‹ The Bishops
Counter-Reformation · Saint
St Alphonsus Liguori
Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti
Doctor of the ChurchReformerConfessor
1696 – 1787
1726
Ordained
1762
Consecrated Bishop
Sant'Agata dei Goti
Diocese
Italy
Country
The Life
Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori was a Neapolitan lawyer who abandoned the law for the priesthood, ordained in 1726, and gave himself to preaching missions among the poor of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a prolific spiritual writer, moral theologian, and composer.
In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). Appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762, he was canonized in 1839, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871, and named patron of confessors and moral theologians.
Notable Actions
- Founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1732
- Authored the landmark 'Theologia Moralis', shaping Catholic moral theology against rigorism
- Wrote the beloved devotional works 'The Glories of Mary' and 'Visits to the Blessed Sacrament'
- Served as Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti (1762-1775) before resigning in ill health
- Declared a Doctor of the Church (1871) and patron of confessors and moralists (1950)
He who prays is certainly saved; he who prays not is certainly damned.
The Great Means of SalvationPortrait: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons