Who was St. Alphonsus Liguori and why did Blessed Alphonse Maria love him?
As a novice, I was introduced to the major patron saints of our Congregation: St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and St. Elizabeth of Hungary. These saints have held great interest for me since those early days of my religious formation. I wanted to know more about their spirituality and what inspired our Founder, Blessed Alphonse Maria, to choose them to be the Patrons of the Congregation. What touched her about their lives and why did she turn to these saints, among the Communion of Saints, for wisdom, insight, and strength?
I will provide a brief summary of the life of St. Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church, renowned for his work in moral theology. As I draw connections between his life and the life and spirituality of Blessed Alphonse Maria, I extend to you an invitation to make your own additional connections.
Alphonsus Maria Liguori was born into a well-respected family in Naples, Italy in 1696. His father was a navy captain and his mother of Spanish descent. The oldest of seven children and home schooled, he displayed strong intelligence, excelling in academic subjects while also developing musical skills and an appreciation of the opera. One source referred to Alphonsus as a “Renaissance Man.” At age 16, he began his studies in the legal realm, later becoming a canon and civil lawyer.
Alphonsus’ life took a disappointing turn when, as a young lawyer, he lost the most important case of his promising career because of his own oversight. This experience caused him to question his choice of career and, eventually, to leave the legal profession.
Against his father’s strident resistance, Alphonsus entered the priesthood. There, he found deep satisfaction caring for the sick and poor, tending to their physical needs with great compassion and practical efficiency. His speaking skills honed from his training and experience as a lawyer, Alphonsus also possessed a powerful preaching ability and recognized the opportunity to use this gift in the service to the poor and most abandoned. Thus inspired, Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Redemptorists with a missionary call to carrying out the works of mercy.
As he matured in his life and ministry, Alphonsus’ spirituality coalesced around three primary tenets: the sanctity of silence, the primacy of prayer, and the union of our will with God’s will. He was greatly influenced by the life and spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila, and he had a strong devotion to Mary, especially to our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Even viewed from the perspective of this brief biographical sketch, it is not difficult to understand what made Alphonsus such a compelling figure for Blessed Alphonse Maria. She, too, believed in the sanctity of silence, the profound importance of prayer, and the unity between worldly suffering and the suffering of Christ. Like St. Alphonsus, Blessed Alphonse Maria contemplated the redeeming love of God and God’s passionate concern for those most poor and vulnerable.
Blessed Alphonse Maria received her religious name when the Congregation began, choosing St. Alphonsus Liguori as her special guardian. During unexplained and intense periods of prayer described as ecstasies, she saw not only Jesus and Mary but also heard the voice of St. Alphonsus Liguori. He asked of her that the new Congregation come to the aid of those dearest to his heart – the poor and abandoned. The relationship that Blessed Alphonse Maria had with St. Alphonsus strongly influenced the naming of the Congregation to honor Jesus, the Redeemer.
In “The Life of Mother Alphonse Maria” we read: “Many poor and sick people are lying abandoned in their huts, without physical or spiritual assistance. The voice of St. Alphonsus, the friend of the little the lowly, and the unassuming, charges her (Mother Alphonse Maria) to put her resources here, and teaches her about the work that is now come into being.”
Today, the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus that influenced and inspired St. Alphonsus Liguori and Blessed Alphonse Maria serves as the core of our Redeemer Charism. Our calling to be instruments of that love is a tremendous privilege and claims our central focus. Influenced by the life of St. Alphonsus Liguori, we seek to share this Charism with others and invite you to participate in its ongoing role in our world.
The Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Alphonsus Liguori on August 1.
-written Sr. Anne Marie Haas, CSR