CTfjc Saints an® Serbants of ffioD.

THE LIFE
OF

S. ALPÏÏ0NS0 MARIA DE LIQUORI,
BISHOP OF ST. AGATHA OF THE GOTHS,
AND FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY

REDEEMER.

“ Gaude Maria Virgo, cunctas hæreses sola interemisti in
universo mundo.’’—Aidipli. Ecclesiœ.

PERMISSU SUPERIORUM.

VOL. II.

LONDON :
THOMAS BAKER,
], SOHO SQUARE.
1"2, FLEET ST.; 9, CAPEL ST. DUBLIN; AND DERBY.

We hereby approve of this Series of
l/ivos of the Canonized Saints and Servants
of God, and recommend it to the faithful of
our District, as likely to promote the glory
of God, the increase of devotion, and the
spread of our holy Religion.
Given at Birmingham II this 29th day
of October. 1847.

TO

THE REGULAR CLERGY
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ENGLAND,
THE CHILDREN
OF ST. BENEDICT AND ST. BERNARD,

ST. DOMINICK AND ST. FRANCIS,
AND THE SONS
OF THE HOLY IGNATIUS,
ΤΠΕ GREAT MASTER OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE,

AND THE NURSING-FATHER OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS,

WHO,
IN ΤΠΕ STRAITNESS AND NEGLECT
OF THEIR UNHONOURED CLOISTERS,
OR THE CHEERLESS SOLITUDE
OF THEIR HIRED LODGING,

HAVE JOYFULLY EMBRACED THE POVERTY OF JESUS,
AND EARNED BY LOVING ZEAL

THE CROWN OF MARTYRDOM,
AND WHO,

TJ 81 HOUGH SCENES OF AWFUL SACRILEGE,
AND TIMES OF BITTER PERSECUTION,
THROUGH THE LONG AND WEARY VISITATION

OF ACTIVE MALICE OR OF COLD CONTEMPT,

HAVE PERPETUATED,
AMONGST TIIEIR UNWORTHY COUNTRYMEN,

THE BLESSED LINEAGE

OF THEIR HOLY FOUNDERS.
St. Wilfrid’s,
Feast of St. Bernard,
M. D. CCC. XLVII.

PREFACE.

The Life of St. Alphonso Liguori, which
is now presented to English readers, was
written about six-and-forty years ago by
one of the Redemptorist Fathers, Antonio
Maria Tannoja. He was received into
the Congregation by St. Alphonso him­
self, when he was about eighteen years
old; he lived for a long time under the
same roof with him, and was an eye-wit­
ness of the Saint’s actions and a partner
in his toils, as well as having access from
his position to all the authentic documents
which concerned the life of the Saint or
the history of his Congregation. Not
content with this, while St. Alphonso was
living at Nocera F. Antonio Maria per­
suaded some members of the Congregation
o O
to watch him and take notes of his ac­
tions. Our author was also favoured by
his acquaintance with Ercole and Gaétan,
the Saint’s brothers, with Don Januario
fatigati, of the Chinese College,
Mgr.
0 7
O
Festa, Bishop of Rizzio, and others. Tan-

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noja’s work was published in three vols.
4to, and has, as far as we can learn, never
been reprinted.
In 1842 the Dutch Redemptorists of
Wittem in Limbourg put out a .French
translation of Tannoja with the following
additions: 1. Certain of the Saint’s papers
never before edited, remarks on duels,
answers to objections made to him at the
court of Naples, spiritual Avvisi, and the
like; 2. A supplement to his Life, with
an account of the steps taken in order to
his canonization; 3. Short Lives of the
Saint’s companions and other early Fathers of the Congregation who died in the
odour of sanctity, some written by the
Saint himself, and others by Tannoja;
4. A table of the houses of the Redemptorists, and some notice of the female
religious who regard St. Al phon so as their
founder. This translation was dedicated
by F. llcilig to Archbishop Gousset.
It is from this last work that our
translation has been made. It was advertised to appear in an abridged form
before the prospectus of this Series appcared, and the translator then most

PREFACE.

xiiî

kindly and liberally placed her papers at
the Editor’s disposal. They extended as
far as the fifty-seventh chapter of the
second book, and are rather a copious
compendium; from that place the trans­
lation, by another hand, is faithful and
entire.
Notwithstanding all his claims upon
our confidence, an objection has been
raised to Tannoja’s work on the ground
that it exposes with too truthful and
unsparing a hand the state of disorder,
neglect, and depravity which prevailed in
St. Alphonso’s diocese and in other parts
of the kingdom of Naples at that time.
It is urged that this must necessarily
give scandal, as well to those who are
weak in the faitli as to aliens, who may
read in a less friendly spirit. It is diffi­
cult to see wherein the force of this objec­
tion consists, unless it be supposed that
readers would conceive they saw in such
a state of corruption a proof that God
had failed in His promises to the Church.
But if we are under any obligation to
treat so gross a misunderstanding with
respect, then we must at once suppress

XÎV

PREFACE.

well-nigh one half the documents from
which ecclesiastical history is drawn, be­
ginning with St. Paul’s Epistles to the
Corinthians. The history of the Church
is and must necessarily be a double re­
cord ; it is a chronicle of man’s wayward
sinful thwartings,
O ' as well as
o of God’s long
forbearance, or merciful interposition, or
miraculous support: and we have grave
lessons to learn from the one as well as
from the other. Local corruptions, tem­
porary decays, nay, partial losses, in no
way interfere with God’s promises to the
Church, either as regards her holiness or
her indefectibility. Witness at this mo­
ment the poor desolated regions of the
once Christian East, or the Mediterranean
shore of Africa; and the raising up of
eminent Saints from time to time to re­
store the fallen and to revive the withered
and to strengthen the sickly seems also to
have been one especial way in which the
Divine Promises have been most signally
carried out and fulfilled. Nay more, if
by the canonization of these Saints the
Church bids us study their heroic deeds
and imitate them in our measure, then

PREFACE.

XV

it becomes absolutely necessary that we
should have before us a full and accurate
picture of the evils of their times or local­
ities. For it was by resisting those evils,
by suffering persecution in consequence,
by having to reconcile distressingly con­
flicting duties, and the like, that they
sanctified themselves ; it was in these very
things that the heroism of their virtue
shone forth. What idea could we pos­
sibly form, for example, of such men as
St. Bernard, St. Gregory VII., St. Thomas
of Canterbury, St. Charles Borromeo, and
the Ven. Bartholomew de Martyribus, if
we had not some insight into the corrup­
tions which they combated, and the re­
forms which they sacrificed their lives to
carry through? The same may be said
of those saints who introduced reforms
into religious orders, when the first fer­
vour was decayed, such as St. Theresa,
St. John of the Cross, and St. Peter of
Alcantara.
And all this applies with
peculiar force to St. Alphonso. He, as
H
they, had a mission
to fulfil to the Church
of these latter times, and we cannot even
so much as understand that mission if we

XVI

PREFACE.

court unfaithful records or willingly close
our eyes to the evils which he found. To
an intellectual as well as to a simple read­
er there must surely be more edification
in the improvement wrought and in the
manner in which it was wrought, than
there can be scandal in the evil state of
things which needed such reform; God
repairing is a more cheering as well as
a more solemn sight than man marring;
and after all, come what will, truth is the
edifying thing; and to our eyes the co­
pious unsparing details of Tannoja form
one of his chief excellences as the bio­
grapher of a Saint, and exact our praise
rather than need our apology.
This same love of full and faithful nar­
rative, which so wins our confidence by
its refreshing boldness with the sins and
disorders of ecclesiastics, has led the writer
not unfrequently into a minuteness and
prolixity which will perhaps by most
readers be pronounced tiresome. Thus
the accounts of St. Alphonso’s missions
are so accurate and minute as to be full
of repetitions, which greatly impede the
current of the narrative. With the ex-

PREFACE

XVH

ccption, however, of the earlier part of
the work, as already noticed, the present
translation is in no way abridged; the
work was retained in its fulness, first,
because faithfulness is the leading feature
of the present Series of translated biogra­
phies ; secondly, because it is not so much
literary gratification as spiritual improve­
ment for which we are catering, and when
the Life is read slowly and in portions, as
spiritual reading, the repetition is not felt
as wearisome, and may actually serve to
greater edification; and thirdly, because
the influence of St. Alphonso upon the
whole Church has been so marked and
wonderful, and continues so to develope
itself more and more every day, absorbing
into itself, so to speak, the mission, the
school, the pulpit, the confessional, and
even the spirit of old established orders
and congregations, that every detail which
cither illustrates of itself or confirms by
its repetition anything in the character
and temper of one so sent from God with
a peculiar work to do, has a value to at­
tentive readers and deserves to be record­
ed. As the wind blowing where it will,

.·<■> ■ <·*·'

XVÎii

PREFACE.

and no one knowing whence it cometh
or whither it goeth, so has been the kind
and gentle spirit of St. Alphonso, first
nurtured among the children of St. Philip,
winning its way and insinuating itself
in the most secret places of the Church,
everywhere smoothing the sinner’s return
to God, everywhere exorcising as well the
stiffness of mistaken conscience as the
harshness of unaffectionate rigour, and
breeding in all hearts that love which finds
in strictness towards self an almost un­
limited fountain of indulgence to others.

F. W.
Priest op

Faber,

the

Oratory.

Maryvale,
Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel·, 1848.

P. S. The Lives of the Companions of
St. Philip Neri will be published on the
25th of October.

*
4

E*

CONTENTS.
■

CMAFTER

-

■*
·

PAGE

XXXI. Alphonse obtains the approval of his Congrega­
tion from the holy Father Pope Benedict XIV. 1
XXXII. Increase of our Congregation—Mandarini’s last
entreaties for a re-union—The rule is accept­
ed by all—Alphonso is confirmed in the of­
fice of Rector - Major—He establishes the
studenda in the house at Pagani - 11
XXXIII. Alphonso gives divers missions — Mgr. Basta
calls him into the diocese of Melfi—Death of
Father Sportelli at Nocera—Alphonso goes
to several places -......................................... 1θ
XXXIV. Alphonso publishes his book on the Glories of
Mary, as well as other works for the good of
souls XXXV. Alphonso’s distress about the Father Abbé,
who is excluded from the Congregation
- 23
XXXVI. Alphonso’s letter to the members of his Congre­
gation—Missions arc given in divers places—
A new misfortune happens, which again gives
sorrow to Alphonso..................... 32
XXXVII. Alphonso is accused before the king of having
made a large purchase—The calumny is
found out, and turns out for the advantage of
the Congregation ------ 42
XXXVIII. Alphonso publishes his Moral Theology
- 5]
XXXIX. The king asks Alphonso to reform an old
order—His conduct towards the king—Missions are given in divers parts of the country
—Father Cafaro’s death at Caposeli
- 56
XL Alphonso’s circular in order to revive thè spirit
of Jesus Christ amongst the members of his
Congregation, and their zeal in the performance of their duties
---61

i

I
I
I
I

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER

PAGE

Λ new house is opened in the state of Beneven­
to—The spiritual exercises are given in the
house at Ciorani—Alphonso’s reply to one of
his censors—A few words on Nicholas Borgia,
Bishop of Aversa
XLH. Alphonso gives a mission at Benevento—His
journey to Naples—He publishes his book the
Homo Apostolicus and other works
XLIII. Alphonso returns to Naples—His apostolical
labours —He publishes a new work on the
direction of souls................................
XL1V. Alphonso sends several of his missionaries into
Calabria, where they effect numerous conver­
sions—Other labours to which he devotes
himself for the good of souls
Alphonso enforces religious poverty on his sub­
jects—Divers counsels which he gives to the
members of his Congregation
XLVI. Alphonso’s labours while our missionaries
104
preach in Calabria................................
XL VI I, A request addressed to Alphonso by the Con­
gregation of the Propaganda, for the missions
in Asia—Foundation projected in Sicily, and
reform of the hospital of the orphans at
Gaeta..................................
111
XLVIII. Alphonso’s last mission in the town of Nola—
He publishes several works - Alphonso’s letter to all his Congregation Alphonso fixes on which of his subjects shall
be established in Sicily—Divers labours which
128
he undertakes at Naples and elsewhere
Alphonso’s personal qualifications for the apos­
136
tolical ministry.......................................
LIL The method followed by Alphonso during his
missions
------- 142
LI 11. Continuation of the same subject
151
LIV. Strict obligations imposed on his missionaries by
Alphonso 158.........................
LV. Popular style required in his missionaries by
Alphonso, and his great severity towards
those who failed in this respect - 1G8

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER

XX!
PAGE

LVI. The wise mode of conduct which Alphonso re­
quired in our confessors, and the chastise­
ment with which God visited one of them - 174
LVII. Other virtues which Alphonso required in the
members of his Congregation
- 182
LVI II. The great poverty and perfect obedience which
Alphonso required from the members of his
Congregation
- 192
L1X. Alphonso’s zeal in maintaining strict poverty and
perfect obedience
----- 200
LX. Alphonso’s solicitude as to the observance of the
rule—His firmness against transgressors, and
his resoluteness in freeing the Congregation
from them........................................... 210
LX I. The wisdom with which Alphonso freed the
Congregation from disobedient and incorri­
gible subjects
------ 220
LXII. How Alphonso encouraged his subjects to aim at
the greatest perfection by extolling the bless­
ings of vocation—His charity towards those
who were tempted, and his severity towards
the unfaithful
------ 225
LXIH. Alphonso’s solicitude for the professed clerics,
the novices, and the lay-brothers of his Con­
gregation
...................................... 235
LX IV. The state of the Congregation in the year 1762,
thirty years after its foundation - 249
BOOK III.

I. The election of Alphonso to the bishopric of
St. Agatha of the Goths—His refusal, his
alarm, and his submission to the Sovereign
Pontiff -------- 257
II. Correspondence of Alphonso with his brother
Hercules—His humble preparations for going
to Rome — He falls dangerously ill — Senti­
ments of the public on his obedience to the
orders of the Pope...................................... 272
III. Recovery of Alphonso—His departure for Naples 279
IV. The journey of Alphonso to Rome and Loretto - 285

xxii
CHAPTER

CONTENTS.
PAGE

V. Alphonso returns to Rome—The honour he re­
ceives from the Pope—He is consecrated bishop 292
VI. Alphonso returns to Naples, and passes by Nocera again................................................... - 300
VII. The entry and reception of Alphonso at St.
Agatha
------- 308
VIII. Manner of life of Alphonso—Exemplary conduct
which he exacted from his household --316
IX. Alphonso gives a mission at St. Agatha, and the
spiritual exercises
----- 327
X. Alphonso’s first acts against scandals
- 335
XI. Alphonso begins to visit his diocese—lie reforms
the seminary—He causes the buildings to be
repaired, and organises the mode of instruction 347
XII. Piety flourishes in the seminary
- 353
ΧΠΙ. Divers particulars of what accompanied Alphon­
so’s first pastoral visitation _ 372
XIV. Alphonso becomes ill at Airola—He returns to
St. Agatha convalescent
_ 333
XV. Alphonso’s conduct during the visitation of his
diocese........................................ 396

THE LIFE
OF

ST.

alphonso liguori.

BOOK II. CONTINUED.

CHAPTER XXXI.
The year 1749 was a happy epoch for the Con­
gregation, on account of the admission of many
subjects distinguished for their sanctity not loss
than their science. Encouraged by the pious dis­
positions of the king, Alphonso having obtained
for his Congregation the approbation of so many
bishops, determined to apply for the approbation
of the Pope. Ho addressed a petition to Bene­
dict XIV., by the hands of Mgr. Puoti, a pre­
late whom his Holiness honoured with his par­
ticular friendship. When the Popo was made
acquainted with the good Alphonso and his Con­
gregation had done, he ordered Cardinal Gentili,
Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Conncil of Trent, to charge Cardinal Spinelli, who
had made a report on the Congregation the year
preceding, to take information and declare his
sentiments on the subject. His Eminence re­
joiced in this commission, asked for the rules,
1

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2

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORL

and gave them to the Canon Simodo and his
auditor, tho Abbe Biaschi, for examination. All
three admired the wisdom with which everything
had been arranged. The cardinal however wished
to retrench the rigorous fast on Friday, that during Advent and the Novena of the Holy Ghost
meagre diet should not bo obligatory, and that
the collation of the evening should bo more nourishing than on tho fasts of tho Church. Tho
cardinal would not second Alphonso in his spirit
of penance, fearing for the health of tho subjects
when undergoing so much fatigue. He admired
the wisdom of tho rules touching the government
of tho Congregation. Ho approved the division
of power, but limited the consultors general to
six instead of twelve, whom Alphonso had cstablished, to imitate the College of the Twelve
Apostles.
Once assured of the approbation of the Cardinal Spinelli, every one advised Alphonso to go
himself to Rome, but ho concealed his humility
under the pretence of his infirmities, and confided the whole affair to tho management of Father
Villani. Many bishops besides those in whoso
dioceses the Congregation was established wrote
to give them favourable testimony at tho court
of Rome, among others Mgr. Rossi, who expresscd himself in the following terms: “These worthy
missionaries, besides tho great services they ronder to the inhabitants of the country, and tho
spiritual exorcises they give in their own houses
to all classes of people, priests and laymen, do
still greater good in the places where they

·**

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

givo missions by their exemplary conduct and
tho truly apostolic zeal of a charity without
bounds.”
They had besides, letters from tho most dis­
tinguished personages to the Cardinal Orsini and
tho Duko de Sora. Tho cardinal knew Alphonso
by report only, but tho duko having met him
at Naples had had opportunities to appreciate
his virtues. To these two personages the Con­
gregation were under tho greatest obligations, for
they never ceased exerting all their interest until
the business was finished satisfactorily. Tho
general of tho order of St. Basil, with the mis­
sionaries of St. Vincent of Paul, exerted them­
selves in their favour. “Our founder,” said one
of those fathers to F. Villani, “ was not an en­
vious saint.” They also offered to yield up to
the Congregation a foundation they had just
made at Sublac. Tho abbot of another religious
order gave them great assistance. Cardinal Bisozzi was named Reporter. They had wished for
Cardinal Orsini, but Cardinal Gentili tho pre­
fect said to Villani, that by this appointment
ho secured for them a man of still more weight,
and when Orsini was told of it, ho remarked,
“You have now two instead of one,” and after­
wards went himself to deliver the rescript into
Bisozzi’s hands.
All proceeded happily. They agreed with Bisozzi on two most important points. He desired
only some change in tho modo of arrangement,
and for this purpose it was placed in tho hands
of F. Sergio, of tho Congregation of Pious Work-

.

4

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOIII.

crs. This father having a good deal to do,
said to F. Viliam, that the matter was not so
easy, and would take some years ; ho might
therefore return to Naples, and wait there till
ho was recalled to Rome. But Villani replied,
“ I am hero to finish this affair, and if your
Reverence has too many occupations to attend
to this, I will speak to his Eminence.” This
reply surprised Sergio, and Villani added that
there was nothing difficult to arrange, as they
had already agreed with the cardinal on the
most essential points. Sergio looked very grave,
and said, “Of what use am I then?”* F. St.
Severino, who was then in the Congregation of
Pious Workers, happening to be present, Villani
proposed it should be given to him ; this was
accordingly done, and one day was found suffi­
cient for the whole business, which, according
to Sergio, would have required years.
When the rule was presented to the Sacred
Congregation they retrenched the fourth vow
as superfluous, the vow by which they enga­
ged to place themselves at the disposal of the
Pope, to be sent when he would to preach to
the heathen. “We suppose,” said the Cardinals,
* This father had left the Congregation of Alphonso, and en­
tered that of the Pious Workers, but not having yet found his
vocation he was so unhappy that one day he said to F. Villani,
“ 1 wish I could exchange places with the most miserable street­
porter in Rome.” Full of repentance for the past, he sought to
be re-admitted into the Congregation, but Alphonso would never
cousent. And at a later period God showed what had been Ilis
designs upon him, by raising him to the Archiépiscopal See of
Palermo, where he became a model of zeal, of wisdom, and of
virtue.

«0*=* *

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

5

“that all religious orders are always ready to
obey the first signal given by the Holy Father.”
Alphonso, who would take from his Congregation
the means of amassing wealth, had fixed that
the rents of no house should exceed one thou­
sand two hundred ducats. All admired his mod­
eration, but in consideration of unforeseen ex­
penses that might come upon them they fixed
the maximum at one thousand five hundred,
for ordinary houses, and two thousand for the
houses of novices or students. The cardinals
approved of everything else, and full of admi­
ration for the rule, they unanimously approv­
ed of it. Cardinal Bisozzi was particularly
pleased with the regulation to return for a short
time, after an interval of some months, to the
places where a mission had been given, a
regulation altogether new, and which he conceiv­
ed would be an admirable means of preserving
the fruits of a mission.
But the devil would not allow things to pro­
ceed without his interference. The auditor of
Cardinal Bisozzi, after having read the appro­
bation of Cardinal Spinelli, which exalted the
great good done by the institute of Alphonso,
and its utility to the kingdom, pretended that
this meant the Congregation should bo confined
to the kingdom of Naples. This vote would
have been embarrassing, but they applied im­
mediately to Bisozzi, who said that Alphonso
had not applied to the Pope for the kingdom of
Naples only, but to obtain his sanction for tho
Congregation throughout tho whole Church. “It

G

ST. ALPnONSO LIQUORI.

is but just,” he added, “that a work of such
magnitude should be universal.”
In the course of these Memoirs it will bo seen
how much the devil would have gained, had tho
Congregation been confined to tho kingdom of
Naples, but God watched over it, and tho snare
was circumvented. Although all was in train,
nothing was yet decreed, but Cardinal Orsini
and the Duke de Sora exerted themselves to
the utmost, and urged Mgr. Foglictti, secretary
of the Congregation, to use tho utmost promp­
titude. lie promised, but different accidents
interfered with the fulfilment of his promise.
At length, towards the end of February
Viliam went to the Cardinal, who said to him,
“Bo comforted, this morning tho Congregation
has had one of tho most difficult conferences;”
but said Villani, “What cannot be done in tho
Congregation, might it not be done in the house
of tho Cardinal Prefect ? ” “True,” said Orsini,
“and I will go to him immediately, for I have
something to say to him that concerns myself.”
“If you would succeed in your affairs,” replied
Villaui, “begin by speaking of mine.” “De­
pend on it,” said tho cardinal, “and since you
say so, recommend my business to God in union
with yours.” That same day tho decree of
approbation was given, and the Cardinal with
his own hand wrote to inform Villani of tho
nows.
Tho father being presented to tho Popo to
thank him for his approbation, and ask a con­
firmation of it, his Holiness inquired for tho

ST. ALPIIONSO LIOUORI.

7

decree. Villani replied, that it was annexed
to the rule. “That is what I wish to examine,”
said he. The following day he read the decree
and the rule, and was quite satisfied with all.
He was particularly pleased to find that the
office of Rector Major and of the Consultors were
perpetual. “It is this,” said he, “that hinders
parties and divisions so often met with among
regulars.” Seeing that the Congregation bore
tho name of the Holy Saviour, and reflect­
ing that there was a Congregation established
at Venice which already bore that name, he
wished them to take the title of the Most Holy
Redeemer instead. Several prelates happening
to be in the antechamber, had the curiosity
to read the rules, and all expressed themselves
much pleased.
While Alphonso enjoyed at Ciorani the pros­
pect of a favourable conclusion for his affairs at
Rome, ho was suddenly plunged in tho greatest
distress by hearing that tho Pope had made him
Perpetual Superior of the Congregation. He
wrote to beseech them to obtain for him deliver­
ance from so heavy a burden, exposing in the
humblest terms his weakness and incapacity for
sustaining such a charge. Villani wrote to him
repeatedly on the necessity and propriety of his
continuing rector. In one of his last letters on
tho subject, he says, “ Since your Reverence is
named Perpetual Rector, it is necessary to have
patience and submit to tho yoke. My father,
speak no more on this subject ; I believe you are
bound by duty, by justice, and gratitude.”

8

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

There was still another attempt made to
crush the affair at Rome. A respectable Con­
gregation at Naples beheld with a jealous eye
the success of Alphonse and his Congregation,
and sent with all haste one of its members to
Rome to oppose him as much as possible. Fa­
ther Villani looking on him as a friend, went to
see him. Ho received him coldly, and re­
marked, “ Yesterday evening, when I was with
the Cardinal Porto Carrera, wo opened by chance
St. Thomas, and lighted on an article where it
is questioned if it bo expedient or not to approve
a new order of religion ; ho concludes in the
negative. The cardinal has marked the pas­
sage.” Ho said nothing more, but this was
sufficient to show the spirit with which ho was
animated towards the Congregation. The same
institute sent another father for the same pur­
pose, but he was of a different temper, and
wrote back that ho had como too lato, for every
thing was already concluded to tho great satis­
faction of both Pope and Cardinals.
If the author of evil could not hinder tho
Holy Father from giving his approbation, ho tried
at least to paralyse it. We have already seen
that tho Sacred Congregation approved the rules
and tho institute, and had charged Cardinal
Passioci with tho minute of tho brief. The
Abbe Fiori, to whom he had confided the ar­
rangement of tho minutes, having been gained
by the friends of the envoy already mentioned,
wrote, ‘‘Regula et non Institutum.” They spoke
of it to the Cardinal Passioci, who called tho

ST. ALPHONSO LIGÜORI.

9

Abbe and pointed it out to him ; he coolly
replied that it was the custom of tho Holy See
to approve tho rule before approving of the
institute, and that it was thus they had done
with tho Passionists. Tho cardinal had the
decree given to tho Pope, who seeing the ruse
of tho Abbe was very indignant, and taking
tho pen into his own hand, wrote “ Regula et
Institutum,” so that, to tho confusion of the ma­
levolent, Alphonso had tho satisfaction of re­
ceiving from Romo, on tho 25th February, 1749,
tho confirmation of the rule and of the instituto.
So great a favour obtained in such a short time
surprised every body. Humanly speaking they
owed it in a great measure to Cardinal Orsini,
who, full of admiration for Alphonso, took every
means in his power to further the measure.
All being finished, Father Villani went to
take leave of tho Popo, and ask his paternal
benediction for Alphonso, himself, and all the
Congregation ; he again received a great many
graces and privileges. The lay-brother Francis
was also admitted, when his Holiness asked him
what he desired for himself, and said smiling
O'
“I give my blessing to you, your father, your
mother, and all your relations,” giving him at
tho same time a great number of indulgences
to distribute to his friends.
Any one may imagine the anxiety of Alphonso
to hear of the termination of this important
affair. Moments appeared ages, and every ono
redoubled his prayers and mortifications. When
the last letter came, tho expectation of which

10

I

I

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

made every one fear, Alphonso did not open it in
his usual manner, but gradually unfolded it, and
read one after another tho letters of the first word.
The word was “Gloria,” and ho immediately
understood the good news, lie continued read­
ing, “Gloria Patri, &c. The Congregation is ap­
proved,” and bursting into tears of joy ho flung
himself with his face to tho earth, all tho others
present following his example. After having in
this humble posture thanked God for His mer­
cies, they rung tho bell of the community,
when all proceeding to tho church tho To Deum
was chanted, after which Alphonso made a
prayer on these words, “Visita, Domine, vincamistam, et perfice cam quam plantavit dextera
tua,” exhorting all to correspond to so great a
grace by redoubled fervour in tho exact obser­
vance of the rule, and in love towards Jesus
Christ and His holy Mother Mary.
The sentiments of persons in authority at
Rome differed on certain points regarding tho
rule, Some censured, others admired. Several
thought that in order to consolidate tho Con­
gregation a fourth vow should have been added
for tho older members, according to what is prac­
tised among the Jesuits. Father Villani spoke to
Mgr. Pirelli on tho subject, but this Camaldolcso
prelate replied, “What an inconsiderate proposal!
would to God that all religious orders had this
open door ! IIow many disorders would thus bo
prevented ! you have this door open, and would
you close it ! ” Some others objected to tho
community life, but a canon of eminence de­

ST. ALPHONSO LIOÜORI.

11

fended it by saying, “ What do people mean
who hold such an opinion ? the good of the com­
munity life is inappreciable ; where there is none,
every one works for himself and not for the
community.”

CHAPTER XXXII.
The approbation of the institute made a great
noise at Rome; they spoke of nothing but the
now Congregation of Missionaries approved by
tho Pope, of tho fervour which reigned among
them, and the great good they did. They were
so highly thought of, that a great number of
subjects, as distinguished for their virtue as
for their science, applied to bo admitted into
tho order. Two curates renounced their bene­
fices and quitted Rome for Ciorani.
About the same time tho Abbot mentioned
before, as having been very useful in obtaining
tho approbation of the rules, was also caught by
the holy life of Alphonso and his Congregation,
and wished to be admitted among them, lie was
a man of great merit, profoundly versed in science
divino and human. Alphonso had made it a
rule never to admit into his Congregation any
regular, nor any one who had ever lived in
community, however short tho time might have
been ; but in consideration of the distinguished
merit of this Abbot, and the services he had ren­
dered to tho Congregation, he made no difii-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

culty in receiving him. The Popo by a brief
agreed to and even encouraged this determination,
and the Abbot, after having with tho consent of
Alphonso made the vows prescribed by tho rulo
to Cardinal Orsini at tho feet of St. Peter in tho
Vatican, laid aside his insignia, took tho habit,
and departed for Ciorani. This resolution of tho
Abbot made a great sensation at Rome. His ex­
ample incited tho Abbot del Pozzi himself, General
of the Fathers of St. Basil, to make a similar ap­
plication; but while matters were in train for his
entering tho Congregation, he was called from
this world to enter into his eternal rest.
When it became known at Naples that the
Congregation was confirmed by the Pope, a great
many oxcollent young men and distinguished
priests presented themselves for admission.
Among others were Father John Bezzi, an emi­
nently learned and pious priest, Don Charles Gazano, and Father Francis Pentimulli. The prince
of Castellaneta, Don Mattheas Morobulla of Arragon, renewed his solicitations to be admitted,
but Alphonso believed himself bound to refuse.
Father Mandarini again began to solicit a re­
union, which was seconded by the fathers of tho
four houses he had established, who all declared
themselves ready to submit to Alphonso as their
superior. Ho was touched by their entreaties,
yet still, supported by the unanimous opinion of
the fathers of his own Congregation, he refused.
Upon this several of the most talented and pious
in Mandarini’s institute requested individually to
bo received, but foreseeing how much this would

Λ- *

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

13

weaken Mandarini’s Congregation he would not
consent.
In the month of October in the same year he
held his first general chapter. All the members
of the Congregation assisted, and there remained
only tho lay-brothers to keep the houses. At
tho opening of the chapter Alphonso invited all
tho members, through F. Cafaro, who opened
tho meeting, to accept the rules, and to proceed
to a formal election to all tho offices in general.
That the suffrages might bo entirely free, he
urged that each one should first divest himself
of tho office he held. 411 obeyed, and although
tho Pope had confirmed him in the perpetual
rectorship, ho was tho first to give tho example.
Kneeling in tho midst of the chapter he laid
down his authority, humbling himself before
them, and asking pardon for all that was amiss
in his past conduct. This act drew tears from
tho eyes of all present, and each following his
example was eager to divest himself of all au­
thority. Afterwards, that they might recommend
the matter to God, and reflect on tho vote they
were about to give, Alphonso suggested that they
all should make a retreat of three days, and
above all ho insisted that in electing the Rector
Major, they should vote for him whom before
God they thought best qualified to fill the office ;
in short ho neglected no means for exempting
himself of tho burden.
Tho Father Abbot was the soul of the chap­
ter, because ho was well accustomed to such
things. After each had given up his charge,

14

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

lio was named president of the chapter. The
rules were read, and all joyfully accepted them.
All the student clerks assisted with the priests
at this assembly. They renewed the vow of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, with the oath
of persevering in the Congregation until death.
After having finished the three days’ retreat, all
the fathers met in chapter and proceeded to the
nomination of the Rector Major, and at the first
scrutiny Alphonso was unanimously elected Per­
petual Rector Major. He adored the judgment
of God, and thanked the assembly who deigned
thus to honour him, and submitting to the Di­
vine Will ho again took up the heavy burden.
After the election of the Rector Major they
proceeded to the others. F. Villani was elected
Consultor and Monitor. As Consultors they
elected equally the Fathers Sportclli, Rossi, and
Mazzini, with the Father Abbot. F. Francis Musgotta, although newly admitted into the Congre­
gation, was, in consideration of his known merit,
elected Procurator General.
In this chapter they determined to regulate
the studies in the noviciate. They regulated
the teaching of belles-lettres, and determined on
the authors to bo followed in philosophy. They
adopted principally St. Thomas, and made other
arrangements for sacred and profane studies.
But if Alphonso felt a great consolation in see­
ing his Congregation rich in virtuous young men,
his heart was saddened at the temporal poverty
in which they were plunged. But the God in
whom he trusted remembered him, and camo to

*
Λ·-

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

15

his succour at the moment when he least ex­
pected.
The young students some months before had
been walking in the grounds of the house at
Pagani, when some gentlemen met with them,
and from thence formed a very favourable judg­
ment of the institute. To give Alphonso a tes­
timony of their affection, they earnestly request­
ed during tho sitting of the chapter, that the
Studenda should be established in the house of
Pagani, promising that if tho Congregation could
not support tho expense, they would willingly
contribute themselves. All subscribed certain
annual sums, and Dominic do Mayo, tho dean,
signalized himself among them by his generos­
ity. Tho bishop contributed largely, taking tho
greatest interest in the education of the students.
Tho chapter finished by appointing the Fathci
Abbot Professor of Philosophy and Theology, foi
which offices his vast erudition rendered him
eminently qualified. They elected also Father
Jerome Ferraro Professor of Humanity and Rhet­
oric, for which ho was prepared by having taught
them successfully during twenty years in tho
Seminary of Conza. Many other regulations
were made, tho object of which was to main­
tain holy poverty and tho community life.

IC)

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

When all was regulated for the interior of
tho Congregation, Alphonso recommenced in the
autumn his course of missions. At tho opening
of tho Jubilee in 1750, Mgr. de Novelles invi­
ted him to give a mission at Sarno. The
sight of this holy man clad in an old mantle
mended in a thousand places, with a cassock in
tho same condition, produced an effect equal to
that of a sermon in tho sentiments of penitence
it inspired. All in Sarno knew his noble birth,
and they were confounded to see him clad like
a poor mendicant.
Ho preached in another manner not less edi­
fying. His beard had been clipped with scissors
the previous evening, and its inequalities were
quite in keeping with his mantle and cassock.
The bishop wishing to try him said laughingly,
“ Notwithstanding our wish to be economical
a few pence are necessary to have you shaved,
so I will pay for you myself ho at the same
time made a sign to a servant to call a barber.
Alphonso said nothing, and when tho barber
came he presented himself to be shaved with
tho most perfect indifference, although it was
eighteen years since a razor had touched his
chin. This prompt obedience edified both tho
bishop and the whole town of Sarno, and tho
high idea they had of his sanctity increased
more and more.
God showered abundant graces on this mission.

—1

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

17

Tho town was plunged in deplorable wickedness,
but soon every one talked with admiration of
the extraordinary and sudden change produced.
A. great number of bravos by profession placed
π
in tho hands of the missionaries
their daggers,
their pistols, and bayonets, and from that mo­
ment embraced a peaceful and pious life. Many
young girls abandoned the arrangements that
had been made for their marriage, and vowed
themselves the spouses of Jesus Christ. The
virtue of chastity was the most precious pearl
that adorned the heart of Alphonso, and he knew
well how to introduce it into the hearts of others.
The clergy profited as much as others, and
not a few among them, touched by grace, left
all and entered the Congregation. Don Stephen
Liguori was among the number.
Piety succeeded to disorder ; the sacraments
were frequented, and every evening crowds came
II
to the Church to visit the Blessed Sacrament
and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is on record,
that for ten years after this the taverns -were
quite deserted. When he had finished tho mis­
sion in this town, accompanied by fourteen mis­
sionaries, ho commenced preaching throughout
the diocese. Everywhere grace triumphed, sin
was banished, and piety re-established.
Although the Pouillo was cultivated by the
Fathers of tho Congregation, yet tho Bishop,
Mgr. Busti, desired much to see Alphonso him­
self, wishing to have tho consolation of hearing
him preach in tho cathedral, lie went to Melfi
at his request, where his sermons produced adr

18

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

mirablc fruit. Without speaking of many gentle­
men whoso immoral lives were reformed, there
was one in particular, who, not content with
a partial reformation, generously renounced for­
tune and friends, and camo into the Congrega­
tion as a lay-brother. The clergy also had their
brilliant conversions. There lived at Malfi a
canon deeply skilled in canon law and jurispru­
dence, but as his whole employment was to shine
in the saloons, ho was an ecclesiastic by name
only. He heard Alphonso preach, and being
moved to repentance, changed his life, and re­
nounced his profession of advocate, except in de­
fence of the widow and the orphan. He embra­
ced courageously a poor and mortified life, and
full of the Spirit of God sought henceforth
only to save souls.
During his sojourn at Malfi, Alphonso learned
the happy passage to heaven of F. Cesar Sportelli, his first companion in the Congregation.
This loss was a heavy blow to him, although ho
had long expected it, Sportclli having had a
stroke of apoplexy two years before. But he
had cause to rejoice, because of the circum­
stances attending his death. A month previ­
ously he had foretold the day and the hour of
his decease, while some were performing their
devotional exercises in the church ; and when
one of the Fathers set out to join Alphonso on
the mission, Sportclli said to him, “ Kiss the
hands of our rector for me, and say to him, that
when he shall receive at Malfi the news of my
death, he u aist recommend my soul to Jesus

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Christ.” Ho died in the odour of sanctity, and
God has glorified him hy many miracles. Six
months after his death, when they opened the
coffin in presence of the ecclesiastical judges,
the body was found uncorrupted, and blood was
drawn from the veins.
In the course of his missions in this diocese
ho visited Ripacandida, where there was a con­
vent of Carmelite nuns, strict observers of their
rule, and a subject of great edification to all
who knew them. Ho ,gavo them a retreat,
from which ho drew not less profit than ho gave,
benefiting by their conversation as they bene­
fited from his instructions. Ho modified how­
ever their bodily austerities, in which he wish­
ed them to use more discretion, and established
some relaxation both for the body and the mind.
Ho was full of admiration for the sanctity which
reigned in tho monastery. “ I did not believe,”
ho said, “ that I should have found on this rock
such a beautiful flower.”

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Having returned to Ciorani his indefatigable
zeal made it easy for him to profit by the slightest
leisure. He finished and published in the course
of this year, 1750, his precious work entitled
“The Glories of Mary.” He burned with desire
to extend in all directions the glory of Jesus
Christ, and to subjugate all hearts to Him; but

20

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

his zeal was also ardent to glorify Mary and that
she should be loved of all. This work was the
fruit of years in which he had employed himself
to choose from among the works of holy fathers
and theologians the most conclusive proofs in fa­
vour of the prerogatives of Mary, and the fittest
to engage the faithful to devote themselves to her
service. “Although I have read many books,” ho
said, “which treat of the glories of Mary, I have
remarked that they were cither too confined or
too voluminous, or at least written with a different
purpose from mine. For this reason I have resolv­
ed to form a collection of the most beautiful and
striking passages from the holy fathers and theo­
logians, to give to pious souls at little expense and
trouble a book which may fill them with love to
the virgin Mother of God. Preachers also may
find in this book matter which may aid them in
spreading devotion towards Mary.”
In this work Alphonso attacked the book of
the celebrated Louis Anthony Musatori, for having
shown himself too reserved in exalting the praises
of the Virgin. Musatori had attempted to com­
bat the proposition, that “all the benefits of God
pass through the hands of Mary,” pretending that
expressions such as these, which designate the
power of the holy Mother of God, are hyperboles
and exaggerations, which have escaped some
saints in the excess of their fervour, and which
do not belong to a sane theology. Alphonso
made it clear that there is the mediation of jus­
tice by merit, which is that of Jesus Christ, and
he mediation of grace by prayer, which is that

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

21

of the Blessed Virgin; that if Jesus Christ is the
only mediator of justice, who obtains salvation for
us by His merits, Mary is the mediatrix of grace,
because she prays and obtains all by the merits
of Jesus Christ. “Musatori,” said Alphonso,
“has shown himself too reserved in granting to
Mary this prerogative, which so many holy fathers
and doctors of the Church have attributed to
her, not only as being useful to us, but necessary
also.” Ilis work is divided into two parts, the
first being a commentary on the Salve Regina,
in which he exalts the glories of the holy Virgin,
and the innumerable graces she obtains for her
servants ; the second part contains nine discourses
on the principal feasts of the Virgin, and reflec­
tions on her sorrows. lie speaks there particu­
larly of her virtues, and indicates different de­
votions that may be practised in her honour with
great advantage.
Alphonso dedicated this work to Jesus Christ.
“I know not,” he says, “to whom I can better
dedicate this work than to Thee, wflio so ar­
dently desirest the glory of Thy holy Mother.
Recompense me by kindling in my heart the love
which I desire to communicate to the hearts of
all who read this book.” The applause with
which the book was received or the number of
editions through which it has gone, is scarcely
to be credited.
The contradictions and ill-usage which so many
of the young men had to endure who joined the
Congregation, induced Alphonso to write a small
work entitled, “Advice regarding a Religious Vo-

22

ST. ALPirONSO LIGUORI.

cation.” lie showed in this work that a divine
vocation is not to be subjected to the will of
relations, and that when God calls us wo must
obey Him. He showed the excellence of the re­
ligious state, which is the most certain way of
obtaining salvation. He pointed out the advan­
tages to be found in religion, and the means of
preserving our vocation ; and then gave five med­
itations for the use of those whom God called to
this state. Ho showed them the recompenses
reserved for those who corresponded to their vo­
cation, and the chastisements which never failed
to follow those who resisted the call of the Lord.
Having compassion for young novices, and being
desirous to help them in their temptations to re­
turn into the world, ho published a little work
called “ Advice to Novices, to aid them in perse­
vering in their vocation.” This book discovered
the numerous deceits, illusions, and snares by
which the devil tried to make them return to the
world, giving them at the same time the means
most proper for escaping them and remaining
faithful to God.
In these two works Alphonse had not only in
view the young people of his own Congregation,
but of all who were called to a religious life, and
lived in convents where discipline was in vigour.
He presented it to all the noviciates in Naples,
and it was everywhere favourably received. “If,”
said he, “ I can hinder one vocation from being
lost, the gain is not little.”
lie had much to suffer from the ignorance of
many who boasted that they knew philosophy and

I

ST. ALI’IIONSO LIQUORI.

23

theology, and yet hardly knew how to write their
own language. He would assist those of the
Congregation and others who had need, and wrote
in form of a manual a little treatise on the most
essential rules of grammar. Ho exposed briefly
but clearly the four principal rules of arithmetic,
for the use of the lay-brothers. His charity was
industrious, and knew how to aid all.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Alpitonso was enjoying the greatest happiness
in seeing his Congregation approved by the
Pope, and each day making new progress, when
a sad reverse camo to change into bitterness his
joy and consolation. The Father Abbot was
scarcely settled at Ciorani, when by the brilliancy
of his talents he had gained the admiration of
all the students, and their hearts also by his
edifying conduct, Although newly entered into
the Congregation, ho was looked on as a veteran
well qualified to instruct and guide the young
soldiers of Christ. All looked upon him as a
precious conquest, and conceived the brightest
hopes from his influence over the students.
The opening of the Studenda at Pagani took
place under the happiest auspices ; all the young
clerks were distinguished as students, and those
of inferior talents wore left at Ciorani. The
students at Pagani were twelve in number. Be­
sides philosophy, they were taught the elements
of sacred and profane history, and studied lan-

24

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

guages besides. Every fortnight, or at least
once a month, they had public theses in tho
chapel, and strange priests and religious of
different orders camo to hold arguments with
them on philosophical questions. Tho renown
of tho Abbot and tho talents of the scholars
attracted a great concourse of people to the
house. Tho Fathers in general rejoiced in this
success, but Alphonso feared that tho pre-emi­
nence of belles-lettres would hurt tho spiritual
advancement of the young people. Ho wished
them to acquire knowledge, but not vanity,
and, above all, to advance in the science of tho
saints.
The commencement with the Abbot was good,
but tho consequences wore not so ; extremes
are always to be feared. lie was a man of su­
perior talent certainly, but ho would extend
this superiority beyond its proper limits ; ha­
bituated to command, he could not humblo him­
self to obey. The rule became a restraint for
him, his haughty character would not bend to it,
ho would sleep when ho ought to wako, and
wake when he should sleep. Tho want of liberty
preyed upon his mind. Accustomed for so many
years to tho rules of his own instituto, as soon as
the first fervour was over he accommodated himself with difficulty to new rules ; and in his conversations with the young men, sometimes would
disapprove of one thing, sometimes would modify another, and with regard to certain practices of devotion he could not even suffer them.
To kiss the feet of a member of the commu-

;

i
;
1

I
I

I
,
:
I

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORL

25

nity on certain days, to eat kneeling or sitting
on the ground, to extend the arms for a certain
time in tho form of a cross, all this in his opin­
ion were but grimaces which produced no effect.
These customs had been established sponta­
neously in tho Congregation, and Alphonso with
the elder Fathers had never ceased to practise
them. On his first arrival at Ciorani, tho Ab­
bot had practised them himself ; ho did not then
regard them as mummeries, but as practices
useful for promoting humility. F. Mazzini being
informed by tho students of tho conduct of their
prefect, believed he ought to give him a friendly
warning, but tho Abbot received it with a very
bad grace, and ceased not to spread maxims con­
trary to a religious community. Ho would not
that when any one remarked a fault in another,
he should go and inform tho superior, that ho
as a common father might remedy tho evil. His
wish was that this should always bo preceded by
fraternal correction, without reflecting that this
correction, being neglected, tho report after­
wards made to tho rector was an occasion of
aversion and enmity. On this subject ho had
a keen altercation with Mazzini, coming with
St. Thomas and other authors in his hand, with
which ho attempted to fortify his opinion. When
Alphonso heard at Ciorani this sad news, his
heart was oppressed. Ho advised Mazzini to
be prudent, and wrote at tho same time to the
Abbot, representing to him tho great evil that
might result from diversity of opinion in a new­
born instituto ; but seeing that this only embit-

2G

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

tcrcd him against Mazzini, he withdrew tho latter
from Noccra, although with great regret, and
sent him to Caposilo. Notwithstanding, things
did not take a bettor turn ; on the contrary, tho
Abbot troubled the minds of tho students to
such an extent, that they formed themselves into
two opposite parties, and Alphonso heard of these
proceedings from one of tho young men whose
conscience became alarmed, and urged him to
disclose all to tho Rector Major. When ho saw
that tho evil was growing worse, he summoned
the Abbot to Ciorani ; this occurred in the month
of September, 1750, and as they wore giving a
retreat to the ordinandi, he gave him the charge
of it, that he might not think of returning to Pa­
gani. The Abbot did not like this, and showed
his discontent in a thousand ways, when Alphonso
said to him very firmly, “Either you must obey,
or you arc free to return to your own order.”
Tho Abbot passed the night in consideration, and
then agreed to give the Exercises, but declared
his intention of leaving tho Congregation.
This affair alarmed the whole house. They
had the highest esteem for the Abbot, looking
upon him as one who had protected them most
at Rome, and as his misconduct was still a secret
at Ciorani, every one suffered at seeing him
vexed. He, however, entered into himself and
became humble ; this was precisely tho result
Alphonso wished for. The Fathers Villani and
Cafaro, who were giving a mission in a neigh­
bouring village, interceded for him, and as Al­
phonse wished not to disgrace him, and believed

ST. ALPIIONSO I.IGU0RI.

ho recognised his fault, lie readily so
back agaiu to Noccra. Peace seemed re-cs
cd, but it was only a truce. The Abbot recom­
menced his instructions, and among tho students
one was of Paul, another of Apollos. Not to
compromise everything, Alphonso tried a new
expedient. lie recalled the Abbot to Ciorani.
“Every Congregation,” said he, “has an asylum
at Rome, why should not wo try to establish
an hospice there ?” Tho proposal rather pleased
the Abbot and the Fathers who were present, and
it was agreed to send him with another Father.
By this means Alphonso hoped to save the honour
of the Abbot, and at the same time withdraw him
from the students.
But the devil had too much interest in con­
tinuing tho evil he had begun to allow tho mat­
ter to bo settled so quietly. The Abbot beginning
to perceive tho reason why Alphonso had taken
this resolution, was exceedingly displeased, and
yielding to tho temptation he meditated the ruin
of tho young students altogether. Showing them
tho institute under a disadvantageous aspect, he
proposed to them to join with him and go to
Rome, where they would form a new institute
on a footing altogether different. Four of these
young men, the flower of tho whole, determined
to turn their backs on tho Congregation and
follow this now founder. Having long been fill­
ed with tho desire of going to preach to tho
heathen, they immediately erected themselves
into as many apostles for the Mogul, Paraguay,
or China.

k

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

Alphonso was ignorant of this plot, and was
engaged in arranging all things for the journey
of the Abbot, but that God who protected tho
Congregation, would show how he succoured him
who governed it. Tho Abbot was to depart for
Naples on the 15th of October, 1750 ; all was
going well ; he had already taken leave of his
friends, and on tho 14th Alphonso had made the
twelve students come to Ciorani. They arrived
in the morning; after the evening meditation, he
assembled a council, and all at once proposed the
expulsion of the Father Abbot. All were con­
founded at the proposal, and as they had fixed
before that he should be sent to Rome, they de­
manded why this agreement should not be adhe­
red to. Some pretended that they could not ex­
pel a Consultor General without convoking all the
others to give their vote. Alphonso argued that
the rule exacted the presence of tho consultor to
give counsel but not to decide; but they objected
to him, that that could not apply to Consultors
General, for in case one of them should not bo
of the same opinion as the Rector Major, he
could always disembarrass himself by expelling
that one from tho Congregation. In short, tho
dispute lasted until evening prayers, Alphonso
sustaining his opinion in spite of all opposition.
Tho next day they changed their opinion when
tho four young men whom tho Abbot had per­
verted, presented themselves to Alphonso with
staves in their hands and mantles under their
arms, demanding dispensation from tho four vows
they had made. The consultors were confound­

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOHI.

29

ed at tho sight, they changed their language,
and were filled with admiration for the conduct
of Alphonso, and the care God evidently took of
tho Congregation. The young clerks became
very audacious, and losing all respect insisted
on obtaining a dispensation.
Alphonso threw
himself at their feet, the tears gushing from his
eyes as he strove to convince them of the snare
into which they were falling. No father could
have interested himself more than ho did ; but
they ceased not to repeat in the most impudent
manner, “We will go away.” When he saw
how obstinate they were he proposed to them to
make a retreat for eight days, and after that to
make their decision ; but all was useless, and
instigated by the devil they turned their back
on him, and with an air of contempt without
having obtained their dispensation, they all four
departed for Nocera.
There was one circumstance which showed in
a striking manner the protection God granted
to Alphonso. Tho Abbot, in order to justify
himself, had previously drawn up a memorial sign­
ed by these four young men, and addressed to
the Pope, in which they stated a thousand lies
against Alphonso and tho Congregation, which
they said was full of grave disorders. His plan
was, after his arrival at Romo, to pretend to have
received this memorial, and intended to commu­
nicate it to persons of influence, and afterwards to
present it to tho Pope. Thus ho flattered himself
ho should not only obtain a dispensation from
their vows for tho clerks, but that his Holiness

30

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

would advise them to enter the institute lie pro­
posed to form. Such was tho plan he had con­
ceived, but he soon found himself entangled by
his own malice. Tho young men could not sup­
port tho agitation of their conscience, nor wait
until the Abbot sent them a dispensation from
their vows from Rome; although they wore ig­
norant of tho determination of Alphonso, their
own impatience unmasked them, and they neglect­
ed tho arrangements they had made with the
Abbot.
But this was not all ; another proof was found
of tho Abbot’s perfidy. That same morning Al­
phonso had sent an order to F. Fiocchi, Rector
at Noccra, to inform the Abbot, in whatever spot
he might bo found, that he was no longer a
member of tho Congregation. The Abbot had
gone to take leave of Mgr. Volpi, and F. Fiocchi
followed him and told him the decision that had
been made. Tho guilty one had not the presence
of mind to return to the house and remove his
papers, and tho memorial just alluded to was
found in his table drawer. Providence had guided
tho order given by Alphonso, “in whatever spot
ho may be found ; ” for had tho Abbot been in
tho house at tho moment of his expulsion, lie
would have carried tho memorial away with him.
Such were tho consequences of tho conduct of
a subject who had repaid with ingratitude tho
high estimation in which he had been held. Al­
ways under tho influence of a bad spirit, he com­
mitted a crime at Naples not less grievous than
the preceding. There was in the College of the

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORL

31

Holy Family a young priest, brother of one of
tho four clerks. Ho burned with desire to give
missions in China, and was the best of all F.
Faligata’s subjects. The Abbot accompanied by
the four clerks went to see him ; he told him ho
had already established at Romo his new Con­
gregation, and that the Popo had himself desig­
nated tho four young students as so many apos­
tles destined to gain the palm of martyrdom
among tho infidels. Nothing more was necessary
to seduco this young man and make him declaro
ho would accompany them. The Father Abbot
set out alone for Rome, and tho five young vic­
tims wore abandoned without their having the
least suspicion of it.
These events caused a painful impression every­
where, even in tho house of tlio religious order
to which tho Abbot belonged. One of tho most
respectable fathers of that order, since general,
paid a visit of condolence to Alphonso on the
occasion, who, without complaining of what had
happened, said calmly, “ Tho Father Abbot has
made us weep to-day; a time will come when
ho will make you weep also.” The prophecy
was fulfilled a few years later, when tho Abbot
troubled tho whole order, by dividing the abbeys
of tho kingdom of Naples from those of tho Pon­
tifical States, and making himself bo declared by
tho Pope Perpetual Abbot in Rome, and Commis­
sary General for life to the abbeys in the Pon­
tifical States, causing many other annoyances to
the convents in both kingdoms.
Such wore tho events which happened at Cinf* 1

32

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

orani and Nocera in tho month of October, 1750.
Alphonso attributed the discovery of the plot
to the special protection of the glorious Theresa,
for all happened between the first and second
vespers of the feast of that saint. Since that
time the Congregation have taken St. Theresa
for one of its principal patrons, and have had
tho greatest devotion to her.

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Alphonso ceased not to mourn over the wan­
derings of these four young students, and the
trouble into which it had plunged tho Congre­
gation. His greatest consolation was to see a
H God had called to live in the
young man whom
Congregation, cheerfully sacrificing fortune and
friends to follow tho voice of his Redeemer ;
but ho experienced proportionable pain when
any one turned his back upon God and reenter­
ed tho world. His affliction was however partly
tempered by tho return of one of these young
men a few days after, who throw himself at his
feet.
Sometime after a second followed his
11
example.
lie received them both as a tender
father, and ever afterwards showed them a spe­
cial affection.
Several of tho advices Alphonso gave to the
young clerks on this occasion, are still on record.
Speaking of those who without a just cause lose

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

OO

their vocation, he said, “ The Lord chastises
with rigour eveu in this life those who turn
their back upon God without considering their
vocation. They carry about with them a re­
morse of conscience which torments them until
death. I say it, and I will always repeat it,
that many are now in hell from having lost
their vocation. When one link in the chain of
grace is broken, all is lost.”
Tho one means above all which he gave to
the students to surmount temptations against
their vocation, was to open their consciences im­
mediately to their spiritual superior,
My dear
brethren,” ho said on this occasion
I would
earnestly recommend you not to keep your con­
science closed, for if these unfortunates who
have gone out from us had manifested the state of
their souls to their superiors, they would not now
be where they arc. Ilad they declared them­
selves then, not to any one indifferently, but to
him who holds towards us the place of God,
and cannot deceive us, this had not happened.”
Having been told that the poverty of the Con­
gregation was a motive for which the young
men had abandoned it, “0 my God!” he ex­
claimed, while the tears ran from his eyes,
“where then is love for the poverty of Jesus
Christ? If I know the Congregation was rich
and had as large an income as others have, 1
would fear much ; it would be to me a sign that
God would reward us in this life, and not in hea­
ven, for the little we arc doing for Him here.”
Touched with compassion for the misery of
3

31

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

tho young mon who had gone, and to provide
against tho others being tempted, he said,
“During a temptation, my dear brethren, never
tako a resolution, whatever tho case may be, and
however holy it may appear, but go instantly
and discover it to tho superior. When the temp
tation is upon us, we do not recognize that it
conies from the devil. Ho conceals himself un­
der a veil, and puts before our eyes treach­
erous spectacles, making us see things not as
they are in themselves, but according to our
own passions. If we would avoid the snare, we
should instantly recommend ourselves to God,
and abandon ourselves into His hands. This is
difficult in the time of temptation, very difficult
indeed ; and for this reason, when we are in calm,
we ought incessantly to offer ourselves to God
in prayer, and throw ourselves blindly into his
arms. Tho strongest temptations can never
shake a soul that offers herself entirely to God.”
Alphonso rejoiced to see the young people
progress in the sciences ; but he would not per­
mit them to apply to them with · excessive soli­
citude. “Sapere, et Sapore ad Sobrietatem.” Ilo
was better satisfied with mediocrity than superi­
ority of talent in the Congregation. The Abbot
had introduced among the students a forced ap­
plication to study, but all this afflicted Alphonso,
and he could not suffer it. “I am not sorry,”
ho said, after tho departure of the Abbot, “when
I see you retrench your studies and give more
time to prayer. We have been called to suc­
cour poor destitute souls in the country, for this

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

reason wo have more need of sanctity than of
science. If wo are not holy we are exposed to
the peril of falling into a thousand imperfec­
tions and a thousand impatiences with these sort
of people. I repeat to you once more, if to give
to spirituality you retrench something from your
studies, far from being sorry, I shall on the con­
trary experience great consolation.”
As after a defeat soldiers are cast down and
timid, so after this deplorable accident a gene­
ral discouragement was felt throughout the Con­
gregation. To reanimate them, and above all
to reanimate the young, Alphonso wrote to all
tho houses tho following circular:
“To my brethren of the Congregation of the
Holy Redeemer. Blessed be Jesus, Mary, Joseph
and Theresa.
“My very dear Brethren, you know that I
am not afflicted when I hear of some one amono·
o
my brethren being called to another life, I am
touched by it, because I am a creature of flesh
and blood ; but I am comforted because he has
died in a Congregation of which I am certain
all the members will bo saved. Neither am I
afflicted when one among us, because of their
faults, ceases to be a member of the Consreffation; I am even consoled by seeing that wo are
delivered from a sickly sheep that might have
infected others. Far loss am I afflicted because
of persecutions; on the contrary they inspire me
with courage, because if we conduct ourselves
well, wo are certain God will not abandon us.
But that which alarms me is, to learn that there

36

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

is among us some one who is vicious, who is
negligent in obeying, and who pays little regard
to the rule.
“My brethren, you know it, some who have
been with us, are now out of the Congregation.
What will their end be ? I cannot tell. But of
this I am certain, they will lead a life of con»
tinned misfortune, they will live in trouble, and
die without peace, for they have abandoned their
vocation. They have left us that they may live
more happily and contentedly, but tho thought
that they have abandoned God to live according
to their own caprice will never leave them one
day of rest. They will practise with difficulty
the exercise of prayer, because in prayer they
will be torn by remorse of conscience for having
left God, and thus they will abandon prayer, and
then God knows whore they will end.
“1 beseech you to avoid faults of deliberation,
and above all, those faults for which you have
been reprimanded.
“ If correction leads the sinner to amend, the
fault will be nothing, but when he will not amend,
the devil employs every artifice to make him lose
his vocation : it is by this means ho has already
caused the loss of many others.
“By the grace of God, wherever we go on
mission wo perform wonders, and people say they
have never had a mission such as ours. And
why ? because we go by obedience, we go in
poverty, wo preach Christ crucified, and each
one is attentive to acquit himself of tho charge
imposed upon him. I have been deeply grieved

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

37

to learn that some among you when on mission
have been desirous of obtaining tho more honour­
able employments, such as preaching or instructing. But what fruit could ho produco who
preaches from pride ? It is a thing which I
have in horror. If this spirit of ambition enters
the Congregation, the missions will do little
good, or rather they will do none at all.
Toward tho end of the autumn of 1750, not­
withstanding tho troubles that had happened in
the Congregation, he continued to give missions
in different quarters, chiefly in the diocese of
Salerno. He afterwards went, invited by his
spiritual son, Mgr. Innocent St. Severino, to Montemenuno, where he found tho people in a de­
plorable state. Numbers of criminals came to
him, touched by remorse, and were placed by
him in tho right way. The conversion of these
malefactors was a subject of great consolation
in tho town, and still more in the neighbouring
country.
About this time also he went,to Avcllano in
the diocese of Mgr. Leone, to give a retreat to
tho people and the clerks. Great numbers of
tho clergy were reformed on this occasion, and
those already good became more fervent. Scan­
dals disappeared, and tho reform was general
among the inhabitants. An Archdeacon who
was present wrote thus: “ Tho devotedness of this
servant of God, and his mortified life, covers us
with confusion, and serves as a spur to animato
us in doing well.”
He had scarcely returned to Nocera when

38

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

his heart was pierced by a new sorrow, the de­
parture of an ancient Father whom ho loved
much, and who was very useful in tho missions.
Offended by a reasonable and moderate correc­
tion which he had received from the Rector at
Ciorani, ho communicated to no person his temp­
tation, and in his trouble he set off for Noccra,
believing that Alphonso would give him satisfac­
tion. But reflecting by tho way on the incon­
siderate step lie had taken, and not feeling
courage to present himself, in place of going to
the convent ho directed his stops towards his
own house. All tho efforts of Alphonso and
others to induce him to return were unavailing.
Such arc the fruits of pride ; when the heart
refuses to bo touched by grace, it becomes deaf
to all others voices. The inconstancy of this
Father made a great sensation in the Congre­
gation. It happened on the 25th of July, 1751,
and on the 27th Alphonso wrote the following
circular to the different houses of the Congre­
gation :
“To tho Fathers and Brethren of the Congre­
gation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Blessed be
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa.
“ My very dear Fathers and Brethren in Jesus
Christ, I pray God that lie may immediately
chase from among us all those proud and haugh­
ty spirits who cannot brook a reprimand, not
only from superiors, but also from equals and
inferiors. I beseech the Lord to chase me, me
the first of all, if ever I allow myself to be caught

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

39

by this spirit of pride. Behold F. N. whom this
cursed spirit of pride has caused to leave the
Congregation, presenting obstacles to the divine
benedictions, lie who refuses to be as pottersclay, to be trodden under the feet of all, let him
fly, and let him fly immediately.
“ The Lord will be better satisfied if there
remain but two or three who are truly humble
and mortified, than if there remained a thousand
who were imperfect. What have we entered the
Congregation for, if we will not submit to some
contempt for the love of Jesus Christ? With
what face shall we go among the people preaching
humility, if we have so much horror for humil­
iations ? But because we are all miserable crea­
tures, I have a request to make to each of you,
and that you may better remember what I now
say, I impose it upon you by obedience, and that
is, that every one daily in prayer or thanksgiv­
ing, beseech Jesus Christ contemned, to grant
him the grace to suffer contempt without losing
either peace or spiritual joy. Let those who
have more fervour pray especially that he may
be made to suffer contempt for love of Him. He
who will not make this prayer, or who makes it
without the desire of being heard, ought to fear
being chased out of the Congregation for his
pride, as others have been, in consequence of
their pride.
“ I would impress it also upon the lieart of
each one of you, never to speak evil of the con­
duct or any thing else of the superiors. The in­
discreet zeal of some docs far more harm than

40

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

good to the Congregation. Those who arc truly
zealous, when they remark some disorder or in­
observance, let them tell it in secret to the
Monitor of tho house, who will give notice of
it to the Rector Major, and if they find that ho
neglects to take notice of it, they will write to
his Monitor. Let all give attention to what I
say, otherwise they will cause me much pain,
and force me afterwards to mortify them in a
more sensible manner. Be attentive, my dear
brethren, to take count of tho least faults,
because they are the little foxes the devil makes
use of to devastate our mind, and render us
incapable of being solicitous to preserve our vo­
cation. Let us then, my dear brethren, sustain
ourselves by prayer, and by continual prayer,
otherwise wo shall do nothing.
“ Blessed be Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa,
“Your very affectionate brother,
“Alphonsus Mary,
“Of the Most Holy Redeemer.”

Tho apostolic courses of the year 1751, were
not less happy in conversions. When tho hot
season was over, Mgr. Volpi requested Alphonso
to give a retreat in the monastery of tho Purity.
The fervour that reigned among these nuns is
well known, and this retreat only gave new ali­
ment to souls already burning with love. Ho
“norwards gave missions in different places,
erywhere with the usual success, and huncds of young women renounced the world and
ve themselves to God.

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

After having given missions in the territory
of Marcanelli, where he had first seen the light,
ho would pass through Naples on his return,
lie alighted at the door of the small hospice
given to him by his brother Hercules, being an
incommodious corner of his own house opposite
tho Church of tho Virgins. When the people
saw a man riding on a white ass, his beard neg­
lected, and his clothes ragged and worn, they
could not recognise him, but mistaking him for
a vagabond they began hooting and ridiculing
him. Alphonso took it all with great good hu­
mour, till a merchant calling out his name,
made them understand he was tho brother of
Don Hercules.
It was evening when he arrived worn out with
fatiguo ; ho would not sup, but said to the laybrother that he would lie down. Don Hercules
camo to visit him, but fearing to disturb his sleep,
ho resolved to return in tho morning ; but when
he camo, Alphonso was not yet risen ; ho return­
ed after a while, and fearing some accident forced
open his brother’s door. Ho found him extended
on his bed in a fainting fit, and eagerly ran to
obtain help. Tho doctors ordered him to be un­
dressed, and they found his body enveloped in
sackcloth, which hindered him from breathing.
They bled him, and then ho began to come to
himself. Seeing that he was discovered, he was
ready to die with shame, and bitterly complained
to tho brother Fartaglioni for having permitted
such a thing. Fatigued and weak though he was,
ho nevertheless consented to give a sermon to the

a

*

42

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

students at the Archiépiscopal Seminary, and visi­
ted several monasteries where he was invited, but
at last, to put an end to tho occupations with
which they loaded him, he fled from Naples.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Alphonso in soliciting the approbation of his
institute at Naples, did not obtain tho same suc­
cess he had met with at Rome ; and at the very
moment when he anticipated the sanction of two
great powers, a new annoyance overtook him
unexpectedly, which threatened
ruin,
and
caused
w
linn great anxiety. The Canon Curate of Iliceto,
had, as wo have seen, declared the Most Holy
Virgin Mary of Consolation heir of all his wealth,
under the name of Alphonso and his mission­
aries. This was a great subject of conversation
among the lawyers in the neighbourhood, who
being ignorant of the object of this donation,
set themselves to put an unfavourable construc­
tion upon it. It happened, that towards the end
of January, 1751, the King, while hunting in
the territory of Iliceto, happened to see the house
of the missionaries, which is built upon an emi­
nence, and asked one of his courtiers to whom
it belonged. “It is the house of Father Liguori’s
missionaries,” he replied, “and they have made a
good hit there, having fallen heirs to no less than
sixty-thousand ducats.” The King was much
struck by these words: “Ah!” said he, “these then

ST. ALPHONSO LIGI OKI.

arc just like the others ; scarcely do they begin
when they set themselves to acquire wealth.”
Deceived by what he had heard, and supposing
that the other houses had also made similar ac­
quisitions, the King felt indisposed against the
Congregation ; and all tho court soon knew it,
and every one talked of their ambition and the
certainty of the order being suppressed. Persons
were immediately dispatched to the Syndics in
tho different places where their houses were es­
tablished, to inquire into their revenues, and
tho acquisitions they had made. Λ tempest so
unexpected alarmed the whole Congregation.
Alphonso, however, whose will was always united
to the will of God, said to his brethren, “The
Lord will make the Congregation prosper, not
by tho applauses and protection of princes, but
by means of poverty and contempt, of misery
and persecution ; when have we ever seen the
works of God begin in tho midst of applause ?
When St. Ignatius was informed of a new perse­
cution, a reverse, it was then that he was happy.”
Confiding in the integrity of his conscience, and
not doubting tho protection of the King, he went
to Naples. The minister was too much preju­
diced against the Congregation ; everywhere
they spoko of tho wealth tho missionaries had
acquired. Alphonso had recourse to tho protec­
tion of God, who never failed him, and tried to
obtain mercy by increased mortifications, exhort­
ing his brethren to join him in penance and
prayer. He ordered the Psalm, “Qui habitat,”
to bo recited in all tho houses, and discipline to

44

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORT.

bo taken in common every Monday, in addition
to those appointed by the rule. They multiplied
their alms, and offered many masses.
In these critical circumstances, their affairs
were the object of research to notaries and their
subalterns. They ascertained the little acqui­
sitions that had been made, while the Fathers
urged them to be sincere in their reports to the
King. His Majesty at the same time, who could
not doubt the integrity of Alphonso, was not
slow to reflect on the improbability of his sus­
picions, and said to the Marquis Brancone, that
Alphonso himself should arrange an account of
the revenues of tho different houses. Alphonso
declared that the house of Iliceto, had in all a
yearly rent of three hundred ducats, and that
tho deductions made in consequence of different
charges upon it reduced it to much less. That
the houses of Ciorani and Caposilo had each
about five hundred ducats of revenue ; but that
Noccra had only the bare walls, and a small bit
of garden ground. The reports made by the
local authorities attributed much less to each
house than Alphonso had given in, and his
great sincerity confirmed the King more and
more in the high opinion he had of him.
Even when tho calumny was exposed, Alphonso
could not get rid of uneasiness; his position
became very critical; tho very existence of the
new Congregation had been questioned, and the
ministers were asking, whether or not it should
be suppressed. All were inclined to abolish it;
they thought tho kingdom had already more than

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORL

sufficient religious establishments, and rather
than consent to tho establishment of new,
they thought of diminishing those already in
existence. Two opposing sentiments divided the
heart of the King; he would not burden the
state, and he would not go against public opin­
ion; but convinced of tho spiritual wants of his
people, and the great good done by zYlphonso
and his missionaries, he could not resolve to re­
ject them. Alphonso was without any human
support, but ho did not lose courage ; he said
that the souls of the blessed would defend his
cause, and he abandoned the interests of his
Congregation to the piety of tho King and tho
protection of Providence. He quitted Naples
and withdrew to Noccra, to prepare for the mis­
sions of autumn and winter. Solicited by the
Archbishop of Salerno, lie preached penitence
in his diocese with his accustomed success. Af­
ter Easter, 1752, he went to Gragnano at the
desire of Mgr. Gcannini, accompanied by twentytwo missionaries. Aided by grace, prodigies were
performed, particularly among the malefactors,
many of whom were scon depositing their dag­
gers and pistols at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.
Among those was a celebrated bandit called
Clement Servilio. When they went in proces­
sion to erect a Calvary Alphonso gave him a
cross to carry ; at tho sight of this man with
tho cross on his shoulders, the people shed tears
of joy, but Clement wept most: “You weep,”
ho said, “ but it is I who should weep, I who
bear upon my shoulders tho whole weight of

.<1

I 1

46

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

Calvary,’ alluding to the heavy burden of the
grievous sins he had committed.
In the course of these missions, Alphonso, con­
sidering that the hearts of Kings arc in the
hands of the Lord, animated himself with new
courage, and wrote to tho Marquis Brancone to
intercede with the King. Tho Marquis embra­
ced every opportunity of speaking to his Majes­
ty, and at length wrote to Alphonso, that mat­
ters were so far advanced he should come to
Naples himself, which he accordingly did as soon
as the missions were finished.
lie presented himself to tho King, told him
how for nineteen years he and his companions
had traversed the kingdom, visiting the most re­
mote and destitute villages and hamlets, distribu­
ting the bread of life ; he told him of thousands
converted in his own royal domains of the
Pouillc ; that each year they had given in the
space of nine months more than forty missions ;
that the Archbishops of Conza and Salerno,
the Bishops of Boveni and Noccra, seeing the
good produced by those missions, had with the
royal approbation established a house of mis­
sionaries in their respective dioceses. He repre­
sented to him that the Pope, informed of what
had been done, approved the institute for the
whole Church. But that it was not sufficient
to be approved by the Pope, it was also necessary
that the approbation of the Sovereign should be
given, to insure the future existence of so great
a work. “ It is true,” said Alphonso in finishing
his speech, “that I am unworthy of presiding over

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

47

this work, but I burn with lovo for the souls of
men ; I desire tho happiness of your kingdom ; I
wish to consecrate the pains of my life to the
glory of Jesus Christ. I see with affliction so
many unfortunates deprived of the merits of tho
blood of a Saviour shed for all men. I would
go with my companions to open the paths of
happiness to those who arc destitute of health : ”
saying these words, ho placed in the hands of
the King the Rules of the Congregation.
Reflecting afterwards, that the power of ac­
quiring riches was the sole obstacle that the
minister could oppose to tho accomplishment
of his desires, he opened his heart to the King,
showing him how very far he was from wishing
his Congregation to become rich. “ I am per­
suaded,” he said, “that wherever abundance
reigns, the labourer will abandon the axe and the
spade, and seek only repose. I would not wish
that opulence should reign in my Congregation.
I seek only to procure a modest livelihood, accord­
ing to tho intention of tho Rope, and I beseech
your Majesty to establish a fixed revenue, beyond
which wo may not go.”
Not content with the efforts he made to gain
tho King, he had also recourse to the interven­
tion of the Queen, which ho managed by means
of the celebrated Father Francis Pipi the Jesuit,
and Mother Mary Angela of Divino Love, who
had been his penitent in the world, but was now
Superior of a Carmelite convent she had founded
at Caporca. The Queen often frequented this
holy retreat, and had much affection tor its holy

I

48

ST. ALrnONSO LIGUORI.

inhabitants. Alphonso wrote to her to intercede
for him with her Majesty.
In the midst of tho difficult affairs which de­
tained him at Naples he did not forget the
work to which he had devoted his life. His
sojourn in that capital was a continual mission.
Ho gave a retreat in the Church of the Pilgrims ;
tho confessionals were besieged by crowds of
penitents, who, old in sin, had long ceased to
frequent tho sacraments ; hundreds of infidels
abjured their errors. Ho also often preached
at tho Chinese College, and many convents pro­
fited by his labours.
In spite of these numerous occupations he
never lost sight of the affairs of his Congregation :
he hoped and he feared, but he had more reason
ir than to hope. Although he hoped much
tho piety of the King, yet ho was opposed
jolitical interests. When tho négociations
jachcd a close ho had many masses said,
multiplied penance, to force, as it were,
jonedictions of Heaven. Ho made special
to tho souls in purgatory, to St. Joseph, and
?heresa, and wrote to many monasteries beiing prayers and novenas.
hilc all had recourse to God in prayer, Al­
so did not neglect human means. Although
and worn out with fatigue, he visited tho
sters to urge upon them the importance
is affair in promoting the salvation of mul­
es of people. 1 Io spoke to them with tears,
his illustrious birth and his extraordinary
;s were neither of them sufficient to protect

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

49

them from insult. They rejected him with un­
pitying bitterness. One minister in particular
treated him with the utmost rudeness, he gave
him audience standing, and after listening with
marked incivility to what he said, almost turn­
ed him out of doors. “Do not talk nonsense
to me,” he said; “away with you, and tell
your stories to some old woman.” Alphonso
bowed his head and said nothing. But on
another occasion he was really shocked. He
had said to one of the ministry, “My Lord, I
recommend to you tho cause of Jesus Christ,”
II
who replied in the most
contemptuous manner,
“Jesus Christ has no cause in the royal cham­
ber.” It seemed as if in asking a minister to
approve of his Congregation, he had asked some­
thing injurious to the prince and hurtful to the
state.
The venerable Mgr. Lucci, bishop of Bo vino,
was a great friend of the Marquis Fraggeani,
president of the chamber of St. Chin, a man who
had great influence with the ministry. When
this worthy prelate asked his protection for the
Congregation he replied harshly, “ These mission­
aries will do like the Jesuits, begin poor, and af­
terwards never be satiated.” The Bishop laughed
at tho objection. “And with what will they never
bo satiated?” said ho, “with vermin, doubtless,
which they get in abundance whilst visiting the
miserable hovels of tho poor.”
While matters went on in this way Alphonso
was not cast down ; his hope was fixed on Him
in whom it could never be confounded, and the
4

50

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

less reason he had to hope for anything from
man, the more ho hoped in God, hoping even
against hope. Knowing that tho only hinderanco
to tho approbation being obtained was tho fear
of their acquiring wealth, ho assured tho King
over and over again that they would bo content
with just sufficient to procure them tho most
scanty livelihood. The affair was again proposed
in the council, and they were finally approved
in November, 1752, on condition that they ac­
quired no new revenues for tho future.
They distributed copies of tho decree to the
superintendants of provinces, in which it was
stated that the King did not recognize their
houses as colleges or ecclesiastical communities,
and that they were forbidden to acquire or pos­
sess any common fund or annual revenue that
might in future bo left to any priest of their
community ; that the moveables already acquired
would be administered by the Bishops of the
dioceses in which their houses were situated, and
that the King would furnish each priest and
lay-brother with about eightpcnco a day, and
that the surplus revenue would bo distributed to
tho poor. This decree caused great embarrass­
ment to Alphonso, because as the King did not
recognize their houses as colleges or religious
communities, ho feared their existence was still
insecure. The Marquis Brancono viewed it in
another light, and reassured him on the subject.
All these affairs lasted a year, during which
he underwent great anxiety, alternately passing
from hope to fear, but always submissive to the

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

51

good pleasure of God. “I believe,” he said in
writing to Mary Angela of Capua, “ that God will
mortify my pride, and that this approbation will
not be given until after I am dead.” He pro­
phesied, for in reality tho Congregation was not
placed on a proper footing until the next reign
after ho was dead.
However, after this decision Alphonso and
his Congregation plucked up new courage. They
had now a legal existence, which shielded them
from tho persecutions of their enemies, and re­
duced them to silcnco.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Towards tho commencement of the year 1753,
notwithstanding his gravo and multiplied em­
barrassments, Alphonso published his Moral The­
ology. In the year 1748 ho had, at the request
of his Congregation, enriched Busembaum with
many notes. These notes referred to different
cases which had been discussed in tho course
of the missions, and which the Fathers wished
to have printed, that they might consult them
with facility. Afterwards Alphonso thought little
of the work, although it had met with much
approbation, for he considered it not sufficiently
strong in proofs. He enlarged it, and published
it at a later period, in two thick volumes, which
he dedicated to Benedict XIV. who gave it his
approbation.

52

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

This work was the fruit of a pure zeal for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls, and
while he laboured at it, ho never embraced or
rejected any opinion without having this double
object in view, nor did he ever take up his pen
without recommending himself to Jesus Christ and
the Blessed Virgin, whose images he had always
before him. Ho used to say, “ If the church and
the state wish to see a reformation of manners,
and devotion and piety flourishing in families, they
must look for it from good confessors, and if tho
science of morals be neglected among these, the
consequences must bo disorders and irregulari­
ties.” In this work ho has been extremely care­
ful to avoid the extremes of a relaxed probabilism or a rigid austerity, both of which are
pernicious to tho soul ; but ho followed through­
out tho line of an exact equity. He did not
seek to release souls from the bonds imposed
upon them by Jesus Christ and His Church,
but neither would he have them laden with what
neither Christ nor His Church had intended
they should bear. His was not a rigidity to
frighten or disturb consciences, neither was it
an indulgence to flatter tho passions or derogate
from the Gospel. Where the law was clear, he
took advantage of the liberty ; and when it was
not clear, if he favoured liberty, it was without
giving in to relaxation ; in a word, his was not
that rigid spirit which turns into precept that
which is not, wishing to make everything sinful,
nor that easy and accommodating spirit which
gives liberty where there is precept.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

53

Alphonso as we have seen, attached himself to
no party ; he respected all, but above all he
revered reason, and made the authority of the
Church his law. He several times reproached
the decisions of the most rigid theologians with
relaxation, and hesitated not sometimes to reject
as too rigid the decisions of the most indulgent.
“ Relictis auctoribus tam benignæ quam rigidæ
sententiæ, (these arc the words he addressed to
Benedict XIV.,) alios nimium benignitate indul­
gentes, alios nimium austeritati addictos cum
compcrissem, operæ pretium me facturum credidi,
si librum ederem qui, mediam viam tenens, sen­
tentias magis veritate consonas, inagisque scitu
necessarias ad conscientias diregendas, expon­
eret.”
If we examine this work we shall find that it
is but an extract from the ecclesiastical and civil
laws ; where these foundations were wanting, he
adopted the doctrine of St. Thomas, and sup­
plied tho remainder by the authority of theolo­
gians generally approved. Whenever he hesi
tated between two opinions, he left the reader
at liberty to choose between them for himself.
“Reason,” ho said, “must serve us for a rule
where the law is deficient, and where the Gospel
has not been explicit ; but where reason herself is
uncertain, it is not necessary to decide blindly,
but leave to others the care of throwing light
upon it: and this is what I have done.” Whenever he had a difficult case to consider, bosides
meditation and prayer, he passed entire months
in examining different opinions, and when he was

A

54

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

not convinced, not satisfied with consulting the
Fathers of his own Congregation, he sent to Romo
and Naples for the opinion of tho best theologi­
ans ; and principally to tho Sacred Congregations
which are at Rome as the organs of the Sove­
reign Pontiff.
It would bo endless to cite the many over-in­
dulgent opinions which he has reduced to their
just value, but it may be well to state that
this Moral Theology has delivered the Church
from a deplorable scandal which in many places
degraded and disgraced the sanctuary. Certain
confessors made no difficulty in considering fit
for holy orders students or others who had
newly abandoned an irregular life. They took
for a maxim, that when one is prepared to re­
ceive the sacrament of penance, ho is also pre­
pared to receive tho sacrament of holy orders.
And has it not often happened, that these two
sacraments have been conferred on persons as
unworthy of the one as they were of the other?
Λ disorder so grievous subsisting in tho Church,
made Alphonso publish a learned dissertation en­
titled “Clericus habitudinarius,” which was gen­
erally applauded. He proved that a man in such
circumstances, however fit he may bo to receive
the sacrament of penance, is not in tho disposi­
tions exacted from him who receives order, and
that if he persists in wishing to receive this last
sacrament, ho renders himself unworthy even of
the sacrament of penance. This exhortation was
addressed to the Bishops of Italy, who without
exception returned him the warmest thanks ;

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

03

one of them wrote, “Your Reverence has a right
to the gratitude of every Bishop ; as for me I
have drawn so much light from your precious
work, that I consider it a duty to testify to you
my grateful acknowledgments.” This disserta­
tion has been applauded throughout the Church,
and even quoted with approbation by Benedict
XIV. in his valuable work “de Synodo diœcesana.”
Everything in this work contributed to the
glory of Alphonso. Notwithstanding the favour­
able reception the first edition met with, he re­
viewed the whole to examine it with still more
reflection before publishing a second edition ; he
corrected it in several points, as ho himself an­
nounced in the preface: “Nonnullas opiniones,
temporis decursu, rebus ad utiliorem trutinam
revocatis, hominem me agnoscens, reformavi.”
To deceive oneself is the characteristic of man,
but few know equally well how to avow and pub­
licly retract their errors. Alphonso, who forgot
himself to seek God only, did not fail to particu­
larise those points on which he believed ho had
been mistaken. The respectable Congregations of
Naples, however, did not agree in his retracta­
tions, judging that the opinions which ho wished
to retract were sufficiently probable. Some went
so far as to say these retractations were not to
his credit. “Let them say what they will,” he
replied, “I sock not my own glory, I seek only
the glory of Jesus Christ, and tho salvation of
souls.”
As he would not allow himself to be ruled

*I

I '

'i

5G

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

by tho spirit of party, neither would he permit
himself to be guided by tho spirit of authority.
Although Founder and Superior, ho did not obligo
his own Congregation to follow him, but left
each one free to adopt tho opinion he judged
best, although contrary to his, provided it nei­
ther weakened nor opposed tho Canons nor tho
Gospel, nor was he so rigid as to frighten the faith­
ful and be an occasion of their loss. If he knew
that any among them gave in to any dangerous
extreme, ho never rested until ho had convinced
them of their error.
The future will show how much and in what
manner God blessed his labours and upright
intentions, not only in Italy, but in many other
countries. The Pope spoke prophetically when ho
assured him of universal approbation. Benedict
had such a high esteem for his wisdom, that on
ono occasion, when a celebrated Neapolitan mis­
sionary camo to consult him on a difficult case,
this great Pope would not give a decision, but
contented himself with replying, “You have the
Father Liguori at Naples, consult him.”

CHAPTER XXXIX.
The King, Charles III. continued to bo more
and more satisfied with the labours of Alphonso
and his missionaries, and often inquired particu­
larly into their affairs. To render justice to
Alphonso he conceived the idea of erecting the

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Congregation into a Religious Order, to perpetu­
ate tho work of tho missions in the kingdom.
A respectable and very ancient order had at
this time fallen into decay, and a holy individual,
charmed with the zeal of Alphonso, proposed to
their Majesties that he should undertake its
reform, They were delighted with the idea,
and proposed to the Marquis Branconc to mention it to him. Their plan was, that Alphonso
and his companions, without abandoning their
own rule, should take the habit and the name
of the order in question. The thing appeared
easy and not dangerous ; the ancient religious
could take refuge in certain of their convents
without' being disquieted by the reform. Al­
phonso would not decide on this affair, but beg­
ged tho Marquis to give him time to consult
with his companions before replying to the King.
Tho project was advantageous in some respects ;
but when they reflected on the dangers to which
the enterprise would expose them, they recog­
nised, that however great might be tho protection
given them by tho King, they could not effect
tho reform without encountering many difficul­
ties and contradictions, such as all holy reformers
had experienced who had ever undertaken such
a work ; that many, even when supported by
royal and papal authority, had failed in their
endeavours, and that in tho midst of the con­
fusions which must follow, the work of the mis­
sions, instead of progressing, would on tho con­
trary bo seriously impeded. Alphonso considered
also, that a religious order was a thing which

ought not to end, and that if the King died
before everything was settled, tho ancient order
continuing to exist, they might find themselves
some day neither missionaries nor religious.
Besides, some of his Congregation would not
exchange their cassock for the habit of the Re­
gulars, and many would return again to their
own homes and leave the work of the missions,
should this plan bo adopted ; so that from different
powerful considerations he abandoned all idea
of tho scheme, although deeply grateful for the
favour his Sovereign had shown him.
In the month of July, 1753, they were invited
to the house of a physician named Francis Mari,
to give the Novena of the Feast of Carmel at
Saragnano. Alphonso, though overpowered with
previous fatigue, would not refuse to go, as the
feast was in honour of tho Blessed Virgin, and an
event occurred on this occasion which showed how
agreeable he was to his Virgin Mother. Twelve
Fathers arrived one Thursday immediately before
dinner, and as they were not expected so soon,
nothing was prepared for such a largo party.
Tho physician Mari sent to his neighbours to
borrow, but as bo could get nothing, he requested
Alphonso to dispense with the rule and allow
him to serve fowls. “No, no,” said he smiling,
“give yourself no further trouble, put tho meat
you have on the table and God will supply what
is wanting.” They had purchased eight pounds
of meat for tho family, consisting of eighteen per­
sons, and they had besides, the twelve new­
comers, making in all, with Alphonso and an-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORT.

59

other Father, thirty-two individuals. But while
they were cutting the meat in tho kitchen, they
saw the pieces becoming visibly larger, and to
such an extent did they increase, that after the
whole party were abundantly served a consid­
erable quantity remained. Mari afterwards at­
tested that tho meat had increased at least seven­
fold. Alphonso seeing the astonishment of Mari,
said, “ In all embarrassments let us have re­
course to God, and never doubt his providence.”
The autumn and winter of 1753 were fruitful
in missions. The inhabitants of Kcsina asked for
a mission, but because of its proximity to Naples
Alphonso refused ; the people however applied to
the King, who laid his commands on Alphonso
and furnished all the expenses himself. They
afterwards went into the royal territory of Per­
sano, always at the expense of his Majesty, whose
good heart delighted in affording his subjects
means of grace. Tho Marquis Brancone, con­
vinced of tho greatness of the work, sent them
frequent subsidies, and many Bishops contributed
liberally towards the expense of the missions.
Fruitful as tho missions were, tho spiritual
exercises given in tho different houses were
still more successful. When the decree given in
favour of the Congregation became known in
the provinces, and tho small revenue assigned to
the missionaries, there was hardly a single diocese
that did not apply to have a house established
in it ; eager to obtain such a blessing, the peo­
ple struggled to have a preference. Scarcely
had they given a mission in any place, when

60

all the inhabitants sot themselves to form suffi­
cient revenues according to tho royal decree to
establish a house. They addressed supplications
to tho King from all quarters, and this good
prince rejoiced to see tho cause of religion pros­
pering.
Alphonso was in no hurry to answer all these
demands, for ho had not a sufficient number of
subjects to establish communities who could ob­
serve the rule. Tho King on his side was re­
strained by tho unwillingness of his government
to increase religious houses, and when it was
proposed to suppress certain convents, Alphonso
would never consent to it, from tho pain it would
cause to tho respectable religious against whom
these measures would be taken.
He this year had to mourn over the death of
the Father Cafaro, who died at Caposilo on the
13th of August. Ho loved and esteemed him, re­
garding him as a model of heroic sanctity, whose
example drew others to sacrifice themselves for
God. Prayer and mortification were his two in­
separable companions ; ho was tho director of
Alphonso, who never departed from his counsels.
Ho besought the prayers of all that this great
support of the Congregation might be spared,
but tho hour was come, and Alphonso bowed in
submission, adoring the decrees of God.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

61

CHAPTER XL.

Alphonso had now attained his fifty-sixth year,
and although of no very advanced age, his con­
tinued indispositions prevented him from taking
long journeys and visiting all the different houses
of his Congregation. Besides, his presence was
often necessary at Naples to arrange affairs, and
this confined him to the neighbourhood of Nocera, so that he was obliged to inform himself
of tho state of the houses, and provide for their
wants by means of visitors.
In the year 1754 ho addressed a circular to
them which is still extant, it is dated the 8th
August, and breathes such love to God and zeal
for the observance of the rule, that the spirit
and sentiments of tho Saint cannot be better
shown than by giving it entire :

“ Blessed be Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and The­
resa.
“ I beseech you all, my Brethren in Jesus
Christ, before listening to the reading of this
letter, to chant tho Veni Creator Spiritus, and
ask of God light to understand and put in ex­
ecution that which, in the name of Jesus Christ,
I write to all, and to each one in particular.
“ Fathers and Brethren, it is not yet twentytwo years since our Congregation was formed,
and but five years since it has been approved

62

ST. ALPHONSO LiGUORI.

by the Holy Church, therefore it ought at this
hour not only to maintain itself in its first
fervour, but still more, to have made progress.
It is true that many conduct themselves well,
but there are others who, instead of advanc­
ing, want heart. For such I know not where
they will end, for God has called us into this
Congregation, above all in these first times, to
live as Saints and die as Saints. Whoever pro­
poses to save himself in the Congregation, unless
by becoming a Saint, I know not if ho will be
saved. If this want of fervour spreads, poor Con­
gregation ! where wilt thou be fifty years hence ?
Poor Jesus Christ ! if Thou art not loved by a
member of this Congregation, which has received
from Thee so many graces and so many especial
lights, by whom wilt Thou be loved ? My God !
of what use are so many prayers, so many com­
munions ? What have wo como to do in this
Congregation ? What would we do if wo would
not make ourselves Saints ? We should only de­
ceive the world, who esteem us as Saints, and
afford a subject of derision at tho day of judg­
ment to those who will then know our imper­
fections. There are at present many good nov­
ices, but they, as well as those who come after,
will be made worse than us by following our ex­
ample, and before long tho Congregation will
relax in everything, for imperfections will grow
into scandals ; and if this misfortune happens it
would be better, my Brethren, to beseech the
Lord to dissolve our Congregation now.
“ Now that I am already old and sick also,

ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the day approaches in which I must render my
account. I wish to bo useful to you as much
as I can, and God knows how 1 love each one
of you as my Brethren, as my Mother. But God
wills not that I peril my own salvation by love,
an immoderate love, for any one among you.
We are all miserable, we all commit faults ; but
that which grieves me is not passing faults, but
those which establish themselves amongst us,
and certain weaknesses which bring damage to
tho λνΐιοίο community. If any one among you
knowingly adopt such and defend them, or even
excuse them, for my part I declare to you, that
1 will not and ought not to tolerate them. Such,
for example, as offences against obedience, pov­
erty, humility, or brotherly charity. I hope by
tho grace of God to preserve these sentiments
until death, and punctually to conform myself to
them. I adhere also to the promise I have
made to God, never to yield to human respect,
never to see tho brethren fail in any important
point, or bo in any manner hurtful to their neigh­
bours, without reproving them.
“ You know already that perhaps my greatest
fault is too much condescendance, but I hope
God will give mo strength not to suffer the im­
perfect who will not correct themselves, but who
justify their imperfections. I beseech you, you
who are young, and who now govern in the Con­
gregation, not to tolerate an imperfection of this
kind, never to tolerate one who after a fault
justifies instead of humbling himself. I pro­
test that at the day of judgment I will accuse

> 1

64

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that superior at the tribunal of Jesus Christ who,
to avoid displeasing some one, would tolerate
dangerous faults, and be the cause of relaxation
in tho Congregation. Now I speak not with re­
gard to the past ; if any one has committed a
fault I do not mean to reproach him, I speak
only in regard to tho future.
“And now for what is of still greater conse­
quence ; and I entreat each one among you to
pay particular attention to what I am about to
say.
“ I exhort you to value your vocation, which
is the greatest blessing God could confer upon
you, after tho benefits of creation and redemp­
tion. Let each one of you thank God for it
every day, and tremble lest you should lose it.
Do not allow yourselves to be deceived by the
enemy, should ho try to persuade you that you
might do equally well in your own country and
out of tho Congregation, and that there you
would enjoy greater peace. What good would
he do? Nemo propheta acceptus in patria sua.
Each one of you knows it, and experience proves
it, that a priest in tho Congregation will save
more souls in one year, than during a whole
lifetime out of it; and with regard to personal
advantages a subject will gain more in one year
by practising obedience, than ho would in ten
years living according to his own caprice. Be­
sides, it is our business to do the good God wishes
us to do, and not tho good we please to do our­
selves. Now God wishes from him who is called
into the Congregation, the good and the works

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

65

imposed on him by the rule and by his supe­
riors. Peace ? and what peace ! Quis restitit
ei, et pacem habuit? Behold it, my Brethren,
in those who have abandoned the Congregation.
What peace can God give to the unfaithful, who
through caprice, and to escape mortification, lose
their vocation, and throw far from them the will of
God ! And particularly at the moment of death,
what peace will they find in tho thought that
they die out of the Congregation ? I will say
no more of this at present, because each of you
understand me very well; but the evil is, that
when tho temptation comes, they see no longer,
and think it but a light matter to lose a voca­
tion. Attend to what I beseech you to observe,
that no one may imagine I threaten in tho fear
of losing a subject. By thexgrace of God the
Congregation is now well jirovided with good
subjects, and every day brings young men full
of fervour and talent, as you all know. Tho name
of the Congregation is spread throughout the
kingdom, and even beyond it, and it is believed
wo increase in fervour and in perfection, (would
to God it were true!) Thus tho good will al­
ways remain with us for tho missions and giv­
ing retreats. But should wo not bo able to give
so many missions, it would always bo better to
preserve the spirit of observance with a small
number, than to see tho Congregation peopled
by multitudes of relaxed subjects. The small
number who follow the right way, would give
more pleasure to God than a thousand others
who lived imperfectly. To conclude touching

GG

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

this first point : Woe to him who loses his vo­
cation ! And in reference to this, I renew to
each of you the formal precept of obedience, in
virtue of which no person must go out of the
Congregation without having first obtained my
express permission, with the absolution and re­
laxation of the vow and oath of perseverance,
unless he has obtained it from the sovereign
Pontiff.
“I beseech each of you to obey and not to
resist the authority of the local superiors; if
any one wishes to present some claim, that is
permitted ; but I ask that previously ho make
an act of obedience, if his claim be judged un­
reasonable ; that he first resign himself, and then
make known his thought ; otherwise, without
this precaution, he will remain unquiet if his rea­
sons are not admitted, and tho inquietude of
his mind will be gain to the devil. Father Colombicrc made a vow to go always contrary to
his own will. If you cannot do as much, at
least let me request you will be attentive often
to contradict your own will, the satisfaction of
which is the ruin of the soul. St. Catherine of
Bologna says, that we ought to perform diffi­
cult obediences (easy obediences are no great
merit) without murmuring, neither exteriorly com­
plaining, for example, of food, of clothes, or tho
conduct of superiors, (which is a great fault,)
nor even murmuring interiorly, because that in­
terior murmurs equally trouble the spirit.
“ I beseech each of you not to attempt to
change his house without an evident necessity,

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

G7

not even when tho necessity appears evident, I
still desire that before making tho request you
resign yourself to submit to the judgment of tho
superior, even should it be contrary to yours.
I protest that my will is not to give way in this
particular without a very evident reason, because
otherwise favours of this kind may be the source
of much annoyance to the members of the Con­
gregation. I beseech all of you never to com­
plain among yourselves of the conduct of the
local superiors, because that might be a subject
of great temptation both for him who complains
and he who listens.
“Again, I implore each one of you to ask
from Jesus Christ 1 Jis holy love, because without
that all your resolutions will be useless ; and to
obtain this holy love, think continually of the
passion of our Lord, meditate upon it every day,
and practise tho way of tho cross whenever you
can. We give great pleasure to Jesus Christ
when we meditate on His sorrows and the con­
tempts He suffered for us. Now if we think of­
ten upon His passion, it will be impossible for
us not to be smitten with love for Him. I beg
the superiors present and future to introduce
often in tho chapters tho love of Jesus Christ
and His passion. As for ourselves, in tho mis­
sions, wo insinuate nothing so much as Jesus
Christ suffering. What a shame will it be for
us at tho day of judgment, if it be found that
one of us has loved Jesus Christ less than some
old woman has done !
“Let each of you love his cell, and not distract

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ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

his thoughts by running backwards and forwards
during tho day. Bo covetous of time to employ
it in meditation, and in visiting the Blessed Sa­
crament, which is exposed expressly for us. Let
us attach ourselves to study because it is abso­
lutely necessary for us. I recommend to con­
fessors the study of morals, and not to follow
blindly the opinions of certain doctors without
considering tho intrinsic reasons, and especially
those which in my Second Book I have not adII itted as probable.
I affirm, and the probabilists
agree with me, every confessor ought first to
examine, in every kind of question, if there be
not an intrinsic reason capable of convincing
him, for otherwise tho contrary opinion becomes
probable. Only when reason fails to convince
us, can we make use of extrinsic probability.
Give your attention to this, because I fear
that on this point some may commit a notable
error. Let us observe that in the Second Book
I generally admit as probable other opinions
besides those which are called so by me. I
do not pretend that it is necessary for you to
follow my opinions, but I beg of you, before re­
jecting them, carefully to read my book, and
consider what I have written with so much fa­
tigue, research, and study ; and I have not la­
boured thus, my brethren, in order to gain ap­
plause ; I would willingly have done much less,
if I had expected only to draw from it a little
smoke. God knows the anxiety and pain I have
had to endure, and I have done it for you, my
Brethren, that you might have good doctrine to
guide you.

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69

“I confess that there are many opinions that 1
considered well founded, but which afterwards,
on further examination, appeared to me improba­
ble ; therefore I entreat all the students and con­
fessors to read my book, since I have composed
it with this intention, and afterwards let them
hold by tho opinion which before God they con­
sider to be the most probable. Among the impro­
bable opinions, I especially include that which
counsels tho absolving the candidate for holy or­
ders who habitually commits mortal sin, when he
presents himself with tho fitting dispositions for
receiving tho sacrament of penance ; for in such
an ouo positivo goodness is not simply a suitable
thing, as some have falsely supposed, but it is
an absoluto necessity, not because of tho new
II ­
sacrament which he receives, (for that, it is sim
ply necessary to be in a state of grace,) but
because of the dignity to which ho aspires, which
absolutely exacts a high degree of excellence, for
the canons and doctors commonly say with St.
Thomas, that such a goodness “ præoxigitur,
requiritur, necessaria est.” Words which all
express a true necessity, and not simply a sui­
tableness. The reason is, that such a candidate
in sacris, whether because of tho eminence of
tho state to which ho would be raised, or of
tho holy functions which ho would exercise, ought
to have this positive goodness, which supposes
not only that tho subject is exempt from grave
faults, but that ho moreover possesses a certain
degree of virtue acquired by acts practised an­
teriorly. I have myself sustained at first the

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

contrary opinion, but afterwards I have seen that
it was altogether improbable, and for this reason
I retract it.
“I recommend in the last place, to all superiors
present and future, to watch over tho observance
of the rules ; this observance is entirely in their
hands. The Rector Major is at a distance : if
the local Rector takes no care of them, the
Rector Major cannot remedy it ; moreover it is
necessary that the superiors not only preach the
observation of the rules, but that they them­
selves be tho first to practise them. What wo
see makes a greater impression than what we
hear. I recommend to superiors at the same
time, charity towards inferiors, that they
strengthen them in temptation, that they try
as much as possible to comfort the n in their
necessities, and that they consider it of obligation
to inquire into their wants. Now I recommend
above all things the settling of conscience every
month, and when it cannot be done the first
Monday, that it be done the second. I espe­
cially recommend attention and charity towards
tho sick, whether in visiting them, and providing
them as much as possible with the necessary re­
medies, or in asking them if they have all things
necessary, and giving them consolation if poverty
prevents the procuring for them what they need.
I recommend still more that superiors make tho
necessary corrections in secret, because, when
made in public, they are of little use, if at the
same time the fault has not been public ; but
for the inferior himself, it is always better in

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71

every case that lie should be admonished pri­
vately at first, before having recourse to public
correction.
“ As to inferiors in particular, I recommend to
them never to say that the same regularity is
now no longer apparent in the Congregation,
and that it has departed from its first obser­
vance, because this is not true, for there are
many excellent subjects who hold themselves at­
tached to the rules whatever may be the faults
which have crept in among us from the number
of subjects. Nevertheless, let each seek to cor­
rect himself and live according to rule, never
forgetting that those who fail, and will not
amend, cannot be tolerated by the Congrega­
tion. Also let every one when he commits a
fault, immediately make an act of interior hu­
miliation if the fault be interior, and an exterior
one by accusing himself publicly, if the fault has
been exterior; and above all, let him make a
firm resolution to amend it. If any one has a
grudge against one of his brethren or against the
superior, let him be careful not to act according
to his first impulse, but to calm himself first, re­
commend himself to God, and afterwards, if he
believe it is necessary, to communicate the matter
to the superior cither by word of mouth or in
writing. I beseech you for the love of Jesus
Christ to pay attention to this. Oh ! how many
faults would bo avoided if this rule were observ­
ed ; for at tho first blush things appear very dif­
ferent from what they are. For this cause 1 beg
the superiors themselves never to correct at

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the moment they feel irritated, but wait until
the soul is restored to tranquillity, otherwise
there will always be excess, and tho reproof
will be of little use. I recommend as much
as possible detachment from relations, for it is
certain, as Jesus Christ has said, that they are
the greatest enemies of our perfection. Let each
one beware even of naming honour in the Con­
gregation. What is above all honour in a mem­
ber of the Congregation, is to love to obey, to
see himself despised and little thought of. For
tho Saints have desired to bo despised in order
to resemble Jesus Christ, and he who has no
desire to become a Saint cannot remain in tho
Congregation. Jesus Christ Himself, who loves
this Congregation, will chase him out of it.
“ It is the Lord’s wish, that the corner-stones
of the edifice bo sufficiently strong to sustain
those who rest upon them, and that they may
not thrust out those which arc placed besido
them ; that is to say, He wishes that you who
have been present at the commencement of the
Congregation should not only serve as an exam­
ple to those who come after, but also that you
should give no occasion of scandal to one ano­
ther.
“ Again, I recommend to you love of poverty ;
let no ono forget that in the catalogue of faults
that will not be pardoned among us, must be
counted those that arc committed against poverty
and obedience, for without these two virtues
there is no fervour, and without fervour tho com­
munity is destroyed.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

73

“ Λ11 that I write presents itself to my mind
without having any individual in view. I have
written for every one, and more for the members
yet to come, than for those actually in the Con­
gregation. For the rest, let no one imagine
that I preserve in my mind any bitterness against
him for past faults, whatever they may have
been. I declare that in my conduct I desire
only to regulate myself aftei’ the example of
Jesus Christ, who forgets the sins of those who
humble themselves. Understand then, that he
who has the misfortune to break the rule, may be
sure of pardon, and that the past will be for­
gotten if he sincerely humble himself ; and
what is more, from the moment he humbles
himself ho will become more dear to me than
ever ho was before. I say this, that no person
may lose courage, if ho happen to fall into
fault. But let each one guard against trifling
failings, and above all, let him abstain from com­
mitting a deliberate fault, because the devil gen­
erally leads us on from sucli to graver faults, in
order that we may lose our vocation and be ex­
cluded from the Congregation.
“Finally, my Brethren, be persuaded that each
of you, after God, is tho single object of my
love, and that for each one of you I would from
this moment offer to God my blood and my life,
because tho life of you who are young can con­
tribute much to tho glory of God, and as to me
who am old, and sick, and infirm, my life can
servo for little or nothing.
“ Fear not to address yourselves to me in

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

your wants, those who arc at a distance can
write to me. Do not fear to importune me ; the
thought that you can trouble me either by speak­
ing or writing, can only come from the devil.
Believe me, the more you show this confidence
towards me, the more you bind me to you in
the closest bonds. You may be certain that I
would leave every thing when one of my Bre­
thren or my sons require me to console them.
It is of more consequence for me to succour
one of them, than to do any other species of
good, it is the good work which God demands
of me above all others, while I am invested with
this charge.
“To conclude, let us sanctify ourselves, my
Brethren, in the period of time that remains to
us, whether short or long, who can tell? Within
a very short time we have lost three young
men, and with them Father Paul Cafaro, whose
simplicity might make him be regarded as young
also. Let us love Jesus Christ with an ardent
love ; we owe it to Him, we above all, whom lie
has loved more than others. Let us love a God,
who died for love of us. Let us kindle our faith,
for wo have but a few days to pass in this exile,
and after that eternity awaits us. We preach to
others these truths, and in fact they are the
verities of faith. We have no longer to live for
ourselves, nor yet for the world, but only for
God, only for eternity. Let us make ourselves
Saints, and for this end let us offer ourselves
always to Jesus Christ, that He may make of us
what He will, and let us pray always to the Most

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

75

Holy Virgin, that she may obtain for us the great
treasure of love to God. When the devil tempts
us on the subject of vocation, and that is
his greatest effort against us, let each one have
recourse to this good Mother, that she may ask
perseverance for him, and certainly he will not
lose his vocation. I bless you and embrace you
all in the heart of Jesus Christ. Let us love Him
much on earth, that afterwards we may go to
love Him together in the celestial Paradise. Lose
not the beautiful crown that I see prepared for
each of you who live according to the rule, and
who die in the Congregation.
“Blessed be Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and The­
resa.
“ Brother Alphonso,
“Of the Most Holy Redeemer.”

CHAPTER XLI.

Although approved by the Pope, the Congre­
gation had not yet entered the Pontifical States.
D. Joseph Fusco, the Grand Vicar of Mgr.
Pacca, Archbishop of Benevento, convinced of
the great good done by the missionaries, pro­
posed to the Archbishop to supply the ne­
cessities of his vast diocese, by establishing a
house of the order in it. The prelate entered
into his views, and Alphonso was requested to
send some one to arrange matters.
Nicolas Borgia, Bishop of Cava, and Mgr. λ olpe,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Bishop of Nocera, both entered warmly into tho
scheme, and the former fearing the desire felt
by the Archbishop of Benevento might cool,
thought he would second the measure by inter­
esting Mgr. Passante, Bishop of Montemarano,
a friend of Mgr. Pacca, and offered to accom­
pany Father Villani, and procure for him letters
of recommendation in passing by Montemarano.
When the two travellers set out, the weather
was beautiful and calm, but they had not pro­
ceeded far when a thunderstorm came on, tho
lightning flashed, and the rain fell in torrents.
Twice within a short time a thunderbolt fell at
Mgr. Borgia’s feet, but full of confidence in
God ho tranquilly pursued his journey, and
arrived safe at the house of Mgr. Passante.
This prelate, excited by example, offered to ac­
company them to Benevento.
The Archbishop Pacca was touched even to
tears when he saw the zeal that animated tho
two Bishops: “If I should sell my mitre,” he
said, “I will help to found this house.” It was
decided they should be established at St. Angela
delà Coupola, a fief belonging to the Archbishop,
and to prevent delay he arranged in tho mean­
time a lodging for the Fathers in a country house
formerly inhabited by Benedict XIII. when ho
was only Archbishop. When matters were finally
arranged, Alphonso chose for the new house the
Fathers Villani, Margotta, de Robertis and others,
and on the 6th of April, 1755, they were estab­
lished amidst universal rejoicing.
The Archbishop having them now at his own

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77

disposal, would have tho first fruits of their la­
bours consecrated to the metropolis of the dio­
cese, and made the Fathers Villani and Margotta give a retreat to the students secular and
regular, and also to a part of the seminarists.
God blessed this beginning ; a general reforma­
tion took place among them. The Archbishop
suppressed in the seminary tho teaching of the
Aristotelian philosophy, and established instead
modern authors whoso doctrines were sound.
They had in this establishment no idea of geo­
metry and metaphysics ; and these sciences were
immediately introduced.
In the theological
classes they replaced tho lessons dictated by
orthodox authors.
In tho month of May, 1755, a great drought
afflicted tho country, and to obtain the divine
mercy a retreat was given in the cathedral by
Father Villani, who was selected by the Grand Vi­
car Fusco in preference to all others. Tho man­
ner of preaching peculiar to the Congregation is
clear and simple, and it satisfied people of all
ranks. Compunction was general, and more than
three thousand persons approached at one time to
the holy table. Tho good Archbishop wept for
joy ; and all declared they had never witnessed
such results ; tho satisfaction was so general that
tho retreat was prolonged until tho twelfth day.
Mgr. Pacca was so charmed with tho results
that ho went to Nocera to visit Alphonso and
thank him as tho author of a work so salutary
for tho people ; he invited him to give a mission
at Benevento himself, which ho agreed to do in

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

November following. The Archbishop declared
that it was to him, after God, he would confide
tho interests of his diocese, and offered every as­
sistance in his power to promoto tho building of
their establishment. While ho lived, ho regarded
the missionaries as his guardian angels, and never
undertook any affair of importance without ask­
ing their advice.
iMphonso had been several years resident at
Noccra, and had ceased to give retreats at
Ciorani, but at the beginning of Lent Father
Rossi had requested him to yield to the desire
of that house and come to them during Passion
Week. As soon as his arrival was known, there
was such a concourse of priests and gentlemen,
that Father Rossi had to dispatch messengers in
four different directions to warn them that there
was no more room, but the people would not
return, and resolved to pass the night before tho
door rather than not hear Alphonso. The prince
of Castcllanita was there with twelve officers of
his regiment, and many gentlemen who slept
four in a room, or on mattresses in the corridor.
Tho Count d’ Aquila was so touched by grace,
that hearing one of his soldiers swear by the
blood of Jesus Christ, he condemned him to be
tied to a pole three hours morning and evening
by the hair of his head, with a gag in his mouth
for a whole week.
It was at this time a discussion took place
between Alphonso and a polemic who was dis­
pleased by his censures on Muratori, for speaking
lightly of the power of the Blessed Virgin. Al-

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79

phonso answered his attacks so mildly, and at
the same time so convincingly, that his adver­
sary, a disciple of Jansenism, set himself all at
once to attack his Moral Theology, and after
having criticised it according to his fancy, he
assumed an ironical tone, and suggested that Al­
phonso in quality of superior should oblige all
his religious to take it to their hearts, and
in their hands, and even to keep it constantly
in their cell. In his reply, he passed over all
this insolence without noticing it, and placing
himself before his anonymous adversary as if he
were his judge, he explained to him all the
motives which had induced him to publish his
work. “ I have not published my Moral The­
ology,” ho said, “with the desire of being known
and praised. I should have been a fool, if after
having quitted tho world and withdrawn into the
Congregation to weep over my sins, I had spent
ten years in useless labour and fatigue, for
what ? to receive a little incense, and from a
very small number of persons ; for in treating
on matters of controversy, I might have known
beforehand, that all those who held contrary
opinions would cry out against mo, and accuse
me cither with having too much severity, or too
great indulgence ; and this has really happened,
for I have been accused of both.”
Touching a point of conscience in which ho
was accused of laxity, ho adds, “As to the
scruples you wish to excite in me, my venerable
censor, I confess that it is truo I dread the ac­
count I must render to God for tho life I led in

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the world, and that all my hope of pardon is
founded on Jesus Christ my Saviour in the
first place, and afterwards on Mary my Mother,
and advocate with Jesus Christ ; but as to the
sentiments I have advanced in my work, I have
no reason to doubt the consequences of the ac­
count I must render to God.”
After having justified himself by the authority
of several theologians of sound doctrine, from tho
blame thrown on him by his anonymous adver­
sary, he says, “ But what a thing ! my censurer
has not examined my book; I speak of the se­
cond edition, and not of the first, which I have
since corrected, thanks to God, and he knows it ;
ho pretends that it is a pernicious book and full
of falsehood. It was not thus tho Sovereign
Pontiff Benedict XIV. judged of it.”
The moderation with which he confounded his
censurer, drew upon him tho esteem of all Italy.

CHAPTER XLIL
In the course of tho autumn, 1755, Alphonso
went, as he had promised, to give a mission at
Benevento. Ho went by Naples, where ho found
his mother dangerously ill, but ho had the con­
solation of seeing her delivered from the scruples
which had formerly tormented her, and entirely
submissive to the will of God. Ho administered
the sacraments to her, and fortified her by his
counsels during three days. As lie could no

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

81

longer delay his mission, he asked her parting
benediction and set out for Benevento. This
separation was sorrowful neither for the one nor
tho other. Alphonso departed consoled by see­
ing his mother dying tho death of tho just, and
sho was equally consoled by the thought that
her son left her only to conquer souls for .Jesus
Christ.
IIo arrived at Benevento accompanied by
twenty of his missionaries. The effects were
marvellous, and continued to be felt for many
years after. A prelate who was present after­
wards wrote, “ It is long since we have seen
mon so truly apostolic ; one can form no idea of
tho effects they produce, but the arrival of Al­
phonso awakened recollections that had long
slumbered. Tho voice of the holy missionary was
weakened by ago, and still more by fatigue, but
the sight of his zeal was sufficient to soften the
hardest hearts and melt them like wax. Bene­
vento has been sanctified, and numerous male­
factors when they saw him there became models
of piety. All ranks profited by his labours, so
that a general reformation of manners suc­
ceeded.”
The fruits of this mission wore so great that
the renown of it reached Rome, and Cardinal
Orsini wrote to Alphonso that the Pope had been
so satisfied with what he had heard, that ho
spoke himself to the Duke de Cerisan to obtain
from his Majesty an exequatur to the brief of
approbation given to the Congregation.
Deploring the ignorance of many clerks, par6

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ticularly in remoto parts of tho country, and
tho great necessities of poor souls, ho tried to
remedy these great evils; and to render the
priests more skilful in hearing confessions ho
published his Moral Theology in Italian, in three
octavo volumes. He enriched this work with
new instructions and gave it a new form. IIo
explained shortly and with great clearness, tho
points most controverted, and added three in­
teresting appendixes for the direction of souls.
The work mot with great applause at home,
and when it became known out of Italy, and tho
demand for it in foreign countries increased,
Alphonso translated it into Latin under the title
of Homo Apostolicus.
Different affairs connected with tho Congre­
gation obliged him to go to Naples towards the
end of February, 1756, and God would not permit
him to repose. The Cardinal Sersalo, who kncAV
the talent God had given him for touching
hearts, no sooner heard of his arrival than he
besought him to give spiritual exercises in a hall
of the palace to tho clerks. Seeing that these
exercises would require much time he sent to Nocera for Father Gaitan Spera, who gave an in­
struction every morning, he himself giving one in
the evening. lie expected only tho young stu­
dents, but as soon as ho was known to be there,
there ran thither multitudes of canons, missiona­
ries, and entire religious communities. The num­
ber was not less than a thousand. Ilis Eminence
assisted, and experienced indescribable satisfac­
tion in seeing such a concourse of penitents, for

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

tho most distinguished mon of letters left their
studies to como and listen to Alphonso. Among
others was tho celebrated James Martorelli, who
was confounded by tho admirable simplicity of
his language, which made tho most extraordinary
impression on tho listeners. “ It is God who
speaks,” lie exclaimed, “ it is not a man whom
we hear!” Ono young man was converted who
had been guilty of the greatest excesses ; at the
voice of Alphonso grace prevailed so victoriously
over the corruptions of his heart that lie was
willing for tho glory of God to declare his enor­
mities in a public confession. A sermon preached
on tho protection of tho Virgin touched another
equally sunk in sin, and he for the glory of
Mary desired that his name should be proclaimed
from the pulpit. Ho called around him all the
young candidates for tho ministry who assisted
at these exercises, and spoke to them particularlarly on the sanctity of orders, and on the
dispositions requisite, and the conduct they
ought to maintain after ordination. He exhorted
them daily to meditate on tho passion of our
Lord if they would continue in a state of grace,
and above all to servo with great devotion the
Blessed Virgin Mary, recommending to them
weekly communion, and a visit to the Blessed
Sacrament every evening.
Having compassion on the servants of the
Cardinal and of tho seminary who had not time
to attend, ho one day assembled them all, even
to tho very lowest, and instructed them on tho
duties of their condition. It was as a salutary

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

stream which flowed and penetrated to tho depths
of their heart, and all gave groat signs of amend­
ment, for henceforward they wore attentive to
the duties of their office, and found time to re­
commend themselves to God and frequent the
Sacraments. The Cardinal shed tears of joy
over the reformation of his people.
Alphonso was held in such estimation that
even his admirers were astonished. Canons, su­
periors of orders, and even bishops pressed to
the door of the saloon, to have the pleasure of
kissing his hand. lie humbled himself inte­
riorly, and enveloped himself in his mantle to
escape observation.
When these exercises were finished, invitations
flowed in upon him to such an extent that he
knew not where to begin, and to satisfy all he had
to promise to preach three days consecutively in
each church. When the Cardinal saw the effect
he had produced on the young people of the sem­
inary, he insisted on his returning to preach to
them once every week, to confirm them more
and more in tho good resolution they had formed.
The directors of the seminaries in the town and
in tho diocoso also entreated him to grant them
the same favour, so that he often preached two
and three times in one day.
The convents also gave him occupation, and
ho never refused when asked to go to them.
The nuns of St. Francis of Sales invited him to
celebrate the offices in their church, but this he
refused to do, as it was only a ceremonial, but
when asked to preach he was always ready.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

In the house he had not a moment's repose;
gentlemen, magistrates, priests and religious,
bishops and archbishops, succeeded each other
without interruption, and when they did not find
him they would return three or four times.
Hector Carafa, Duke of Andria, not being able
to find him at home, waited in the church, and
with difficulty could speak with him for a few
minutes in one of the corners.
Naples, like all other capitals, was not exempt
from great disorders, which caused much pain
to Alphonso ; but above all, that which oppressed
his heart most was to sec the increase of homi­
cide, caused by the doctrines of the materialists
and deists propagated in Italy. He deplored
with Cardinal Scrsalc the sad consequences which
he foresaw would accrue to tho Church and State.
Ho would willingly have shed his blood to provide
a remedy. He pointed out to the Cardinal the
great evils that would be produced by the intro­
duction of impious books, which passed from Na­
ples into the provinces, corrupting the faith and
morals of tho people, and urged him to remon­
strate with the King and his ministers on this
subject. To inspire the people with horror for
such productions, ho spoke openly from the pul­
pit, condemning as guilty of grave sin those who
sold such books, and also those who kept them
in their houses.
In his desire to remedy such a great evil ho
spoke to tho most respectable ecclesiastics and
confessors, advising them to devise means to
warn the faithful against the artifices of impiety.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

While he was occupied with this affair lie passed
a whole night without sleep, continually haunted
by tho thought of the ruin such works would
entail on tho souls of the people. On the fol­
lowing morning he hastened to tho Cardinal, to
speak to him still more urgently on tho deplo­
rable consequences incredulity would bring upon
Naples.
About this time he published his learned trea­
tise of the Defence of Religion and of tho State,
against the materialists and deists. This work
is divided into two parts. In the first ho proves
against the materialists tho necessity of an uni­
versal Creator, and overturns the monstrous sys­
tem of Spinosa, treating of the existence of a God,
tho first Cause of all things and infinite in His
perfections. In tho second he proves against tho
deists the truth of revealed religion and the di­
vinity of the Holy Scriptures ; he confounds also
the errors of Berkley, Leibnitz, and Wolf. The
work was well received, and found to bo par­
ticularly useful for those weak and little minds
who allow themselves to be easily abused and
deceived.

CHAPTER XLIII.
Alphonso returned to Nocera in Holy Week,
1756 ; he was glad to enter into retreat to com­
fort his soul, and converse alone with Jesus suffer­
ing for a few days. But scarcely had he reached

the house when lie was called away by the queen
mother, who wished to consult him on affairs of
conscience. lie was received at court as a messen­
ger from God ; every one looked on him with tho
greatest veneration, and esteemed themselves
happy if they could procure in secret something
that had been used by him.
The court was then at St. Lauro, and the nuns
of the monastery of St. Lauro, not knowing how
to obtain a morsel of his clothing, hit on the fol­
lowing expedient. They invited him to visit a
beautiful reliquary they preserved in their
Church, and whilst ho held it in his hand they
begged him to give it to each of them to kiss,
and while he bent forward for this purpose,
one of the pensioners came behind him, and cut
a largo piece off his mantle. In the evening as
ho was very cold ho took it to spread over his
bed, but finding it very short, he said to F. Galdieri, who accompanied him, “ This mantle is not
mine, is it yours?” “It is your own,” said the
Father. “How can it bo mine?” returned Al­
phonso, “it is too short for me.” “The nuns
have played you that trick,” said his compan­
ion laughing. “Yes,” he replied in confu­
sion, “ I see now ; I could not comprehend how
in walking I always felt something striking
against my leg,” adding without showing the
least vanity, “ tho fact is, I would require an old
clothes shop to mend it.” Wherever he stopt
the same sort of thefts were committed.
In the beginning of July, 1756, he went again
to Naples. Tho interests of the Congregation

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

detained him at the court, and ho wished to as­
sure himself more and more of tho protection
of the King, and obtain at length tho exequatur
to the apostolic brief. On tho tenth of the same
month he wrote to the different houses, ordering a
novena to be made for tho success of this affair,
and a discipline every evening.
During all his anxieties, and in the greatest
heat of summer, he lost not a moment in helping
tho souls of others. Besides tho invitations of
curates for the Triduo, and instructions to the
people, tho Convents left him no repose. Seve­
ral among them wore so eager to hear him, that
notwithstanding tho excessive heats they put
themelves in retreat. Others esteemed them­
selves happy to have him for two or three days ;
it would be impossible to enumerate tho multi­
tude of nuns who pressed to speak to him in tho
confessional. Tho Archbishop gave him tho full
power of the keys, without reserve of person or
placo.
There were many confraternities established
at Naples. Many of these holy societies invited
him to rekindle the fervour of their devotion, and
animate them to the observance of their original
rules. Ho lent himself with hearty good-will to
all who required him, excluding no one from his
charity.
Ho published at this time a little work which
had tho greatest success in Italy, entitled,
“ Method for the Confessor to exercise his minis­
try well.” This work was so much admired,
that tho most learned men went the length of

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

89

saying that he could not have composed it with­
out the special assistance of his guardian angel.
Considering the confessor as a father, as a
physician, as a doctor, and judge, he gave him
rules of conduct proper to each of these charac­
ters. Ho showed him the manner of instructing
the ignorant, and those of all conditions, bishops
not excepted. He warned confessors to distin­
guish in sinners the occasional, the habitual, and
the relapsed, to pay special attention to those who
incurred censures, and to all cases connected with
marriage ; he traced tho manner in which they
ought to treat children, young men and women,
tho deaf, dumb, and dying, those who were con­
demned to death, persons possessed, and also tho
devout and timid. He spoke afterwards of the
direction of souls who are in different degrees
of the spiritual life, and neither did ho forget
tho mortification of the flesh, of tho passions,
tho fréquentation of tho sacraments, and other
things not loss useful and necessary.
These instructions were quite characteristic
of Alphonso himself, his spirit of science and
wisdom, of love and gentleness. He did not flat­
ter sin, on tho contrary he excited hatred of
it, and a desire to obtain help from God. Tho
author of tho Dictionary of Illustrious Mon, says
of this work, “ It breathes a divine unction ; all
is charity, gentleness, and moderation.” Three
years before Orchi had published at Venice some­
thing of tho same sort, but according to the
critic just quoted they were instructions undi­
gested and full of fanaticism, which the work of
Alphonso would soon cast into oblivion.

90

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

Francis Zaccharie, a learned Jesuit, eulogised
the work in tho twelfth volume of his History
of Literature where ho says, “What a precious
book ! it is an antidote which destroys tho
poison contained in tho Instructions to Confes­
sors and Penitents, published by Orchi ; what a
difference between these two books I Tho prac­
tice of Father Liguori breathes a divine unction,
ivo see in it but charity, gentleness, and mode­
ration ; the instructions of tho other arc full of
harshness, arrogance, and fanaticism. In the
first, wo sec the wise man who seeks the salva­
tion of souls ; the other is a haughty character
who precipitates the faithful into despair. The
ollows a method just and wisely reasonable,
i smoothes the way for penitence ; tho other,
,c contrary, creates but a confusion of ex­
tant opinions, which inspire an aversion to
mental confession.”
ihonso remained at Naples during the
li of August, and ho might bo seen in spite
o burning sun traversing tho streets bathed
rspiration, running from tho house of one
ter to another, but all in vain. The opinion
gr. Galiani, the grand almoner, prevailed,
under pretence that the King in granting
sequatur to tho bull would not be free to
ess the Congregation should it degenerate,
ictition was refused. Tho King was vexed
tho result, and took several opportunities
isuring Alphonso that he might rely on
his continued protection.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

91

CHAPTER XLIV.

The missions had become celebrated through­
out tho kingdom, and all the provinces, with the
exception of Calabria, had benefited by the
labours of tho Congregation, when Carmin Ventapanc, one of the first physicians in Naples,
and a wealthy and zealous man, proposed to send
the missionaries to Calabria at his own ex­
pense.
Alphonso who knew tho destitution of these
provinces, rejoiced exceedingly, for he had often
besought tho Lord to open a way for him into
that country. After having arranged all with
Vcntapane, ho had the pleasure of despatching
a number of his missionaries to Calabria in No­
vember, 175G. The people and the bishops re­
ceived them in the most flattering manner. They
gave missions at Maratca, tho country of Ventapanc, and afterwards at Cassano and other
parts of the same diocese, and when tho course
was finished, they returned again for a short
time to each placo successively, and those who
had not been effectually touched at tho first
time were generally converted by this second
visit.
Everywhere grace opened tho way to penitence,
and tho greatest sinners became humble and
contrite. Multitudes of women who had led
scandalous lives repented, and some among them
at the sight of their enormities gave themselves

92

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

to such severo penitential practices that they
shortened their lives.
Among the numerous conversions that daily
gladdened the heart of Alphonso, was that of a
prince who had lived in open disorder for years.
He came one evening to tho church, not with the
intention to amend, but to criticise and ridicule
tho missionaries. Grace operated in him a tho­
rough change of disposition ; ho banished from his
heart all disorderly affections, and publicly asked
pardon for the scandal he had given ; he broke
the shameful tics that had bound him, and
reduced his establishment to a single servant.
This conversion was the signal for many others.
The prince continued to live a most exemplary life
to the last, when all wept for him as a saint.
AVliilo his missionaries laboured so successfully
in Calabria, Alphonso was not less usefully em­
ployed at Nocora. Soon after their departure,
invited by Mgr. Cioffi, he with fourteen others
went to give a mission at Amalfi. God blessed
this mission in a remarkable manner. Among
others there were two suburbs in this town peo­
pled entirely by women of bad character. These
unfortunates were the ruin of tho inhabitants of
the town, and a scourge to all strangers. It is
attested that every one without exception was
converted, and persevered in their amendment.
Several gentlemen of the place had long had
a violent feud with each other, that threatened
to produce tho most lamentable results ; every
effort to reconcile them had proved unavailing.
Alphonso first reconciled them to God and af-

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

93

terwards to each other, and the reconciliation
was so complete it was looked on as a prodigy.
Tambourines and guitars were common in tho
streets, and gave occasion to scandalous dances,
which wore characterized by libertinism and
effrontery. Ho preached with such force against
these disorders that tho young people piled these
instruments in front of the cathedral and burned
them.
The women of Amalfi were not accustomed to
cover their head before entering a church, and
besides exposed their necks in an unbecoming
manner. Alphonso reproved them for their im­
modesty, and established a complete reform, par­
ticularly among ladies of quality.
Tho young people were generally ill-instructed.
Ho erected in their favour particular societies,
prescribing fréquentation of the Sacraments and
other pious practices, confiding tho care of them
to tho Bishop himself. Profane songs were no
longer heard in the town or neighbouring coun­
try, but rosaries and canticles in honour of Jesus
and Mary.
Amalfi was sanctified, and tho good done was
not temporary.
The Congregation of Pious
Workers, who long after gave a mission there,
recorded that they never saw a town where tho
manners wore so well regulated, an effect which
after God they imputed to Father Liguori.
Many miraculous things happened at Amalfi.
Ono evening while ho was preaching in tho
church, ho said, in his sermon, to excite the peo­
ple to perseverance, “We are much fatigued in

94

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORT.

labouring for you, but to-morrow as soon as wc
arc gone, a devil will come down from tho moun­
tain, to destroy the fruit of this mission. Listen
to me, and look well to it, for you will draw upon
yourselves tho chastisement of an earthquake.”
Accordingly next day a buffalo was set loose for
tho amusement of tho people, who all ran to the
ring, forgetting the warning given tho evening
before, but scarcely was tho play begun when
a violent shock frightened the whole town, and
tho terrified people fled to tho church. The
bishop ran hither, and while ho recalled to the
people the prediction of Alphonso, and the contempt for it which they had shown, another shock
was felt, which was so violent that tho flambeaus
and chandeliers were overturned. The bishop
himself became alarmed, and ordered the priests
to give absolution to all. Thus the sanctity of
tho mission was confirmed, and a now testimony
given to tho truth of the words of Alphonso.
Ho passed from Amalfi to Nola, where he
found tho seminary afterwards so flourishing in
a sad state. Tho disorders of the community
seemed too great to be remedied. Many of tho
young people had given themselves up to all
sorts of irregularities. Tho disorders had risen
to such a height that when the subdirector in the
absence of his superior had attempted to redress
tho abuse, they had formed a plan to get rid of
him. In the fear that tho evil would become
worse, Mgr. Carracciolo called Alphonso to his
as he was venerated everywhere for tho
once he had over others. Ho went, but for

f

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

95

several days he might as well have preached to
the walls. Tho most awful truths of hell and
eternity were but subjects of ridicule for many,
who amused themselves by imitating the tone of
his voice and his gestures.
The bishop was for reforming these disorders
by gentle means, but Alphonso believed the case
to bo a desperato one, and that rigour only would
bo efficacious. “Mgr.,” ho said, “do you know how
many bishops arc damned because of the semi­
naries ? This will bo your fate, if you do not
change your system, and employ rigour to banish
tho evil.” Ho continued to preach, and what
ho could not gain by the energy of his word, he
gained by tho plaintive sighings of tho dove.
When the exercises had nearly finished, in spite
of the ridicule which still continued all were sud­
denly seized with terror. Four of the most turbu­
lent fled, others asked to be dismissed, and the re­
mainder wore filled with humility and repentance.
A change so unexpected was regarded as tho
fruit of his prayers and penances.
Tho reform was general, he established for the
morning meditation on some eternal truth before
the Blessed Sacrament ; he fixed an hour in the
evening for making a visit to Jesus in this divine
mystery. Ho invigorated devotion towards the
Blessed Virgin, established a visit to her, and the
recitation in common of the Rosary. Tho Chris­
tian virtue of mortification was practised in the
seminary, and lie regulated it with discretion.
All began to frequent the sacraments, and even
those who had been among the worst, went to

96

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOUI.

communion several times a week, lie prescribed
novenas in honour of Jesus Christ and tho Blessed
Virgin, with exposition of tho Blessed Sacrament,
and different practices of piety. He also appoint­
ed a day for a retreat every month, to aid
the young people in recollecting themselves and
animating their fervour.
When the morals were reformed, learning: began to flourish also, and afterwards this semi­
nary became eminent for the learning of those
educated there. Alphonso during his long life
always took a deep interest in it, and if he could
not go in person sent his missionaries every year
to give a retreat.
After having accomplished the object of his visit
to Nola, he went to tho diocese of Cerreto. On
arriving at the palace of the bishop, Mgr. Gentili,
ho requested a servant who was swooping the
saloon to inform his master of his arrival. Tho
man not knowing him, and seeing an ill-dressed
individual with a long beard, continued his work
without paying any attention to what ho said,
and when Alphonso repeated his request he be
gan to mutter in bad humour, “ I must finish
this,” and went on sweeping ; as he approached
where Alphonso sat, he said, “ Don’t you see mo
here, why don’t you rise?” Alphonso rose from
tho place without showing any annoyance, and
when he had finished sweeping, again begged ho
would inform his master of his arrival. The ser­
vant, who had forgot the name, merely said that
a poor man wanted to speak to the bishop ; ho
was told to inquire his name and what he wanted ;

ST. ALPHONSO LIGÜORI.

