St Alphonsus Liguori
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The Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer (the Redemptorists) was founded in 1732
by a 36 year old aristocrat, Alphonsus Liguori.
After a short but colourful career as a lawyer,
he studied for the priesthood, developing all the
while a reputation for holiness. |
But the great turning point in his life was his exposure
to the poor and abandoned country folk in the mountains
south of Naples. Their physical and spiritual condition
evoked in Alphonsus a response which led him to give
his whole long life (he died at the age of 91) to serving
the most abandoned; it led him to restore the primacy
of love to moral theology and to pastoral practice;
he was declared Doctor of the Church for his monumental
work in moral theology; it led him to establish the
Redemptorist Congregation in order to continue this
ministry of loving service to the most abandoned; it
led him deeper and deeper into the mystery of God and
his reconciling love (Alphonsus was canonized a saint
in 1839). In all his life and works Alphonsus was greatly
supported by the Redemptoristines (enclosed nuns with
a similar rule and spirit which he himself had helped
to establish).
CSsR Arms
From very small beginnings in Southern Italy (Scala)
the Redemptorist family grew not only in numbers but
in grace from God. To date eight of our confreres have
had their holiness officially acknowledged by the Church:
St Alphonsus (1696 - 1787), St Gerard Majella (1726
- 1755), St Clement Hofbauer (1751 - 1820), St John
Neumann (1811 - 1860), Blessed Peter Donders (1809 -
1887), Blessed Kaspar Stanggassinger (1871 - 1899),
Blessed Januarius Sarnelli (1702 - 1744) and Blessed
Francis Xavier Seelos (1819 - 1867) who was beatified
in April 2000.
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