author
Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori
1696–1787
A brilliant Neapolitan lawyer turned priest, he became one of the Catholic Church’s most influential moral theologians and a beloved spiritual writer. He is also remembered as the founder of the Redemptorists and for works that joined clear teaching with deep compassion.
1 Audiobook
The glories of Mary
by Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori
About the author
Born near Naples in 1696, Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori showed unusual gifts early in life and earned a doctorate in law while still very young. After a successful start as a lawyer, he left that career behind and was ordained a priest, choosing instead to serve ordinary people through preaching, hearing confessions, and spiritual guidance.
In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, later known as the Redemptorists, a missionary community devoted especially to the poor and neglected. He later became bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti, though illness and physical suffering marked much of his later life.
Alphonsus is best known for his lasting influence as a theologian and devotional writer. His work in moral theology aimed to steer a humane path between severity and laxity, and his books on prayer, the spiritual life, and devotion remained widely read long after his death in 1787. The Catholic Church later recognized him as a saint and a Doctor of the Church.