07

but when the Bishop heard it was Alphonso de
Liguori, ho got up in a great hurry, calling first
to one and then to another for different arti­
cles of attire, that he might receive him in
a becoming manner. The valet seeing Mgr.
so flustered, remembered how ho had treated
the stranger, and in great fear ran to hide him­
self. Alphonso desiring to say mass, Mgr. sought
for the valet to servo it ; at first ho could
not bo found ; but after calling him repeated­
ly ho came and threw himself at the feet of
Alphonso asking pardon for what he had done.
The Bishop was astonished and demanded an
explanation, when the valet with tears avowed
what had happened. Alphonso laughed good
humouredly at the affair, and the man ever
after had tho highest opinion of his humility.
Hardly had he taken breath when he returned
again to Naples, but while engaged in labouring
for the salvation of souls in that city he did not
forget his penitents at Nocera, as the following
remarkable occurrence shows. A woman whom
he had reclaimed from an abandoned life, was
in tho habit of coming every Saturday for alms.
This poor creature coming one morning to re­
ceive her accustomed alms, the porter told her
she must have patience, for Alphonso had gone
to Naples. The mendicant went into the church
sad and disappointed, to recommend her soul
and body to God, but while praying quite discon­
solate at not having received her usual assis­
tance, she heard her protector, who called her
to tho door of tho sacristy, and gave her tho
7

98

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

sum she had been accustomed to receive, and
taking leave of her besought her to remain faith­
ful to God. This miracle would not have been
known, had not the woman on leaving tho
church said to tho porter, “ How is it that peo­
ple call you a saint, and you have told lies ?
you have said tho Superior was at Naples, and
ho is here.” When the porter denied this, she
said, “ I know he is here, for he called me just
now and gave mo this money,” and she showed
what she held in her hand. The porter was
confounded, and stopping tho woman, ran to
inform the Rector, who camo with others of the
Fathers to interrogate her, and convince them­
selves that while Alphonso was labouring in
Naples, he had not ceased to be present at Nocera. The whole house was filled with joy, they
carried tho news to tho noviciate and all returned
thanks to God.
Towards the end of May tho missionaries re­
turned to Calabria, followed by numerous letters
of thanks and supplications for more missions.
The good that had been done instigated others
besides Ventapane to assist in getting missions,
and tho Prince John Baptist Filomarino besought
him to go to tho more remote parts of Calabria
at his own expense to evangelize his poor vassals.
In tho month of November two detachments were
sent, and before their departure tho Blessed
Sacrament was exposed, and Alphonso gave them
his benediction, almost envying their happiness
at being scut on such a mission.

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORL

CHAPTER XLV.

As we have already seen, Alphonso had no­
thing more at heart than to sco tho true aposto­
lic spirit, and tho evangelical poverty so much
prized by Jesus Christ, and so much contemned
by tho world, take deep root in the heart of his
Congregation. Ho detested even the shadow of
property, and the free disposition of goods among
religious seemed to him to be the bane of com­
munities. Ou the 3rd of December, 1757, he
wrote tho following letter to all his missionaries :
“ Blessed bo Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa.
“ My very dear Brethren in Jesus Christ.
“ For the benefit of general observance I have
found it good to lay down some general rules for
your guidance as follows. And first, tho Consuitors and I have carefully examined in the
council hold last month, tho question whether it
bo contrary to poverty to take charge of resti­
tutions made by our penitents without an object
assigned, but to bo employed in works of charity
at tho choice of the Confessor. Wo have decided
upon tho authority of doctors and for other rea­
sons, that it is undoubtedly contrary to the vow
of poverty. Among tho doctors there is Lochner,
who in his Biblioth. Man. (tom. 3, tit. 112, Pau­
pertas g 2, in fine,) expresses himself thus: “An.
liceat, ab alio pecuniam recipere, vel simile quid,
quod in pauperes distribuatur ? Rcsp. Si ita

Ί

100

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

accipiat ut liberum ci sit his vel illis dare, tune
omnino contra votum facturum, si accipiat sino
facultate (superioris), cum neque proprietas, nec
usus illius rei independens a superiore cuiqam
paupertatis voto obstricto convenit.” The Fa­
ther Rodriguez also says the same, (Religious
Perfection, part 3, tr. 3, c. 13.) ‘Not only is it
contrary to tho vow of poverty to render oneself
master of a thing, but even to have tho use or
free disposal of it without tho permission of the
superior. ’
“Azor again decides in tho same manner,
(part 1, 1. 12, c. 9, vers, hoc posito,) and he
thinks tho sentiment common to doctors. Certi
item juris est, (these are his expressions) non posse
religiosum secundi generis peculium habere (that
is to say, with the power of disposing of it at
his pleasure,) nam etiam voto paupertatis repug­
nat usus vel administratio, a qua abbas nutu
suo monachum amovere non posset. Religiosus
enim nihil proprium habere potest, sed usus vel
administratio, quam quis pro libito habet nullius
alterius voluntati subjectam, est aliquid propri­
um, and it is for this said Azor, that the Council
of Trent (sess. 25. c. 2 de Reform.) has enacted
that the use of moveable objects among religious
belongs but ‘ ad solos officiales, ad nutum supe­
rioris.’
“The reason of this is clear; it is that all use
of wealth by a person who is bound by a vow of
poverty, independent of the will of the Superior,
is an act of proprietorship contrary to tho
vow.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

101

“ That being fixed, to deliver me from all scru­
ple as to tho oath I have made to permit no
usage independent of tho Superior, as also to
obviate many other inconveniences, I have found
it good to ordain, and by these presents I ordain
to each and all, that all restitutions so received
by our Confessors, if they are at college, shall
be carried to the Rector of the house where
the religious is, to bo employed in pious works ;
and if lie be on mission, he shall give it into
the hands of tlie Superior of the mission, who
shall use it with prudence for tho expenses of
the mission, or to give in alms ; and in order to
avoid all violation and all misinterpretations of
the ordinance I give at this time, I expressly
forbid Confessors to suggest to their penitents,
to express their intention, and assign the resti­
tution to this or that good work, for the peni­
tent has no power to do so, and it would be
eluding this ordinance.”
Ho afterwards recommends exactitude in obe­
dience. “ In many points 1 am obliged to re­
turn to the charge of rendering obedience to me ;
but in that, my brethren, where is the character
of the obedience Jesus Christ desires of you ?
What peace can a subject have who acts con­
trary to the intentions of tho Superior ? I know
not how they can find an excuse. I fear some
great chastismcnt from God because of this ; it
is but twenty-four years since the Congregation
was founded ; if this continues, what will it be
a hundred years hence.
“With regard to letters, I recommend that

102

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

they never be received by subjects, until tho
Rector has first seen them. 1 say simply that
he ought to see them if they are affairs of con­
science, but in all other cases without exception
I recommend Superiors to open tho letters,
and at least glance over them before giving
them to the persons to whom they aro ad­
dressed.
“I expressly forbid going into the houses of
seculars without permission from tho Superior,
unless in a case of urgent necessity, when
there is no time to demand it ; particularly I
recommend your not going into convents of nuns
without permission from the Father Rector him­
self.
“I again advise you not to send members of
tho Congregation to pass the night out of tho
house ; above all, if it bo for several days, let
them first give mo notice if there bo time to
do so. I earnestly recommend that the asses
bo not said with precipitation ; this is a thing
which gives more scandal in us than in others.
“As to tho missions, I advise first a retreat
of one day each month. Never to ask for any
particular food, and when there is soup and
boiled meat to ask for nothing more. The obser­
vance of this rule gives great edification, and if
wo begin now to relax in that, in a short time
wo shall relax in everything. Wo ought not,
particularly on mission, to talk confidentially or
unnecessarily with strangers, but though reserved
wo ought to be polite. 1 recommend tho mo­
desty of the eyes, which is more necessary than

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

103

sermons ; that in all the missions they hold the
chapter ; that in the missions tho Superior ap­
point a censor, to take notice of faults, and
report them to me ; and that there be always a
prefect of tho church, and a prefect of recon­
ciliations, and that he also takes care of persons
betrothed, to persuade them to marry as soon
as possible.
“ I recommend to tho preachers charged with
tho principal sermons, to make the morning and
evening prayers as they are in the small book.
“Let it never bo forgotten to toll the bell
when any one is in the agony of death, that all
may know a soul is about to pass into eternity,
and may recommend it to God by reciting a Pater
and Ave, and let tho manner of tolling the bell
be different, if tho dying person bo an ecclesi­
astic. This practice is useful both for the sick
and the healthy.
“ I embrace you all in Jesus Christ.
“Blessed be Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa.
“ Brother Alphonso,
“Of the Most Holy Redeemer.”

It was thus Alphonso animated and spurred on
his brethren to advance in perfection, and attach
themselves more and more to the Congregation
by tho ties of exact observance of tho rule. His
letters were not announcements to be fixed in
some public place, and immediately after for­
gotten. Ho exacted the fulfilment of his desires,
and informed himself through the local Rectors,
and above all through tho members most zea-

104

ST. ALPHONSO LIOUOBI.

Ions for the observance of tho rules. The good
were his consolation, and if ho found any
who wore lukewarm or negligent, ho corrected
them.

CHAPTER XLVL
Alphonso rejoiced greatly in the now field
which had been opened for tho labours of his
brethren in Calabria. Ho saw in it a special
disposition of Providence, in favour of a people
so destitute of spiritual help, and as ho could
not because of his great ago take a personal
share in tho work, he contributed all ho could
by his prayers, while ho laboured for tho glory
of God in tho neighbourhood of Nocera.
In January, 1758, ho went at the request of
Mgr. Rossi with twenty of his companions to
Salerno.
When tho people saw him at his
advanced ago, loaded with infirmities, they in­
sisted that another Father should take the fa­
tigue of the evening sermon ; but to this he
would not agree. Ilis voice was too weak to bo
heard through all the extent of the Cathedral,
and notwithstanding tho people were dissolved
in tears, and the greatest sinners touched to
the heart and deeply contrite came to cast
themselves at his feet. Ono in particular, sob­
bing convulsively, exclaimed, “How should I
not weep, I who have offended God so much,
when I see this holy religious doing penance for

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105

me!” Alphonso also reformed the abuse of fe­
males behaving in tho churches as if they were
at a public spectacle ; at first his bold reproofs
offended them, but before long they showed a
better spirit, and a change in their whole con­
duct was the consequence.
For some time previous the most dangerous
quarrels had been frequent among tho nobility
to tho great scandal of the people ; but he suc­
ceeded in reconciling them all, and in the end
united them in a confraternity, under the direc­
tion of a pious Jesuit. It continued to edify
tho whole community until the suppression of
that order. When this mission was finished, he
divided his party into three divisions, and began
to give spiritual exercises to the nobles, to tho
young clergy, and to the prisoners. Long after
when Mgr. Pento had become bishop of Tricarico, he wrote in reference to this mission :
“The benefit was great and permament, the
conversions innumerable and astonishing, the
aspect of the whole town was changed, beginning
with tho highest and going down to tho lowest.
The fruits of this mission were of long standing ;
I myself owo tho grace of being enabled to quit
tho world to tho light I then received.” All
agreed that greater effects could not have been
produced even by the first apostles.
In the course of this mission, on the twelfth
of January, Alphonso had tho unhappiness of
losing F. Xavier Rossi, tho support of the house
at Ciorani, and one of his oldest companions.
But if he had reason to deplore his premature

106

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

death, lie had more reason to rejoice in his dying
the death of a saint. Although suffering from
bilious attacks during eighteen years, lie was
nevertheless a model of obedience and submis­
sion to the rule ; his union with God was admi­
rable ; to see him at tho altar was sufficient to
inspire compunction and recollection ; it might
be said there was no veil between him and his
Saviour, so lively was his faith. Tho retreats
ho gave were so renowned, that many came to
them from Naples to Ciorani. Λ mediator of
peace, he removed all discord from his neigh­
bourhood, and made harmony and concord
reign in every family. The curate always had
recourse to him in any dispute with the parish­
ioners. He was also singularly charitable to­
wards tho poor, regarding them as his own chil­
dren, and Alphonso, who knew tho generous
tendencies of his heart, sot no limits to his lib­
erality.
But so many virtues had to struggle against
a nature extremely passionate ; he had a con­
tinual inward fight, but virtue always predomi­
nated, and he advanced with rapid strides in the
path of perfection. When almost overpowered
by anger, he struggled so violently against it,
that lio would become yellow, and sometimes
almost black ; often it made him so ill that ho
was forced to go to bed, and had violent fits of
vomiting. On several occasions when he fore­
saw the impossibility of resisting longer, he ran
into the stable, and Hung himself at the feet of
the ass, humbling himself before the brute until

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107

lie could get up perfectly calm. His memory
will always be blessed by the Congregation.
Alphonso was called to Naples during Lent,
and he could not refuse ; he gave retreats in
many monasteries, but a circumstance which
occurred in tho monastery of St. Gaudiosa is
too remarkable to be omitted here. The Father
Galdicri, who accompanied him, desiring to vene­
rate tho blood of tho martyr St. Stephen which
was preserved there, Alphonso no sooner re­
quested this favour from the nuns, than they
went in procession to bring tho precious relic
and place it near tho tabernacle. When tho
shrine was placed on the altar, Alphonso incens­
ed it, and two minutes had scarcely elapsed
when tho blood liquified and became a vermilion
colour, to the great astonishment of the nuns
and all who were present, for this miracle was
never known to occur except on the two days
when his martyrdom is celebrated, and the dis­
covery of his relies.
It was about this time that tho same Father
Galdicri was about to sail for Calabria, when
tho evening before his embarkation Alphonso
called him and said, “ 1 wish you would not go
to Calabria by water, especially by this ship
in which you have taken your passage.” “But
how shall I do?” said the other, “for there is no
other opportunity.” “Wait a little,” replied
Alphonso, “ in a few days some priest or other
will arrive who has travelled by land, and you
can return on his mule.” Galdicri obeyed, and
in a few days a priest came from Mormanno,

h

■π

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

and all happened as Alphonso had said. But
this was not all ; the vessel in which Galdieri
had taken his passage, had scarcely arrived in
the Gulf of Policastro, when she was wrecked,
and all on board perished.
After leaving tho monastery of Gaudiosa, ho
went to that of Bethlehem. Besides tho ser­
mons he preached in these monasteries and other
churches, the crowds that camo from all quarters
to his own lodgings were without number. Ono
evening it happened that he had still to recite
his office, and also to correct some proof sheets
which the printer waited for, when he was sent
for in all haste to assist a certain duchess who
was believed to be in extremity, and who de­
sired instantly to speak with him. Ho returned
the following reply by the servant: “ Go,” said
ho, “and tell tho duko that I am prevented
from coming, but bid him take courage, the
duchess will recover, and I shall see her to-mor­
row.” During the night, although the case was
thought desperate, tho duchess recovered.
In proportion as it pleased God to enrich him
with his gifts he only humbled himself more
and more. Invited by the provincial of tho Je­
suits to dine at their convent, he found himself
the object of universal veneration and respect.
These Fathers, being anxious to have something
that had been worn by him, had recourse to the
following contrivance. They remarked that his
belt was completely worn out, and brought him
another in the hope of retaining the old one,

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109

but lie, guessing their design, fastened the new
one around him without taking off the old.
Mgr. Caracciolo having requested him to visit
tho young men of his seminary, who ardently
desired to see him, ho accepted the invitation,
forgetting his fatigues at the sight of the piety
and devotion he found there. During tho ex­
position of the Blessed Sacrament sighs of deep
affection might be heard without the chapel,
and tho confessors had difficulty to moderate
tho fervour of these young candidates for the
ministry, so anxious were they to give them­
selves up to penance and mortification. Al­
phonso had no need to preach sermons to arouse
their fears, but ho spoke to them of the love
they owed to Jesus Christ, and the graces to
bo gained by frequent communion. He spoke
of tho lovo of tho Blessed Virgin towards the
creatures redeemed by her Son, and tho rewards
sho bestows on them who love and serve her.
“My children,” ho said in his last sermon, “be
constant in love towards Jesus Christ and the
Blessed Virgin Mary, for by this means you will
never sin, you will live happy, and become at
tho same time both learned and holy. Fly, as
from a pestilence, all occasions of sin, for Jesus
Christ and tho Virgin will not protect tho rash
and presumptuous.”
The inhabitants of Amalfi had been so taken
with Alphonso during his last mission there,
that they besought him to preach tho Novena
of the Assumption, lie went, and as usual
gathered much fruit., One evening at the end

Γ1

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ST. ALPHONSO LIOUORT.

of tho sermon he prayed to the Blessed Virgin
for all present, and then besought his auditory
to beseech her to bestow upon him some grace.
When instantly a bright light like a sunbeam
darted from the statue of tho Virgin and rested
on tho figuro of Alphonso, who was elevated
some height from tho pulpit ; his face glowed
as if on fire, giving him more tho appearance
of a seraph than of a man.
While the missionaries in Calabria were la­
bouring to scatter tho seed of eternal life in that
remote corner of Italy, Alphonso was not less
busy at Noccra in preaching and writing. About
this time ho gathered together tho most impor­
tant maxims of our holy religion in a work en­
titled “ Preparation for Death.” It mot with
great success, producing throughout the kingdom
the effect of a mission, and causing many re­
markable conversions.
To excite a tender devotion towards tho great
mystery of the Incarnation, and to make its
grandeur bo comprehended, ho gave successively
nine discourses to the public, with meditations
for Advent and the Novena of Christmas, lie
also published a Novena in honour of tho Sacred
Heart of Jesus and considerations for the seven
days which precede the Feast of St. Joseph, all
of which had wonderful success.
The missionaries who had been in Calabria
returned after a most successful career. Tho
extent to which they were beloved by the people,
may be shown by an incident that occurred at
Saracena. A preacher who had been deputed

Hl

ST. ALPHONSO LIGÜORT.

to preach tho Lent, was requested by the re­
gency to preach his sermon in the morning and
allow tho Fathers to preach in the afternoon ;
he would not consent to this, till the people car­
ried away the stair of tho pulpit, and forced
him to agree. In many places the women passed
tho night behind the confessionals and in cor­
ners of tho churches, that thev might be first
at the confessionals in tho morning. There
were many who remained for two days without
returning to their distant homes for food, or
who contented themselves with a small morsel of
bread.
If tho ministry had authorised their estab­
lishment, Calabria would have had many houses
of the missionaries there. At Mormanno in particicular they made every exertion to obtain them,
and the Prince de la Rocca used all his influ­
ence to have them at St. John do Fiori.
'

kJ

CHAPTER XLVII.
*

The fifty-eighth year of the eighteenth cen­
tury brought a succession of extraordinary con­
solations for Alphonso. Many of tho people of
Asia, of the sect of tho Nestorians, having their
eyes opened to tho truth, declared to Clement
XIII. their intention to reunite themselves to
the Roman Church, and bo instructed in tho
Catholic Faith. Tho Cardinals of Propaganda,
knowing the zeal of Alphonso and the devoted-

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Hoss of his missionaries, asked him for work­
men to labour in tho salvation of those people,
lie agreed to their proposition, and in July
of tho same year wrote to the different houses
to inform them of tho circumstance. “Fathers
and Brethren,” he said, “a vast field is open for
us where the harvest is already ripe waiting for
tho reapers to gather it. Cast your eyes upon
these poor people, who weeping raise their hands
to God beseeching Him to send you to them,
to dissipate the clouds of ignorance which have
enveloped them for more than thirteen centu­
ries. They ask you for what is necessary before
they can be received into the bosom of tho Holy
Church. There is justice in carrying the light
of truth back again into those countries from
which we first received it. If the difficulties
appear great, they will bring you an eternal re­
compense. I am sure many among you will in­
form me of your desire to gain that crown which
the Lord is presenting to you, and with which I
hope to see you decorated in the celestial country
to which wo are journeying.”
This letter was responded to by all ; every
one was eager to give his life for Jesus Christ.
Thirty of the novices offered themselves also
for tho work. Some even wrote their letters
with their blood, and Alphonso was filled with
consolation at witnessing such zeal, and again
wrote to them in the following terms:
“ My dear Brethren, I have received your
letters with much consolation, and believe all
that you say. 1 have the greatest desire to see

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113

our young men going to preach to the infidels
and sacrificing their lives for Jesus Christ, but
it is necessary that I be assured of the fervour
and perseverance of each. For this reason I
beseech you to apply until your studies are
finished, for before your departure on such a
mission you must undergo an examination at
Rome. But above all, I entreat you to keep
yourselves united with Jesus Christ. He who
goes among tho infidels, without being provided
with love to Christ, and a desire to suffer, runs
great danger of losing his soul and his faith.
“Those who persevere in their desire, will do
well after nine or ten months to renew their re­
quest. Hold yourselves then united to Jesus
Christ, and pray to Him every day that He may
render you worthy of that grace.”
This project however was never put in exe­
cution ; the circumstances that interfered to
prevent it are not known.
Alphonso was always anxious that his brethren
should keep themselves in a state of the highest
perfection; ho seemed in that respect like those
rigid creditors who insist upon an increasing in­
terest from their debtors. He had extremely at
heart tho virtue of obedience, and although it
flourished in tho Congregation, and tho will of
the Superiors was law, ho never ceased to urge
upon them its necessity.
In the year, 1759, Mgr. Lucchese, Bishop of
Girgcnti in Sicily, having heard of tho good tho
labours of tho missionaries produced among the
people, applied to Alphonso to have their assist8 V

114

ST. ALPHONSO LIGU01U.

ancc. Previously to this he had met with him
in Naples, and had it always in mind to claim
their services for his diocese, but lie put it off
from time to time, until a curious circumstance
made him think of it in earnest. Λ swindling
Neapolitan took advantage of tho veneration in
which Alphonso was universally hold, to write in
his name to different dioceses requesting pecuni­
ary assistance, and largo sums were obtained in
this way, for he was careful to inquire regularly at
the post-office for tho expected supplies. On one
occasion, however, ho was forestalled by the laybrother who had charge of their affairs at Naples,
and who received a letter from Mgr. Lucchèso
with twenty ducats. Alphonso wrote to thank
him for his bounty, and thus the cheat was dis­
covered, but the correspondence ended in tho
missionaries going to Sicily.
About this time Alphonso undertook with the
aid of his missionaries a very important work.
The town of Gaeta possessed a royal hospital
for female foundlings, which depended on the
hospital of the Annunciation at Naples. This
establishment was by mismanagement reduced to
a most miserable condition, both temporally and
spiritually. It contained at least four hundred
children, all ill-brought up ; they entrusted tho
younger children to tho care of tho elder ones,
and each of these latter, whom they called mis­
tresses, had under her care ten or twelve infants.
Although food and clothing were furnished from
Naples, the unnatural mistresses kept all to
themselves, and only gave to the poor little

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

115

creatures some miserable rags to cover them, so
that they were scarcely fit to be seen ; besides
they were kept so disgustingly dirty, no one
could look at them without loathing. Their beds
consisted of a little dirty straw spread on the
floor. Their souls were in an equally deplorable
state with their bodies. They were not taught
even the first elements of Christian doctrine ;
they had no idea of decency, and as every one
without distinction had admittance into the
place, they knew neither modesty nor shame ;
even the elder ones were ignorant of confession.
In one word, everything about the place breath­
ed only misery and sin, and this establishment,
founded by piety, resembled a stable for the
body and a hell for the soul. Different zealous
priests had repeatedly striven without success
to remedy the evil ; and because of this some
persons in authority represented the case to the
King, who, shocked to hear of such lamentable
disorder, and knowing the zeal of Alphonso and
his missionaries, charged them with the reform,
and gave them full power to arrange everything
as they judged best. Alphonso shed tears on
hearing of such misery ; he accepted tho commis­
sion, and arranging a plan, sent the Fathers
Mazzini, Fiocchi, and Gajano as the best qualified
to carry it into execution. They began by re­
storing decency, and clad tho infants from head
to foot; they took measures for preserving clean­
liness, and sent to Naples for straw mattresses
and beds. They walled up useless doors and
windows, and opened others in less exceptionable

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

places, and it was no little labour to purge the
house of its abominations.
The beginnings of this enterprise were very
difficult, for tho late directors of the hospital,
seeing themselves about to lose their places,
made tho children dread tho arrival of tho
missionaries, representing them as so many ty­
rants. When it was resolved that all should
eat in a common refectory, where the mistresses
would no longer have tho care of dividing tho
portions for each, there was a general rebellion ;
tho elder ones rebelled because they foresaw their
profits must cease, and tho younger because they
did not know it would bo for their advantage.
“Wo will have no wooden bowls,” they cried;
but they soon changed when they saw tho Fa­
thers cooked the meat and waited at table, ta­
king care that they were well fed.
They established in this hospital a regular
order ; mental prayer in common twice a day,
the visit to the Holy Sacrament, and tho reci­
tation of tho Rosary. They regulated tho do­
mestic labours of each day, as well as the exer­
cises of piety. Tho elder ones were made to
learn the principal truths of religion. They
gave a retreat, during which each one set her
conscience in order, and decided -on doing tho
same every year. Many charitable priests were
induced to give their assistance, in order to givo
a durable existence to the reform. And four
skilful nuns from the hospital of St. Vincent of
Paul at Naples, were placed over tho establish-

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117

ment to direct the children spiritually and tem­
porally.
All this was not the work of months, but of
years, and Alphonso often sent Fathers to this
hospital who remained six months at a time.
At length this asylum was converted from aban­
doned wretchedness into a little paradise, where
prayer and mortification, silence and recollection
reigned. All tho virtues were practised by these
little orphans, to the delight of Alphonso and
the great satisfaction of tho King. Many other
good works, not less remarkable than the one
here recorded, were undertaken and brought to
a happy conclusion by tho missionaries, which
would take too long to detail here.

CHAPTER XLVIIL
Alphonso had often visited tho town of Kola,
where ho performed prodigies of grace; his last
mission took place in the month of November,
1759. Ono of tho principal military officers of
tho town had long given public scandal by tho
irregularities of his life, and as a last resource
the Bishop and the Curate besought Alphonso to
give a retreat to tho nobles and tho military.
Ilis appearance was then that of an old man
worn out with labour and fatigue ; his voice was
so faint that ho could not bo heard in tho ca­
thedral, and had to go to a smaller church. Tho
officer alluded to attended the exercises from

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

mere human respect, but before long his heart
was touched by grace, he sought Alphonso, made
a sincere and humble confession, and ever after­
wards was the edification of tho whole town.
Another fruit of his mission was, that a great
many young ladies took the vow of perpetual
chastity, and persevered to the end. He estab­
lished in this town a practice of ringing tho
church bells every Thursday evening to invito
the faithful to thank Jesus Christ for giving
Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament.
Always burning with the desire to save
souls, Alphonso published about this time se­
veral works calculated to promote this end.
Persuaded of the necessity of prayer in order
to be saved, and the neglect of it too frequent
among mon, ho published his admirable book
entitled “The Great Means of Prayer.”
This work is divided into two parts ; in the
first ho treats of the necessity, tho value, and
tho conditions of prayer ; and in tho second he
proves that the grace of prayer is given to all,
and explains in what manner this grace usually
works in our hearts. This book may be said
to be tho essence of tho soundest theology; it
was regarded as a chef-d’œuvre by tho most
learned theologians of Naples and Rome. He
dedicated this work to Jesus Christ and the
Blessed Virgin. “ I dedicate this book to thee,
0 Jesus,” he said, “bless it, and grant to those
in whose hands it may fall, to love prayer al­
ways more and more, and exert themselves to
excite in others a love for this great means of

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119

salvation.” Then addressing himself to the
Blessed Virgin he says, “ And you I pray you,
give to all tho spirit of prayer, and the grace
to recur always to your divine Son, and to you
who arc the dispensatrix of grace.”
Alarmed by the rapid sale of wicked books
throughout tho kingdom, which corrupted the
morals and destroyed the spirit of religion, Al­
phonso addressed two memoirs on tho subject
to tho ministers Brancone and Tanucci, beseech­
ing them to prohibit their introduction into the
kingdom ; afterwards he published a learned
dissertation entitled, “Do justa prohibitione et
abolitione librorum nocuro lectionis.” Ilo demon­
strated the necessity of interdicting tho sale of
dangerous works, and proved that the Church
from her birth had not ceased to prohibit and
destroy them. lie replied to tho objections of
adversaries who refused this power to the Tope.
The end for which he wrote was fulfilled par­
tially at a later period. The Nuncio Galdure
had composed a similar dissertation for the same
reason, and as he was refused permission to
print it, he complained to the Marquis Tanucci
that they refused him what they had granted to
tho Father Liguori. Tho Marquis had not
known of it, and displeased that such a work
had been printed, ho sent immediately the agents
of police to tho different libraries to seize all
He severely reproved the Censor
the copies.
Royal, Sacco, and also the printer. This per.
sccution vexed Alphonso, who represented to tho
minister and the other members of council,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that ho had published tho work only to obviato
great evils, and without tho slightest intention
of giving offence to the King, for without regard
to tho prohibition of tho Church, every one read
the most poisonous productions without any
scruple. This representation was as water thrown
upon fire, producing i HIM ediato benefit. Tho in­
cident made a great noise, and tho book which
previously had been little known, was so eagerly
sought after, that they raised tho price, and, to
supply the demand, secretly printed many more
in the course of two nights.
Although weakened by excessive fatigue and
by many infirmities, Alphonso consented to go to
Naples for tho Lent, 17G0. Because of his ad­
vanced age ho was sought after with increasing
avidity, every one being anxious to enjoy tho
last fruits of his zeal. On this occasion ho gave
retreats in several convents, and having often
meditated on tho sanctification of persons con­
secrated to Jesus Christ in tho asylums of mo­
nastic retreat, ho published on this occasion a
work entitled “ The true Spouse of Jesus Christ,”
a book not useful to monks and nuns only, but
also to seculars ; in it ho treats of tho practice
of Christian virtues, and gives lessons by which
all may profit according to their state.
To imprint still more deeply in tho hearts of
tho faithful tho passion of Jesus Christ, and
to animate them in making it tho object of their
meditation, he published his “Reflections and
Affections on the Passion of Jesus Christ, simply
stated according to the Writings of the holy
Evangelists.”

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121

To contribute to the satisfaction of candidates
for holy orders, in whom ho saw so many in­
struments for tho sanctification of tho people,
ho published about this time a collection of in­
structions extracted from tho Holy Scriptures, tho
Canons, and tho Fathers, by means of which
ecclesiastics could give tho exercises in retreats,
u
and instructions on tho ministry and on missions.
In tho first part of this work ho treats of the
sacerdotal dignity, its end and its sanctity, of
the gravity of sin in a priest, and of its chas­
Π
tisement, and of tho melancholy
consequences
of lukewarmness ; ho speaks also of sins against
tho vow of chastity, of sacrilegious masses, and
tho enormity of scandals. Tho second part con­
tains different instructions on tho sacerdotal state,
above all, of preaching and administering tho
sacraments of ponitenco ; ho then enlarges on
different virtues proper to tho ministers of Jesus
Christ. Tho third part contains tho principal
rules of popular eloquence, to aid preachers in
acquitting themselves with success in tho exer­
cise of preaching and giving missions.

CHAPTER XLIX.
Towards tho end of August, 1760, Alphonso
wroto tho following letter to his Congregation.
Ho was then advanced in age, and it is the last
letter ho wroto previous to being made Bishop.
His object was to confirm them more and moro

; J
f »

122

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

in their vocation, and combat tho temptation
that somo had to abandon it.

“ Blessed bo Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa.
“Nocera, August, 1760.
“My Fathers and my Brethren,—Endeavour
to have always before your eyes the happy death
of so many of our departed brethren, young stu­
dents as well as fathers ; and on tho other hand,
consider the unhappiness of so many still alive,
who live, or rather, who drag on a weary ex­
istence out of tho Congregation. And if somo
one among them, far from deploring it, congratu­
lates himself, ho is only still more deserving of
compassion and of tears. Lot us beware, be­
cause that faults multiplying without being no­
ticed, have been the cause of their ruin, and
made them lose their vocation.
“Let it bo known to all, that I will never, and
cannot in conscience give a dispensation of vows
to every one that asks it, without a necessary
and just cause ; but this justice and this neces­
sity is not to be decided on by tho subject ;
for when he is under the influence of passion
it is not he, but his passion who will judge, and
therefore I renew the order formally and under
grave sin, that no one leave the Congregation
without my permission. Let each know, that
if any demand a dispensation of vows without
just cause, through caprice or passion, by that
very act ho renders himself unworthy of re­
maining in the Congregation, and can be justly
expelled from it whether he will or not. You

I

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

123

all know tho brother who has gone out without
permission. You know that for many months
he has lived, and will continue to live, in enmity
with God, without being able to find any one
who can give him absolution. This example
ought to make those tremble who have any fear
of sin. Also, when the temptation comes, be
attentive to apply to those whom you know to
be able to help you. Understand well, that the
temptation against our vocation is for each of
us the most hurtful that tho devil can offer,
because of its sad consequences. Therefore let
each one of you, while visiting the Holy Sacra­
ment and the Blessed Virgin, ask in a special
manner for perseverance in your vocation. I ad­
vise each in particular, not to trust to his own
good resolutions or feelings. When passion co: II cs,
light is lost, and every thing seems changed.
To say tho truth, I have seen enough in others
to make me tremble for each one among you.”
Desiring to see an absolute detachment from
relations, he forbade all, even those who found
themselves indisposed, to return to their homes
for the reestablishment of their health. “ If they
go healthy in mind and infirm in body,” he said,
“they will return sick both in body and mind.
Bo it known to all, and you particularly who
arc still young, that it is a very grave fault to
pretend sickness in order to obtain leave to go
and breathe your native air. For all who live
in community and according to rule, experience
has shown that their native air and tho home
of their relations is a pestilential air, which weak-

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

cns their fervour and endangers their vocation ;
for this reason let each one know, that in cases
where change of air has been ordered by the
physicians, the Superior according to his judg­
ment shall send him to one of tho houses of tho
Congregation situated in another place, and lot
all from henceforth renounce the idea of ever
going elsewhere, because experience has shown
what temptations may be introduced by such
indulgences.
“I would remind all, that it is not permitted
to go into tho houses of seculars, and still less
of relatives, without a just cause and an express
permission. Such is tho rule, and I wish this
rule to bo observed with oven more rigour than
others. Only in case of tho mortal malady of a
father or mother, the rule permits a visit. But
there have been several who in similar cases
have sent to say to their dying parents, that
their presence and their care were not necessary,
and would only serve to increase their sufferings ;
and that they would recommend them to God
where they were. They have abstained from
going, and I have been greatly edified by their
conduct ; it is certain that on such occasions they
have rendered themselves very agreeable to God
by tho example they have given to others, as
well as by the mortification they have practised.
“ I recommend to you again obedience to who­
ever may be the Superior of a house, even to him
whoso functions for the moment give him a right
to command, were he tho last of tho brothers of
the Congregation. It is on such occasions we

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see who is truly obedient. I am not edified so
much by tho obedience given to mo, as by that
shown to a lower rector, prefect, father, minister,
or those whoso office invests them with any pre­
eminence over others. I trust in tho goodness of
God that certain things of this nature which have
given mo much pain may not occur again. Obe­
dience is the only thing which can preserve the
Congregation, since it is that which inspires
fervour. But obedience, I repeat, towards who­
ever holds tho place of Superior, otherwise it is
not done for tho Congregation. Every fault can
be pardoned easily but that of disobedience.
“ Tho faults against poverty are not less serious.
I recommend then to all Superiors, present and
future, that when anything is given from friend­
ship to a member of tho Congregation, as a snuff­
box, handkerchief, stockings, or such like, ho be
not permitted to use it, but that they give him,
should it be necessary, something else of tho
same species ; this precaution is requisite to
maintain tho spirit of poverty in its purity : act­
ing otherwise would open a door to a multitude
of inconveniences which would destroy poverty,
that other virtue which sustains the Congregation.
As to the habits, soutannes, and mantles, lot
tho superiors be careful to have them mended
when they are old or torn, and continue to mend
them as long as they are capable of it. Poor
Congregation ! Shall I live to see tho time when
its members will bo ashamed to appear with a
patched habit ! I hope they will not yet begin
to complain of such a misfortune.

I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

With reference to the fathers who are tho
depositories of things necessary in tho missions,
let them not lock them up, either in tho house
or out of it, but let them remain open, that
tho Superiors may seo every thing when they
will, otherwise things might bo kept hidden. I
repeat my request, that all will consign restitu­
tions made without a specified object into the
hands of tho Superior of the mission when they
are on n ission, or into tho hands of the Rector
when they are at home.
“I again say, and I repeat it, let all write
freely to me without fear of importuning me, or
hindering tho publication of my books. I am
bound as Superior to listen to conversations and
to read the letters of tho meanest brother of the
Congregation, but I am not obliged to publish
books. I can only employ myself in this way
when I have spare time in tho evening, after
having listened to all who would speak to me,
or replied to their letters. If any ono notwith­
standing, abstains from speaking or writing to
me concerning his own welfare or the welfare of
the Congregation, I make it a point of conscience
for him, and I will ask an account of it from
him at tho day of judgment. I protest with re­
gard to this, that if I were actually on the bed of
death, I should have nothing to reproach myself
with on this score. When it happens that any
ono writes to mo or comes to speak to mo on
things interesting to himself or the Congregation,
I leave all. 1 do not write with my own hand,
because ever since my late illness the weakness

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127

of my head hinders mo from writing, and when
a religious wishes his name to remain secret, I
manage so that it is unknown even to him who
writes for mo ; I address it myself, and when
necessary, I force myself to write it all at in­
tervals with my own hand.
“ I have still a few other things to recommend
to you. Let tho mass bo said with gravity and
decorum. Wo preach to others and yet we put
ourselves in a position to require warning from
others.
“ If a correction be inflicted on a member by
tho Rector Major, or by another Superior, let
no one have recourse to captious demands to
discover who tho person is who has informed the
Superiors of any disorder or fault, because by
doing this they oppose themselves to the general
good. The consequence is, that afraid of being
subjected to indiscreet questioning, some abstain
from telling the Superior what ho ought to be
told; this especially concerns those who are desig­
nated Secret Inspectors.
“ I rccommojid anew, that when any go to
preach during novenas, or triduos, or on any
other occasion, they observe the same regulations
respecting food as when on mission. I recom­
mend this particularly to the ono chosen Superior,
because ho must give an account for it, and on
him the penance will be imposed.
“ I embrace you all in Jesus Christ.
“Blessed bo Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Theresa.
“ Brother Alphonso,
“Of tho Most Holy Redeemer.”

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

It was thus that, always vigilant, he recalled to
his brethren tho exact observance of the rule,
animating them to the practice of Christian vir­
tue. Not satisfied with these advices given in
common to re-animate tho fervour of all, ho wrote
to particular individuals whenever he know them
to require reproof or correction.

