of the Redemption of Captives. [4], Liguori learned to ride and fence but was never a good shot because of poor eyesight. There he met Bishop Thomas Falcoia, founder of the Congregation of Pious Workers. He is the patron of confessors, moral theologians, and the lay apostolate. 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. 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. It was through Louis Florent Gillet, Redemptorist priest and co-founder of the Sisters of IHM that we have been gifted with the legacy of St. Alphonsus Liguori. Pope Benedict XIV gave his approval for the men's congregation in 1749 and for the women's in 1750. Psychologically, Alphonsus may be classed among twice-born souls; that is to say, there was a definitely marked break or conversion, in his life, in which he turned, not from serious sin, for that he never committed, but from comparative worldliness, to thorough self-sacrifice for God. The version with Italian lyrics was based on his original song written in Neapolitan, which began Quanno nascette Ninno ("When the child was born"). The cause of this was "regalism", the omnipotence of kings even in matters spiritual, which was the system of government in Naples as in all the Bourbon States. Alphonsus Liguori, Saint, b. at Marianella, near Naples, September 27, 1696; d. at Nocera de' Pagani, . Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 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. At all events, it proved disastrous in the result. St. Alphonsus appeared a miracle of calm to Tannoia. [10] He was proficient in the arts, his parents having had him trained by various masters, and he was a musician, painter, poet and author at the same time. His promotion to the episcopate in 1762 led to a renewal of his missionary activity, but in a slightly different form. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the tradition of praying the stations of the cross began to develop. He suspended those priests who celebrated Mass in less than 15 minutes and sold his carriage and episcopal ring to give the money to the poor. Alphonsus Mary Antony John Cosmas Damian Michael Gaspard de' Liguori was born in his father's country house at Marianella near Naples, on Tuesday, 27 September, 1696. [6], He became a successful lawyer. Both of them were canonized on the same day as the Holy Doctor, 26 May, 1839. But as he drew up a rule for them, formed from that of the Visitation nuns, he does not seem to have had any clear idea of establishing the new institute of his vision. God, however, intended the new institute to begin with these nuns of Scala. He was the eldest of seven children of Giuseppe Liguori, a naval officer and Captain of the Royal Galleys, and Anna Maria Caterina Cavalieri. APA citation. Believe me who have experienced it, and now weep over it." In old age he was more than once raised in the air when speaking of God. He often writes as a Neapolitan to Neapolitans. In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or the Redemptorists, at Scala. This document gives you the case." The third book deals with the Ten Commandments, the fourth with the monastic and clerical states, and the duties of judges, advocates, doctors, merchants, and others.
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