Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was a promising young lawyer in Naples. However, after losing an important case, he turned to a life of prayer. He became a priest and, in 1732, he founded a new order, the Redemptorists, to preach missions to combat the rigors of Jansenism with the truth of God's mercy and the maternal love of Mary. Alphonsus was an articulate, practical preacher and confessor, and a brilliant writer.

Feast Day: August 1

Patronage: Confessors, Moral Theologians, The Lay Apostolate