CHAPTER L.
When they had agreed with Mgr. Lucchèse on
tho arrangements necessary for tho foundation
of Girgenti, and had obtained the approbation of
the council of Regency for tho Infant don Fer­
dinand, Alphonso sent a colony towards the
middle of September, composed of Father Peter
Blasucci Superior, and Father Francis Pcntimalli
and two others. But the enemy of our salva­
tion, foreseeing the defeats ho was to suffer from
these Fathers, determined to trouble tho joy
caused by this foundation.
They embarked under a cloudless sky, which
promised a happy voyage, and the vessel was
soon in sight of Palermo ; but at tho moment
II
they were about to land, they saw themselves
overtaken by a most violent tempest, and the
vessel was thrown back into tho Gulf of Naples,
where they were forced to run aground. When
the sea became calm they set sail a second time,
but again a storm came on whilst opposite Paler­
mo, which drove them into the Straits of Proci da ;

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129

they made a third attempt, but the more they
endeavoured to reach tho Sicilian shore, the more
the powers of hell set all in motion to oppose
them. Again they neared Palermo, when a
third tempest was let loose upon the unfortunate
bark, which tossing from side to side was at
length nearly lost between the islands of Corsica
and Sardinia. The vessel was so much damaged
that the passengers were hopeless of escaping.
All that happened on the sea was seen by
Alphonso in spirit, and at the moment of their
danger ho was hoard to cry, while he raised his
tearful eyes to heaven, “ My poor children ! my
poor children !” He approached the window,
looked at the weather, and sighed, then turned
away still repeating, “ My poor children ! ”
Those who witnessed this scene could not com­
prehend it, for they never doubted the Fathers
had arrived in Sicily long before, and they said
so to Alphonso in order to calm him, but with­
out success, he still continued to sigh and to
repeat, “ My poor children ! ”
The tempest lasted more than twenty-four
hours, but its fury was more felt by Alphonso
than by those who were on the sea. On the
third day the vessel with great difficulty reach­
ed Baja ; their safety was an evident miracle
wrought by the prayers of Alphonso. The poor
terrified missionaries, more dead than alive, took
the way to Nocera, and the joy of Alphonso may
be imagined when he saw his dear children once
more in safety.
Not doubting that this disastrous voyage was
9

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ST. ALPHONSO LIOUOICI.

entirely the work of hell, and unwilling to yield
it the victory, the missionaries had hardly
taken a little breath after their fatigues and
dangers than they were again despatched to
embark anew ; but another annoyance awaited
them. Two vessels from the Levant had been
shipwrecked near the port of Messina, and for
fear of tho plague all communication with Sicily
was forbidden, because the inhabitants of Ca­
labria had collected a quantity of things from
the shipwrecked vessels. When Mgr. Lucchèse
heard of all these contradictions, ho wrote to Al­
phonso on the 9 th of November : “It seems to
me as if hell were unchained to oppose this new
foundation, because of the good it will bring to
this diocese. Obstacles by land, and perils by
sea, threaten to overwhelm all ; but blessed be
God, I will not cease to pray, and I am certain
your children will arrive here safe and sound.”
It was however a fatal voyage, and lacerated
the heart of Alphonso. The Father Pontimalli,
seeing it impossible for the moment to proceed,
halted at St. Euphemia his native place ; but
scarcely had he arrived on the 10th of November,
when he was seized by a violent fever, which
carried him off in three days. This loss afflicted
Alphonso deeply. Father Pentimalli was one of
his best missionaries, for besides his rare talents,
ho had such power over the hearts of others
that ho could lead them as he wished. But his
affliction was softened by at length hearing of
the safe arrival of tho others at Girgcnti, and
their joyful reception ; not only did the Bishop

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131

and chapter come to meet them, but the whole
town, including both the gentry and the regular
orders.
It was on tho 10th of December the mission­
aries arrived at Girgcnti ; and three days after,
Mgr. Lucchèse, impatient to give the inhabitants
an idea of them, wished them to give the exerci­
ses of St. Ignatius to three hundred and sixty
clerks of tho seminary.
When finished the
Bishop wrote to Alphonso to express his joy at
its great success, lie wished them to open a
mission in the cathedral, but it was not large
enough to contain the crowd (Girgcnti count­
ing more than eighteen thousand inhabitants.)
They afterwards gave two missions in the Church
of Purgatory and in that of the Carmelite Fa­
thers. The canons of the cathedral, full of ad­
miration for the zeal of the missionaries, wished
to have spiritual exercises also ; their example
was followed by the chevaliers and gentlemen,
who made a retreat in a retired place by them­
selves. The Bishop afterwards desired to have
a retreat for his family, at’ which he also assist­
ed. The Fathers neglected none, whatever their
condition might be. They went into the for­
tress to preach penitence to the military, to the
galley slaves, and others of the same kind, and
all reaped the happy fruits of their labours.
After the departure of his missionaries for
Girgcnti, Alphonso, like an old soldier who wishes
nothing so much as to die sword in hand on tho
bed of honour, roused his remaining energies,
and went to war against the enemies of his God

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the old field of Amalfi. The Almighty, in
order to show tho favour with which Ho regard­
ed him, performed several miracles by his hand.
The town was ravaged by an epidemic which
seemed to defy tho power of Π edicino. A canon
who had great confidence in tho merits of Al­
phonso begged Father Galdieri to give him tho
shirt the Saint took off after tho sermon.
Ho did so, another always being brought in ex­
change. On inquiring what ho did with them,
he replied, ‘‘During this mortal epidemic, all
those who have put on Father Alphonso’s shirt
have immediately been cured.” When Alphonso
went to and returned from tho church ho was
tho object of such veneration that tho canons
were obliged to escort him to save him fro: • I
II ­
the pressure of the crowd, who precipitated them
selves upon him to get his benediction, while
n his
some armed with scissors cut pieces from
mantle.
Tho nuns at Conca besought him to come
and give a sermon to their community, and du­
ring tho voyage by sea they passed several fish­
ing vessels whoso crews had been casting their
nets without success. Tho poor people complain­
ed bitterly of their ill luck, and besought Al­
phonso to bless the sea; and scarcely had he
done so, when the fish appeared in myriads, and
their vessels were loaded. To testify their joy
and gratitude they sent a quantity to Nocera.
After finishing tho exercises at Amalfi, several
convents of nuns at Naples besought him to
visit them. He accordingly went and preached
oh

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133

with great success. At the Convent of St. Marcellina he found one of tho pupils, Catherine
Spinelli, dangerously ill ; ho visited her when
she was almost on tho point of expiring : “ Cath­
erine,” ho said, “would you wish to die or to
live?” “I wish to live,” replied tho young girl.
Alphonso thon made the sign of the cross upon
her, and said, “You will live, but you must be­
come a saint.” She was instantly cured ; after
some time she became a nun, and attained a
high degree of sanctity. On this occasion during
his stay in Naples he performed many miracles,
but those already given are sufficient to show
tho favours bestowed on him by God at this
period. He returned again to the capital du­
ring tho following Lent, when ho gave a retreat
in the Church of Purgatory to a great many
students and priests, strangers as well as Nea­
politans. He spoke with such energy on tho
It
great evil done by him who says mass
in mortai sin, and the serious sin of neglecting the
rubrics in tho celebration of tho holy Sacrifice,
that the fruits produced were evident. They
celebrated mass in this church with tho greatest
devotion ever after, and tho rubrics were most
exactly observed.
Inflamed with tho desire of seeing priests at­
tentive to tho fitting celebration of tho holy
mysteries, ho published during this visit to Na­
ples a work in which ho showed tho necessity
of observing tho holy rubrics, recalling tho fact
of the church having made it a formal precept.
He then gives salutary advices on tho disposi­

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

tions with which tho holy Sacrifice ought to be
celebrated, and then follow devout affections and
thanksgivings for every day of the week.
He published also a letter addressed to a re­
ligious on tho manner of preaching Jesus cru­
II
cified with evangelical simplicity,
and avoiding
the vain ornaments of a florid style. He could
not endure to see so many preachers deteriora­
ting the word of life by studied phrases and ora­
torical gestures. “All these puffed-up orators,”
said he, “give out but wind, when they think
more of displaying their own eloquence than of
glorifying Jesus Christ. If they escape hell,
they will at least remain many years in purga­
tory to got rid of their inflation.” He sent
this letter to all the Superiors of orders, and
every one admired tho high degree of sacred
eloquence which he possessed, and his extreme
desire that all should practise the same.
For many years he had been invited to preach
in tho establishments for public instruction, and
the effects produced among tho young wore very
extraordinary. When he gave retreats all were
filled with compunction, so that the cloisters were
peopled with crowds of young postulants. Every
religious order received its tribute, and the Con­
gregation of the Most Holy Redeemer did not
lack its full share.
Mgr. Carnovalc has recorded, that having once
been present at a sermon of Alphonso, while
yet very young, he had said to himself when
he heard his simple and gentle manner, “ This
II
is time lost; Father Alphonso deceives himself

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133

if lie thinks to touch rocks with such mild
words.” But when the sermon was finished, he
beheld thousands weeping and sobbing bitterly ;
everywhere crowds of young men, known for
their loose and irregular conduct, were convert­
II
ed by his means.
llo preached penance in the barracks, and
scandals disappeared. He put a stop to quar­
rels and blasphemies, and introduced instead the
habit of frequenting the sacraments. He gave
missions in different parishes. On one occasion
preaching in tho Church of the Holy Spirit, he
suddenly exclaimed in a transport, “ 0 thou who
enterest here, and who flattcrest thyself that
thou canst be saved in tho world as well as in
a convent, unhappy that thou art, how far thou
art wandering! but ero long thou shalt come to
a deplorable end.” At that moment a young
Calabrian had entered the church, who, led away
by his passions, had long struggled against tho
grace that had been calling him to a religious
life, lie applied to himself tho words of Al­
phonso, and yet he dared to smile at the men­
ace. But a month had scarcely elapsed, when
he was killed by a musket shot. When dying
he told his friends what had happened in tho
Church of the Holy Spirit.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

CHAPTER LI.

The veritable character of an apostle distin­
guished Alphonso above all others. Ho was
jealous for the honour of God, and he was also
all charity and lovo towards tho sinner. God, to
whom ho was so dear, had adorned him with His
most precious gifts. His zeal was extreme ;
if ho learnt that in any place sin reigned and
Jesus Christ was despised and abandoned, ho
could not rest until ho had done everything
H
in his power to remedy
tho evil. “What have
wo to do in tho world,” ho often said to his
brethren, “ and for what purpose have wo with­
drawn into this Congregation, if not to devoto
ourselves to tho glory of God ? We are His
adopted children, and more than all others ought
we to fight in tho first ranks against His enemies
•without anxiety for life or death, since He has
given His life for us.
“ Tho lovo of Jesus Christ constrains us, irre­
sistibly forces us to love Him and make others
love Him. If sin bo not pursued by us, against
whom shall we make war? It makes me ready
to dio when I see a priest indifferent about any
thing that concerns the glory of God.” God
had given him a singular power over the hearts
of men, and as soon as he saw a sinner at his
feet, he hastened to imprint on his heart a tho­
rough hatred of sin. He took, as it were, his
heart in his hands to enlighten it and make it

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137

comprehend the extent of its misery. “ These
poor sinners,” said he to his brethren, “are that
one dear and cherished sheep for whom Jesus
Christ abandoned the ninety and nine, to seek it
and bring it back upon Ilis shoulders. If any of
you are horrified, like the young Tobias, at the
sight of some monstrous fish because it bristles
with scales, bring it to me, and from the gall of
its sins I will produce a sacrifice to Jesus Christ.”
This charity was so great in him that he
sought out the most abandoned, and rejoiced in
bringing them to repentance. Some were filled
with admiration at this, while others accused
him of being animated with a false zeal, and too
II
indulgent. Ho was however far from
being so.
II
Those who accused him
were ignorant of tho
sigular gift he had from God, to touch tho
heart and excite compunction. There were
many whom other confessors had rejected be­
cause of their want of good dispositions, who yet
were received by Alphonso, and who persevered
in their good resolutions to live and die good
Christians.
By universal consent they regarded Alphonso
as tho greatest missionary in the kingdom ; as
preacher and confessor ho had received extra­
ordinary gifts from God. Ho preached no new
or strange doctrine, but animated by the Divine
Spirit he preached Christ crucified. This was
the great book from which ho drew wherewithal
to instruct both tho learned and the ignorant.
Ho banished all vain ornament from his ser­
mons, but he possessed the art of giving tho po­

r* —

—

> ’ll

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ST. ALPHONSO LlGUOlil.

pular turn and expression of the oldest Fathers
of the Church.
His reasoning was clear, and within the scope of
every understanding. He expressed himself in a
manner neat and concise, so that tho most igno­
rant peasant, or tho most silly woman, could un­
derstand him. In recommending this simplicity
to his brethren, he said, “ I have many sins for
which I must account to God, but none for my
manner of preaching; I have always made myself
understood by my hearers.” But while ho de­
scended to the capacities of tho people, ho did
not fail to avail himself of the holy Fathers and
the Scriptures, at the same time enouncing them
m a manner to make the sense easily co II prehendcd by the multitude. He cited many examples
calculated to touch the hearts both of penitent
and impenitent sinners, in order to excite con­
trition and move tho most insensible.
“ These
examples,” he says, “ make an impression on tho
people ; they remember them and repeat them to
their families.” To lead souls to love Jesus Christ
and devoutly servo the Blessed Virgin, bo was
accustomed to relate anecdotes from the Lives of
the Saints. He never wished to inspire terror,
but contrition ; and even in finishing sermons on
the most useful truths, ho was careful to raise
the courage of sinners who might believe them­
selves unworthy of the divine mercy. “ We live
in times,” he said, “when to bo a Christian
some think it necessary to speak and act with
severity, without doubting they arc right, but
they deceive themselves. To throw sinners into

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139

despair by making tho rights of God’s justice
prevail over His mercy, and fill their hearts with
terror and lead them to despair, is the method
pursued by tho innovators of our age. But if
the sinner believes his case desperate, instead of
having recourse to God, he embraces sin, and
throws himself into the arms of hell. God
wishes that we may be all saved, and eternal
damnation is only reserved for the obstinate.”
He never employed bitter invectives, or repul­
sive terms; his expressions were, “ My children,”
or “My brethren,” or oftener still, “Poor sin­
ners.” In this manner he performed wonders,
the most hardened sinners throwing themselves
with confidence at his feet.
It is a weakness in preachers to be satisfied
when they excite their hearers to tears and
groans.
“In this confusion,” said Alphonso,
“ the people cannot comprehend what the preach­
er says, and the preacher cannot know why the
people weep.” When ho saw his audience moved
in this manner he immediately stopped speaking,
rung a little boll, and imposed silence, and
not till calm was re-established did he resume.
At Benevento the Archbishop Pucca being pre­
sent at a sermon, remarked, “ Father Alphonso
has not said great things, yet his words arc like
arrows which strike tho soul, and pierce the
heart through and through.”
Nature concurred with grace in rendering him
an admirable preacher ; his voice was soft and
sonorous, and in the largest church every one
hoard him distinctly, lie proposed tho truth

MO

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

with grace, and developed it with clearness; ho
was neither too long nor too short, and he man­
aged never to excite weariness ; people were al­
ways anxious to hear and sorry when ho descend­
ed from the pulpit.
To the advantages of voice and manner, he
joined a total forgetfulness of self, and this, more
than all tho rest, touched and attracted tho
heart. He always went on foot, when tho dis­
tance permitted it, but if obliged to ride, it was
on a miserable donkey. His food, for a great
length of time, consisted but of a morsel of broad
and two or three chesnuts or some other fruit ;
and on Saturday he only took bread and water.
His dinner was most frequently taken in a cor­
nei1- of the sacristy ; he has been known when
on a journey to occupy the dinner hour in ar­
ranging affairs, and contenting himself with an
apple or a little bread taken while on the route.
Father Cafaro, his director, seeing him too much
weakened and suffering from violent head-ache,
obliged him to take some soup and meat, but he
took so little that he rather cheated his palate
than nourished his body.
His modest demeanour attracted every one;
humble and submissive, poor and without osten­
tation, he had tho appearance of wanting even
necessaries ; the sight of him alone was suffi­
cient to edify. At the mission at Melfi a vaga­
bond sought one of tho Fathers for confession,
who hearing that for years ho had lived in a
state of concubinage, told him that unless he
broke those disgraceful ties he could not give

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141

him absolution. “ I como for the purpose of
breaking them,” he replied, “how can I persist
in sin and behold the mortified life of Father Al­
phonso ?” At Benevento during a mission he gave
there tho church was so full it was impossible to
enter, and a gentleman who was outside was
seen to show marks of extraordinary repentance,
“flow,” said a priest who knew him, “how are
you weeping when you cannot hear a word?”
“How could I help weeping,” he replied, “ when
I look at that holy man who does penance for
my sins?”
But ho possessed other gifts besides. The
spirit of prophecy accompanied him everywhere.
Penetrating the thoughts of the heart was com­
mon to him.
Tho elements often seemed to
second his wishes. His shadow, his clothes, put
fevers and sickness to flight. By his prayers food
was seen to multiply upon the table. Ho was
told ono day that tho doctors despaired of Father
Rossi at Ciorani ; ho wrote to him, “ Invoke the
peace of Jesus Christ, ask Him to come and bless
this malady and chase it away. I will that you
live and labour for tho Congregation.” This was
sufficient, Father Rossi was cured.
Many times tho Blessed Virgin publicly be­
stowed on him marks of her favour. He had
ecstacies and ravishments in the sight of multi­
tudes. At Amalfi on ono occasion he was con­
fessing in tho house and preaching in the church
at tho same moment. When at Naples he was
seen at Nocera. These supernatural gifts en­
hanced his reputation, and wherever he wont he
was received as a messenger from heaven.

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ST. ALPIÏONSO LIOÜOîlT.

CHAPTER LIL
Alphonso would not have his missions to resem­
ble a fire of straw, which promises much and
effects little. Ho was not contented with pro­
ducing a passing fervour, but he desired that
devotion should take deep root in the heart, and
establish itself there in a durable manner. In
places not very populous ho remained often
fifteen days ; but in largo towns ho continued
sometimes twenty or thirty days, that the faith­
ful might be confirmed in their good resolutions,
and grace reign where sin had abounded. His
principle was, to have no other confessors during
II
the mission
but his own Congregation ; for this
reason he always took a sufficient number with
It
him,
eighteen, twenty, or more.
At seven in tho morning he took his scat in
the confessional, and remained there until it
was time to say mass, and the evening after the
principal sermon he attended the confessional for
two hours at least. Whenever he went to give
a mission, he besought tho curates and priests
of the place to abstain from hearing confessions
for some time, lie said that he who from shame
had concealed his sin from his ordinary confes­
sor, would repeat his sacrilege during tho mis­
sion, for human respect would hinder him going
to a stranger if his own director continued to
hear confessions. But on the contrary, if all the

Λ

P*

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

confessors were strangers, he would then go with
out fear of being suspected. At the end of the
missions, however, ho wished the priests of the
place to help at the general communions, suppos
ing that by that time the people generally would
have approached the tribunal of penance several
times.
He would not allow the missions to be given
at the expense of tho people, because ho feared
that those who superintended the outlay might
be unfaithful, and exact more than was neces­
sary, and thus the people far from desiring a
>11 ission might refuse it another time.
/Although
ho was in tho greatest poverty, and had no other
resource but the usual acknowledgment made for
masses, he would trouble no one, and when he
found it impossible to support tho expense him­
self, he threw himself upon tho charity of the
Bishops, or of some rich and pious individual.
In order to render tho mission imposing in the
eyes of tho people, he exacted that the clergy
should come to meet them at the gate of the
town or village, tho church bells ringing to give
notice of their arrival. When ho arrived at the
markct-placo, he gave a short but touching ser­
mon, inviting all tho inhabitants to take part
in the exercises ; ho afterwards went to the
church accompanied by the people. After hav­
ing adored the Blessed Sacrament, he opened
the mission by a sermon, and besought the mercy
of God on the parish. Ho then made a retreat,
and during three days his missionaries spread
themselves through tho streets with tho crucifix

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

in their hands, inviting the people to assist at
the mission.
After these three days, there was a sermon
early in tho morning for those who had to work
in tho country, after which the missionaries went
to the confessional, somo to hear the men, others
the women.
When they had dined and taken a little repose,
two Fathers went to teach Christian Doctrine to
tho boys and girls ; the most experienced of tho
two having charge of the girls. Alphonso had
this instruction much at heart, and employed on
it only his most distinguished subjects. He did
not wish that tho boys should be present at the
evening sermon, because their petulance caused
confusion ; he watched over their exercises, and
had them in a separate place, and at the end
of them a sermon suited to the capacity of the
children was preached.
After Vespers the women came to the church
to recite tho Rosary in tho vulgar tongue. Tho
Father who conducted this exercise first gave an
instruction, in which he showed how agreeable
this devotion was to tho Virgin Mother. He
explained the mysteries with tho indulgences
attached ; and recommended to all to recite it
every evening with their family. When the
people were reassembled another Father cate­
chised them. He spoke of the most essential
Christian duties towards God, towards our neigh­
bour, and towards ourselves. He explained the
conditions requisite to make a confession· valid,
and showed the great misery resulting from null,

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145

and above all, from sacrilegious confessions ; he
spoke principally of acquiring or retaining un­
justly anything belonging to another. At the
end of the catechising Alphonso II ado them re­
late to tho people anecdotes of the miserable
fate or despairing death of sinners who had made
sacrilegious confessions, and to finish by incul­
cating the practice of different exercises of piety
for the morning and evening. “Such practices,”
he said, “ arc most advantageous in turning peo­
ple from evil, and cultivating in the mind the
habit of pious reflection.” He particularly ex­
horted mothers to have these practices observed
by their children.
When tho catechising was over, he generally
took upon himself tho principal sermon of the
evening. He did not mount the pulpit in com­
mon use, but occupied a lower place, to be nearer
tho people and make a stronger impression on
his auditory. Before tho sermon ho was accus­
tomed to sing a hymn, to animate tho people
• I lose their taste for profane songs.
and make them
If tho town wore populous and tho church not
capable of containing everybody, ho would, after
having given the first impulso to fervour, open
immediately a second mission in another church,
or oven more if the wants of the people requi­
red it.
Ho was no friend to vain ceremonies ; he
would not allow the pulpit to bo decorated with
wax lights, as wan often the custom. Neither would
ho allow them to fulminate anathemas to rouse
the feelings of tho people. Such means he con­
io

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

sidered only calculated to produco aversion for
the preacher, and fear in the audience, without
either profit or amendment. Only at the sermon
on death, he would exhibit a skull, while ho made
an analysis of human vanities, wishing men to
enter into themselves, and recognise their own
nothingness. At the sermon on hell ho ex­
hibited a picturo painted by himself, representing
a reprobate surrounded by devils. “ Since men
are material,” ho said, “they will learn in this
manner to understand a little better the punish­
ment of sin, and the hideousness of a soul at
enmity with God.”
He would not allow flagellations in the church,
thinking these means more calculated to pro­
duce vanity in tho preacher than benefit to the
sinners. “They will pity tho missionary,” he
said, “more than they will have horror for sin.”
Yet he was accustomed two or three times in the
course of the mission to give himself the discipline
with a thick rope, not to excito compassion, but
to weep before God for his own sins and the sins
of tho people ; ho wished this to be done not by
way of acquittal but in a spirit of penitence.
Ho ordered that one of tho Fathers should stand
near the preacher to prevent any one pulling tho
cord out of his hands. On ono occasion, the
Father appointed for this purpose compassionating
tho weakness of the preacher, forcibly took tho
discipline from him. Alphonso strongly repri­
manded him, and for a punishment forbade him
to say mass next morning. “The pulpit,” he
said, “ is a place of truth and not of ostentation.

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147

Wo do not give missions to deceive the people,
II ”
but to edify and convert them.
M
Two or three days after the mission
was begun,
when the women had left tho church at the close
of tho evening sermon, tho doors were shut, the
lights extinguished, and the men gave them­
selves the discipline in common. All the Fathers
assisted, and one of them took up tho subject
of the sermon that had been preached, and tried
to inspire tho faithful with sentiments of com•i to this act of penipunction, and dispose them
tence. Men of the highest rank might bo seen,
mingling with the people in these acts of penitence.
Tho following days they heard confessions, but
without allowing any one to approach the holy
table before the general communions. He ad­
ministered tho Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist,
first to the children of both sexes until the age
of fourteen ; then to young persons and widows,
and during the three following days he met them
in another church and gave them sermons upon
chastity. To this succeeded the communions of
the married women, who were previously required
to give each other the kiss of peace ; and in
the afternoon he gave them instructions on their
II
duty as wives. Then came the general commu
­
nion of the men, also preceded by the kiss of
peace. Alphonso was always careful to appoint
a feast-day for this last communion. All the
communions were accompanied with fervent ex­
hortations, the bells were rung with solemnity,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

and the organs sent forth their peals of joy
while all the Fathers assisted at tho core: II Lony.
Three days before tho communion of the men,
they discontinued tho discipline in common. Du­
ring tho first of these days they endeavoured
to impress upon their minds how much Jesus
Christ desired to see men living at peace with
each other, and how much He detested quarrels
and bitterness. They exhorted enemies to be
reconciled, and to sacrifice at tho foot of the
crucifix all desire of vengeance. Tho second
evening they pointed out tho enormity of blasphe• I y, making them in penance draw their tongue
along the pavement. Tho first day after tho
general communions, tho men remained in the
church after tho principal sermon, while one of the
Fathers preached for about half an hour on the
consequences of some sin, drunkenness, a passion
for play, or impurity. Ho showed them tho
beauty of virtue, the benefit to be derived fro: II
the fréquentation of tho Sacraments, recommend­
ing them to be assiduous in observing tho rules
of the confraternities to which they belonged.
After these sermons on eternal truths, during
tho next three or four days an exercise of medi­
tation took place, called, “Tho Devout Life.” It
consisted in the first instance of an instruction
during half an hour, on the manner of mental
prayer, showing its necessity and advantages.
They afterwards made half an hour’s practical
meditation on the Passion of Christ. Alphonso
knew how to speak so touchingly on the suffering
of our Saviour, that his audience were melted to

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149

tears, and as before they had wept for sorrow, so
II
now they wept for love. To make
them feel more
deeply, ho displayed during the last of these
meditations, a large picture representing Jesus
on tho cross, which he had painted himself.
|l
This meditation was the most
profitable of all.
If all were not entirely satisfied, or if any had
•I
need of more instruction on some
particular sub­
ject, ho prolonged tho exercises on “ The Devout
Life.” Then at the evening sermons he blessed
the scapulars of the Blessed Virgin and the chap­
lets of St. Bridget, stating the indulgences at­
tached to them by different Pontiffs.
Alphonso laboured during the missions in a
variety of ways. After having taken a place by
assault, ho attacked all tho forts in particular.
Regarding tho secular and the regular clergy as
tho principal portion, he put everything in ope­
II
ration to reform them.
Ono or two priests con­
verted or rendered more zealous he thought suf­
ficient to sanctify a whole population. Ho gave
them himself exercises in particular, and when
in after years he was unable to do so on account
of tho fatigue, he always appointed one of the
II
most
distinguished Fathers for this office. He
II
wished that whenever a priest or religious came
to confess, everything should bo laid aside that
ho might bo attended to.
Ho did not take less interest in nuns ; he al­
ways gave them spiritual exorcises. Ho exacted
from them an affection for the choir, and a
hatred for tho parlour ; he made them see the
melancholy consequences of correspondence with

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

worldly persons, and tho peace which follows de­
tachment from creatures.
Ho desired to establish in every monastery a
community life in perfection, and he did so
wherever he could. He was however of opinion,
that when all were not inclined to give up in­
dividual property, it was better not to insist.
“A nun who is unfaithful in this,” he said, “is
apt to induco others to bo the same, and then
she not only falls into her former state, but is
the cause of disputes and scandals.” In such
circumstances ho contented himself with anima­
ting them to a strict observance of the rule, fre­
quenting the sacraments, and love of prayer.
Ho ardently desired also to reform the man­
ners of the gentlemen, and render the
ing in their conduct. He was wont to say that
all tho good of a neighbourhood often depended
on the gentlemen of tho place, the people seeing
and imitating them. He tried first to reconcile
them with God, and afterwards with each other.
In popular places ho was accustomed to give
retreats to artisans and workmen of inferior con­
dition. In towns where there were prisons, ho
also gave spiritual exercises there, and when they
were not too numerous he heard their confes­
sions himself, after they had been instructed by
one of tho Fathers for two or three days. In
the first years of the missions, when he had not
enough of subjects, he preached himself two or
three times a day, but afterwards ho divided the
exercises among the missionaries. Then, having
more resources with which to act, they were

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151

taken by assault rather than besieged, which
may account in some degree for the wonderful
effect produced upon the people.

CHAPTER LIII.

Alphonso had at heart the words of Jeremiah :
Evello et planta, and not content with extirpa­
ting vices, ho desired to plant Christian virtues
in their stead.
u
When he met with a number of clergymen
in
ono ’neighbourhood, he did his utmost to es­
tablish conferences among them, to be held for
eight days, in which they might discuss difficult
cases of morals, to animate tho young priests
and render thorn more skilful. lie wished them
οη these occasions to preach and acquaint them­
selves with different pious practices in common.
These meetings had everywhere a wonderful suc­
cess. They tended much to tho spiritual ad­
II
vancement
of the priests, and became a subject
of great consolation to tho Bishops.
After the students, tho gentlemen were particularly the objects of his attention, llo "e ηorally established a confraternity among them,
or if it already existed, he tried to reanimate its
fervour. “They are,” he said, “as lamps that
burn in a dark place, which is tho people. There
is no weight that can counterbalance the good
that may be done by the example of a well-be­
haved nobleman, or the evil that may be caused

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ST, ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

when ho leads an irregular life.” lie prescribed
to them to abstain entirely from all forbidden
amusements, but to visit every day tho Blessed
il
Sacrament
and recite tho Rosary in honour of
Mary. Ho confided them to the care of a zealous
priest, who could hear their confessions every
Sunday and give them instructions, and recom­
mended a general communion every month, lie
wished these confraternities to wear no particular
dress, and ho expressly forbade tho introduction
of any worldly interest.
In tho country, if it wore possible to reunite
tho inhabitants of several villages, or if the jpopulation were sufficiently numerous, ho was care­
ful to establish a particular confraternity for
tho artizans and labourers ; but ho would have
it a simple reunion without any pecuniary con­
tribution. Unless interest wcro banished, he be­
lieved they would neither find God nor find
peace. These meetings were attended with re­
markable success. Worthy men, to the number
of a hundred or a hundred and fifty, edified
everybody by their good example. The direction
of the confraternities was confided to some good
priest, and besides tho other duties tho members
had to fulfil they wcro obliged to abstain from
η
games
and from taverns. On tho Sunday morning
they all confessed and communicated, and in the
evening attended the catechising and other pious
exercises. Every month they had a general
communion, with a sermon to reanimate their
fervour.
Alphonso took great interest in these pious

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153

societies, and used every effort to see them es­
tablished and flourishing. lie had also much
at heart tho education of young girls; in every
place ho established a society for them, of
which tho people in tho vicinity formed a part,
and confided them to tho direction of an aged
and experienced ecclesiastic. They received every
week an instruction on Christian virtues ; the
value of chastity was particularly pointed out to
them, and onco a week they received tho sacra­
ments. Tho good effects of this society were
visible to all. In every church ho established
each morning meditation in common on eternal
truths, or tho Passion of our Lord ; during tho
mass a priest read tho points of meditation. He
persuaded them to make this exorcise in the
house when they could not come to tho church,
and by this means souls wcro everywhere ele­
vated to a high degree of perfection.
Ho wished that every evening about six o’clock
the people should assemble in tho church to
visit tho Blessed Sacrament and tho most holy
Virgin ; ho recommended this practice to tho
curates, and besought tho bishops to ordain it,
“because,” ho said, “Jesus Christ is the source of
all grace, and Mary is tho channel through whom
grace flows.” It is tho common opinion that
Alphonso himself has established and propaga­
ted throughout Italy devotion towards tho Bless­
ed Sacrament and tho blessed Virgin Mary :
there is hardly a church where these devotions
have not taken deep root.
Ho desired also that every Thursday the bells

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

should be rung after seven o’clock, to invite the
faithful to recollection, and recall to them tho
great gift bestowed on them on that day in
the Blessed Sacrament. All were desired to
kneel and recite five Paters, Aves, and Glorias,
with the face turned towards some church.
In order that the people might have always
present to their mind the thought of tho death
and Passion of our Saviour, ho was accustomed
II
to erect everywhere during tho last days of the
exercises on “The Devout Life,” a Calvary in
some place near the houses, and which consisted
of five largo crosses. This ceremony was very
touching ; Alphonso and his companions left the
church each carrying a heavy cross on his shoul­
ders ; at the planting of each cross, they gave
a pathetic exhortation on each particular mys­
u
tery. This act was no vain ceremony
for Al­
phonso ; he thought of Jesus suffering, and was
always careful to boar the heaviest cross himself.
II
Among all the means
he recommended for
persevering in a state of grace, tlie principal
were frequenting the sacraments. He repeated
incessantly, Confessions and communions are
the source of all good ; they vanquish tho pas­
sions, and fortify us against temptations ; with­
out them we fall, and throw ourselves over the
precipice.” Ho recommended weekly commu­
nion, and explained the dispositions with which
it ought to bo received ; as to souls pious and
exempt from voluntary venial sin, he wished
them to communicate several times a week. If

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155

in Italy tho fréquentation of the sacra: fl ents is
in vogue until the present day, they owe it to
the zeal of St. Alphonso de Liguori.
During each mission he was accustomed to
give a sermon on the necessity of prayer, and
its efficacy in obtaining fro: II God the graces we
need. Ho attached much importance to this
sermon, and would never allow it to be omitted :
“Jesus Christ,” he said, “has placed our salva­
tion in prayer ; if we do not pray, we obtain
no grace, and if tho people do not comprehend
the value of this groat means, they will never
love it nor have recourse to the feet of Jesus.”
Besides this particular sermon, he was care­
ful at tho end of every discourse to inculcate
II
prayer on tho people, and teach them
by his
example tho manner of recurring to God in every
sorrow and temptation. He also suggested to
them different practices by which to sanctify the
day and hear mass with profit. “Pray,” said
he, “ and pray much ; if you pray, you will ob­
tain everything, and nothing will be wanting to
further your salvation.”
Before his time missionaries were not accus­
tomed to preach confidence in tho intercession
of tho Blessed Virgin. These sermons breathed
only fear and terror. Alphonso introduced a
new method ; and tho great fruits which resulted
made it be everywhere adopted. “ The innova­
tors,” said he, “proclaim that devotion towards
tho holy Virgin is injurious to God ; they combat
her power and tho efficacy of her intercession ;
it is our part to show how powerful and how ad­

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

vantageous a thing it is to loan on this divine
Mother, and how much God is pleased and hon­
oured by our doing so.” Ho exalted her power,
and proved by tho authority of the holy Fathers,
that a true servant of Mary can never be damned,
whether because she obtains for them all tho
graces necessary for their salvation, or whether
that no one can bo faithful to Mary without
being faithful to God.
When he preached ho always had at tho side
of tho pulpit a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows,
and at tho end of each sermon he never forgot
to excito tho people to recur to her protection
to obtain the pardon of their sins. Ho exalted
so high her power and goodness as the Mother
of God, that tho most desperate sinner might
have hope through her intercession. Experience
has proved that tho sermons on the patronage
of Mary have produced the most happy results,
that many sinners who had resisted grace, in
spite of tho most terrible threatenings, were
forced to surrender themselves to grace after tho
most holy Virgin was mado known to them.
When Alphonso gave spiritual exercises, either
to priests or laymen, and more especially when
ho gave them to nuns, ho was accustomed to
preach a sermon on tho lovo of Jesus Christ for
men, and tho ingratitudo of men towards God
mado man for them. Tn his mouth this subject
drew tears from every eye : ho used to say, “ ho
who is not touched with tho lovo of Jesus Christ
is either a fool or ho has lost tho faith.” Ono
thing ho strove above all to accomplish, was to

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157

re-establish peace and concord among the people.
Ho regarded that mission a failure if there re­
mained dissension or party spirit in the place.
According to him, sin and tho spirit of party
were inseparable. Ho neglected no means for
re-establishing union among all in general, and
among families in particular, above all, where
blood had been shed ; and he gave himself no
repose until ho saw enemies reconciled and close­
ly united in the bonds of Christian charity. For
this end ho set apart two of the Fathers to act
in quality of mediators, and to devote themselves
especially to this work.
Tho day of the benediction was a day of joy
for all. Ho always reserved this solemn act for
a feast day, that everybody might bo present.
In tho morning all the Fathers attended to hear
tho confessions of those who came from a dis­
tance, who had perhaps not yet been reconciled
to God. lie had a statue of tho Blessed Virgin
decorated for tho occasion, and removed tho
statuo of Our Lady of Sorrows from tho pulpit.
Tho Blessed Sacrament was exposed and carried
in procession, preceded by all the clergy and tho
confraternities, and when they camo to the outer
door of tho church ho blessed three times tho
place where tho mission had been given and tho
neighbouring country. The Blessed Sacrament
was then replaced, and after reciting a Pater
and Avo to gain the indulgence, Alphonso mount­
ed the pulpit and explained to each how to main­
tain himself in the grace of God. During the

*.

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ST, ALPHONSO LIOUORI.

benediction the bells were rung in all the church­
es of the place.
After having during the mission rooted out
evil and sown good, Alphonso know how to for­
tify the plant of salvation and preserve its fruits.
The spiritual renewal, until then unknown, ho
was the first to introduce, for ho believed it to
be tho best for attaining his end. It consisted
in returning to the places where the missions had
been given, some months after, but only for a
few days and with a small number of companions.
The preacher on that occasion generally took for
his subject the parable of the talents, to show
how rigidly God exacts from men an account of
the graces lie bestows on them, and tho temporal
as well as eternal punishments reserved for those
who will not persevere in well-doing. By these
means he animated tho good to persevere, raised
those who had fallen, and sometimes succeeded
in gathering a stalk of wheat which had not been
fully ripe at the previous harvest. Experience
so fully proved the admirable advantages of this
renewal, that he made it a rule for his Congre­
gation.

CHAPTER LIV.
Alphonso used to say of his Congregation,
“Our employment is the same as that exercised
by Jesus Christ and His apostles. He who has
not the spirit of Jesus Christ, nor the zeal of the
apostles, is not fit for this ministry.” Above all

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159

lie required humility, and said, “ It is this virtue
which makes us respected by the people ; it is
this which gains and attracts sinners, however
haughty and proud they may be. If tho mis­
sionary wants humility he wants all, and I know
not whether tho evil he will do will not be greater
than the good ho pretends to do, for how can God
aid him who resists Him?” He recommended
the greatest humility, and tho most perfect sub­
ordination towards the curates and bishops, and
principally towards the curates with whom they
camo in more immediate contact. “It is not
possible,” ho said, “that God will bless our mis­
sions, if we fail in respect and humility towards
the heads of the churches, and if we do not put
ourselves entirely under them.” Having heard
on one occasion that a missionary had shown a
want of submission to a Bishop, he punished him
immediately, and sent him at once to make the
fullest apology for his conduct. Ho wished his
Congregation to practise humility even towards
the peasantry, saluting all whom they met.
Ho had a horror of all species of display, such
as going on mission in a carriage ; he thought
that ho who is called to tho apostolate, should
never depart from the practice of tho Apostles,
and therefore that they should travel on foot,
or on horseback. “Poverty,” said he, “is a
mute sermon, which has more effect than a hun­
dred studied sermons.”
Ho also exacted from his Congregation, humi­
lity towards each other, and more especially to­
wards Superiors, whoso will ho would have re-

IGO

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

spcctod and fulfilled without delay. Every other
feeling was pardonable in his eyes, but this he
considered inexcusable. Resistance on this point
was always followed by expulsion.
Ho was willing that every difficulty should bo
pointed out to the Superior which ho might not
have foreseen, but that it should be done simply,
without the least intention of resisting, for he
continually repeated, “If obedience be wanting
in a mission, all is wanting, for disorder, confu­
sion, and trouble must be the result ; a vessel
guided by several pilots can hardly escape ship­
wreck, or at least she will make a very danger­
ous voyage.”
He would allow no superiority on account of
long standing in the Congregation, neither on
mission nor in the house, but he required tho
Rectors to give tho preference on any occasion
to a meritorious subject, should ho be the latest
comer. At tho mission of Sava ho had ap­
pointed Father Rubertis to be Superior ; when
another Father coming from Ciorani placed
himself at the head on the plea of being the
oldest missionary. When Alphonso heard of it
he wrote that he would allow no such abuse,
no such prerogative in the Congregation, and
warned him never again to take such a liberty.
Ho believed that such a pre-eminence produced
the greatest disorders. “There are some,” he
said, “who are incapable of being made Supe­
rior even for one hour.”
Alphonso required from the members of his
Congregation a disposition for the ministry, but

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161

lie would not suffer presumption. It was enough
for any ono to push himself forward in order to
be forgotten. A Father once complained that it
was long since ho had been appointed for tho
principal sermon in tho evening. This was
enough, ho was not allowed to preach at all ; and
ho was so vexed at the possibility of never ap­
pearing in the pulpit again, that he abandoned
the Congregation. But if Alphonso never failed
to put tho presumptive in the back-ground, he
animated and encouraged the timid and humble.
Another characteristic he exacted from his
missionaries, was a spirit of mortification and a
love of suffering. Without these qualifications,
II
ho considered them
unfit for their employ­
ment. Ho required above all, mortification and
austerity with regard to food. He forbade on mis­
sion any other dinner than broth and boiled meat,
and as at homo about three pounds was the
allowance for six persons, with fruit and cheese.
He expressly forbade the use of wild-fowl, poultry,
or any other delicate meat. He forbade even
on feast days all kinds of pastry or cakes. In
the commencement of tho Congregation, when
their numbers were small, he accepted the ser­
vices of zealous priests for the missions, but
even these he subjected to tho same rule,
thcr Villani, on ono occasion when Superior of a
mission, had received a largo cake from a convent, and had no scruple in dividing it among
the priests who were assisting at the mission,
but when Alphonso heard of it ho gave him a
severe reprimand and imposed a penance on him.
11

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ST. ALPIIONSO LIGUORI.

When he was in tho house of a private person
he exacted tho same rigorous observance. “ Lay­
men,” said he, “ will not fail to insist aud en­
treat, they will even appear displeased if you
refuso them, but always declino ; they will bo
edified by your firmness when they would have
boon surprised and perhaps made you the subject
of raillery had you yielded.” Men of the world
pay more attention to what is done than to what
is said, and above all they remark the conduct
of missionaries. Alphonso however permitted
that once during a mission they should dine with
the Bishop when invited, and afterwards extended
the permission to a prince or person of great
distinction.
He would allow no one to have a preference
in eating ; he abhorred the slightest appearance
of delicacy, above all in him who preached the
evening sermon, whoever he might be. At the
mission of Salerno, they had every day rancid
cheese, and a Father took the liberty of asking
that his morsel might be roasted. Alphonso
reprimanded him on the instant, although ho
was an old man, and a most zealous missionary.
“Let there be charity towards all,” he said to
the Superiors on mission, “ but no preference be­
cause of any employment whatsoever.”
lie recommended, and rigorously exacted, that
no discontent should be shown because of incon­
venient lodging ; he distinguished, however, be­
tween what was only incommodious, and what was
injurious to health. “Health,” said he, “is the
capital of the missionary; if that fails, he becomes

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

1G3

bankrupt.” But lie allowed the Superior to at­
tend to that, and forbade tho others to interfere.
Ho prescribed seven hours’ sleep in the mis­
sion as well as in the house. At the mission of
Nola, ono of the Fathers having incommoded the
others by getting up before the time, as he did
not require so much sleep, Alphonso reprimanded
him, and made him do penance by eating his
dinner on his knees. On tho other hand, he
would allow no one to remain in bed after the
signal for rising. Ho regarded as a fault any one
walking in tho country during mission under the
pretence of requiring a little relaxation ; he con­
sidered the time of mission as a time of suffering,
and ho who had not the courage to suffer, as un­
worthy of being a missionary, lie exacted from
each to remain seven hours in the confessional,
forbidding him to quit his place without leave from
the Superior of the mission. He had the office of
confessor eminently at heart. “ The preacher
sows,” he said, “but the confessor gathers the
harvest. The confessional is the touchstone of
the true labourer ; he who loves not tho confes­
sional, loves not souls, who receive there the
application of tho blood of Jesus Christ, and the
merits of His grace. In the sacred tribunal, we
gather fruit for ourselves and for our penitents;
it is not so with tho pulpit. If we do good by
a sermon, a breath of vanity can make tho
preacher return with his hands empty. It is
otherwise in tho confessional, vanity does not
enter there, but patience is necessary.”
When it was necessary to visit certain persons

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

in their houses, whether to reconcile differences
or confess an invalid, he wished it to be done
after Vespers, that it might not interfere with
the time given to confession, and ho who was
sent was always to bo accompanied by another
priest or a lay-brother, or some other respectable
person.
Ho wished them in their intercourse with each
other, to avoid all incivility or rusticity. “ Je­
sus Christ,” he said, “was always agreeable and
obliging in His manners, affable towards all, and
never rude or disagreeable.” lie recommended
a grave demeanour which commanded respect.
He disliked all familiarity or intimacy with lay­
men, and still less could he enduro any species
of idle discourse unworthy as it is of the sacred
character of the ministry. “Tho people,’ he
said, “look upon us as saints, but if wo permit
familiarities they will see wo aro but men, and
with our reputation wo shall lose tho fruits of
our mission. I recommend,” ho says in another
place, “not to seek relaxation with any one
whatever. It is necessary to be civil, but also
to bo serious with every one, that they may con­
ceive and also preserve esteem for tho mission­
aries, in whom they ought to find men holy
and without reproach ; this is necessary if wo
would produco good. When we hold too much
conversation with people of the world, and talk
of things not spiritual, wo let them perceive in
us a thousand faults which hinders the success
of tho mission. This is a thing of which I have
warned you several times, but it is not sufficient-

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165

ly attended to. If any one neglects to correct
himself on this point, I will no longer send him
on mission. I beseech you never to occupy your­
selves with any matter not appertaining to con­
science, and if any one think there is a case in
which ho ought to interfere, let him consult
the Superior of the mission, as matters of this
kind often cause great inconvenience.”
Ho forbade all species of unnecessary visits, but
he wished that on their arrival at any place they
should call on tho religious and civil authorities
and tho most influential persons of the place, to
invite them to attend at tho mission, as the being
on good terms with such people -was of conse­
quence to the success of the missions.
He particularly recommended to them, never
to inform the Bishops of any differences they
might have with tho ecclesiastics of any place,
above all, if they were not public. Such reports,
in his opinion, far from being useful, were pre­
judicial.
lie regarded that mission as lost
when there was any disagreement between tho
clergy and the missionaries. ° However grave,”
ho said, “the cause of complaint may bo, it is
always worse to complain, for if it bo suspected
that tho missionaries complain to the Bishops, it
il
will hurt tho missions
everywhere. They should
act in such a manner as will inspire a confidence
without bounds.”
Ho desired that in tho course of tho missions
each should in their turn make a day of retreat,
preferring the first days of the mission as being
loss occupied. “There is,” said ho, “a certain

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

wind in the midst of the world, which raises the
dust and soils our clothes ; it is necessary to uso
the brush often, or moths will get into them
and destroy them. It is necessary to labour,
but not to give all our time to it and forget our­
selves.”
Ho made half an hour’s meditation every
morning an indispensable obligation. I Io wished
also a chapter to be hold at the end of ovcry
mission, in which the Superior should declare tho
faults ho had observed, and recommend all to
acquit themselves of their several duties.
lie fixed that during Lent, all the mission­
aries should retire to their houses to renew the
strength of both soul and body. They set out
on mission towards the end of October, and la­
boured (Lent not included) until tho beginning
of June. Ho required of each a retreat of ten
days every year.
Although convinced of the necessities of large
towns, lie wished country places to have the
preference ; thus, when a mission was demanded
for Naples and for a country place at the same
time, ho gave the preference to the latter, and
went to Naples only after the country mission
was finished. lie delighted to hear of tho good
done by his missionaries in the deserted places
of the Fouille and the plains of Salerno, the ob­
ject of the Congregation being to help people
dispersed through the country who are too often
destitute of spiritual succour.
Alphonso was exceedingly anxious that his
missionaries should preserve a good reputation.

