When we cannot make it to daily Mass, however, we can still make an Act of Spiritual Communion. His austerities were rigorous, and he suffered daily the pain from rheumatism that was beginning to deform his body. Alternate titles: Saint Alfonso Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria de Liguori, Saint Alphonsus Maria deLiguori. Then God called him to his life work. He is said never to have refused absolution to a penitent. 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. Ultimately, however, anything merely human in this had disappeared. A year of trouble and anxiety followed. But he overcame his depression, and he experienced visions, performed miracles, and gave prophecies. 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. 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. Alphonsus's father, Don Joseph de' Liguori was a naval officer and Captain of the Royal Galleys. 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". 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. He felt as if his career was ruined, and left the court almost beside himself, saying: "World, I know you now. Beatified: September 15, 1816. 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. He both made and kept a vow not to lose a single moment of time. Let's start with the saint. At his General Audience, 30 March 2011, in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father presented Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church. You have overlooked a document which destroys your whole case." 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. It is the following of Jesus as a community of disciples, aware that we are sent to be a clear . Cardinals Spinelli, Sersale, and Orsini; Popes Benedict XIV, Clement XIII, Clement XIV, and Pius VI, to each of whom Alphonsus dedicated a volume of his works. Here St. Alphonsus teaches that those who refuse to bow to the will of God only double their afflictions. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. It was comparatively late in life that Alphonsus became a writer. Fearful temptations against every virtue crowded upon him, together with diabolical apparitions and illusions, and terrible scruples and impulses to despair which made life a hell. 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. He had nearly completed his ninety-first year. [4], Liguori learned to ride and fence but was never a good shot because of poor eyesight. "Alphonsus was of middle height", says his first biographer, Tannoia; "his head was rather large, his hair black, and beard well-grown." One of the most widely read Catholic authors, he is the patron saint of confessors. Alphonsus Liguori, Saint, b. at Marianella, near Naples, September 27, 1696; d. at Nocera de' Pagani, . God, however, intended the new institute to begin with these nuns of Scala. Educated at the University of Naples, Alphonsus received his doctorate at the age of sixteen. 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. The latest life, BERTHE, Saint Alphonse de Liguori (Paris, 1900, 2 vols. (27 September 1696 - 1 August 1787), was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. On 23 October of the same year, 1723, the Saint put on the clerical dress. He knew how to reach ordinary people who had limited education and very real needs. [2] Moreover, he heard an interior voice saying: "Leave the world, and give yourself to me."[5]. Filingeri, was made Archbishop of Naples, the Saint would not write to congratulate the new primate, even at the risk of making another powerful enemy for his persecuted Congregation, because he thought he could not honestly say he "was glad to hear of the appointment." Alphonsus agreed to both requests and set out with his two friends, John Mazzini and Vincent Mannarini, in September, 1730. There he met Bishop Thomas Falcoia, founder of the Congregation of Pious Workers. Learn interesting facts and tidbits about the beloved St. Patrick. 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. "[17][18], Liguori's greatest contribution to the Catholic Church was in the area of moral theology. His works have gone through several thousand editions and have been translated into more than 60 languages. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). This document gives you the case." St. Alphonsus Liguori was a bishop and moral theologian living and preaching in Naples in the eighteenth century. 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 submitted the new Rule to a number of theologians, who approved of it, and said it might be adopted in the convent of Scala, provided the community would accept it. Pardon me, my God. 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. Matters remained thus for some years. Thus was he left free for his real work, the founding of a new religious congregation. 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. About 1729, however, Filangieri died, and on 8 October, 1730, Falcoia was consecrated Bishop of Castellamare. Don Joseph de' Liguori had his faults. "St. Alphonsus Liguori". [5] He founded the Evening Chapels, which were managed by the young people themselves. The "Moral Theology", after a historical introduction by the Saint's friend, P. Zaccaria, S.J., which was omitted, however, from the eighth and ninth editions, begins with a treatise "De Conscientia", followed by one "De Legibus". About the year 1722, when he was twenty-six years old, he began to go constantly into society, to neglect prayer and the practices of piety which had been an integral part of his life, and to take pleasure in the attention with which he was everywhere received. Paths to Heaven; Revelations. He was fervent about using common words in . Clarence F. Galli. Alphonsus the Patron. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Herbermann, Charles, ed. . The Saint's confessor declared that he preserved his baptismal innocence till death. He had to endure a real persecution for two months. [16] 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 Catholic authors. St. Alphonsus encouraged an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ through frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Thank you. The family was an old and noble one, though the branch to which the Saint belonged had become somewhat impoverished. Neapolitan students, in an animated but amicable discussion, seem to foreign eyes to be taking part in a violent quarrel. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. The other was not to be long delayed. (Rome, 1896). These form the first book of the work, while the second contains the treatises on Faith, Hope, and Charity. There is a somewhat unsatisfactory French translation of Tannoia's work. Tradues em contexto de "Mary of Liguori" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : The Holy Church honors the priest and the priest must honor the Church with the holiness of his life - proposed St. Alphonsus Mary of Liguori on the day of his Ordination - with zeal, with work and with decorum. He wrote sermons, books, and articles to encourage devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The question as to what does or does not constitute a lie is not an easy one, but it is a subject in itself. 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. by S. HORNER (Edinburgh, 1858); VON REUMONT, Die Carafa von Maddaloni (Berlin, 1851, 2 vols. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. "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. 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. [9], In 1729, Liguori left his family home and took up residence at the Chinese Institute in Naples. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Infidelity and impiety were gaining ground; Voltaire and Rousseau were the idols of society; and the ancien rgime, by undermining religion, its one support, was tottering to its fall. It was this which gave St. Alphonsus the bent head which we notice in the portraits of him. He was a lawyer by the time he was 16 years old! He was somewhat worldly and ambitious, at any rate for his son, and was rough tempered when opposed. 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. 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. Alphonsus was not sent to school but was educated by tutors under his father's eye. 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. His best-known musical work is his Christmas hymn Quanno Nascetti Ninno, later translated into Italian by Pope Pius IX as Tu scendi dalle stelle ("From Starry Skies Thou Comest"). It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. But before he called a witness the opposing counsel said to him in chilling tones: "Your arguments are wasted breath. 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 congregation dedicated primarily to parish and foreign missions. The traditional Stations of the Cross were written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, a bishop and Doctor of the Church, in 1761. Even its Rule was made known to her. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In bestowing the title of "Prince of Moral Theologians", the church also gave the "unprecedented honour 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". It is true that theologians even of the broadest school are agreed that, when an opinion in favour of the law is so much more probable as to amount practically to moral certainty, the less probable opinion cannot be followed, and some have supposed that St. Alphonsus meant no more than this by his terminology. He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. St. Alphonsus was so scrupulous about truth that when, in 1776, the regalist, Mgr. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Saint's mother was of Spanish descent, and if, as there can be little doubt, race is an element in individual character, we may see in Alphonsus's Spanish blood some explanation of the enormous tenacity of purpose which distinguished him from his earliest years. St. Alphonsus tell us: "Modern heretics make a mockery of wearing the Scapular, they decry it as so much trifling nonsense." Yet many of the popes have approved and recommended it. Father Francis de Paula, one of the chief appellants, was appointed their Superior General, "in place of those", so the brief ran, "who being higher superiors of the said Congregation have with their followers adopted a new system essentially different from the old, and have deserted the Institute in which they were professed, and have thereby ceased to be members of the Congregation." Lord, When Did We See You Hungry or Thirsty or a Stranger or Naked or Ill or in Prison? At the time of his death, there were 72, with over 10,000 active participants. 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. Alphonsus was preaching missions in the rural areas and writing. Dedicated to Fr. . The experience and teaching of St Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori regarding the Eucharist was in line with the Pope's invitation to Christians to persevere in their most important duty: to proclaim to humanity the great mystery of God's love, especially visible in the Eucharist. He answered emphatically: "Never! The Saint's own letters are of extreme value in supplementing Tannoia. To this altered Rule or "Regolamento", as it came to be called, the unsuspecting Saint was induced to put his signature. As he did not die till 1808 (his work appeared in 1799) he was a companion of the Saint for over forty years and an eyewitness of much that he relates. He was a lawyer, not only during his years at the Bar, but throughout his whole life--a lawyer, who to skilled advocacy and an enormous knowledge of practical detail added a wide and luminous hold of underlying principles. His promotion to the episcopate in 1762 led to a renewal of his missionary activity, but in a slightly different form. After practicing law for eight years, he was ordained a priest in 1726. [8] Moreover, Liguori viewed scruples as a blessing at times and wrote: "Scruples are useful in the beginning of conversion. they cleanse the soul, and at the same time make it careful". He called his system Equiprobabilism. About three years before his death he went through a veritable "Night of the Soul". In vain those around him and even the judge on the bench tried to console him. MLA citation. [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. The foundation of all subsequent lives is the Della vita ed istituto del venerabile Alfonso Maria Liguori, of ANTONY TANNOIA, one of the great biographies of literature. In 1780, a crisis arose in which they did this, yet in such a way as to bring division in the Congregation and extreme suffering and disgrace upon its founder. "You have founded the Congregation and you have destroyed it", said one Father to him. Feast Day: August 1. 