Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori

Born near Naples in 1696, Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori was trained in law and earned a doctorate while still very young. After a disappointing legal defeat, he changed course, became a priest, and devoted himself to preaching and pastoral work, especially among ordinary people and the poor.

In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, later known as the Redemptorists. He also became known for his many spiritual and theological works, which focused on conscience, mercy, prayer, and everyday Christian life. His writing was admired for being clear, practical, and attentive to the struggles people actually faced.

Later in life he served as bishop of Sant’Agata de’ Goti and endured years of illness and physical suffering. He died in 1787, was later canonized, and was declared a Doctor of the Church, remembered especially as a major moral theologian and a writer whose work joined learning with pastoral warmth.