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167

He often repeated, “Confidence is everything
for the missionary, if that be wanting, all is wanting. The priests in the country preach the
gospel as well as us, but they do not make the
same impression, because they have not the same
reputation for sanctity. Missionaries will gather
great fruit where they are considered impecca­
ble, and if we astonish the people by a contrary
conduct, the mission is lost.”
When he heard of the slightest symptom of
a want of edification, he could not rest, and he
would not pardon it, whoever might be the guil­
ty one. He would not allow any one to go
alone to give novenas or other exercises, he
made them always be accompanied at least by
a lay-brother.
He wished that disinterestedness should be the
rich crown of the virtues of the Congregation. He
established as an essential rule that they should
take nothing, least of all from the public, towards
the expense of the mission, but that it should be
made at the expense of the Congregation ; and
however great their poverty might be, he ex­
pressly forbade all to receive any indemnity that
the charity of the people might offer. Λ11 ho
allowed was permission to state their poverty
to the Bishop of the diocese in which they were
giving the mission, or to some rich individual
who took an interest in the Congregation.
Besides the missions without, he desired that
spiritual exercises should be given in the house
to young candidates for the ministry, during ton
days at the time of ordinations, and at other

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168

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

times to all priests and laymen. That this might
bo profitable, he exacted from the Rectors the
greatest possible care and solicitude, and to ap­
point only the fittest subjects for this duty.
During these exercises he prescribed to them
to submit to every inconvenience, to have in
view only the glory of God and the good of the
Church, to obtain which should bo tho object
of leading to perfection the ecclesiastics who
came to make a retreat. According to the rules
he had arranged for these retreats, they had
a meditation and sermon every morning ; for
an hour and a half before dinner an instruction
on the duties required from each according to
their state of life ; in tho afternoon a spiritual
lecture, visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and to
tiro Blessed Virgin Mother, with recitation of
the rosary ; in tho evening, meditation and ser­
mon for another hour and a half in the chapel.
The Congregation practised giving retreats, from
its very foundation, and wo have already shown
in the course of this work the immense good
produced by them under tho conduct of Alphonso.

CHAPTER LV.

Preaching being ono groat means of labour­
ing for the conversion of sinners, Alphonso was
anxious that his Congregation should acquit
themselves well in this work. In every scr; II on
he desired that they should preach Christ cru-

»

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

169

cified ; 11 ho who docs not preach Christ cruci­
fied,” he said, ‘‘preaches himself, violates his
ministry, and does no good.” He required a
simple and popular style that every one could
understand. “The word of God,” he said, “does
not consist in high thoughts and sublime diction,
but in simplicity and clearness, and tho preacher
ought rather to put himself on a level with the
peasant, than with the learned and noble, be­
cause tho former compose tho bulk of the audi­
ence on missions.” Ho compared to balloons
filled with air those who, puffed up with their
own importance, made fine discourses which they
could hardly comprehend themselves. “ When the
devil would hinder the preaching of tho gospel,”
ho said, “he makes use of such preachers, to
paralyze its effects. Miserable wretches! they
will bo condemned, not for having hidden their
talents in tho earth, but for having drawn no
profit from them.”
Ho insisted on reasons, and not words, and
clear and solid reasons too. Ho disliked studied
and far-fetched comparisons, but recommended
such as were suited to tho people. “ Jesus Christ,”
ho said, “know rhetoric better than we, yet to
bo better comprehended by tho multitudo he
has chosen ordinary comparisons in his parables :
now it is to tho multitude that wo arc called to
preach; if tho people do not understand, their
will is not moved, and wo lose our trouble.
Tho end tho preacher ought to propose to him­
self, is to persuade and to move. If tho people

(

J

I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

bo not convinced, they will form no good reso­
lutions, and they will not forsake sin.”
lie liked short and easy phrases; he could
not enduro prolonged periods, which required to
be read and re-read before the sense could bo
caught, lie wished them not to pass too rapidly
from ono proof to another. “ Wo must give the
people time,” he said, “to seize and penetrate, or
if I may use tho expression, to ruminate at their
ease on what they have heard. Waters precipi­
tated with impetuosity do not penetrate tho
earth like soft falling rain. Tho people gather
more fruit from a sermon quietly instilled into
them than from a hundred others given with
precipitation, so that the preacher only can follow
the sense.”
He wished them to raise or lower the voice
according to the subject, as tho only means of
attracting attention, and to guard against mono­
tony. Ho detested poetical and abstract expres­
sions, and used to say, “What would suit Boccacio, will not suit in a preacher of tho gospel,
and many who study Dante and Boccacio will
expiate their folly in purgatory.” Not that he
approved of trivial or vulgar expressions in the
pulpit, but only that words in common use
should bo preferred.
He desired that the same style should bo
adopted on all occasions, particularly on the fes­
tivals of Saints, when the discourses were com­
monly panegyrics, rather than sermons. On
such occasions he wished a plain moral dis­
course should be given, explaining and recom-

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171

mending the virtues for which they were famed,
so that tho most ignorant of the audience should
understand how to imitate them. “This,” ho
said, “is tho true manner of preaching and im­
itating the Apostles; it is thus all the ancient
Fathers of the Church have preached, and it is
thus wo ought to preach if wo wish to glorify
the Saints and remain faithful to our ministry.”
Ho regretted to sec men of great talent other­
wise lose themselves in a labyrinth of figures
and flowers to eulogize the Saints, ho considered
such orators as the enemies rather than the
friends of tho Saints, and above all, enemies to
their own souls.
Ho particularly disliked the introduction of
ludicrous anecdotes when catechising, because it
amused the people without instructing them, and
was inconsistent with the dignity both of the
preacher and the place. If any offended in this
way he called them to a severe account.
He watched over the young preachers with
the greatest care. Ono Saturday on his return
to Nocera from Naples, ho was to preach the
sermon on tho Blessed Virgin, having vowed al­
ways to preach in her honour on this day of
the week ; and besides, no other Father had been
appointed for tho purpose; but being suddenly
attacked by fever the young Father Alexander
de Meo was appointed in his place. Not being
exactly prepared, he enlarged on several learned
subjects not suited to the people; he spoke of
the times previous to the birth of Mary, and
introduced the Sybils and the Argonauts. Ho

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

believed Alphonso would be unable to assist at
the sermon, but ho was mistaken, tho Rector
having been brought into tho choir in spito of
his fever. When Alphonso heard the words
“Sybil and Argonaut,” he became very restless,
and turning towards tho others demanded, “Is
it thus they preach here?” They knew not
what to answer, and Father Alexander went on
in the same stylo. He rose, ho sat down, he
knelt, and then muttered to himself, “I must
make him come down immediately.” “Go,” said
he to a lay-brother, “and tell him to descend in­
stantly;” and almost immediately ho interrupted
the sermon by intoning the “Tantum Ergo,” to
tho great surprise of all present. But his correc­
tion did not stop hero ; on entering tho house tho
poor Father met Alphonso on tho stair, and fall­
ing on his knees, begged pardon. After having
reproved him for tho impropriety of his sermon,
being not yet satisfied, ho condemned him to re­
main silent during three days, and also to abstain
from saying mass. In this severity ho imitated
tho great St. Philip Neri, who several times
in Romo made his disciples descend from the
pulpit when they dealt in matters extraneous to
tho subject of their discourse. This reprimand
was useful to Father Alexander do Meo, who
afterwards became a model for tho whole Con­
ogregation,
o
Nothing pleased Alphonso more than to hear
his children preaching in such a manner that,
to use his own expression, “ they distributed

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173

tho bread of tho divino word, without letting tho
crumbs fall to tho ground.”
When tho young Fathers went on mission ho
obliged them to write their sermons, and revised
them himself, making them learn them by heart
and repeat them in tho refectory, while he mo­
dified their tone, their pauses, and change of
voice. Ho made them preach these sermons ex­
actly as they bad been written, until they had
acquired a stylo clear and apostolic.
Some may imagino that with this simple
stylo of oratory Alphonso would exclude the
beauty of tho oratorical art, but this was far
from being the case, and ho said with much
truth, that simple and popular sermons required
far greater knowledge of rhetoric, than pompous
and laboured discourses, which never made the
people enter into themselves nor reform their
lives. “The less one approaches to the simple
and apostolic style,” said ho, “the less he knows
of rhetoric. The Greek and Latin Fathers knew
how to adapt themselves to all minds and man­
age according to circumstances, because they
were masters in this art. An ignorant preacher
makes a sermon insipid and without charm, and
instead of touching and instructing, ho wearies
tho people and causes them to despise tho preach­
er.” But above all things ho detested improvisa­
tion, tho temerity and presumption of those who
mounted tho pulpit without having well medi­
tated on tho subject of their sermons. In his
opinion, those adventurers were jugglers. “ God
is not obliged to perform miracles,” ho said; “on

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the contrary, He more frequently confounds the
rashness of the preacher whose sermon is neg­
ligent and without arrangement, permitting him
to gather no fruit. These improvisations dis­
parage tho word of God, and far from attaching
the people to tho church, they prevent them at­
tending to listen to ill-made sermons.” He de­
sired every one to make sacred eloquence his
particular study, in order to attain the skill of
a master.

CHAPTER LVI.
Alphonso exacted from confessors the great­
est prudence and the most profound skill, as
from their decisions there would bo no appeal.
When after his studies were finished, a young
student was elevated to the priesthood, he was
usually permitted to hear confessions ; but if
Alphonso remarked in him a too groat eagerness,
founded on an idea of his own capacity, he kept
him back, because this spirit unfitted him for
the employment. He was particularly circum­
spect regarding those who heard the confessions
of women, and never gave this office to fathers
under thirty years old, requiring they should be
men of approved virtue ; but for nuns he ex­
acted that they should be forty years old, and
distinguished above others for their singular
merit.
Alphonso inculcated upon confessors as the

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75

thing most essential of all, to use the greatest
charity and gentleness towards sinners. “ The
spirit of harshness and rigour,” ho said, “is what
distinguishes tho Jansenists, who do much more
harm than good, and who certainly have neither
the spirit of Jesus Christ nor the spirit of these
apostolic men whom wo honour upon our altars.
It is necessary to show aversion for sin, but
sweetness and great charity towards the sinner.
An energetic word is sometimes necessary to
make him comprehend the gravity of his crime,
but this energetic word must not be repulsive,
and before the sinner withdraws he must be
calmed by kind words, so that he bo at the
same time full of hatred for his sin, and confi­
dence in his confessor.” On another occasion
he said, “ If it happens on mission that you feel
yourself overpowered by bad humour, leave the
confessional on tho instant, because with your ir­
ritability, you will cause your penitents to commit
more sacrileges than you will do good to them ;
say to the Superior that you are indisposed, and
retire to the house. You will not lie, for a hy­
pochondriac is more sick than most other in­
valids.”
Ho desired that in tho confessional they should
preserve a serious and composed manner, joined
to a Christian affability, and with women he re­
commended tho greatest reserve. Ho regarded
as a scandal having respect of persons in the
confessional, all the world being equal before
God. “Show charity,” ho said, “but not par­
tiality. Ladies of quality will make way tor

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176

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI

themselves, but it is not the missionary’s busi­
ness to take care for them ; we ought to be equally
at the service of all, and ready to receive every
body with kindness.” Ho would not permit
them to leave tho confessional to listen to any
individual elsewhere. Neither would he permit
any preference to bo given to a gentleman. Ho
excepted priests only, and desired that they
should be heard immediately on presenting them­
selves, but in a convenient place.
When any Father went to the house of a sick
female, ho wished him always to bo accompanied
by another priest, and recommended tho utmost
prudence in his whole demeanour. lie would
not suffer the least shadow of gallantry towards
any woman, and when he noticed a Father much
sought after in tho church ho immediately
changed his residence. There was one young
novice whom ho had been at great trouble to edu­
cate, and whom ho loved for his excellent talents.
When this young man was authorized to enter
the confessional great numbers of young peni­
tents camo to him, apparently attracted by his
gracious manners. This displeased Alphonso,
who, fearing unpleasant consequences, wished to
send him to another house. He resisted, but
Alphonso said, “Either obey or leave tho Con­
gregation.” Ho would not submit, and was ex­
pelled.
He exacted great circumspection in confess­
ing children, enjoining that they should always
be heard either in tho church or in some public
place ; he forbade the slightest caress to be given

“i:
ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

them, lie recommended tho greatest prudence
in questioning them, for fear of teaching them
any evil of which they wore ignorant.
He also enjoined the greatest circumspection
with habitual or relapsed sinners. “When with
such,” he said, “it is necessary to doubt their
groans and tears ; we run a risk of being deceived,
for they weep, not from hatred of their sin, but
to obtain absolution, and begin again on a new
score.” lie warned confessors, however, against
frightening them, and dismissing them with a
bad grace.
“If wo frighten them,” he con­
tinued, “and they believe themselves too bad
to be forgiven, in place of amending they will
only plunge deeper into guilt.” He wished them
to be received charitably and treated with com­
miseration, and while making them feel their
miserable condition, to have them animated with
confidence, and shown that a bad habit may be
overcome by tho help of grace and the most
Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession.
Ho detested tho custom of some who when
they heard a gravo sin at tho commencement of
tho confession began to frown, and discouraged
tho penitent instead of trying to gain his heart.
Ho wished the manner of tho confessor to bo
affable and kind, and after tho confession to point
out tho heinousnoss of tho sin, but still with
gentleness, that tho sinner might accept the ne­
cessary penanco with cheerfulness.
He could not suffer tho idea of a confessor
being shocked at the thought of hearing a very
wicked individual, and who sought pretexts for

si

it

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

refusing to listen to such persons. He considered
this a great fault, and insisted that they should
willingly listen to all, and that if they could not
give them absolution they should at least point
out to them the means of amending, and encou­
rage them to return to them again. He was
especially delighted when he saw any of his
young priests desirous to seek out those aban­
doned souls.
He did not approve of imposing long or diffi­
cult penances, because there was a temptation
to omit them, and then the penitent fell again
into sin. lie wished penances to be short and
salutary, such as visiting tho Blessed Sacrament
or the Blessed Virgin, hearing Mass, reading or
meditating on some eternal truth, above all, the
Passion of our Saviour, reciting the Rosary, &c.
lie counselled also the imposing of so II o mortifi­
cation, but with great discretion. Above all, he
recommended that tho penitent should be made
to return to the confessional after a few days,
by which the sinner received now graces, and
was enabled to overcome the habit of sin.
He was extremely anxious to animate tho peo­
ple to frequent communion, and to instruct them
in the dispositions required for this Sacrament
by the holy Fathers and the Council of Trent.
“ One may say,” he remarked, “ that the direc­
tors of our day place all their care in removing
the faithful from the use of the Sacraments, as
if, in order to go to God, it were necessary that
we should remove ourselves from Him. I wish
that the dispositions certain confessors exact

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179

from their penitents, they would adopt for them­
selves, and then there would be no more than
the half of them to celebrate the divine mys­
teries.” Ho repeated often, that it was neces­
sary to combat this impiety, and to show the
benefit that might bo derived from frequent com­
munion. He used the following striking com­
parison: “When the aqueducts were broken,
Bcthulia was on the point of surrendering; in like
manner, if we frequent not the Sacraments which
are the conduits of grace, the soul falls, and
surrenders to tho passions.”
One thing which ho most tenaciously required,
was that the confessors should be thoroughly
instructed and directed in the true principles,
without which they could not fufil their ministry.
It is the right amount of instruction which enligh­
tens the confessor and preserves him from a
weak indulgence or an excessive rigidity, two
extremes which arc equally fatal to tho soul.
If he knew any one fail in those particulars ho
considered him quito unfit for the confessional.
Although he would not prescribe a system in
regard to morals, leaving to each to judge and
adopt what seemed to him most consistent with
the Divine Will, yet neither did he approve of
any one blindly following an opinion because it
was sustained by some celebrated author. He
wished that wherever the case was not perfectly
clear, they should prefer reason to the authority
of theologians. He exacted from his own Con­
gregation profound and continued study of moral
theology. “This study,” he said, “shows us

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

our own ignorance, and hinders us from erring.
The Rigorists and Jansenists of our day are ig­
norant on the science of morals, hence they
are so extravagant and absurd. They wish to
bo considered II asters, although they have never
been disciples.” lie required from tho young stu­
dents two years’ application to this science, under
tho direction of a special professor. He would
pardon a less profound knowledge of dogmatics,
because in a Catholic country the inconvenience
was not so great; but ignorance of tho science
of morals was inexcusable in his eyes, for an
ignorant confessor loses himself while he loses
his penitents. Ho was not content with lessons
given in common, he made it a law that each
should make it a particular study, and that con­
tinually through life.
He was scrupulous, and even rigid, in the ex­
amination of confessors ; and he would not con­
fide this to another, but examined them himself,
sometimes employing ten or twelve days, interro­
gating upon all they had previously been taught,
exacting
rigid account even on tho easiest
ο a most
O
subjects, and if he did not think tho candidate
fully capable, ho delayed giving him faculties.
In each house ho established every eight days
a conference on morals, insisting on it, in order
that the exercise of confession might bo practical.
“Some," said he, “are excellent in theory, but
bad in practice. They reply well to the ques­
tions put to them, and one would take them for
doctors, but when placed in the confessional they
confound everything and embarrass their peni­

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181

tents.” These practical exercises on confession
produced the most useful results, both on young
and old, and by this means they discovered the
errors into which a learned and talented pro­
fessor had fallen, a professor of morals. He did
not hesitate to combat the opinions of Alphonso,
condemning the wisest authors, and speaking of
them with contempt. Fascinated by the opinions
of the Rigorists, he had constructed for himself
a most incoherent system. As confessor he lost
souls, as professor he misled the young students.
Alphonso laboured long to correct him, but see­
ing his efforts useless, he took his office from
him, sent him to another house, and forbade him
to confess. Tho unfortunate man was offended
by tho correction, not having the courage to
suffer mortification, and haughtily demanded a
dispensation from his vow. Alphonso employed
the mediation of others to convince him of his
error, but all in vain ; at length he said, " My
son, you abandon the Congregation, and you per­
sist in your error, but tremble, for you will make
a miserable end.” Ho departed, but God was
not slow in chastising him ; in a very short time
ho was attacked by a horrible cancer in tho
face, and finding peace nowhere, he ran about
tho streets uttering cries of despair. He recog­
nized his error at last, and confused and repen­
tant ho asked pardon of Alphonso. When about
to die, ho besought with tears to be reinstated
in tho Congregation, that ho might not die a
reprobato, and that ho might bo buried among
them. In consideration of his condition, and

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

above all with regard to eternity, his request
was granted by F. Villani, Alphonso being then
Bishop.

CHAPTER LVII.

Alphonso desired that his missionaries should
bo apostles in mission, and Carthusians in the
house. “When you are without,” ho said, “you
ought to sanctify others, but when within you
must sanctify yourselves.” Tho principal ob­
ject to which ho wished them to bend their at­
tention, was in all things to imitate Jesus Christ,
tho chief of missionaries, and to force themselves
to follow his example. For this end he estab­
lished a rule, that each month they should prac­
tise ono of tho virtues for which our Saviour
was remarkable ; that twice a day, before din­
ner, and before going to bed, each should ex­
amine himself on tho exercise of this virtue.
“Tho examination of conscience,” ho said, “dis­
covers to us the stains of our soul. Frequently
a room looks clean, but what is that, if on
sweeping we discover a quantity of dirt. These
returns upon ourselves are humiliating, they con­
found us, and make us form good resolutions.
If wo wish to progress, it is necessary to apply
carefully to discover the stains of our soul.”
Desiring to make great saints of all his Con­
gregation, he incessantly prescribed to them hu­
mility as the foundation of all perfection. “ llu-

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183

mility,” he said, “is necessary in tho mission,
and it is necessary in tho house, my brethren ;
humility at all times and in all places, if we
would please God. Our aim in tho Congrega­
tion, is to imitate Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ
humiliated and despised. To this all our rules
tend, and it is the principal end of our insti­
tute. He who does not propose this end to him­
self, not only will never advance, but will always
go backward. He who has humility will have
sanctity, but without humility all fails. For
want of this virtue, Lucifer became the prince
of the devils. It is humility which distinguishes
the Catholic from the Protestant.
He wished that all should mutually esteem
each other, and that each should believe himself
inferior to his brother in talents and worth. The
very name of self-love was odious to him as a
blasphemy. “This accursed self-love,” he used
to say, “ loses daily multitudes of laymen,
priests, and religious ; it sends numbers into
purgatory, and many into hell. If this accursed
spirit comes into the Congregation, better it
should be destroyed. I beseech God to destroy
it, tho moment such sentiments are tolerated.”
It happened one day that a Father chanced to
uso the expression, “On my honour.” This was
worse than heresy in the eyes of Alphonso. The
Saturday following during the conference ho
incessantly repeated, “On my honour.” “Our
honour,” said he, “is to bo despised, vilified,
and, like Jesus Christ, the opprobrium of men,
and the abjection of tho people.” Ho could not

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

calm himself after hearing a word like this, so
inconsistent with the spirit of the Congregation.
From respect to tho virtue of humility, ho
would allow no distinction of rank among tho
members, because of any charge or quality what­
soever, nor any particular species of servitude.
All, the Rector not excepted, swept their own
room, made their own bed, and served them­
selves in every necessity. lie wished also that
the Fathers should each take a week in turn for
washing tho dishes and waiting at table, putting
their glory in the lowest occupations. He pre­
scribed that tho Rector himself should wait at
table ono day in the week, and the Father minister
also, the latter washing the dishes. He desired
that humility should be the predominant virtue
in all. He arranged that before the
ο eveningo
prayer they should have half an hour of spiritual
reading in the Life of some Saint, to serve as
a preparation for tho next morning’s meditation.
“You are men of prayer,” he said to them on
ono occasion, “you pray like holy David, three
times a day ; let us sec whether you lead a per­
fect life. The brothers lead a perfect life, if
each applies himself to fulfil the duties of his
office, cook, porter, or whatever it may bo. Tho
students, if they conduct themselves with hu­
mility towards their professors, if they study
diligently with the intention of benefiting their
neighbours. The Fathers will lead a spiritual
and perfect life if they labour with zeal for
the glory of God and the good of their neigh­
bour, and if by their conduct they give proof of
I

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185

modesty, humility, obedience, and recollection.
If we arc imperfect, I speak of myself the first, it
is because we have not prayed well.”
Ho prescribed to each a day of retreat every
month, preserving rigorous silence, and ten days
of spiritual exercises every year. “It is a great
thing for us,” ho said, “the exercises of prayer
and self-examination during these retreats, when
they are made in a spirit of humility and with
a desire of profiting by them. Prayer joined to
humility is the great means of advancing, and
with these two means we become saints.”
To nourish tho spirit of interior recollection
and love of solitude in the Congregation, he
ordered that after the mid-day recreation they
should keep silence for three hours. lie called
this the little silence, because it was permitted
during this time to speak in a low voice any ne­
cessary words. In the evening after the Angelus,
with the exception of tho hour of recreation, ho
prescribed a rigorous silence until after tho
prayer next morning, forbidding a single word to
bo spoken without tho permission of the Superior.
He could not endure to see any one idle, or
wandering through tho house. His maxim was,
that ho who did not lovo his cell and application,
could neither have recollection nor the spirit
of prayer. Ho often said that a dissipated soul
is a placo open and unguarded, into which temp­
tation will enter, and at tho end ot tho day
it will bo found covered with a thousand stains,
without knowing how they came there.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

lie wished each individual to visit Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament once a day, for he who
has a thirst for justice, and who doe.s not
quench it at this source, is always thirsty, lie
was careful that mass should be said with gra­
vity and recollection, and that half an hour
should be employed in saying it, after which
another half hour should be spent in thanksgiv­
ing. Nothing annoyed him more than precipi­
tation in saying mass, and yet he would not
have it lengthened out to weary tho people. “ I
have heard,” said ho one day to a young
priest, “that you arc for ever at tho altar; this
is not well. Henceforward I wish that you never
exceed half an hour, and if you go beyond it,
you shall bo deprived of fruit at table for your
penance.” He enjoined on all to be in a special
manner tho servants of tho Blessed Virgin, and
every day to visit her statue in the church and
recite a third of tho Rosary.
He recommended by precept and example the
spirit of interior mortification, overcoming pas­
sion and contradicting self-will. He established
that they should give themselves tho discipline
in common every Wednesday and Friday, fast
during Advent and tho Novena of the Holy
Spirit, and on tho eves of the Seven Feasts of
tho Blessed Virgin. To prevent all excess in
this virtue, and to preserve the health of tho
members, he forbade all arbitrary mortification
without permission from the Superior and the
Superior of the house. He wished also that
every week they should have a day of general

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187

recreation, in order that all might return to
their spiritual occupations and studies with more
ardour.
lie banished, in the spirit of penitence, all
amusements, however innocent, that accorded not
with their state ; for example, all kinds of hunt­
ing and play. He forbade them to keep any pet
animal useless to the community, as little dogs,
or caged birds. “A little creature of this kind,”
he said, “is sometimes sufficient to captivate
our heart.”
To encourage detachment from relatives, he
forbade their ever returning home, except on the
death of a parent. Neither would he suffer any
one to show disquietude about the affairs of
their family. “Leave the dead,” he said, “to
bury their dead. If they are rich, they will
turn us from holy poverty, and perhaps make
us lose our vocation; if they are in want, they
will grieve our heart, and hurt us still more if
wo imagine wo can do them any good.” Ho
regarded this detachment as a characteristic
mark of a member of his Congregation.
He had a tender solicitude for tho sick, even
the meanest of the lay-brothers, but ho would
not permit any one to return home on account
of health. “The home of our relations,” said he,
“distils no salutary balm for tho health. God
has given us different climates in tho houses of
tho Congregation ; if one is not favourable, ano­
ther will be so; besides, wo entered tho religious
state to suffer and to die.” He looked upon
returning to visit relations as tantamount to

1

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

leaving the Congregation. Tic recommended all
the local Rectors to use tho utmost charity tow­
ards tho sick, and even were it necessary, to
sell the very chalices in order to got what was
requisite for them.
Alphonso was still more rigid about all sorts
of correspondence, as we have already said. He
wished all letters without exception to pass
under tho eye of the local Rector, and that ho
should be particularly careful to prevent any
interchange of letters with any one whatsoever,
except on useful and necessary matters. “ We
order the porters of our houses and all the bro­
thers,” he said in a circular, “to carry all letters
to tho Superior of tho house or of tho mission,
except those which are addressed to tho Directors
or written by them ; and when there are letters
on matters of conscience, the superiors are to
follow the rule of conduct laid down for the II
the Constitution on this subject.” Tie then
adds, “ If any of tho lay-brothers should fail in
complying with this ordinance, we forbid any
subject whatsoever to open the letter which he
may obtain in this way, or to send one without
having first shown it to tho Superior ; wo com­
mand tho Superiors to be very particular in re­
quiring tho execution of this rule, and to punish
its transgressors with severity as a point of con­
scientious duty, otherwise they shall render an
account of their conduct to me, and be them­
selves punished, because this observance is, for
II any reasons, of far greater importance than it
seems to be.” It was a maxim of his, that as

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189

death enters into the soul through the door of
the senses, so the poison of the things of the
world is introduced into religious houses through
letters from without.
In tho houses as well as at mission time, he
detested all kind of intimacy with laymen, with­
out there were some just cause for it. Don
Gaétan Cetano, our advocate, who afterwards
became a counsellor, often came to converse with
our Fathers at Nocera ; he one day asked per­
mission to dine in a private room with one of
tho Fathers who was his intimate friend. Al­
phonso refused ; for the same reason he forbade
us to admit any stranger into the rooms, as he
wished them only to be received in the places
appropriated for this end.
While at the same time that he advised each
one to become all to all, in order to win all the
world for Jesus Christ, he also forbade any of us
whomsoever to meddle with things foreign to
his state, such as treaties of marriage, contracts,
or wills, on account of tho discredit which might
result to him who interfered in such affairs, and
of the annoyances which cannot always bo put
an end to between tho parties concerned in such
things. Ho also forbade us to stand as sponsors,
which is a difficult thing in itself. He was not
able to refuse to stand godfather to a child of the
family of the Cavalieri ; as he feared that he would
not be properly instructed in his duties as a Chris­
tian, ho was very uneasy about it; and when the
child died, as he was not old enough to have

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

committed any wilful sin, Alphonso thanked God
for having freed him from this responsibility.
In order to place a barrier against ambition,
he obliged his subjects, as wo have said, neither
to aspire directly nor indirectly to any dignity
or benefice whatever out of the Congregation, and
he enjoined that he who received the offer of one
should bo bound to refuse it, unless ho had a
positive command to the contrary from the Popo
or Rector Major. To prevent the Fathers from
being taken away from the missions, ho also
decreed that they should not accept of any em­
ployment out of tho Congregation, such for in­
stance as being at the head of a seminary.
“These situations,” said he, “require the best
subjects, and they who forget tho Congregation
and attach themselves to tho seminaries, and
the pleasures of liberty, and an easy life, cause
themselves to lose their vocation.”
lie also objected to any of us being tho director
of cloistered nuns, or indeed nuns of any kind,
whether alone or with another Father. Λ nun,
in his opinion, might keep a director constantly
occupied, without his even then succeeding in
satisfying her. Ho also prohibited them from
giving them the spiritual exorcises except during
mission times : he however latterly allowed them
to give a retreat in a convent, if there were a
reasonable cause for so doing.
He also prevented us from preaching in Lent,
as it was a hinderanco to the missions ; ho reasoned
thus : “ He who is destined for this employment,
has to prepare himself for it, and cannot go on

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191

a mission since ho is fatigued already. But this
even is tho least evil ; the subject who is out of
tho monastery lives in liberty, and when he re­
turns there, one can see that ho is loss submissive
and less attached to the rules than before. Tho
scene is then a changed one, for if tho subject
II
will ho not feel somo
has brought back money,
sentiments of pride, and will he not put himself
in the Rector’s place, and as the latter is no longer
capable of making him obey, will he not become
himself the subordinate ? ”
Alphonso never approved of the indiscretions
of excessive zeal ; ho thought them a cause of
unnecessary pain to others, and he dreaded the
odium that they might cast on the Congregation.
To give an example, there was one diocese which
was dissatisfied with its Bishop. Father John
Rizzi’s zeal led him to write to the prelate to
inform him of what had happened, and to remind
him of his duties ; the Bishop did not receive
an admonition coming from one of his own dio­
cese in good part, and that lessened the af­
fection which he boro towards our house. When
Alphonso heard of this occurrence, he wrote to
me, (for I was then the Rector of this house,)
“ Tell Father Rizzi that he has done wrong. He
has acted through zeal, but he does not seem
to know that we are forbidden to meddle with
things out of the confessional, which may cause
embarrassment to others. Let him abstain from
such undue solicitude for tho time to come, for
the love of God. He must say three Ave Marias
as a penance, and when his Lordship comes to

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the house, let him go to him privately and throw
himself at his feet, confessing his indiscretion
and asking for forgiveness.”
He especially wished that tho subjects and
the Superiors should bo mutually affectionate one
towards another. In order to obtain this end,
he ordained that the subjects should open their
hearts to their Superior with great sincerity, and
this he called the reckoning of conscience. It
consisted in the subject’s exposing all his wants
with filial confidence, while the Superior was
bound to endeavour to meet them with paternal
love. He especially wished that this should be
practised when a subject was tempted or pre­
judiced in any way against his Superior. “ This
is tho best method,” said he, “of preserving
union and confidence between tho Superior and
the subject.” The students were obliged to
give this account to their prefect every fifteen
days, and tho novices to their Father Master
every week, because they are less experienced
and more prone to temptation.

CHAPTER LV1II.
Poverty and obedience were the foundations
on which Alphonso erected the whole structure
of his Congregation ; ho said that if these two
virtues always remained therein in full vigour,
they would sustain it against all attacks, and
that fervour would continue constantly to be on
tho increase. The rules which he had sketched

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193

out on this subject at Scala, and afterwards
brought to maturity at Ciorani, were all con­
firmed by the Holy See.
Although the members of the Congregation
kept tho right over their patrimonies, they had
neither power to keep tho revenues, nor to dis­
pose of them at their pleasure ; each one was
H
obliged to give them
up to the house to which
he belonged, and the Superior made use of these
revenues as he thought best for providing for
tho wants of the Congregation. If a sum of
money was sent to any one in his capacity of
member of the Congregation, whether as alms,
as a gift, or as a return for some benefit re­
ceived, ho was obliged to place it in the hands
of the Superior immediately, who had full power
to dispose of it as he pleased. By these re­
gulations cupidity had nothing to desire, and
the soul was freed from all temporal cares.
As Alphonso was so convinced of tho excel­
lence of poverty, he wished all the Superiors to
watch over its preservation with scrupulous ex­
actitude ; and in order that no laxity should be
at any time introduced into the Congregation on
this point, ho decreed that whoever should bo
found to have transgressed against this rule
should bo expelled, whoever he might happen to
bo, and that if tho Rector Major himself were
convicted of having permitted any innovation
contrary to poverty, he should bo deposed from
his office, and should be from that time deprived
of a deliberative voice in tho general and private
chapters.
13

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

All that was made use of by the subjects was
obliged to be in accordance with poverty. He
forbade the use of silk and of all which breathed
of vanity or elegance, as well as everything in
gold or silver, for any but church purposes. The
cassocks and cloaks were of simple serge or
ordinary cloth ; the stockings were coarse and
common, and tho shoes quite plain and without
ornament. No other cane but a simple stick
was permitted, and it was to be ono such as is
cut in a wood, and without a knob or handle. Tho
spoons and the forks were of iron, tho drinking
vessels, the plates and dishes, of common earth­
enware, as well as every other utensil for the
use of the community. The rooms were poor;
they contained no kind of closet or chest of
drawers, but merely a table with an open drawer,
three chairs at most, a lamp of earthenware,
four rude prints and two or three books. The
linen, which was of coarse make and all alike,
was entrusted to the charge of one of tho bro­
thers for the use of the whole house. The beds
were composed of a single palliass, without a
mattrass ; there was a pillow of common linen
however, and sheets. We wore forbidden to
possess any book as our own, and so wo were
obliged to be satisfied with those which there
were in the common library. Even a needle, or
a bit of thread, could not be kept as any one’s
private property ; such things were to bo found
in a fixed place and at the disposal of all.
Magnificence was prohibited in our houses; it
was decreed that the cells should be six feot

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195

long and eight in breadth, and that the corridors
should be five in breadth ; outside balconies were
interdicted as well as tapestries in the rooms
and in the corridors. Instead of panes of glass,
we had oiled paper at first for tho small win­
dows ; the large ones were shut with canvass ;
but, as it prevented our having light enough
for studying, Alphonso permitted four little
squares to be put in the rooms. Although all
about us had an air of poverty and misery, it
was still too sumptuous for Alphonso, who forgot
the magnificence and tho grandeurs of the world,
and had only St. Peter of Alcantara’s cave be­
fore his eyes.
After he had banished the words “mine” and
“ thine” from the Congregation, and freed the sub­
jects from the difficulties of possessing and dis­
posing of any thing, he established a life in which
all was perfectly in common amongst us all, and
free from any kind of distinction ; he loved pover­
ty, but he loved a life in common still more, or
to speak more justly, they were two precious
stones which were equally dear to his heart. “ If
there is not a life of perfect community in all
things,” he said, “anxiety and envy will not fail
to torment us. If ono amongst us has most
Π
power, it will soon excite the jealousy of the
others, and how many evils will not this cause
to religious ? Ho who has less will not fail to
procure what he believes himself to stand in need
of, even if he is forced to do it by unlawful me­
thods.” Alphonso was so careful in maintaining
the having of all things in common, that if he saw

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that any Superior was negligent in procuring
what was necessary for tho subjects, ho became
excited by a holy zeal, reprimanded him, and
even chastised him for it. Charity and commu­
nity were synonymous with Alphonso.
Ho wished that poverty should reign amongst
his sons, but not such a degree of misery as to
bo contrary to decency. One day ho saw a
young clerk in a pair of shoes which were tho­
roughly worn out ; he did not speak, but he cast
such looks at tho shoes and on tho Superior,
that ho immediately understood his meaning.
When a father or a brother left one house to
go into another, he was obliged to bo furnished
with what he required, Alphonso several times
gave very severe reprimands to Superiors whom
ho found wanting in this respect. “ Charity,” said
he, “ maintains tho life in common, and the life
in community keeps up poverty. If charity fails,
all is overthrown.” Ho was particularly dissat­
isfied when ho saw a Superior act with indul­
gence towards himself and severity towards others.
“Oh,” he exclaimed, “how many Superiors will
bo damned at the day of judgment for having
themselves violated the law of poverty and given
a blow to tho charity of community life in
others !”
Although poverty and life in community mu­
tually protect each other, as he said, experience
caused him to see that living in common might
receive a blow without poverty being apparently
injured. “ Although certain favours for the
aged,” said he, “and certain permissions extort-

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197

cd from tho weakness rather than from the will
of Superiors, do not seem to militate against
poverty, and though they arc not made use of
without their consent, they arc nevertheless abu­
ses which afterwards become laws, to the great
injury of poverty, and still more of living with
all things in common.” In order to prevent all
possible relaxation in regard to either of these
virtues, he decreed that the Rectors, without
oven excepting the chief Superior, should bind
themselves by a special oath not to grant any
subject leave to keep money for his private use,
or to dispose of it according to his own will, for
any reason whatsoever ; he also ordered that
money given by tho house to supply the expenses
of a journey should not be put to any other use
but that for which it was given.
As the law of poverty and of life in community
might bo violated in consequence of dispensations
granted to tho sick to keep eatables in their room,
Alphonso required tho Superiors to take an oath
not to permit any one to keep sweet things in
his room for his own use, such as syrups, pastry,
chocolate, or even tobacco, and such like things.
They wcro all only to be supplied as they were
wanted at the time, and by him who had charge
of these things. In order to guard against any
abuse on tho part of tho Superiors themselves,
Alphonso forbade them to keep anything in their
rooms for their own use, whether money or eat­
ables, and he ordered that each one should deliver
over to tho community all that was sent to him
or for any one else. lie wished that this oath

*

198

*

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

should bo taken by each Superior on tho day ho
entered into office, in presence of the community,
and the chapter if it was the Rector Major, and
Alphonso himself did so in Oct. 1755.
*
The idea of this oath proceeded from Cardinal
Spinelli, who when he sent his testimony to the
Popo for tho approbation of the rule, did not ap­
prove of the Rector Major being deposed if he
introduced any innovation against holy poverty,
as such a regulation would cause lawsuits and
divisions ; and proposed that this oath should be
framed, to serve as a bulwark to poverty and life
in community: “Utilius videtur sanciri,” are
his words, “ ut rectores omnes, atque adeo Rector
Major, in suscipiendo munero juraro debeant cor­
am universa familia, se nunquam permissuros,
qualibet de causa, congregationis alumnis ut pos­
sint arbitrio suo vel minimum pecuniæ erogare,

• The following is the formula of the oath : “ I, N. N., Superior
of the house, N. N., promise on oath, and bind myself under serious
penalties towards the Divine Majesty, not to allow any subject of
this house, for any reason whatsoever, to keep any sum of money
for his use, and at his own free disposal ; also not to permit any one
to keep any eatables in his room, such as fruit, cakes, syrups, cho­
colate, pastry, or tobacco, or such things, which in case of necessity
will be furnished by the infirmarian or some one else appointed to
this office. 1 also bind myself by this oath not to keep any of the
said things for my own use, that is to say. money or eatables, and to
give up whatever may be sent to me, or to any subject whatsoever,
to the community, after the thing has been accepted. This oath
however does not bind me for the time when the subjects may be
out of the house for missions, novenas, the spiritual exercises and
such like. Finally, in case the subjects are obliged to leave the
house for some other case of necessity, I bind myself not to allow
them to go to any other expense than is requisite for their food or
for some other reasonable want. May God aid me in this, and his
holy angels."

' 1

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199

nec roi cujuscumque privatum usum habere, earn
veluti propriam possidendo.” The Cardinal’s
auditor, Bisozzi, did not agree with his eminence;
but, as Alphonso saw that this oath would prevent
abuses, and that tho remedy would be useless
after the evil arrived, he felt that he ought to
subscribe to it, and proposed it to those belong­
ing to him as the most sure and prompt precau­
tion to guard against all possible relaxation in the
Congregation.
Wo have seen the conduct which Alphonso
prescribed to the confessors in regard to uncer­
tain restitutions. In order to prevent everything
that might become an occasion of sinning against
the law of poverty and of violating the equality of
life in common, he also forbade them to receive
money from their penitents to distribute in alms
as they might think best, tho power of exercis­
ing their own will as to the distribution of money
seeming to him contrary to tho vow of poverty.
“For it is not right,” said ho, “that one who
has made this vow should have any property or
the use of any, without being bound to submis­
sion to tho will of the Superior.” This circular
of 1757 shows how scrupulous ho was on this
point ; it was intended to exclude a multitude
of inconveniences of which lio discerned tho fatal
effects.
Ho did not labour less carefully to strengthen
the holy virtue of obedience. Ho decreed that
tho subjects should have no will of their own,
but that they should placo themselves entirely in
tho hands of their Superiors. “Iwill” or “Zwill

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

not” were expressions which he heard with horror.
“ Why have we entered into tho Congregation,
if it is not to please God and fulfil His holy
will ? And how can wo please God and do His
holy will, if wo refuso to submit to tho will of
tho Superiors, who are God’s deputies on earth ?
Answer not therefore, that you do not ever dis­
pute a Superior’s orders. The smallest want of
obedience is a serious fault, and deserves to be
very severely punished. ‘All tho members of tho
Congregation, whoever they may bo, ought to
have the greatest respect for tho Superiors,’ says
the rule ; ‘ they must never excuse themselves or
defend themselves before them ; they shall re­
ceive their admonitions with humility.’” Ho how­
ever granted, and even wished, that if any one
had any reason to object to anything, ho should
mention it, but with submission ; and after hav­
ing made it known he then required him to sub­
mit to all that should bo required of him.

