St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
He was born in a village called Marianella in Italy on September 27, 1696. He was a practicing lawyer. After losing an important case in a court, he entered the religious life and was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726. He wanted to serve the poor people in the slums and founded a congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on November 9, 1732 for this purpose. The members of the congregation are generally called a Redemptorists. He was appointed as the Bishop of St. Agatha in 1762 but retired from the office of the Bishop in 1775. He was a spiritual writer and was considered as a great theologian. He wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology. He spent every minute usefully and for good purposes only. He died on August 1, 1787. He was beatified by Pope Pius- VII on September 15, 1816 and canonized by Pope Gregory-XVI on May 26, 1839. He was proclaimed as Doctor of the Church in 1871 by Pope Pius-IX. He is the patron of Confessors and Moralists.
Feast Day August 1
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696–1787) stands as one of the Church’s greatest moral theologians, a prolific spiritual writer, and the founder of the Redemptorists. He is honored as a Doctor of the Church and remembered for his pastoral gentleness, deep Marian devotion, and tireless missionary work.
Life and Formation
- Born: September 27, 1696, in Marianella near Naples, into a noble but financially declining family.
- Brilliant early education: Earned doctorates in civil and canon law at age 16, and began practicing law by age 19.
- Conversion moment: After losing an important legal case, he experienced a profound spiritual crisis. A vision at the Hospital for Incurables in 1723 led him to dedicate his life entirely to God.
- Ordination: December 21, 1726. He soon became known for powerful parish missions and compassionate confessional ministry.
Founder of the Redemptorists
- Founded: November 9, 1732, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), dedicated to evangelizing the poor and abandoned.
- The early years were difficult—many companions left—but Alphonsus rebuilt the congregation with perseverance.
- The Redemptorists became known for simple preaching, popular missions, and pastoral closeness to ordinary people.
Spirituality and Writings
St. Alphonsus was extraordinarily prolific, producing works that shaped Catholic spirituality for centuries.
Key Themes
- Mercy over rigor: He opposed the harsh moral rigorism of Jansenism, advocating a balanced, pastoral approach.
- Marian devotion: His classic The Glories of Mary remains one of the most influential Marian works in Catholic tradition.
- Passion of Christ: His Way of the Cross is still widely used in Lenten devotions.
- Prayer and the spiritual life: He emphasized confidence in God, frequent prayer, and trust in divine mercy.
Major Works
- The Glories of Mary
- The Way of the Cross
- Moral Theology (nine editions during his lifetime)
- Numerous sermons, letters, and devotional treatises
Bishop and Later Years
- Bishop of Sant’Agata de’ Goti: Appointed in 1762, reluctantly accepting out of obedience.
- Reformed seminaries, revitalized clergy, and cared for the poor with fatherly dedication.
- Suffered greatly from arthritis and rheumatism, eventually becoming severely bent and nearly paralyzed.
- Endured internal Redemptorist conflicts late in life, including a painful misunderstanding over their Rule.
- Died: August 1, 1787, at age 90.
Canonization and Legacy
- Beatified: 1816
- Canonized: 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI
- Doctor of the Church: Proclaimed in 1871 for his contributions to moral theology.
- Patronage: Confessors, moral theologians, the Redemptorists, and those suffering from arthritis.
- His shrine is in Pagani, Italy, a major pilgrimage site.
The Act of Spiritual Communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
0801 St Alphonsus Ligouri 2p LETTER R1R 20260201St. Alphonsus Liguori Novena
Glorious St Alphonsus,
loving Father of the poor and sick,
all your life you devoted yourself,
with a heroic charity,
to lighten their spiritual and bodily miseries.
Full of confidence in your tender pity for the sick,
since you yourself patiently borne the cross of illness,
I come to you for help in my present need…
(Share your request…)
Loving father of the suffering, St Alphonsus,
look with compassion upon me in my suffering.
Ask God to give me good health.
If it is not God’s will,
then give me the strength to bear my cross patiently
and to offer my sufferings with my crucified Saviour
and his Mother of Sorrows,
for the glory of God and the salvation of souls,
in reparation for my sins and those of others,
for the needs of this troubled world,
and the Holy Souls in purgatory.
Amen.
Say: One Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.
Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints.
I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.
O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favours, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.
Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervour, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.
Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.
Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.
Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.
Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things
detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.
Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having
loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.
Amen.
NOVENA TO ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI
(To be said for nine consecutive days)
O my glorious and well-beloved patron, Saint Alphonsus, thou who didst toil and suffer so abundantly to assure to men the fruits of the Redemption, behold the miseries of my poor soul and have pity on me. By thy powerful intercession with Jesus and Mary, obtain for me true repentance for my sins together with their pardon and remission, a deep hatred of sin, and strength evermore to resist all temptations. Share with me, I pray, at least a spark of that fire of love wherewith thy heart did ever burn; and grant that, following thy example, I may make the will of God the only rule of my life. Obtain for me likewise a fervent and lasting love of Jesus, and a tender and childlike devotion to Mary, together with the grace to pray without ceasing and to persevere in the service of God even to the end of my life, that so I may finally be united with thee in praising God and most holy Mary through all eternity Amen.
(Indulgence of 300 days)
Novena Prayer for a Special Request to St. Alphonsus
“O Glorious Saint Alphonsus, loving father of the suffering, look with compassion upon me in my sickness. I place myself under your protection that you may always be my guide in the way of holiness and salvation. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s holy Will, my petition will be granted through your intercession for me at the throne of God.
(Mention your request here…)
Saint Alphonsus, pray for me and for those I love. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, do not abandon us in our needs. May we experience the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.”
Rediscovery and the Redemptorists
In 1812, the church of St. Matthew was destroyed during the Napoleonic wars, and the icon was hidden away in a private chapel.
In 1866, Pope Pius IX entrusted the icon to the Redemptorist Fathers and instructed them to “make her known throughout the world.” The icon was enshrined in the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Rome, which was built near the site of the original Church of St. Matthew.
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help 27th June | https://saintmichaelusa.org/0627perpetualhelp/ |
Commonly Used Prayers by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
- Act of Spiritual Communion: “My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul…”.
- Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary: “O most holy Virgin Mary, you are the Mother of God and my Mother. You are the refuge of sinners, the health of the sick, the comfort of the afflicted, and the help of Christians…”
- Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament: “My LORD Jesus Christ, Who because of Your love for men remain night and day in the Blessed Sacrament, full of pity and of love…”.
- Prayer for Final Perseverance: “My dear Mother, by the love you bear to Almighty God, I pray you assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life…”.
- Prayer for Healing: “Glorious St. Alphonsus, loving Father of the poor and sick, all your life you devoted yourself, with a heroic charity, to lighten their spiritual and bodily miseries…”
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