St. Alphonsus Liguori came into the world near Naples, Italy, in 1696. His family was part of the poorer nobility, but his father paid great attention to the boy, one of seven siblings. He was quick and intelligent, earning a doctorate in law by age 16 and distinguishing himself in the Neapolitan bar. 

Alphonsus was raised in a devoutly Catholic home and, in his late teen years, joined a confraternity dedicated to helping the sick poor. A successful lawyer, his loss of a major case caused him to rethink his life. He wanted to become a priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri but met initial opposition from his father, who had already attempted to arrange two marriages for him. Eventually, they settled and, in 1726, Alphonsus became a priest, though not an Oratorian.

His work among the Neapolitan poor kept him walking on solid ground, and his preaching was very popular. Paradoxically, his search for a place where he fit in the Church led to his writing a rule for a religious community that was first adopted by a group of female religious. One of those nuns had a vision of the Lord with St. Francis of Assisi calling for a new congregation; the vision included Alphonsus, whom the Lord said should lead the new community. In 1732 (the year George Washington was born), the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer — the Redemptorists — was founded.

The new congregation was especially known for giving parish missions, something Alphonsus continued doing himself through 1752. The missions were intended to promote parish renewal. A distinctive feature was that some missionaries would return after a time to ensure the work was continuing and to give it any needed boost. Missions usually consisted of Mass, prayers, extended preaching (especially about the existential questions of life), and lots of time for confessions. Many churches have a “mission cross” somewhere in them. The cross is the focus of the Congregation of the Redeemer.

In 1762, after having previously avoided the dignity, Alphonsus was made a bishop of a small, spiritually run-down diocese near Naples, St. Agatha. He would be its bishop until 1775. Local civil disruptions and famines plagued the diocese. Alphonsus’ own health was not good: rheumatic fever in 1768-69 left him partially paralyzed and hunched over, as he is typically depicted in art.

He spent the rest of his years — 12 of them — in trying to hold the Redemptorists together against internal intrigues and politics. He died in 1787, the same year the U.S. Constitution was being written. Beatified in 1816 and canonized in 1839, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871.

Alphonsus was a prodigious writer, especially in the field of moral theology. He also wrote extended meditations on the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was especially devoted.

His work in moral theology was particularly important, and Alphonsus has been recommended by the Church for his wise and prudent advice on moral issues. This was practical for him: the Redemptorists distinguished themselves by calling people to conversion and a deeper spiritual life, serving often as confessors, so Alphonsus’ work was important to their mission.

He was particularly helpful to persons who suffered from scrupulosity, a mental condition that afflicted many souls who were prone to think their sins were greater than they were or who questioned whether, in fact, they had made a good and complete confession. Alphonsus had sympathy because he himself suffered from scruples but overcame them.

Certain saints — John Vianney and Padre Pio, for example — come to mind as regards confessional ministry. Among such confessors should be included Alphonsus Liguori.

Our saint is depicted in art in a devotional imprint that appears to date from the early 1800s (see the inset above), though that’s uncertain since it reads “S. (Saint) Alphonso M(aria) de Liguori,” but his canonization occurred in 1839. The saint is depicted in ways typical of him: bent over, in a Redemptorist habit (distinctive collar) and pointing to the Cross, the Redeemer. The brown appearance is appropriate to his penitential focus.

As a young man, Alphonsus would have been taught drawing and art as part of a liberal education. Two paintings are attributed by some to him: one of the Crucified Christ, one of Our Lady. I have never seen them otherwise authenticated as his, so I cannot vouch for them, but they can be viewed here.

For more reading, see here, here and here.