CHAPTER LIX.
Alphonso was not one of those who ordered
things without causing them to be executed ; he
required the smallest portions of the rule to be
rigorously observed. Slow to command, he was
urgent when it was necessary to obtain obedience ;
and although every other fault found mercy be­
fore him, his severity was great when even a

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

‘

201

slight deviation against poverty or obedience was
concerned ; his zeal then became kindled, with­
out any respect of persons. lie heard that Fa­
ther Carmen Fiocchi had caused pewter dishes
to be used in tho house at Iliceto in place of
earthenware ones ; ho immediately wrote to him
to say that he must sell all these dishes. It
was in vain that various reasons for keeping
them were alleged, and that ho was told that as
earthenware dishes easilv
</ broke,7 and the house
was far from a pottery, they occasioned great ex­
pense every year. “Poverty,” he replied, “thinks
of the quality of things ; and that which suits
it best is that which is the vilest and coarsest.
There is no example of such vanity, even in
less austere orders ; he who is poor and profes­
ses poverty, ought to be poor in all things.”
Father don Paul Cafaro’s very exact obser­
vance of the rule of poverty is well known ; how­
ever even he could not escape Alphonse’s censure.
He was at that time the Superior at Caposeli.
Once when Alphonso went to visit this house,
ho noticed that tho casements of the windows
were of stone instead of brick as ho wished ; he
sharply reproved Father Cafaro about it, but
tho building was too far advanced to be able to
change it.
When he was at Iliceto he heard (but it was
a false report) that Father Sportelli, tho Superior
at Noccra, had put ornaments on the doors of
the rooms of that house. These tidings troubled
Alphonso, and he resolved to go and have them
taken clown himself. Ho went there, but ho saw

- «

202

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

that what ho had boon told was not tho case :
Father Sportolli was too great a lover of evan­
gelical poverty to transgress it. The whole affair
consisted in a little moulding on tho exterior
traverse of the doors of the cells : even that was
forbidden, and Alphonso ordered that this cross­
piece should in future be placed on the interior
of the doors, and that it should bo merely a
simple piece of plain wood ; and it is thus to the
present day. Father Sportelli asked if he ap­
proved of a cornice which had been commenced
under the edge of the roof ; but Alphonso blamed
this as a luxury ; he wished that nothing but
the unpolished stones should be seen on the ex­
terior of the buildings ; and at tho present day
the houses of our order are built quite as simply
as they were then.
While Father Gaspard Cajone was Superior of
the house at Caposeli, the choir of tho church
was put in order, and a library was placed in
the study of this monastery. Tho brother-joiner
put little cornices on tho stalls in the choir and
round tho upper part of the library. Alphonso
no sooner heard of these trifling ornaments than
he wrote to Father Cajone in a tone of great
reproof. “You ought to know,” he said to him,
“ that I do not choose to have any ornaments,
either in the choir or in the studies. You must
submit to this. If you have put any you must
take them away, and let all be quite simple.
Poverty loves what is simple and necessary, but
not what is superfluous.” lie was obliged there­
fore to obey, and to take away all that had been

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203

put, which after all was but tho most simple
decoration possible.
At Nocera the common rooms were well built
and with some appearance of neatness ; when it
was proposed to put doors to them, Alphonso
sent for tho Father Minister, Dominic Corsana,
and said to him with all possible seriousness,
“ These doors must be such that on seeing them
it may be said that it was impossible to make
poorer ones.” Ho wished that they should there­
fore be made of tho bark of poplar-wood, as if ho
had no other method of showing forth poverty.
At this house at Nocera the same Father
Corsana had according to custom caused a bor­
der of a dark colour to bo put round the bottom
of tho walls of tho corridors, with burnt straw
and limo, but when Alphonso saw it he was
quite alarmed, and felt as if it were a thing
which could not be permitted, and he would cer­
tainly have caused it to bo done away with if
the Fathers had not assured him that in sweep­
ing it would soon lose its brightness. He how­
ever reflected on it for some time, as if there
were still something involved contrary to holy
poverty.
Tho slightest injury to this virtue wounded
his susceptibility, and caused him uneasiness.
Some of us began to use snuff-boxes of var­
nished pasteboard or of yellow leather. As soon
as Alphonso saw it he immediately forbade us to
do so again, and wished wooden ones always to
be used as before. One day ho saw a hat which
shone more than tho others ; that was enough

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

to make him prohibit its further use and consi­
der it as a scandal.
Some of tho Fathers told him that common
cloth was not durable enough for the mantellas
and capotes, and that this material was prejudi­
cial to poverty instead of favouring it, and that
the houses of the Congregation would gain
by buying cloth of a better quality. They be­
lieved that the incontestible justice of this ar­
gument would succeed in convincing Alphonso,
but it went for nothing. “It is we,” said he,
“who have taken tho vow of poverty, and not
the houses ; and it is we and not the houses who
must submit to the consequences of this vow.
Common cloth humbles and abases, and that is
required by poverty.”
___

T_______

m_______

___________1 *_____________
II

several times that brass lamps would cause less
expense than earthen ones, which easily break
and cause the oil to be wasted ; all these reasons
were unavailing, Alphonso remained firm, be­
cause his only motive for not yielding was that
brass was like a luxury, w’hilc earthenware was
more conformable to evangelical poverty.
When we had to go on horseback for mis­
sions in winter, and were surprised by snow or
rain, we could not reach our destination without
pain caused by the numbness of our limbs ; Λ1phouso therefore was asked to allow boots to be
worn on such occasions, but tho proposition
quite alarmed him. lie was convinced of its
necessity however at last, and allowed us to have
gaiters of coarse cloth, but never of leather. It

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.
f

205

was with great difficulty that he consented to
the Fathers having a watch when going mis­
sions. When the Fathers represented to him
the necessity of a watch in order to be able
to regulate tho time of the exercises, as clocks
were rarely to be met with in the little villages,
they alleged, in order to strengthen their peti­
tion, that Father Vincent Caraffa, although rigid
in regard to poverty, had yet permitted his mis­
sionaries to use one. “Yes,” replied Alphonso,
“ but that was in India, and we are not in India,
However, when they convinced
but in Italy.
him that it was a necessary thing, he granted
it, but on condition that tho case should be of
copper.
He was no less careful to cause prompt and
unquestioning obedience to reign in the Con­
gregation : to resist his determinations was im­
mediately followed by a dismissal. Ho forbade
Father don Peter Genovese, who was at Gragnano, to go from thence to Scala. But as this
Father had promised some nuns of this town to
go to see them, ho went there by stealth. When
Alphonso heard of it, ho did not even give him
time to return to the house, but ho wrote to
him to Scala itself, to inform him of his exclu­
sion from tho Congregation. He ordered Father
Gerard Grassi, who was in tho house at Ciorani,
to change his abode and to go and live at Iliceto.
Tho Father showed repugnance to setting out.
Tho reasons which caused Alphonso to give him
this order, and those for which Grassi wished
not to obey it, were diametrically opposite, lhe

I
I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

latter had a brother who was studying at Salerno,
to whom he wished to be of use, and as he did
so at the expense of the common edification,
Alphonso thought it fit to send him away. When
ho saw that he resisted his orders, he wrote to
Father Rossi, the Superior of tho house, saying,
“Since Father Grassi has refused to go to Iliceto,
let him know immediately that I have dismissed
him on account of his refusing to obey, and de­
clare him expelled from the Congregation. Let
us pray God, that if there are any subjects of
a similar sort among us, they also may go out
from us as soon as possible. If perfect obedience
is given up, the Congregation will be destroyed.”
Father Grassi received his dismissal at Salerno.
This same house of Iliceto was also the occasion of
the fall of another priest, whom Alphonso wished
to send there, and not without just reason; the
unhappy man resisted, but he was told that if
the air of Iliceto did not please him, it was a
sign that he preferred that of his own house.
He left the Congregation and came to a miser­
able end. When a subject was called away to
any employment out of the house, Alphonso
fixed on the duration of his absence, and he could
not prolong it with impunity. Father Picardi,
with some others who accompanied him, did not
return on the appointed day ; Alphonso appeared
quite agitated at it, and ready to punish the: 11
for it; they escaped from chastisement however
by showing that they could not avoid this delay.
Alphonso seized on this occasion in order to set

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207

forth tho merit of obedience and the evil which
is caused by rebellious subjects.
IIo exacted, as I have already said several
times, tho greatest respect and submission tow­
ards all Superiors. “It is not wonderful,” he
often said, “ if I am obeyed, but I wish an equal
submission to be shown to whoever presides over
any exercise ; for whatever may bo his personal
merits, he holds tho office of Superior. If this
is not attended to, mischief is done, and we shall
sec nothing but disorder and confusion.” One
of tho most distinguished of the Fathers, but
ono tormented at times by a fretful temper, bla­
med in a fit of melancholy some regulations
which his Superior had made about a mission.
Alphonso heard of this, and although he felt
compassion for him on account of his illness, ho
nevertheless wrote to him in the following terms :
“ I have been relieved to hear of your recovery,
but I have been distressed to find that you have
given vent to somo observations in regard to
your Superior which were not at all right. Many
things may appear absurd, which it is, however,
reasonable to approve, because their motive is
not known. If each subject wishes to do what
seems to him to bo tho best, obedience would
no longer exist. I must therefore beg you will,
when things do not appear to you to be done as
they ought to be at any other time, to state
your opinion with simplicity, and then do nothing
beyond writing to tell me what you think is
wrong.”
He was still more alarmed at hearing that

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tho subjects of a Congregation had united to­
gether against tho will of a Superior, for this
was a fault which ho never pardoned. “Public
murmurs against obedience,” ho wrote to the
Father Minister Jerome Ferrara at Iliceto, whore
ho was at that time Superior, “ aro unpardonable
faults, and deserve a severe punishment.” Tho
lay-brothers complained of having been deprived
of the siesta after dinner during tho winter ; as
their discontent had boon public, Alphonso wished
their penance to bo so also. Ho deprived tho
two chief culprits of the habit for a considerable
time, he condemned them to dine on their knees,
to do without fruit or meat, and not to receive
the holy communion oftenor than every eight
H
Intercessions were made in their
days at most.
favour, but Alphonso was inexorable.
Obedience was so dear to him, that he never
consented to allow any ono to ask advice in order
to obtain a sanction for acting contrary to the
determination of the Superiors. He wished that
they should bo respected as much as the rule.
“I have been much pained,” ho wrote to Father
Diodatus Criscnoli, “ at hearing that your Reve­
rence has made so much resistance to exorcising
tho charge of tho ministry ; that which has dis­
tressed mo most has been, hearing of your having
consulted others on the subject, and that you
have been told that you need not obey. It is
only in case of sin that he who has taken a vow
of obedience is not obliged to submit. It is in
this event that I am pleased when advice is ask­
ed for by tho members of the Congregation. I

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209

do not wish to constrain you, but I pray you, for
tho love of our good Mother, to accept this office.
Do mo this favour, I beg you, to meditate for a
little before the Blessed Sacrament, and Jesus
Christ will change your feeling.”
Alphonso wished that all the members of his
Congregation should bow respectfully even before
the very intentions of their Superiors. I had a
proof of this myself : when I was still young
I was nominated to tho office of Master of
Novices, and as I did not like this employment
on account of my weakness, Alphonso, who was
then at Ciorani, released me from it for some
time, without, however, discharging me. When
he returned to Nocora, he would have liked me
to return to the direction of the noviciate vo­
luntarily. The Father who had been substituted
in my place was constantly urging mo to resume
it again, but I still showed disinclination for it,
because he did not command me in Alphonso’s
name, and Father Ferrara himself, whose advice
1 took, did not approve of my reinstating myself
of my own accord. Alphonso was not long in
sending for me, in order to give me a severe re­
proof for not having returned to the noviciate,
as I knew his wishes on the subject. I told him
that Father Ferrara himself had advised mo to
act as I had done, upon which he was silent ; but
the matter did not end thus : he sent to Father
Ferrara, and gave him a reprimand in a very
animated manner, for having given me such
advice, since the office of Master of Novices
14

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

had not been taken away from me, and his wishes
on the subject were well known to him.
Alphonso was accustomed to say that obedience
works miracles when it is exercised with prompti­
tude and submission of mind ; and that, on the
other hand, the subject goes astray when he tries
to set himself up to judge of the thing command­
ed, and to deviate from the will of his Superiors.
Ho ordered Father de Robertis to give the
spiritual exercises to the people at Coverchia ;
this Father tried to excuse himself, because he
had not any materials prepared, but Alphonso
wished him to go notwithstanding, and that obe­
dience should supply the rest. The exercises
succeeded marvellously well, and gave great satis­
faction to the inhabitants of Coverchia. The
curé, Agnello Fiore, wrote to thank Alphonso
for them, who, after having read his letter, said
to Father de Robertis, “ These exercises ought not
to have succeeded, and I cannot understand why
God has so blessed them after your repugnance
and tardy obedience.”

CHAPTER LX.
As one despairs of a vine when its sap is dried
up, so Alphonso thought that the Congregation
would be lost if the observance of the rule ceased
to be kept up in full vigour ; and as the vine
dresser is always careful to repair the smallest
injury, so Alphonso was unceasingly watchful,

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211

II
and saw the slightest faults which were commit
­
ted in the Congregation. He often said, that ho
would have preferred to see it dissolved, notwith­
standing all the trouble its establishment had
cost him, rather than to see any want of dis­
cipline in it. He constantly refused to found new
houses, at the commencement of the institute, al­
though he was solicited to do so, for no other rea­
son than that he had not enough subjects to main­
tain regular observance of the rule everywhere.
When he was importuned by requests on this
subject, ho replied, “ Why should we wish to
found monasteries ? Where there is no family,
there can be no observance of rule. What I
am anxious for is, to see fervour increase in the
Congregation, and not to increase the number
of houses.” He never consented to any founda­
tion before he had enough subjects to form a
community where the rule could be perfectly
observed.
Ho knew the value of prayer, life in community,
and fraternal love so well, that he required each
member of the Congregation to be deeply anxious
to cause these three props of the religious life to
flourish. That which once occurred in our house
at Nocera on this subject deserves to be related
here. He observed that some in that monastery
dispensed themselves from assisting in the choir
at the public prayers in the morning, either on
the plea of not having slept well on the preceding
night, or on some other pretext. Alphonso, who
attributed it to idleness, and not to any real
necessity, ordered the brother infirmarian to take

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOHL

them a cup of tea after prayers, and to reiterate
the same thing at every following hour, ordering
them not to get up before the doctor’s arrival ;
in a word, they were obliged to remain fasting.
This expedient had the desired effect, all tho ills
vanished, and tho choir was filled before the
time every morning afterwards. On the follow­
ing Saturday Alphonso did not forget to give
tho following advice at the conference : “ Fa­
thers and Brothers, I repeat that our life ought
to be one continual prayer; each of us ought
to desire to become perfect in prayer ; and in
place of over neglecting it, ho should bo in­
genious in finding time for its exorcise. It is
thus that the Saints have done, and it is thus
that our deceased brother acted.” lie alluded
to Brother Blasucci.
lie was one day speaking about the necessity
of silence and of interior recollection, when he
said, “ This rule is tho rule of rules ; if we
observe it faithfully, we shall soon become saints ;
but the misfortune is, that this rule seems to
bo banished from the Congregation. I sec al­
most all of you leaving your rooms unnecessarily,
and that many of you speak without modesty,
even where it is forbidden to do so, such as in the
corridors, tho kitchen, and tho refectory. Tho
author of the Following of Christ says, that tho
pious soul profits much by silence and repose ; it
is through them that she penetrates into the se­
cret things of tho Scriptures ; it is there that she
finds the source of those tears which wash and
purify her. My fathers and brothers, let us

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213

not complain if wo feci ourselves to be imper­
fect through dryness and want of recollection. Let
us speak little to men, so as to bo able to con­
verse much with God, and He will act different­
ly towards us, and will raise us up to a state of
holiness.” Ho also often said to us, ‘‘Without
recollection of mind, there can be no spirit of
prayer, and those who go to tho choir in this
disposition of mind go to torture : every instant
seems an age to them, they come distracted,
and they go away distracted ; they lead a miser­
able life, neither possessing God, nor enjoying
the world.”*
He wished that the recreations which were ap­
pointed by the rule to take place after dinner
and supper, should serve to refresh the mind
and not to dissipate it. “ There ought to be
a difference,” said he, “between the rest of a
religious, and that of a man of the world : I
grant that it is right to take a little recreation,
but it is no less true that we ought, oven during
this time, to seek for God, and to recreate our­
selves merely because God wishes it.” Tho
evening recreation especially ought to bo spent
in spiritual discourses, and it is an established
custom in all tho houses, to relate at that time
what has been read during tho day about the
virtues of somo saint. Alphonso carefully at­
tended to the observance of this rule ; ho in-

* In silentio et quiete proficit anima devota, et discit abscondi­
ta Scripturarum. Ibi invenit fluenta lacrymarum, quibus singulis
noctibus se lavet et mundet. (Iniit, lib. i. cap xx. β)

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

formed the Superiors of it, and did not cease
H
to remind
them when he heard that they neglected it.
He especially insisted on the Superiors and
subjects making one day’s retreat each month,
and in October he reminded them all of going
through tho spiritual exercises for ten days ac­
cording to custom. He also inquired into the
accounts of conscience, and he advised us all
to be very exact in this matter. He considered
this exercise to be, as we have already seen,
a great means of preserving harmony between
Superiors and subjects.
He watched equally carefully over the pre­
fects and lay-brothers, and was anxious to know
if the latter were neglected as to their spiritual
wants. He urged great justice in everything,
and disliked the least partiality being shown to
any one ; but his heart was grieved when he
heard any one complain of the food. “ God
knows,” he said in a circular, “what we require
to preserve life ; He knows that we must have
some bread : but we did not enter the Congre­
gation for the sake of eating, and that which
the rule allows us is amply sufficient.” He
considered it quite a sin in the Superiors to use
any distinction in their own favour as to linen,
or if when ill to have dishes or remedies not
ordered by the iafirmarian. “ The preservation
of life in community,” said he, “depends on the
love of the Superiors; it falls to ruin if they do
not secure it by their own example.”
His solicitude even extended to the welfare of

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215

tho strangers who camo to make a retreat with
us. He wished that great zeal should be felt
for the spiritual exercises, and that all other
interests should be put aside at that time ; he
heard that somo of them had complained of us
on the score of food ; he therefore hastened to
write thus to all the houses : “ I exceedingly wish
that all who make retreats in our houses should
be well provided for ; I hear that for some time
H
several have complained
of the way in which they
were treated as to food ; I do not wish that for
a trifling saving the great good which results
from these exercises should be compromised.”
He considered it quite a scandal if any of us
received any kind of present, such as provisions
or sweet things, when not on missions ; he order­
ed the Superiors not to permit it, and especially
forbade it to the Father Ministers. “They must
not,” said he in one of his letters, “give the sub­
jects any kind of sweet-meats coming from with­
out, except fruit, which is to be distributed
amongst all with the provisions of the commu­
nity.”
He took care that the subjects should always
be supplied with necessary linen. He ordered
that the name of the house should be marked
on all the shirts, so that there might not be any
confusion when the subjects of divers places met
together during missions ; he also wished that
they should be lent with charity to any house
which might stand in need of them. He did not
allow any thing superfluous to be in the rooms.
He wished, as he had learned from his model, St.

• :

L

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

Theresa, that the Superiors should visit the rooms
of the subjects every month, and that they should
cause all that was either superfluous or useless
at tho time to bo taken away.
He was singularly desirous to see brotherly
love dwell amongst us all. See how he expresses
himself on this subject on one occasion: “Let
each one bear with his brother in charity. We
have each our faults ; ho who has to put up with
his brother’s faults to-day will have to be borne
with himself to-morrow. Let no person protend
to domineer over and to correct tho others ; I
mean to speak of those who wish to affect a tone
of superiority and of contempt. Correction is an
act of charity, but if it be done without charity,
it is injurious and of no avail whatever. There­
fore, let no ono meddle with the office of another,
let no ono ridiculo the natural defects of any ono
whatsoever, and much less give utterance to bitter
and offensive words.” lie detested those who
spread reports, and looked on them all as sowing
discord, and as so many incarnate demons ; if
they did not amend, after having been reprimand­
ed, they were sooner or later expelled from the
Congregation. Ho also got rid of melancholy spi­
rits, who are a burthen to themselves, and make
111
themselves still more
insupportable to others.
Alphonso watched over tho observance of every
part of tho rule. “Tho rule," ho often said,
“is so named because it ought to direct our ac­
tions. Every action which deviates from tho rule,
however good it may appear to be, must necessari­
ly be bad and out of place. My Fathers, since we

I

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217

have agreed to it voluntarily, and have promised
II
Almighty
God to obey it, is it not a kind of
perjury to transgress it oven in tho smallest
point ? If wo keep tho rule, it will preserve us.
It is a bulwark which defends tho soul, and saves
it from tho snares of her enemies. When the
II
II
devil wants to make
us fall into some
great sin
II
against God’s law, he first tempts
us not to at­
tach any weight to tho rule; many are out of
the Congregation, and perhaps loaded with sin,
on account of their negligence in observing the
rule.”
Every kind of novelty shocked him. He had
ordered that the caps worn in tho houses should
bo of a round shape; some introduced pointed
ones instead ; as soon as Alphonso found it out
ho forbade them to be used, and reprimanded tho
brother tailor who had made them. He heard
that our Fathers used a carriage when on a
mission, when there was no real necessity for
it, whereupon ho gave tho Superior a sharp
rebuke for having permitted such an abuse.
II
Some
young Fathers belonging to tho house at
Ciorani, had caused tho borders of tho crucifixes
which hung round tho neck during missions to bo
ornamented with brass ; when Alphonso saw it,
he reproved them for it as for an act of vanity :
ho ordered those ornaments to be immediately
done away with, and forbade anything of tho kind
to be used for tho future.
In order to encourage tho subjects to the faith­
ful observance of the rule, and to tho practice of
virtue, he fixed that tho Superior or some ono

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

else should hold a conference on these matters
every Saturday. After this exhortation each
one had to accuse himself of whatever faults he
had committed against the rule during the week.
He also appointed that there should bo a Father
zealot in each house, who had to see that each
one performed his duties properly, particularly
during the time of being all together. On
Mondays directly after dinner all stood up in
the middle of tho refectory, while this Father
had to animadvert on all the faults which
ho had observed, when all whom ho named imme­
diately knelt down, and received with humility
the penance inflicted on them by the Superior.
“Let no one excuse himself,” ho said in a cir­
cular, “when he is named by the zealot ; whoever
makes excuses shall abstain from fruit once at
dinner or at supper in penance.”
Not satisfied with that, he also told some of
the most fervent Fathers in the different monas­
teries to inform him secretly every month of all
that they had noticed of an improper sort. He
considered those who could have prevented some
disorder by denouncing it to the Superior and
yet did not do so, as so many traitors to the
Congregation. “That is not charity, but ini­
quity,” said he. “When we are corrected for a
fault in time, one easily amends, at least if wo
do not wish to adhere to our evil passions for
ever ; but if wo are not reproved for it, the
habit is formed and we are lost.” In order that
it might not be possible to guess which of the
brothers gave him such information, he wished

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219

that they should all send him a letter every
month, were it only a blank sheet. He also
appointed secret zealots on the missions.
When a subject came from another house, if
only a lay-brother, Alphonso immediately left
every occupation in order to inquire from him
as to whether there were any abuse in his com­
munity, and whether they lived in harmony with
each other and with the Superior ; if the Rector
abused his superiority by any distinction in
clothes or provisions ; and if he were foremost in
all good things, especially in attending morning
prayer.
In order that there might be some one to
watch over the conduct of local Superiors, he
appointed a Father Admonitor in each house,
whose office was to have an eye upon the Supe­
rior, and to see that he was anxious to main­
tain discipline amongst all the subjects, and
that he himself was the first to edify them by
his example ; ho wished that those who were in
fault in any respect, should receive an energetic
warning, and that they should be reminded of
their duty ; but if any considerable matter were
concerned, which tho Rector did not amend,
the Admonitor was obliged to inform the Rector
Major of it. By this wise solicitude, Alphonso
prevented abuses, and left no fault without either
a remedy or a punishment.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

CHAPTER LXI.
Notwithstanding all tho penetration with which
Alphonso had drawn up his rule, and in spite
of all the precautions ho had taken in order to
insure its strict execution, there were still from
time to time in the Congregation subjects of vi­
cious habits and who gave great disedification ;
for, as one finds weeds and tares in a large
Quantity of corn, so one meets with tepid or dis­
obedient brothers in communities. Alphonso,
whoso consolation consisted in tho good, and who
unceasingly prayed God to strengthen their vo­
cation, grieved over the wicked, and besought
li or to deliver the
God cither to enlighten them
Congregation from them. He was quito relieved
if one of these latter went away, and used often
to say, “Wo see plainly that Jesus Christ pro­
tects us, as lie has freed us from a thorn which
tormented us, and has caused it to disappear
without giving us the trouble of putting it out.
I do not suppose that you can be impeccable,”
and he added, “but you may strive against your
faults ; to be at peace with them is tho great
evil : to fall, but then to rise again, to bo hum­
bled aud to acknowledge tho evil that has
been done, justifies us and rejoices the heart of
Jesus Christ. If the fault displeases Him, the
humiliation pleases Him still more ; ho who
takes shame to himself after sin merits new

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221

graces, which will prevent him from falling into
it again.”
Alphonso was prompt in dismissing all who
were guilty of serious, public, and inexcusable
faults from the Congregation, because he dreaded
the contagion of their bad example ; but he
had a wise degree of delay in sending away
those who had sinned in a less glaring manner.
Ho willed not the death of the sinner, but that
lie should be converted and continue to dwell
in tho house of tho Lord. As to the tepid and
the incorrigible, Alphonso considered them as
attacked by a chronic malady, which, for that
very reason, was difficult of cure. “ If a reme­
dy taken in time,” ho said, “can easily over­
li
come
violent and acuto ills, it is quite different
with those which arc of a less serious nature, but
tho attacks of which recur daily. The same
thing takes place in regard to moral things ;
a correction made in time affects tho culpable
person, who, on seeing the serious nature of his
fault, is able to regain his fervour ; but no re­
medy is efficacious in recovering tepid souls, or
can succeed in bringing them back to the exer­
cise of Christian virtues.
To cite another example of his feeling in
speaking of tepidity: ho one day observed, “The
angel said to tho Bishop of whom mention is
mado in tho Apocalypso, ‘ Utinam frigidus esses,
aut calidus.’ I say tho same thing, first to my­
self, and then to each of my brethren. I would
rather (although I pray that God may never
either will or permit such a thing in this Con­

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ST. ALPHONSO liguori.

gregation), but I should bo botter pleased to soo
you cold and guilty of serious sin, than to know
that you were in a state of indifference and
leading a life full of imperfections and negli­
gences. If you were cold, there would be more
hope of your amendment ; but if you were tepid
and vicious, speaking voluntarily in silence time,
not doing promptly what is commanded to you,
showing pain at all that humbles you, avoiding
obedience and endeavouring to cause your own
opinion to prevail, there is cause to fear, and
very great cause, that there would be much diffi­
culty in correcting you, and that God, in dis­
pleasure at you, would take away His grace
from you, and allow you to fall into some serious
sin, and at last expel you from His house. The
tepid person has only one new fall to make to
cause God to reject him entirely. There are
fervent spirits in the Congregation, but there
arc tepid ones also, and the latter out-number
the former. My Fathers, let us drive away te­
pidity : the tepid soul is an object of disgust to
God ; he is a burthen to the community and
to himself. Let us reform ourselves, and betake
ourselves to our former fervour, if we wish to
please God, to be a comfort to tho Congregation,
and to live a holy and happy life.”
When ïklphonso met with any who were afflict­
ed by this malady, he did all he could to cure
them. He called them to him, and warned them
as a father of their danger. The incorrigible, for
I must confess that there were such, often caused
him loss of sleep. He made use of the spiritual

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223

exercises, retreats for some days, and reiterated
warnings, and did not give up his efforts until he
saw that the case was a desperate one.
Alphonso made use of three methods for de­
livering the Congregation from these incurables.
The first was to torment them by frequent punish­
ments, by mortifications and penances. When
they found themselves kept in so strictly, and in­
cessantly pursued by the Father zealot, who hard­
ly left them time to draw breath, these mise­
rable and uneuergetic subjects declared that
they could not bear such a burden, and them­
selves asked for a dispensation from the oath of
perseverance. “We must,” said the saintly Su­
perior, “ imitate physicians, who, in incurable and
desperate evils, have also recourse to extreme
remedies ; then, either nature passes through a
crisis, and the sick person is cured, or the
remedies are ineffectual, and the case is given
up.”
The second method was to keep them in tho
house, and to forbid them to practise any apos­
tolic work whatever. “These rebels,” said he,
“have a stronger desire to labour than tho most
fervent subjects, not from a zealous wish to win
souls to God, but to enjoy greater liberty.”
The third method, and not the least efficacious
one, consisted in causing them to change their
abode, and in sending them to whatever monas­
tery pleased them the least, because of being
either the most incommodious or the least fre­
quented.
Besides the constraint which they
experienced from this change, they were also

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

subjected to the pains and privations of the two
first methods. If after that they were dangerous
and likely to cause troubles in tho Congre­
gation, Alphonso tried the effect of leaving them
in a sort of abandonment ; he endeavoured to
overcome their hardness by not appearing to take
any further care of them ; he gave them leave
to return to their families on tho most trifling
pretexts, and without fixing tho time of their
return. Thus abandoned, they re-entered tho
world, and themselves renounced the Congrega­
tion, whither they had no further desire to return,
or else Alphonso himself let them know at the
end of some time, that they had nothing more
to do with the Congregation. There was one
amongst those towards whom this line of conduct
had been exercised, who caused great torment to
iVphonso and to several Superiors. Repeated
corrections and charitable offices had no effect
upon him ; even with benefits before him, he
made no return but ingratitude, lie asked for
permission to go to his relations, and obtained
it ; after some months had thus elapsed, Alphon­
so pronounced his exclusion from the Congrega­
tion, and at tho same time predicted that he
would come to a most miserable end. In fact,
after having yielded to several excesses, the un­
fortunate man perished a victim to one of his
enemies, who caused him to swallow poison at
tho altar on Holy Wednesday, in that very chalice
from whence he ought to have obtained salvation ;
and on Good Friday, when all the bells were
silent, he was buried as an infamous person, and

—

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

225

his corpse was exposed to examination in a clois­
ter, in presence of the officers of justice, and a
crowd of spectators.
Alphonso was in the habit of acting in this
manner towards the incorrigible, that is to say,
towards those who pretended to have the honour
of wearing the garb of the Congregation, without
wishing to bear any of its burthen ; but if the
offence were a serious one and calculated to give
scandal to others ; if, for example, it were a sin
against obedience, Alphonso then only thought
of giving justice its free course, and nothing
could stop him.

CHAPTER LXIL
Among all tho methods which Alphonso made
use of in order to encourage his sons to put off
the old man, the most efficacious was that of
inspiring them with a high idea of their voca­
tion. lie said, and with reason, that vocation
and predestination were one and tho same thing,
and he thought that the having been chosen
by God to form part of a rising Congregation,
was a grace which, of itself, required in us a
great degree of perfection and holiness. “ In
calling us to this state,” said he, “ God has not
conferred a merely ordinary degree of grace on
us, but a grace which is as great as it is un­
common. We must therefore pray that Almighty
God will cause us to understand the value of this
15

22G

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

grace, for if wo do not correspond to so holy a
vocation, wo shall run tho risk of eternal ruin.
God has chosen us to bo coadjutors of His
Blessed Son, and to rescue souls from tho
grasp of the devil. A call to the apostolic min­
istry is an evident sign of predestination. If
we procuro the salvation of ono soul, we shall
also save our own. What a consolation will it
bo for a member of tho Congregation to seo
thousands of souls around his bed at the hour
of death, uttering with joyful accents, “ Opera
tua sumus ! ” 0 let us never cease to thank
God, and let us pray Him to aid us in valuing
this great gift aright, this gift which has not
been granted to so many others, who aro our
countrymen and our friends. What claims had
wo more than they? perhaps only our greater
iniquities ; and yet God, notwithstanding our
unworthiness, has delivered us out of this miser­
able world.”
One day when ho was deploring the progress
made by licentiousness, he said, “ We ought to
be most thankful to God for having taken us out
of the world and led us to enter into His house,
where the truths of faith aro always put before
the mind by frequent meditations, pious lectures,
spiritual discourses, and good examples. All
these things aro a great help to us in difficult
positions, whereas those who are in the world,
from only thinking and speaking of tho things
of tho world, have few ideas in their imagination
but depraved ones, which cause them to give way
on the least temptation.”

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

lie one day said with reference to the groat
fear in which every one ought to live in regard
to his salvation, “ Our fear however ought not
to bo like that which those in the world feel.
We ought to fear as they fear who, having en­
tered a vessel, are exposed to a tempest in the
harbour, where it is difficult to perish ; but
worldlings are in as much danger as those who
aro in a little tempest-tossed bark in tho midst
of the wide ocean, where shipwreck is almost
inevitable.”
When any one of us was on the point of death
the pious Superior felt a mixture of sadness
and of joy ; he wept for the loss of a labourer,
but he rejoiced much more at having seen a
Saint die, and at having gained a new advocate
in heaven ; he therefore wished that tho day
should be one of public recreation at table in­
stead of one of mourning.
He never called to mind the gift of vocation
without enforcing love and gratitude towards
Jesus Christ, and zeal to arrive at perfection,
lie said to us, “ If tho grace which God has con­
ferred on us in calling us to tho Congregation
has been groat, our fidelity in corresponding to
it should be great also. God perhaps wills that
a brother should be sanctified like a St. Paschal,
a student like a St. Louis, a missionary like a
St. Francis Regis ; now he who does not wish to
correspond to this call of the Lord runs the
risk of damnation, because by rendering himself
unworthy of a continuation of grace ho deprives
himself of the assistance necessary to attain even

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

to that amount of sanctity which he proposes
to himself. There are then some whom God
destines to be great saints, and if they do not
strive to attain to this high end I do not know
that they will bo saved.”
On other occasions ho said, “You have taken
tho great step in corresponding with your vo­
cation ; if you go but a little further you will
become saints ; but your entrance into tho Con­
gregation was the work of grace rather than of
yourselves, therefore tho little which is remain­
ing for you to do ought to proceed entirely from
your own heart, as if you had all to do and grace
nothing.” ITc was not satisfied with ordinary
holiness in those belonging to him ; ho wished
them to aim higher. “ We know not tho secrets
of God,” said he, “nor on what conditions He
may have caused our predestination to depend.
He who is called to great holiness does not
satisfy the heart of Jesus Christ by a low degree :
if wo do not aim very high, we shall not easily
succeed in reaching the end which God has
appointed for us.”
Alphonso was particularly distressed at tho
misplaced tenderness of some who after having
shown great fervour up to that time, thought
themselves obliged to leave tho Congregation
if they heard that any reverse of fortune had
befallen their parents, in order to go to assist
them. Pitying their distress, and wishing to
preserve their vocation, he did not hesitate to
relieve their families in spite of tho great want
under which he himself laboured; he did so on

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229

many occasions by giving them up the fees of
their masses. Some of the brothers thought that
such instances of charity were excessive, on ac­
count of tho poverty of the Congregation ; but
Alphonso replied, that charity can never fall
into excess, and that God repays all that is given
in His name. I remember vividly one of our
Fathers, who was a constant burthen to the com­
munity on account of his many infirmities ; but
as he gave edification by bis observance of the
rule Alphonso took every possible pains to pre­
serve the vocation of such a worthy brother.
The high idea which ho had conceived of the
religious calling, caused his affliction to be ex­
treme when he saw one of those belonging to him
overcome by temptation and ready to fall back.
He examined these combats under two different
points of view, in order to find out whether they
wore caused by temptation or by malice of self­
will. He pitied the subject in the first case, and
tried to aid him by his prayers and by those of
others ; he even forgave him for some imperti­
nence. The following is an instance of this :
Ono of our Fathers who was still young, fancied
that he had been sent to the house at Iliceto as
a punishment ; ho informed Alphonso, in an ex­
travagant letter, that if he did not remove him
from that house he should leave the Congregation.
Alphonso was convinced that this was nothing
but a pure suggestion of tho devil’s ; ho there­
fore wrote to him most graciously : “ St. Paul
the first hermit said to St. Anthony the abbot,
who begged him to open the door, or else ho

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

should die on the spot, ‘ This is a new way of
begging: you beg with a menace.’ I say the
same thing to you : I feel pity in seeing the strife
which has arisen in your heart : who ever sent
you to Iliceto as a punishment ? And then, just
observe what you say, ‘ Otherwise I shall ask for a
dispensation.’ This is very well, but who will
give it to you ? Another time I trust you will
not be so angry. I repeat that I forgive you, for
it is not you who speak, it is temptation. But
let us have patience, and wait till this noxious
influence has passed away.” Through these
words, which were just suited to tho state of
tho young man’s mind, Alphonso drove away his
temptation and restored him to peace.
He also employed another admirable artifice
on such occasions. When any one camo to him
for a dispensation from the oath of perseverance,
Alphonso, who saw the temptation, appeared at
first to be quite ready to grant what ho asked
for. And as resistance often makes us obstinate,
this very promptitude stopped the subject; but
Alphonso then went on to speak to him with
mildness; he made him weigh the evil consequen­
ces of the step he had taken, and showed him that
it was nothing but a temptation ; in this way
the subject became ashamed and saw his error,
and, as his blindness became enlightened, ho
then only requested to be allowed to stay.
Although Alphonso assisted these wavering
subjects with so much charity, he no longer
relied upon them as before. lie said that they
were stones which had become loose. “A stone,”

st. alphonso liguori.

231

said Alphonso, “which has been shaken in the
body of a building can never be readjusted as
before, whatever may be the skill of the work­
man.” He was in the habit of saying, and he
hold it as morally certain, “ That one can never
shed tears enough to purchase new graces after
having lost the first ; ” and experience has shown
that several after this infidelity to their vocation
have ended by losing it altogether. The slight­
est shadow had tho effect of a real substance on
them, and while they remained in tho Congrega­
tion they were rather burdensome than useful to
him.
It has happened that some, in the first im­
pulso of passion, have left their monastery in
search of him ; and that when on tho way they
have been so blinded and overcome by tempta­
tion, that instead of coming to him they have
returned home. In order to prevent such fatal
suggestions of the devil, Alphonso forbade by a
formal decree any subject from coming to see
him, without having first informed his local Su­
perior of it, and obtained his permission. lie
also decreed, for tho same reason, that the dis­
pensation from the oath of perseverance should
not bo received out of tho monastery without
coming to him in person to ask for it. lie pre­
served several persons from shipwreck by these
means. There were some who, being overcome
by the devil, despised this express command, and
returned to the world without permission, and
without having come themselves to obtain tho
dispensation. Alphonso had no compassion tor

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

such men ; ho showed no mercy to any of them,
and never consented to release them from the
engagement they had contracted towards God
and tho Congregation, until after they had como
in confusion to cast themselves at his feet.
When he was convinced that any of them
wished to return to tho world, not through temp­
tation, but through a fixed determination of will,
and that they had lost the grace of God, and
therefore no longer cared for their souls nor for
him, Alphonso then did not hesitate an instant
in freeing them from the oath of perseverance,
although he did so with great regret, and often
accompanied by tho most fatal predictions ; he
considered such a dispensation as a very passport
to tho devil’s house, and only gave it in tears.
There was one Father whom ho had constantly
refused to dispense from the vow of perseverance.
This unfortunate man was carried away by an
exaggerated attachment to his mother, and pos­
itively wished to leave the Congregation : as
nothing succeeded in turning him aside from his
purpose, Alphonso at last said to him on seeing
his obstinacy, “I give you leave, but you will
come to a bad end." Tho prediction was not a
false one ; the unhappy man went away, and
returned homo, where ho became the victim of
God’s anger and that of men also ; he had no
more peace, ho was despised by all priests, and
a prey to a thousand contradictions ; and ho had
more suffering than even this, for his own mo­
ther caused him the greatest distress of all, and
although ho was seriously ill, she turned him

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233

out of her house, and ho ended his life, deprived
of every sort of assistance, abandoned as a repro­
bate, and left in a miserable out-of-the-way hovel.
He left tho Congregation for his mother, and at
his last hour God permitted him to be deserted
by her.
Alphonso took no further pains about those
who left the Congregation in this way or caused
themselves to bo expelled from it, and there is no
instance of any one of them ever having re-enter­
ed tho Congregation. Any further intercourse
with these deserters was forbidden, and they were
considered as so many heathens and publicans.
They were no sooner dispensed from the oath
of perseverance, than they were ordered to quit
the monastery as soon as possible ; and if they
afterwards requested to return to it, no inter­
cession in their favour caused their wishes to
be granted : tho prayers of tho most influential
people, such as those of our oldest Fathers, could
not prevail on the holy Superior. Although it
was not absolutely decreed, experience proved
that those who once went away could never hope
to return again. How many entreaties did not
one of these latter use, and how many methods
did he not employ in order to obtain pardon !
He oven got Bishop Borgia and Bishop Basta to
interpose in his favour, but nothing could move
Alphonso.
Ono Father, who had been sent away for some
cause I am ignorant of, began to reflect serious­
ly, and perceiving what a deplorable state he
was in, he presented himself before Alphonso ;

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ho threw himself at his feet, and while thus
prostrated before him all bathod in tears, ho
entreated him to receive him again ; but Al­
phonso was immovable. This Father, knowing
that ho never refused anything which ho was
asked in tho name of tho Blessed Virgin, con­
jured him to pardon him for the lovo of Mary;
but Alphonso replied vehemently, “ Tho Blessed
Mary does not wish mo to go to hell for you.”
What efforts Father Genovese made to re-en­
ter tho Congregation ! Ho went so far as to
complain of his sentence in an urgent letter
which ho wrote to Alphonso, wherein he accused
him of severity. “Father Genovese has written
to me,” Alphonso wrote to us, “that Father
Manulius on his death-bed must have regretted
having sent away some of tho subjects of the com­
pany ; but I say, that if I were to die now, I
should feel no other regret than for having been
too indulgent, and for not having been sufficient­
ly rigorous in expelling disedifying subjects from
tho Congregation. If I had done so, tho evil
I deploro would never have happened, (ho allu­
ded to tho Abbé and to the four young clerics
whom ho had led astray.) We ought to have
charity towards all, but no consideration, no, I
repeat it again, no undue consideration; I hope
by God’s assistance never to have it again tow­
ards any one. In futuro I shall act with more
energy in regard to tho imperfect, and without
any human respect.” One of this sort of per­
sons once asked him for a certificate ; Alphonso
replied, “ I have no certificates for those who
are traitors to the Congregation.”

