The young Alfons Maria di Liguori (1696-1787) was a bit of a spoiled brat, bless his heart. He was the firstborn son of a nobleman, so he got to go to a fancy school and graduate with a doctorate in law at just 16! He even conducted his first trial as a lawyer just three years later. Everything was going so well for Alfonso! He was on track for a bright future in law. But then, in 1723, he had a bit of a setback. He lost an aristocratic trial, which was a bit of a shock. He was really quite upset by it all and it took him three whole days to eat or sleep! He then decided to study theology, despite his father’s wishes. He became a priest and gave up his inheritance. Alfonso was deeply moved by the spiritual needs of the people. Together with Maria Celeste Crostarosa, he founded the “Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer” (Redemptorists) to care for the rural population, who were particularly neglected by the church. In 1762, Alfonso was appointed Bishop of Sant’Agata dei Goti (an Italian region in Campania), where the people quickly started calling him “Father of the Poor.” Alfonso passed away after a serious illness on August 1, 1787, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839.
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