This collage represents the founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Clement Hofbauer who brought the Redemptorists beyond the borders of Italy and our Congregational Crest superimposed on a map of the North American continent.

 


This collage represents the founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Clement Hofbauer who brought the Redemptorists beyond the borders of Italy and our Congregational Crest superimposed on a map of the North American continent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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St. Alphonsus - Virtue of the Month

Like the eagle that flies nearest the sun, those who trust in God gradually become detached from the earth and more and more united to God by love.

Daniel L. Lowery, C.Ss.R.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was a man of many accomplishments. Ordained to the priesthood at the age of thirty, he was a tireless preacher of the Word of God and a popular writer on theological and spiritual topics. Amid difficult circumstances, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, popularly known as the Redemptorists. At the age of sixty-six, and suffering from crippling arthritis, he accepted the pope's appointment as bishop of a busy diocese.

Considering all the different kinds of ministry that Alphonsus is known for, it may seem rash to try to pinpoint his greatest achievement. Yet I believe his greatest accomplishment was his ability to preach the gospel and to explain Catholic spirituality in words and images that ordinary people could readily understand. Alphonsus was very practical in his preaching and spiritual direction and, in the truest sense of the phrase, can be called "a pastor of souls."

One of the main emphases in the spiritual direction of Saint Alphonsus might be labeled "growth through virtue." Christians are called to imitate the life and virtues of Jesus Christ, to "put on" Christ in their ways of thinking and acting. In accord with Catholic tradition, Alphonsus saw the three theological (God-directed) virtues of faith, hope, and

charity as pure gifts of grace: gifts of God given to us with sanctifying grace so that we can live and act on the super-natural level. He considered the moral virtues, many and varied as they are, as gifts that enable us to shape our conscious behavior according to the law of God as revealed to us by Jesus.

In characteristic fashion, Alphonsus proposed a practical plan that could help the ordinary person grow in this imitation of Christ. He recommended the practice of the "virtue of the month," that is, highlighting a different key Christian virtue each month and giving special attention to that virtue in one's reading, reflection, prayer, and daily living.

This article presents an overview of the "virtue of the month" according to the pattern proposed by Saint Alphonsus. Those who follow this practical plan of spirituality will discover that it allows the individual a great deal of freedom in applying the "virtue of the month" to the specific circumstances of one's life. The important point, frequently emphasized by Alphonsus, is that the Christian virtues are not theoretical constructs to be admired but practical gifts to be used in living the Christian life.

Go to the Virtue of the month for:

 

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