St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Patron Saint of Confessors and Moral Theologians

Alphonsus was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy, to a naval officer and his Spanish wife. Educated at the University of Naples, Alphonsus received his doctorate at the age of sixteen.

By nineteen he was practicing law, but he decided to give his life to God and left the practice to do apostolate.

On December 21, 1726, Alphonsus was ordained a priest. He spent six years doing apostolate throughout Naples, gathering followers as he went.

In 1732, he formed the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a group comprised of priests and brothers who had dedicated themselves to God and did missionary work in poor areas.

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