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. An attack of rheumatic fever, from May 1768 to June 1769, left him paralyzed. Besides his Moral Theology, the Saint wrote a large number of dogmatic and ascetical works nearly all in the vernacular. His infirmities were increasing, and he was occupied a good deal with his writings. Updates? His own prayer was perhaps for the most part what some call "active", others "ordinary", contemplation. The English translation in the Oratory Series is also rather inadequate. and reportedly performed miracles. In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or the Redemptorists, at Scala. 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. "What document is that?" He had even tried to form a branch of the Institute by uniting twelve priests in a common life at Tarentum, but the community soon broke up. More than once he faced assassination unmoved. He had a pleasant smile, and his conversation was very agreeable, yet he had great dignity of manner. He was named the patron of confessors and moral theologians by Pope Pius XII on 26 April 1950, who subsequently wrote of him in the encyclical Haurietis aquas. The "Glories of Mary", "The Selva", "The True Spouse of Christ", "The Great Means of Prayer", "The Way of Salvation", "Opera Dogmatica, or History of the Council of Trent", and "Sermons for all the Sundays in the Year", are the best known. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by a mysterious light; the house seemed to rock, and an interior voice said: "Leave the world and give thyself to Me." Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. In the end a compromise was arrived at. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Other personal friends of Alphonsus were the Jesuit Fathers de Matteis, Zaccaria, and Nonnotte. One branch of the new Institute seen by Falcoia in vision was thus established. On 6 April, 1726, he was ordained deacon, and soon after preached his first sermon. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 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. A justly celebrated life is the Vie et Institut de Saint Alphonse-Marie de Liguori, in four volumes, by CARDINAL VILLECOURT, (Tournai, 1893). They followed this gifted preacher from church to church and town to town to hear him give a message of hope in Christ for all people. Transcription. He died on August 1 at Nocera. No doubt Thomas Falcoia had for some time hoped that the ardent young priest, who was so devoted to him, might, under his direction, be the founder of the new Order he had at heart. at last came peace, and on 1 August, 1787, as the midday Angelus was ringing, the Saint passed peacefully to his reward. Vague rumours of impending treachery had got about and had been made known to him, but he had refused to believe them. I have been mistaken. Very few remarks upon his own times occur in the Saint's letters. a fresh vision of Sister Maria Celeste seemed to show that such was the will of God. 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. Saint Alphonsus Liguori. "St. Alphonsus Liguori." 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 He finally agreed to become a priest but to live at home as a member of a group of secular missionaries. Alphonsus returned to his little cell at Nocera in July, 1775, to prepare, as he thought, for a speedy and happy death. He died peacefully on August 1,1787, at Nocera di Pagani, near Naples as the Angelus was ringing. He who ruled and directed others so wisely, had, where his own soul was concerned, to depend on obedience like a little child. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the tradition of praying the stations of the cross began to develop. In liturgical art he is depicted as bent over with rheumatism or as a young priest. Canonized: May 26, 1839. The prayer he recommended to his Congregation, of which we have beautiful examples in his ascetical works, is affective; the use of short aspirations, petitions, and acts of love, rather than discursive meditation with long reflection. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. His perseverance was indomitable. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. In 1871, he was declared a Doctor of the Church. Soon after, Falcoia made known to the latter his vocation to leave Naples and establish an order of missionaries at Scala, who should work above all for the neglected goatherds of the mountains. . Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, C.Ss.R. He was declared "Venerable", 4 May, 1796; was beatified in 1816, and canonized in 1839. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. From his earliest years he had an anxious fear about committing sin which passed at times into scruple. By 1777, the Saint, in addition to four houses in Naples and one in Sicily, had four others at Scifelli, Frosinone, St. Angelo a Cupolo, and Beneventum, in the States of the Church. Unfortunately, he was not obliged by his confessor, in virtue of holy obedience, as St. Teresa was, to write down his states of prayer; so we do not know precisely what they were. He was also a poet and musician. The Catholic Encyclopedia. It has a tendency at every moment to deflect, and if it does deflect from the right path, the greater the momentum the more terrible the final crash. This was in 1780, when Alphonsus was eighty-three years old. Could he have been what an Anglo-Saxon would consider a miracle of calm, he would have seemed to his companions absolutely inhuman. In the minutes it was The differentia of saints is not faultlessness but driving-power, a driving-power exerted in generous self-sacrifice and ardent love of God. See also HASSALL, The Balance of Power (1715-89) (London, 1901); COLLETTA, History of the Kingdom of Naples, 1734-1825, 2 vols., tr. Description [ edit] The book was written at a time when some were criticizing Marian devotions, and was written in part as a defense of Marian devotion. The English translation of the work is projected to be around 5 volumes. Liguori wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology. When he was preparing for the priesthood in Naples, his masters were of the rigid school, for though the center of Jansenistic disturbance was in northern Europe, no shore was so remote as not to feel the ripple of its waves. 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.