Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori

Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori (1696–1787) was an Italian Catholic bishop, moral theologian and devotional writer. Born near Naples to a noble family, he practiced law brilliantly before abandoning the courts for the priesthood. In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, to preach to the rural poor, and he later served as bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. His Moral Theology became a standard guide for confessors, and his many devotional books, including The Glories of Mary and Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, were translated widely. He was canonized in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church.