Alphonsus Liguori

Born in Marianella (near Naples) in 1696, Alphonsus Liguori was a renowned lawyer before abandoning his legal career to become a priest in 1726. He then dedicated himself to preaching and missions among the most abandoned and the poor in rural areas. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists), whose charism is the evangelization of the most neglected and the in-depth study of moral theology. Appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762, he exercised his ministry with zeal, reforming the clergy and attending to the needs of his diocese, before resigning in 1775 due to ill health. A prolific author, his numerous works on moral theology and spirituality, including the famous 'Moral Theology' and 'The Glories of Mary', have had a considerable influence. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871 by Pope Pius IX and is considered one of the pillars of probabiliorist moral theology.