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." A strong defender of the Catholic Church, Liguori said: To reject the divine teaching of the Catholic Church is to reject the very basis of reason and revelation, for neither the principles of the one nor those of the other have any longer any solid support to rest on; they can then be interpreted by every one as he pleases; every one can deny all truths whatsoever he chooses to deny. There he met Bishop Thomas Falcoia, founder of the Congregation of Pious Workers. St. Alphonsus Liguori: Doctor of The Church - Catholic Tradition This lifelong friendship aided Alphonsus, as did his association with a mystic, Sister Mary Celeste. 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. Under the government of the Marquis della Sambuca, who, though a great regalist, was a personal friend of the Saint's, there was promise of better times, and in August, 1779, Alphonsus's hopes were raised by the publication of a royal decree allowing him to appoint superiors in his Congregation and to have a novitiate and house of studies. Other personal friends of Alphonsus were the Jesuit Fathers de Matteis, Zaccaria, and Nonnotte. 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. His perseverance was indomitable. 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". 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. On the other hand, ever since the Fall of Man, the will of man has been his greatest danger. [6], He became a successful lawyer. 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. That legacy is the participation in the redemptive mission of Jesus. 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. The Fathers in the Papal States, with too precipitate zeal, in the very beginning denounced the change of Rule to Rome. 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. Though a good dogmatic theologian--a fact which has not been sufficiently recognized--he was not a metaphysician like the great scholastics. [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. The Saint's own letters are of extreme value in supplementing Tannoia. The Superior of the Propaganda and even Falcoia's friend, Matthew Ripa, opposed the project with all their might. Saint Alphonsus Liguori | EWTN 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. But in spite of his infirmities both Clement XIII (1758-69) and Clement XIV (1769-74) obliged Alphonsus to remain at his post. Here he laid his sword before the statue of Our Lady, and made a solemn resolution to enter the ecclesiastical state, and furthermore to offer himself as a novice to the Fathers of the Oratory. 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. 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. Much of the material for a complete life of St. Alphonsus is still in manuscript in the Roman archives of the Redemptorist Congregation and in the archives of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. There are many editions of the Saint's Moral Theology; the best and latest is that of P. GAUDI, C.SS.R. He was crushed to the earth. In 1732, while he was staying at the Convent of the Consolation, one of his order's houses in the small city of Deliceto in the province of Foggia in Southeastern Italy, Liguori wrote the Italian carol "Tu scendi dalle stelle" ("From Starry Skies Descending") in the musical style of a pastorale. In April 1729, Alphonsus went to live at the "Chiflese College," founded in Naples by Father Matthew Ripa, the Apostle of China. On 28 August, 1723, the young advocate had gone to perform a favourite act of charity by visiting the sick in the Hospital for Incurables. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 8am-4pm, Saturday: 9am-12pm . Alphonsus said nothing in his "Moral Theology" which is not the common teaching of Catholic theologians. He was taught by tutors before entering the University of Naples, where he graduated with doctorates in civil and canon law at 16. The question as to what does or does not constitute a lie is not an easy one, but it is a subject in itself. March 1, 1907. The family was an old and noble one, though the branch to which the Saint belonged had become somewhat impoverished. Alphonsus being so old and so inform he was eighty-five, crippled, deaf, and nearly blind his one chance of success was to be faithfully served by friends and subordinates, and he was betrayed at every turn. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Herbermann, Charles, ed. 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. He called his system Equiprobabilism. He had a tender charity towards all who were in trouble; he would go to any length to try to save a vocation; he would expose himself to death to prevent sin. The family was of noble lineage, but the branch to which Liguori belonged had become somewhat impoverished. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. [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 English translation of the work is projected to be around 5 volumes. and reportedly performed miracles. Life of St Alphonsus and the Holy Eucharist | EWTN It is not necessary to notice certain non-Catholic attacks on Alphonsus as a patron of lying. Revelations from God, the Saints, and the Angels through the Miracle of Saint Joseph, started in 1967 and continuing to this day. A centenary edition, Lettere di S. Alfonso Maria de'Liguori (ROME, 1887, 3 vols. St. Alphonsus appeared a miracle of calm to Tannoia. "I know his obstinacy", his father said of him as a young man; "when he once makes up his mind he is inflexible". Transcription. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. 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. About 1729, however, Filangieri died, and on 8 October, 1730, Falcoia was consecrated Bishop of Castellamare. A voice said "This is he whom I have chosen to be head of My Institute, the Prefect General of a new Congregation of men who shall work for My glory." Pardon me, my God. His infirmities were increasing, and he was occupied a good deal with his writings. Saint Alphonsus Liguori: Doctor of the Church - TAN Books A star preacher, he called his fellow sermonizers on the carpet for sermons of "empty, rumbling rhetoric" or "flashy . After practicing law for eight years, he was ordained a priest in 1726. He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. In 1762 Pope Clement XIII made him bishop of Sant Agata del Goti near Naples; he resigned in 1775 because of ill health. In 1780, Alphonsus was tricked into signing a submission for royal approval of his congregation. He had a pleasant smile, and his conversation was very agreeable, yet he had great dignity of manner. Other saints and servants of God were those of Alphonsus's own household, the lay brother, St. Gerard Majella, who died in 1755, and Januarius Sarnelli, Csar Sportelli, Dominic Blasucci, and Maria Celeste, all of whom have been declared "Venerable" by the Church. The life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop of St. Agatha of the He died on August 1 at Nocera. Although the doctors succeeded in straightening the neck a little, the Saint for the rest of his life had to drink at meals through a tube. He spent the next few years in recasting this work, and in 1753 appeared the first volume of the "Theologia Moralis", the second volume, dedicated to Benedict XIV, following in 1755. In 1871, he was declared a Doctor of the Church. Pius VI, already deeply displeased with the Neapolitan Government, took the fathers in his own dominions under his special protection, forbade all change of rule in their houses, and even withdrew them from obedience to the Neapolitan superiors, that is to St. Alphonsus, till an inquiry could be held. St. Alphonsus Ligouri ''Rock'' Church, Saint Louis - Tripadvisor In 1749, the Rule and Institute of men were approved by Pope Benedict XIV, and in 1750, the Rule and Institute of the nuns. 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". 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. Even its Rule was made known to her.