ST. ALPHONSO UCUOllI

CHAPTER LXIII.
The heart of the most tender father could not
feel greater love for his children than Alphonso
did towards our students. He wished the Supe­
riors to have the greatest affection, and the most
H
paternal affection for them
all. “They are,”
said he, “ the hope of the Congregation, because
they will ono day have to replace us.” When
any of them wore ill, ho spared nothing in order
to facilitato their recovery; he sent for the best
physicians in tho neighbourhood, and if the sick
persons were humble and resigned, they obtained
a fresh hold on his love. “ We arc their· father,”
said Alphonso, “and tho Congregation is their
mother. Since they have left their parents in
order to give themselves to God, it is right that
they should be treated with tho greatest charity.”
He was glad at seeing them get on in their
studies, but ho did not like them to have an im­
moderato wish to know more than is fitting.
“For,” said he, “as discretion is a virtue, so
too much ardour is a vice.” There were three
things which he wished never to bo forgotten
in the course of their studies : first, ho did not
like thorn to seek to know anything but what was
useful and necessary, and always with suitable
moderation ; in the second place ho objected to
any boasting before others of more knowledge
than was really possessed, much more to sotting up for having acquirements which one had

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

not ; and his third rule was, that he wished
for a continual growth in virtue, and especially
in humility. lie mentioned that Cardinal Tarrucci wrote to his nephew, who was a Franciscan,
telling him to apply principally to the knowledge
of the saints, because there had been a greater
number of ignorant saints in that order than of
learned men.
lie was distressed to see a student employed in
going through more books than his professor had
assigned him, and he wished each one to study
his task thoroughly, so as to become perfectly
well acquainted with it. He said, “ You ought to
look upon yourselves as so many little children ;
it is for the master to judge what is fit for you,
and to supply you with the occupations which
may be best fitted to cultivate your minds.
Many remain ignorant from wishing to know too
much.”
He thought it still worse if any of them looked
through the sacred orators during the course of
study, and made a selection of morsels for the
pulpit. “This is a pure temptation,” said he,
“because by that they neglect what is essential
for a mere accessary. To collect these materials
with any good result, they ought to have finished
their studies, for otherwise they derive no profit
from it, and do not study as they ought.” One
student who had this mania amongst others, had
been reproved for it and punished several times,
but he did not amend in tho least. Alphonso
on finding that he was incorrigible, felt obliged
to send him home ; he did it with tho prediction

*
Λ

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that his disobedience would be followed by sad
consequences. And, in fact, this unfortunate
being, after having led a wandering and despi­
cable life, began to keep a public-house in despair,
and died unknown in a miserable tavern.
He liked to see a holy emulation among the
students, provided it were never disunited from
charity. Λ party of young men in the house at
Caposeli entered into a rivalry with the students
at Ciorani, and sent them a critical and learned
letter couched in rather pungent terms. Alphonso
was quite displeased at it, and immediately wrote
to Father Cajone, the Superior at Caposeli: “You
must mention it at tho next chapter that I do
not like such sallies, and that they are equally
opposed to a spirit of charity. You all belong
to but one thing, that is to say, you are brothers,
and sons of tho same mother.”
Ho felt extreme consolation when he observed
a humble tone of subordination and a low opinion
of themselves amongst tho students, added to a
love of Christian mortification. Several young
men were on the evo of setting out from tho
house at Nocera ; he enjoined nothing on them
but humility, obedience, and mortification. “Hu­
mility, my brothers,” he repeated several times,
“ humility ; by this means you will become holy
and learned.”
As the preacher of tho best sermon during a
mission was generally more praised than tho
others, he tried to disabuse tho young men’s
minds of erroneous notions about it, and to pre­
vent any degree of ambition. “ My children, bo

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

on your guard against vanity or the ambition of
preaching. It is more necessary to instruct tho
people than to make fine sermons : tho truths of
tho Gospel are better impressed by catechisings
than by sermons.” Ho wished the young men
to have no other ambition than that of devoting
themselves to the salvation of the poor and the
country people. One Sunday when ho sent them
to give an instruction on Christian Doctrine in
the parishes, ho again said, and ho never failed
to repeat it to them, “ My children, strive to aid
the most necessitous souls ; now when you are
sent to teach tho catechism, go and do it with a
great desire of instructing the poor little children,
and do not fancy that it is but a trifling matter.
Jesus Christ Ilimself was sent by His Father to
teach the ignorant.”
He wished for holiness of life and love towards
Jesus Christ in the young clerics, still more than
for knowledge. “True knowledge,” ho said to
them, “consists in knowing Jesus Christ well.
What good will knowledge bo to us, if its end
is not to seek after God ? It may be truly said
that our brother Blasucci had true knowledge, be­
cause in all he did he only sought for God ; and,
as you all know, ho died a Saint. We must
study, it is true, as wo are labourers ; but we
ought to be fully persuaded that tho one thing
needful, and that which Jesus Christ requires
above everything else, is that wo should en­
deavour to be saved as Saints. Wo must study,
but tho sole object of study ought to bo that
of pleasing God, otherwise it will only cause us

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239

to be a long time in purgatory, nay even may
lead some perhaps into the torments of hell,
which may God forbid. Let your aim then al­
ways bo the glory of God and the good of souls,
and when an opportunity occurs of seeming igno­
rant, do not recoil from it, for it will not hurt
n
you.
At other times ho said to them, “ If we would
find God in everything, we must bo detached
from all, even from spiritual consolations. Now,
does ho who cherishes tho wish to gratify his
ambition of preaching seek for God alone ? Un­
doubtedly not ; it is tho same in regard to the
man who is attached to sensible graces. Con­
solations it is true come from God, but to seek
for consolations is to be attached to them ; that
is not to seek God alone, but to seek one­
self.”
Listen to the warnings which he left in the
house at Ciorani in tho year 1761, on tho last
visit he paid there : “ Be respectful to the prefect
and professor, and have the greatest possible
veneration and submission for all. When you
are reproved, do not try to defend nor to excuse
yourselves, but receive advice with humility.
Nover fail to render the account of conscience
every fortnight, and have especial confidence in
tho prefect. Do not walk about in the cloisters
without a necessity for it, except in repose and
public recreation hours ; but let each one re­
main quietly in his room. I also forbid you to
go into the choir or to any place not appropriated
to study without permission from the prefect. In

« *

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

repose time, each one is to keep to his own room,
and to take care not to inconvenience tho others ;
and in the common study-room rigorous silence
must be observed. Let there bo no misplaced
altercations on scientific things, but yield mu­
tually to one another, in a spirit of humility.
Wherever you have to go together, let it always
be by two and two, and with a modest deport­
ment. The key of a common room must only be
entrusted to the first cleric.”
The following advice he left in writing for the
Prefect and Superior: “The Superior as well as
the Prefect must not allow the students to speak
to laics without necessity, and the Superior must
not permit it without having first spoken to the
Prefect ; if tho interview is permitted, it must
always take place in the presence of the head
cleric or of some other ono ; the Fathers and
Brothers of any of tho community must not be
admitted to the students’ recreation, and still
less any strangers ; and when tho Prefect is
absent, let him be replaced by another Father.
In fine, when any one is indisposed, he must not
be entirely dispensed from study, or if he cannot
study, he must at least be present at tho lesson.”
Such were the last instructions which Alphonso
left in regard to the ecclesiastical students before
his episcopate.
He had also an extreme affection for the young
novices. He envied their happiness in being in
God’s house from the beginning of their lives,
without having any knowledge of the world,
while ho had not been called until the end of

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241

his days, or at least until late in life. When the
noviciate was in tho house where he himself
lived, ho always passed tho evening recreation
with the novices. He would have liked to have
the noviciate constantly under his own super­
intendance, but ho was very often obliged to
placo it in another house, much to his regret.
Nothing caused him so much sorrow as to
hear that a novice laboured under some temp­
tation, and still more did he grieve if he had
had proofs of this novice’s vocation. He
sent for him, tried to enlighten him and to
strengthen him as far as he could, and when the
young man was convinced by him Alphonso’s
face showed tho gladness of his heart. In order
to inspire faithfulness in following a vocation,
and fear of losing it, ho was in the habit of
saying, that “ vocation and perseverance are two
distinct graces ; God can give us tho former
even in the midst of our infidelities, but we shall
not have the grace of perseverance if we do not
deserve it through prayer and good works. It
is this crown which tho devil wishes to take
II
from us, and God allows him to tempt
us to
try our constancy and to reward us proportionably.”
lie required three things in the novices to in­
sure their persevering and triumphing over temp­
tations ; viz. humility, obedience, and openness
of heart. “ He who is humble and knows his
own misery,” said he, “ is all-powerful against
the devil ; he can never go astray if ho blindly
trusts to tho guidance of his Superiors, and above
16

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

all, if ho is candid in confiding all that he feels
to his director. A temptation which is revealed
to another is vanquished or half vanquished ; for
the devil, who is pride itself, does not suffer his
artifices to be disclosed to a creaturo of earth,
such as man is.” When he found these dispo­
sitions in a novice, he felt sure that there was
nothing to fear.
He wished tho Father Master to bo all heart
and full of love towards the young men. He was
constantly recommending this to me during up­
wards of four-and-twenty years when I had the
direction of the noviciate. Ho did not like the
use of severity or penances, but preferred that of
mild and charitable exhortations, and that good
and evil should be placed before the eyes of the
novices. “Tho Congregation is free,” he said,
“ and God only wishes for voluntary sacrifices.
The novice who does not amend after having been
reprimanded shows that ho has not come with
right intentions, and the Congregation had better
get rid of him.” He wrote to me at Iliceto in the
following terms: “At tho commencement some
defects in a novice may bo put up with, but if
ho does not correct them after having been re­
proved for them, especially if these faults are
dangerous to others, he must be dismissed at
once, for a vicious person causes more harm by
his bad example than a heretic. Therefore, when
you know that any one has this fault, do not let
him frequent the society of the others ; his con­
versation may do more injury than a hundred
demons.”

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243

Alphonso was quito affected at seeing a good
novice ill, and if sometimes the Fathers wished to
send him homo he became his advocate. “ There
is no law to exclude those who have left every­
thing
o in order to consecrate themselves to God
from His house. If tho doctors and remedies
which wo have here cannot restore their health,
they will not recover it any better in the house
of their parents. If God wills that they shall
die, it is better for them to die in tho Congrega­
tion than in tho midst of tho world.·” At other
times he said, “What mother ever expelled her
son from home because he was ill?” His maxim
was, that those who were patient and pious in
illness assisted tho Congregation by their ex­
ample, and that as they were themselves pleas­
ing to God, they drew down innumerable graces
upon it also. When a fervent novice was at tho
point of death Alphonso was not distressed, for
ho rejoiced in the assurance that such a novice
was happy. If on the contrary a sick person
wished to leave us, ho only granted it with pain.
Among other regulations ho had fixed that priests
might be dispensed from half their noviciate
by the Rector Major ; but in point of fact, he
never granted this privilege while ho lived ; on
the contrary, he never failed to prolong tho time
of probation for these latter whenever he could,
as experience had taught him that they had more
need of it than the others, from being less pli­
able and loss accustomed to obey. Although
he was easy in receiving certain priests, as far
as the beginning of tho Institute went, he was

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

as circumspect and particular afterwards. lie
did not admit thorn until he had perceived a
good will in them, and the signs of a true vo­
cation.
As tho Father of the whole family, Alphonso
did not show less solicitude for tho lay-brothers ;
he neglected no moans of furthering their spiri­
tual advantage. Ho considered them as seamen
labouring at tho oars, while tho pilot is working
with the others in the interior of the vessel. “ If
these poor brothers,” he was accustomed to say.
“employ themselves in aiding us in temporals,
it is but just for us to assist them in spiritual
things.” lie ordered that they should bo fed,
treated, and provided with all that they required,
in the same manner as the rest ; that they should
go through tho morning and evening prayer and
examen with tho community; that they also
should pay their special visit to Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament, and to the most Blessed Vir­
gin Mary, and that they should say the third
portion of the Rosary. lie wished them to go
to confession twice a week, and to receive the
Holy Communion every Wednesday and Friday,
as well as on every day of obligation. lie also
appointed that they should have a day’s retreat
every month ; and, instead of tho ten days’ spiri­
tual exercises each year, he enjoined three days’
retreat for them in each of tho Ember Weeks.
When a brother was received he had still to
remain in secular clothes during six months of
the noviciate, while ho had to practise the vir­
tues befitting his state, under the guidance of

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245

the Master of Novices. He then obtained a habit
of dark cloth if ho had conducted himself in
an edifying manner. Father Cajono, the Su­
perior at Caposcli, once asked for this favour
for a young brother who was in the noviciate;
Alphonso replied to him, “Yes, you can give
him a black habit of dyed cloth, but without
the white collar.” After six or seven months’
probation, they were sent to tho noviciate in
this dress for six months longer ; at the end
of this time, if they had conducted themselves
well, they received the habit of the Congrega­
tion, which was four inches shorter than that of
tho choir brothers, and then they were allowed
to pronounce the vows and the oath of perse­
verance.
Alphonso also required perfect submission in
his brothers ; he boro with tho vicious as long
as he could, but when he saw no hope of amend­
ing them, he dismissed them from tho Congre­
gation. A lay-brother of Caposeli was not over
correct as to conduct, although he understood
clock and watch-making very well. “ You must
not keep this brother any longer at Caposeli.”
Alphonso wrote to Father Cajone, “I wish to
have him hero under my own eyes, and if I find
that he continues to conduct himself as ho has
dono until now, he shall go and practise his trade
in the world. We do not want clock-makers, but
brothers who will set a good example.”
Alphonso required a spirit of submission and
humility in all belonging to him, but he especially
exacted it from tho lay-brothers, lie punished

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

even tho least appearance of a want of humility
by severe and exemplary chastisements.
lie
hoard that one brother seemed to wish to bo
equal to tho Fathers, and that ho adopted a
familiar tone with them ; ho immediately wrote
to Father Francis Maegotta, the Superior of his
house, saying, “Humble Brother N., and make
him see his pride ; tell him that if he does
not amend, and abase himself before the Fa­
thers, he shall bo expelled, like another LuII
of the
cifer, from tho house of God.” Some
brothers at tho house at Ciorani rebelled and
entered into a confederacy together. Their con­
spiracy displeased Alphonso even more than their
claims. I was Superior at Iliceto at that time, and
re from Nocera saying, “We havo
ho wrote to me
done justice to Ciorani hero ; wo havo sent Bro­
ther Crescenzi away, who had excited tho rebel­
lion by his words, and who afterwards refused to
perform tho proscribed penance.”
Another time, some of them took it into their
heads to mingle indiscriminately amongst tho
Fathers, because we lived in common, wishing
not to have a separate place at table. This want
of humility was a cause of deep sorrow to Alphon­
so ; he wrote to them all saying, “ My Brothers,
God knows what pain I havo felt in hearing of
your having committed so many faults, and, what
is worse, faults of pride, while your one aim ought
to be humility, which is the proper virtue for
lay-brothers. For this time I forgive you, but
do not compel mo to inflict a punishment on
you at a futuro period, which may bring eternal

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247

punishment with it ; for if I am obliged to send
you away from the Congregation, I do not know
what may result from it, but I should much fear
for your salvation.” As several amongst them
had let it bo known in an underhand way that
they would leave the Congregation if they did not
obtain what they wanted, Alphonso went on thus :
“Let mo hear no more about this proposal of
wishing to go away; these very words would be
enough to oblige me to dismiss you. Your place
will always be the lowest after the Fathers, the
students, and novices. What a shame ! lay-bro­
thers aspiring to pre-eminence ! Do not give me
any further trouble ; I love you, my brothers,
but I wish to make you become saints, and the
virtues which are most needful for you are hu­
mility, obedience, and patience. Without suf­
fering there is no sanctity. I give my blessing
to all the brothers whose intentions are upright,
but not to those who have evil ones ; for through
their pride they do not deserve the benediction,
but the malediction of Jesus Christ.” Such were
Alphonso’s vigilance, firmness, and mildness, in
causing tho love of the rule and the spirit of
Jesus Christ to dwell throughout all his Congre­
*
gation.
* The following is the wise regulation which directed Alphonso’e
conduct, and caused him to be an eminent Superior. It is taken
from his writings, and from the judicial attestations which were
registered during the process of his canonizatiou.
1. A Superior ought to lead an exemplary life, for if he does not
practise what he teaches, his government will be useless and dan­
gerous.
2. The Superior ought constantly to labour for God, and to be per­
suaded that he will often meet with ingratitude from man.

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248

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

3. Too severe a Superior makes the subjects imperfect and deceit­
ful, because they will only act through servile fear.
4. Pride makes a Superior odious to all; it hinders his own sanc­
tification and that of his subjects, as well as the preservation of or­
der in the institute.
5. The Superior ought to possess heroic patience, he ought to bear
all kinds of labour, fatigue, and contradiction, and always appear
calm and affable towards all.
G. The Superior ought to give every one a reception full of charity
and affection, and be all to all on all occasions.
7. The Superior ought to be impartial to cherish the same degree
of love towards all, and to assist all alike in all their spiritual and
temporal wants.
8. The Superior who does not overcome his antipathies, sympa­
thies, or impressions caused by ill-temper, is hasty in his judgments,
and falls into a thousand faults.
9. The Superior ought not to be so presumptuous as to try to go­
vern an institute by means of his own lights only, he is always in
need of prayers and counsels.
10. The Superior ought to provide for the spiritual and temporal
wants of his subjects, and to relieve them with all the interest of a
father and of a brother.
11. The Superior ought to be vigilant as to the observance of the
rule, he must therefore inquire into everything with the greatest
exactitude.
12. The Superior must not judge things hastily, but weigh them
well, and reflect and inquire into them, before giving any decision.
13. The Superior ought to punish offences against the mle, but he
ought first to give repeated warnings, and which should always be
accompanied by charity.
14. The Superior ought to be firm against the incorrigible, and he
must take care to prevent the contagion of bad example.
15. The Superior ought to be just, exemplary, prudent, charitable,
affable, and vigilant, if he would not undergo a terrible judgment at
the tribunal of God.
(Rispoli, Vita del beato Alphonso Maria de Liguori, page 14GJ

— ·* '8·

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249

CHAPTER LXIV.

We have reached tlic period when Alphonso
saw his Congregation in the most prosperous state.
After having endured the most severe fatigues,
and watered the vino which the Lord had given
him to cultivate with tho sweat of his toils, he
had tho consolation of seeing it become fruitful
and flourishing. It numbered a great many
houses, which wore all firmly established, richly
provided with labourers, and capable of forming
so many bulwarks against tho incursions of hell.
There were at least from eighteen to twenty
subjects in each community, who were all distin­
guished by their talents and by their virtues, and
well versed in philosophy, history, and theology.
We had numerous students who made won­
derful progress in science therein, under the in­
structions of distinguished masters. These young
plants filled Alphonso with hope ; he looked on
them as so many precious treasures for tho
Congregation. He attached great importance to
their perfecting themselves in the knowledge of
Latin, and he even wished that those who were
possessed of good abilities should devote two
whole years to tho study of literature, which he
considered as the necessary basis of all study.
He had established a course of study in one of
our houses, where philosophy and the elements
of sacred and profane history were taught; in
another the time was devoted to dogmatics. He
forbade any part of these courses to bo dictated.

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250

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

because lie said that in writing the chest is in­
jured and time is lost.
Ho wished that the authors who are the most
esteemed by tho learned should bo made use of,
without any attachment to any particular system,
and ho forbade any of the useless or obsolete
questions, which wore formerly adopted by the
schoolmen, to bo agitated. Moral theology was
generally taught in the house where he lived,
and he was extremely careful, as we have al­
ready seen, to prevent opinions from being
adopted which, although called probable, are not­
withstanding not in conformity with tho canons
and the Gospel. In order to encourage the
young philosophers and theologians to work with
ardour, ho allowed them to maintain theses to
which many of tho learned amongst the secular
and regular were invited, besides tho private
theses in which our Fathers were most en­
gaged.
There were academies of literature
in our houses at the solemn fetes ; poetry, and
Hebrew, and Greek, were no strangers then.
Alphonso himself once delivered a discourse in
honour of Jesus and tho Blessed Virgin to en­
courage the youngest men. All this kept up a
sort of emulation among the students and se­
conded their efforts admirably.
But Alphonso’s chief pleasure was in seeing
the great good which the missionaries effected
in almost every province of tho kingdom. Each
house successfully laboured for God’s glory and
the salvation of souls, not only in tho place
where it was established, but also in all the

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251

neighbourhood. Our Fathers of Nocera and Ciorani spread through the hither principality,
and in the dioceses of the Campania, and grace
caused them to work prodigies and surprising
conversions everywhere. They even went on
mission as far as the diocese of Naples, which
a Neapolitan missionary called temerity. Seeing
the gratification of the people and the great good
which was effected, Cardinals Spinelli and Sersale, as well as their successor, Archbishop Filangieri, wished us to co-operate with them in the
labours of their diocese, as the most eminent
Zurlo wishes at tho present time.
The house at Iliceto ministered to tho spiritual
wants of all tho villages and numerous farm
houses in the King’s domains, but it also gave
aid with great success to the Capitanate, tho
provinces of Bari and of Lecci, as well as to a
part of tho Basilicate and of the citerior prin­
cipality. The house of St. Angelus laboured in
the furthermost principality, on the confines of
the estate of Labour, in citerior Abbruzzo and in
a part of tho Capitanate. Tho house at Caposeli
embraced all the principalities, and penetrated
into tho Basilicate. Tho two other houses of
Scifclli and of Frosinono were equally devoted
to the salvation of the people, not only in the
Pontifical States, but also in ulterior Abbruzze and
in a part of the territory of Labour. Besides
this, all tho houses together sent labourers into
the two Calabrias, where they had a number of mis­
sions, to the great advantage of these two dioceses.
Independently of the missions, the spiritual

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

exercises which were given by a smaller number
of subjects were equally productive of the great­
est good. Tho demands wore so numerous that
it was difficult to supply them. The exorcises
were so successful that they were considered as
so many missions. The Bishops vied with one
another in asking for them for their clergy and
their seminaries. A multitude of confraternities
also wished to share in so great a benefit, and
contented themselves could they get but one
of our Fathers. Tho cloistered monasteries, and
even communities of regulars, were no loss eager
in wishing for them. Tho Father General, Lctizia, wished to have Father Sportclli to give a
retreat at the convent of Monte Verginc ; the
success was such that he did not fail to ask
for a repetition of it. The Celestine Fathers
at San Severo also begged to have us. Father
Master Troisi, of tho order of St. Augustine,
insisted on our Fathers going to give these
holy exercises to his religious at Solofra : many
other communities made similar requests to us.
Naples also emulated this ardour for having
our missionaries, and tho spiritual exorcises
which they gave in the churches there wore most
remarkable. His Majesty King Charles III. and
afterwards his son, Ferdinand IV., having been
informed of the groat good Alphonso effected
by his community, often wished a great number
of our subjects to come and give the spiritual
exercises at the military school. Amongst oth­
ers, Father Alexander de Meo’s labours produced
such fruit there during some years, that several

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

;

253

of the cadets abandoned the most advantageous
prospects in order to become religious, and
most of them joined our Congregation. Many
generals wore equally anxious that their soldiers
should receive their share in Alphonso’s zeal, and
he always had the consolation of satisfying them.
Our missionaries had also another occupation
which equally contributed to the glory of the
Congregation ; I speak of the novenas which they
gave everywhere, to prepare the faithful for the
great feasts of the year. These novenas were
generally desired, because our Fathers then spoke
of Christian virtues in a way which was tho
best calculated to cause them to be loved.
Celebrated towns, such as Foggia, Salerno, and
Nola, wore frequently the scone of their zeal.
Alphonso experienced no loss satisfaction in
tho result of the retreats which were given at
the house to tho young candidates for holy orders;
at Ciorani alone, from a hundred and thirty to
a hundred and fifty clerics assembled together
from forty different dioceses in the kingdom.
But at tho end of these exercises many of the
young men gave up tho idea of entering into
holy orders, from tho alarm which a consider­
ation of the obligations of tho priesthood produccd. It happened one day that three amongst
them, after a sermon from our Father, Alex­
ander de Moo, laid aside tho ecclesiastical dross,
from feeling that they were not called to such
a holy state.
The Bishops themselves, on seeing tho benefit
which was derived from them, came and assisted

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st. alphonso liguori.

at them, and were present while they lasted.
Don Innocent San Severino, tho Bishop of Monteniarano, was in the habit of coining to Ciorani
with a great number of his priests. Mgr. Volpi,
the Bishop of Nocera, and Mgr. Borgia, Bishop
of Caleava, did the same. Amongst tho number
of distinguished personages who came to Iliceto
from divers places, wo will only name Mgr. Cam­
panile, Bishop of Ascole, Mgr. Onorati, Bishop
of Trevico, Mgr. Basta, Bishop of Melfi, Mgr.
Amato, Bishop of Lacedogna, and Mgr. Brancaccio, who was Bishop of Ostuni, and at that
time Grand Vicar of Ari ano. All these prelates
were accompanied by half their clergy, and they
sent us the other half on returning to their dio­
ceses. Mgr. Basta was once so affected by grace
during these exercises, that he wished to resign
his episcopate and become a reformed Carmelite,
and ho would have done so if our Father Cafaro,
who was his director, had not prevented it.
Many regulars belonging to tho most respected
orders came to our houses, from the wish to
become more closely united to Almighty God.
The Conventuals, the Religious of Monte Vergine,
of St. Augustine, and others, used to come to
Ciorani. When Father Don Charles Carafa, the
Theatin, resided at Foggia, he used to go to the
house at Iliceto several times a year, with a nu­
merous suite of persons who required a retreat.
A graduated Benedictine was penetrated with
such deep compunction, that he felt no difficulty
in confessing his sins before upwards of a hundred
persons. Another Father, who was a religious of

1

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

the order of St. Augustine, and also a graduate,
felt inclined to ridicule this act of humility, but
after ho had gone through the spiritual exercises
he was himself so touched by divine grace that
he did the same thing. Such examples were not
uncommon in our houses.
The concourse of laymen was still more nu­
merous ; gentlemen of tho first distinction, prin­
ces, and military of the highest rank, hastened
to go into retreat, and merit the mercies of
tho Lord. It caused astonishment to see so
many priests and laymen come even from Na­
ples to Ciorani to perform the spiritual exer­
cises. But tho greatest assemblage took place in
Holy Week. From tho town of Corato alone
from thirty to forty people came to the house at
Iliceto every year, although it was a two days’
journey, and as many as sixty have been number­
ed from Cerignola.
From admiring the happy amendment which
all who frequented our houses underwent, King
Charles, and afterwards his son Ferdinand, sent
us persons of high rank, both ecclesiastics and lay­
men, of whom they had reason to complain, and
towards whom tho princes did not wish to adopt
severe measures, and they used to stay near us
for some time. The name of our Fathers at Cio­
rani became so renowned at court, that they were
looked on as a penance for all evils ; and in this
respect tho Bishops and Superiors of orders had
also cause to rejoice.
Alphonso was comforted by all this, but the
fervour and the zeal which he saw throughout

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

his Congregation filled up the measure of his
joy. Tho rule was in force in all tho houses ;
there was everywhere the same love for holy
poverty ; resistance and excuses wore unknown,
for even the intentions of the Superiors were held
in reverence. The old wore models for tho young,
and tho young in turn excited tho emulation of
the old, who feared to see their ardour become
lessened. But that which put the crowning
stroke to Alphonso’s happiness, was the saintly
death of many of his children, among whom
Father Sportelli and a lay-brother named Gerard
*
Maycllo,
were especially remarkable, and they
never cease to aid those who have recourse to
them in their sufferings.
Such was Alphonso’s Congregation only thirty
years after its foundation. It is the little grain
of tho gospel, named by our blessed Saviour,
which, although but small at the beginning, be­
comes nevertheless a majestic tree, under which
the birds of heaven take their rest. So our Con­
gregation, although small at its birth, soon de­
veloped itself in an admirable manner, watered
as it was by the sweat and the tears of Alphonso.
Moved and filled with joy at the wonderful in­
crease of holiness and tho consequent lustre
which the humble disciple of Jesus Christ spread
around him, a number of distinguished men
gloried in joining him in order to call souls to
a state of grace.
An Abridgment of his Life will be found at the end of this
work

BOOK III.

“Oportet episcopum sine crimine esse, sicut Dei dispensatorem
.. ..hospitatem, benignum sobrium, justum, sanctum, continentem,
amplectentem eum, qui secundum doctrinam est, fidelem sermonem,
ut potens sit exhortari in doctrina sana, et eos qui contradicunt
arguere.”
Epist. ad Tit. cap. 1.
“ Oportet espicopura formam esse justitiæ, sanctimoniæ speculum,
pietatis exemplar, assertorem veritatis, fidei defensorem, pastorem
plebium, magistrum insipientium, refugium oppressorum, pauperem,
advocatum, miserorum spem, tutorem pupillorum, judicem viduarum,
oculum cæcorum, linguam mutorum, baculum senum, ultorem scele­
rum, malorum metum, honorum gloriam.”
«S. Bernard, lib. 4. de Considerat.

CHAPTER I.
Alphonso was now nearly seventy years of age.
Laden with infirmities he believed himself already
at the end of his course, and was prepared to
close it happily, when God in I lis wonderful
providence made him enter into another career,
in order that he might labour for His glory by
new "works and in new combats.
The episcopal see of St. Agatha of the Goths had
become vacant by the death of Bishop Flaminius
Danza. Tho succession to it was solicited by at
least sixty candidates, amongst whom were in­
cluded Bishops and even Archbishops. Before
entering into a detail of the négociations which

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

had for their end and result the promotion of
Alphonso to tho episcopacy, I must say a few­
words on St. Agatha of tho Goths itself.
This town, which is situated at the foot of
Mount Taburno, between Benevento and Capua,
in tho Abruzzi, and on the borders of the ancient
Samnium, has replaced the ancient Saticola,
which existed from the most distant period in
Italy. Titus Livins in the 7th book of the First
Decade, chapter 8th, relates that tho Romans
defeated the Samnites in the valley of Saticola,
under tho consulate of Cornelius. Virgil in tho
7th Æncid speaks of tho rudeness of the inhab­
itants of this country:
“Accola Vulturni pariterque Saticulus asper.”

This same town is also mentioned in the second
letter which Cicero wroto to Atticus from his
Pompeian Villa. Matthew Egizio in his treatise
proves clearly to Bishop Langlct, that St. Agatha
is nothing but the ancient Saticola. “This is the
secret route,” says ho, “that Marcellus must
have taken in returning from Cannes, after hav­
ing passed tho Volturno, close to Calazia, (now
Cajazzo,) to go to Suessola and from thence to
Nola.” Pratillo maintains this opinion in his
Appia. Francis Ranione, a nobleman of Capua
and Archdeacon of St. Agatha, strengthens the
same idea by many proofs in a dissertation in­
serted in the Recueils Florentins.
Tho strongest proof that St. Agatha comes
from tho ancient Saticola is given by the Etrus­
can medals which have been found there, and

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259
41

which now adorn the royal museum of Portici,
and by a quantity of sepulchral stones and mag­
nificent Etruscan vases which arc daily being
dug up in tho trenches, and which attract so
many travellers to St. Agatha from beyond the
mountains. Tho Archdeacon Rainono maintains
that Saticola was, in its origin, a colony of
Etruscans. Wo know that this people estab­
lished themselves amongst us in tho environs of
tho Volturno, and that the Samnites adopted their
language. After tho Samnites were subjugated
by the Romans, tho colony became under the
republic Saticola. Tho monumental stones and
the tombs of Roman families which are daily
discovered are sufficient proofs, as also tho con­
sular and imperial medals which are to be
found.
It is unknown when and by whom Saticola
was destroyed ; it is not even known at what
time tho faith was carried there. The Cathe­
dral is ancient : it has suffered much in tho
vicissitudes which have, at different times, ex­
posed it to the sword and tho fire of soldiery:
no account of it has been preserved, whether
ccclesiatical or civil. It is said that when St.
Peter passed from Brindisi to Romo to bring
tho faith to Benevento and Capua, he made it
known also at Saticola. At least, if it were
not received there from this great apostle, it
was conveyed thither by some one of the apos­
tolic men whom St. Peter himself sent into
these countries. On its re-establishment Saticola
was called the Dark Forest, (Silva Oscnra,) or the

I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Dark Valley. As the Goths wore pleased with
its situation they rebuilt tho place and gave it
the name of St. Agatha. Tho Goths had much
devotion for this glorious martyr, under whose
protection they placed many countries which
they had cither formed or re-established. The
title of St. Agatha of tho Goths reminds us, that
this town was fortified and inhabited by this con­
quering people. At a later period it was again
buried in ruins by tho devastations of war. De­
prived of inhabitants and buildings, it remained
for a long time without clergy and without a
bishop.
When it was re-established, Landolphi, first
metropolitan of Benevento, restored its cathe­
dral in the year 971. The first bishop was
Madclfido, a priest of Benevento, and tho diploma
which ho received from Landolphi is in itself
another monument which shows tho antiquity of
this church. Among the successors of Madclfido
a great number are to be found who were dis­
tinguished cither by birth or sanctity. St. Aga­
tha prides itself most for having had for its
Bishop Cardinal Monlatto, who was afterwards
Popo Sixtus V. If more ample notices of St.
Agatha are desired, they are furnished in a book
called “Avellino Sacro,” by Father della Buona,
a Minorite, in tho “ History of tho Kingdom of
Naples,” by Father John Anastasius, and in tho
“Annals,” by our Father Alexander of Meo.
11
Clement
XIII. was much embarrassed by tho
number of competitors for tho see of St. Agatha,
as ho wished to give it only to the most worthy,

ST. ALPHONSO LIOÜORI.

,
!

261

in despite of tho worldly motives which actua­
ted most amongst them. Tho claims of one of
the candidates were singularly favoured at Na­
ples by a very high personage. The Pope on
tho contrary could not approve them without
seriously compromising his conscience, and he
foresaw that his refusal would occasion much an­
noyance and trouble-. Ho consulted his Cardinals,
and Cardinal Spinelli gave tho advice which was
followed : namely, to choose as Bishop a man
whose merits surpassed those of all the rest ; and
he did not hesitate to propose Alphonso, who,
from tho lustre of his origin, science, and sanc­
tity, enjoyed esteem as general as it was
merited. This choice was calculated to put to
silence every pretension and to end every anx­
iety. The holy Father relished tho project, and
without loss of time wrote to Naples to the nun­
cio, Mgr. Socatelli, to inform him of what had
passed. Cardinal Negroni, the auditor, sent a
letter to Alphonso at tho same time to inform
him in tho name of tho Popo of his election to
the bishopric of St. Agatha. The news of the
Sovereign Pontiff’s decision being spread through
Rome, filled all those who knew tho future bish­
op with joy. His name was celebrated, and the
satisfaction was such that many prelates, and
particularly tho Cardinals Orsini and Cartclli,
went to thank the Popo. Many other distin­
guished people, amongst others Prince Piombino
and Don Gaétan Buon-Compagno, who had
known Alphonso at Naples, were so rejoiced at
this nomination that they presented themselves

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

in person to his Holiness, and congratulated him
on having raised so learned and holy a man
to the episcopate. The town and diocese of St.
Agatha desired as anxiously as tho Pope to
have a worthy bishop at the head of their church,
of which it stood in great need. As soon as
Archdeacon Don Francis Rainone, (a venerable
man and full of zeal,) was nominated Vicar Capi­
tular of St. Agatha, he, together with the most
devoted of tho clergy, exerted all their power to
obtain from God a bishop such as they desired.
Immediately after the funeral of tho defunct
Bishop Danza, a triduo was solemnly celebrated
in the cathedral, with exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament, and in order to interest tho people
the more, Father Thomas Maria Caputo, pro­
fessor of theology at tho seminary, was asked
to preach on a subject referring to the circum­
stances. The pious preacher showed forcibly
tho great loss which the absence of its pastor
caused to a diocese, and the great good which
it would be for all the inhabitants to bo govern­
ed by a well-informed and zealous bishop ; he
showed also how necessary it was that all should
address their prayers to God for this object.
Besides this, the archdeacon sent a circular
throughout the diocese, to enjoin tho cures, to
II
observe in each of their churches the same
solemnities as in tho cathedral.
While this matter was being settled at Rome
the mind of Alphonso was occupied with any
thing but this church and bishopric ; one day
when conversing with Bishop Nicholas Borgia,

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263

of Cava, on tho mercies of God in rescuing him
from tho world, he said, “ One of tho greatest
graces that I have received from the Lord, is
that of having escaped the peril of being a
bishop, a peril which I should have had diffi­
culty in avoiding had I remained with my
family.” He added, that the thing would cer­
tainly have happened, as his director, Father
Pagani, showed that ho was much inclined for
it, by expressing a wish that if the dignity of
canon should bo offered to him ho should refuse
it, but not that of bishop. Thus thought Alphon­
so, but God had other designs regarding him.
A courier arrived at Nocera during the morn­
ing of tho 9th of March, 1792, with a letter
from tho Cardinal Nuncio. Alphonso knew not
what to think. There were two letters, one from
Cardinal Negrini, which announced to him his
election to the bishopric of St. Agatha in tho
name of the Popo, and the other from tho Nun­
cio, in which the former was inclosed. On read­
ing them Alphonso became as if thunderstruck ;
his senses became troubled, and ho could not
speak. As soon as tho community were informed
of it they hastened to his room; they found him
agitated, silent, and bathed in tears. After re­
covering himself he became tranquil, persuaded
that his refusal would immediately end all, and
that tho election was only a mere mark of esteem
which the Popo wished to give him, without
thinking of using any solicitations about it. His
companions thought the same. “Bo in peace,”
said Father Ferrara to him, “such refusals are

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

easily accepted ; do you not remember that since
you renounced the Archbishopric of Palermo, the
matter has remained in forgetfulness ? ” Al­
phonso in consequence wrote a letter to the
Cardinal Auditor, in which ho thanked tho Pope
for his goodness, and exposed his own incapacity,
his great ago and infirmities, tho vow by
which he engaged never to accept any dignity,
and the scandal which his consent would give
in the Congregation. When the courier was
gone, Alphonso said to Father Corsano, a Seo,
this storm has cost me an hour and four ducats,”
alluding to the money he was obliged to give
to tho messenger; ho then added that ho would
not exchange the Congregation for all tho king­
doms of the Grand Turk. He wrote at the same
time to Cardinal Spinelli, to let him know tho
motives which had made him determine to re­
fuse tho honour which was offered to him ; and
he insisted much on tho vow which retained him
among his companions. “If I saw,” said he,
“ one of the Congregation accept a bishopric, I
should shed tears of blood ; what scandal, if I
myself gave the example ! and what injury should
I not cause to tho fervour of all belonging to
me ! I should believe myself lost, and if God
permitted it, should regard it as a chastisement
for my sins and my extreme pride.” lie wrote
the same thing to his friend, the Abbé Bruin,
who had much influence with the Cardinal.
Tho next day Bishop Borgia came to sec him,
and gave him a confidential letter from Cardinal
Spinelli ; he said that his Holiness wished that

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Alphonso should immediately accept the bishop­
ric, to take him out of his embarrassment, but
that he should be at liberty to renounce it after­
wards when affairs became more tranquil. This
visit of Bishop Borgia threw Alphonso into new
consternation and greater than the first. Per­
suaded, on seeing tho circumstances, that tho
Pope would throw difficulties in the way of ac­
cepting the resignation, he understood that he
had no hope left but in God, and ho made his
brethren pray that the Lord would deign to ex­
empt him from this punishment, which he always
acknowledged to have deserved by his sins. In
the sermon which he gave the following Saturday,
ho recommended himself to the prayers of the
people ; he commenced his penances, he condemn­
ed himself to a severe fast, he diminished his
sleep, and neglected no method to appease what
ho considered so violent a tempest. Bishop Borgia,
on his part, being persuaded that Alphonso, on
account of his age and infirmities, was incapable
of bearing such a burthen, felt it right to inform
Cardinal Spinelli, and to support the representa­
tion which Alphonso had made to him.
As the time drew near when tho decision was
to bo taken at Rome, tho disquietude of Alphonso
increased. At times ho re-assured himself by
thinking of tho vow which he had mado to re­
nounce all dignities, and as that was an essential part of his rule ho hoped the Pope would
not easily resolve to constrain him ; but soon tho
idea camo to mind that the holy Father could
dispense him from his vow, and this made him

I
I
I
f
I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

quite disconsolate. Wo partook in his fears.
“ And if the Popo should command you ? ” Father
Mazzini said to him'; “Tho will of God bo al­
ways done,” replied Alphonso bending his head.
In spite of his extreme agitation ho was heard
repeating incessantly in every place, “ May tho
will of God be done.” Ho remained balancing
between fear and hope, but fear had tho pre­
ponderance. “If tho courier comes,” ho said
several times to Fathers Ferrara and Mazzini,
“ do not let me see him, for ho would seem to
me like an executioner with tho axe in his hand.”
His brother Hercules, who was at Naples, having
asked him how things went on, Alphonso wrote
to him, “ I am waiting to see God’s will, to obey
according as His good pleasure may dispose of
the few days which remain to me. They will
last but little longer; yesterday I felt very ill.”
There was no delay in telling the election of
St. Alphonso at St. Agatha ; the news made
the good rejoice as much as it distressed the
wicked. Tho zeal of tho holy missionaries was
well known. When his refusal was heard there
tho pious redoubled their supplications to God,
praying Him to dispose all according to His
greater glory and for the good of a diocese which
was in great spiritual need.
While Alphonso was grieving at Nocera, his
refusal was agitating the Roman court. Tho
Popo was dissatisfied and troubled ; but many
well qualified people who were acquainted with
the reasons alleged by St. Alphonso, hastened to
intercede in his favour, especially dwelling on

ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

267

his age and his enfeebled frame. Cardinal
Spinelli, informed of the state of St. Alphonso,
pleaded his cause himself, though with regret.
On the evening of the 14th of March the Pope
seemed disposed to accept the resignation, but
tho next morning he decided to the contrary,
without any one knowing why it was so. “ I
adore the inscrutable counsels of God,” the Abbe
Bruin wrote to Bishop Borgia : “ the Pope con­
sented to accept the resignation at an opportune
time, but yesterday morning, of his own accord,
and without our knowing why, he ordered the
Cardinal Auditor to expedite the letters of com­
mand, and I know that the same evening they
were notified to his Eminence the Nuncio. Mgr.
the Auditor made some observation, I know not
what, to tho Pope : his Holiness replied in a
tone of authority, that ho willed it to be so.
Cardinal Spinelli, quite silenced by this change,
bowed his head saying, ‘ God wills it. Tho voice
of the Popo is the voice of God.’ ” Abbe Bruin
finished his letter by these words: “His Eminence
tho Auditor will send a letter to tho future
bishop couched in suitable terms for a learned
religious of noble birth. Indeed, tho Pope, still
better informed of the nobility of Alphonso, of
his talents and his merits in regard to Church
and State, caused him to be addressed in a style
worthy of his high reputation and of the esteem
which his works had gained him, not only in
Naples and throughout Italy, but in a great part
of Europo.
On tho evening of the 18th of March, 1/62,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

towards six o’clock, the messenger of the nuncio
appeared again at Nocera. Fathers Ferrara and
Mazzini received him, and opened tho letters
which he brought for him themselves. When
they saw tho firm resolve of tho Popo, they wont
to seek Alphonso, but before letting him know
tho truth, they got him to recite an Ave Maria
with them. While they prayed Alphonso felt
his heart beat, and cried, “Tho courier has re­
turned ! ” They confessed it, and told him the
Popo commanded him to accept, lie then raised
his eyes to heaven, bent his head in token of
submission, and pronounced these words, “ Obmu­
tui, quia tu fecisti
then becoming thoughtful,
he added, “It is tho will of God, God sends mo
out of the Congregation for my sins then turn­
ingo towards the Fathers,
7 said to them, “ Do not
forget mo. Ah ! must it bo that wo shall sepa­
rato after having loved each other during thirty
years ! ” On this he was silent, and his eyes
became bathed in tears. Tho Fathers Mazzini
and Ferrara told him to cheer him, that he could
not lack friends at Rome who would cause tho
motives of his renunciation to prevail. “It is
not possible,” replied Alphonso, “to make ex­
planations. The Popo has declared himself in
absoluto terms which do not permit it : I must
obey.” At these words he fell into such convul­
sions that he remained speechless for five hours.
When he camo to himself, ho wrote to the Car­
dinal Nuncio and to tho Auditor, that ho was
ready to accept tho bishopric, and to submit to
the will of the Sovereign Pontiff.

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269

Alphonso was soon convinced that such was
tho will of God concerning him. Abbe Bruin, in
his reply to a letter which he had received, said,
“All tho difficulties which Bishop Borgia put
forward to induco his Holiness to accept the re­
signation have been scrupulously laid before the
Pope, who had already a very accurate know­
ledge of them. Be persuaded then that he has
not been ignorant of any of the reasons that you
gave in your letter to the Auditor. Tho latter
has not been able to learn what could have led
his Holiness to change his opinion so suddenly,
but he has ordered that tho formal command that
you should submit should bo notified to you.
Your Lordship will know when you come to do
homage at tho foot of tho holy Father. I con­
cludo from this, (and Cardinal Spinelli is of tho
same opinion,) that the Lord has willed this unex­
pected change for His greater glory.”
The refusal of Alphonso to accept the bishopric
of St. Agatha had caused a great sensation ; all
Rome was edified, and this edification increased
still more when his unreasoning obedience and
complete submission to tho will of the Popo was
known. The same Abbe Bruin wrote as follows
to Alphonso on this subject : “ Cardinal Spinelli
has been moved by the perusal of tho letter which
your Lordship addressed to me ; ho admired your
incomparable resignation to tho voice of tho
Lord. 1 advise you to write to him immediately ;
your letter will console him much, and give him
great pleasure.”
Let it not be displeasing that I quote here to

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

satisfy the exactitude of history, tho whole of the
letters of Mgr. tho Auditor, aud Mgr. tho Nun­
cio.
To begin with the letter of tho Auditor, Car­
dinal Negroni; it is dated 16th of March: “The
various considerations into which you entered,
Reverend Father, in your letter of tho 9th of this
month, in order to exempt yourself from the
government of tho vacant Church of St. Agatha
of tho Goths, were exposed by me to his Holiness.
Ho was much edified by tho solicitude and re­
ligious attachment which you manifested for the
Congregation you have founded, and which is a
work so advantageous to religion, so fruitful in
spiritual good; but after an attentive examination
his Holiness remains persuaded that his first de­
cision was called for by the wants of the Church
of St. Agatha, and tho motives that you offer
have not been sufficient to cause him to change
his resolution. In consequence he has ordered
me to let you know that the fixed will of the holy
Father is, that you should reply to his voice im­
mediately, and that renouncing every pretext of
excuse for the future, you should accept purely
and simply those functions where your zeal will
find a vast field wherein to exorcise itself, and
where you can, as much as in your Congregation,
labour for the greater glory of God and the sal­
vation of souls. For this end his Holiness dis­
penses and frees you from tho vow under which
you were engaged, after the rule of your insti­
tute, never to accept any ecclesiastical dignity.
You understand then, most Reverend Father,

J**

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that the will of his Holiness is firmly fixed on this
subject ; and I doubt not that you will conform
yourself to it promptly with a religious obedience,
taking time, however, for presenting yourself for
examination, and to be promoted in consistory.
Having nothing further to say, except to give
you an assurance of my profound respect, which
1 desire to be able to prove to you personally by
my services, I beg you to receive,” &c.
Now let us see how Mgr. tho Nuncio Socatclli
wrote on the 19th of tho same month: “I must
transmit to your Lordship a second letter from
Mgr. the Auditor of the holy Father, on the
subject of your election to the episcopal see of
St. Agatha of the Goths. You will learn there
that the formal intention of his Holiness is, that
you should accept the government of this church ;
it is with this view that he frees you from the
vow that you have taken in conformity with the
rule of your Congregation. I have nothing to
add to what Mgr. the Auditor has Avritten to you,
persuaded that you will sec that in tho words of
the visible Head of tho Church, a call is given
you by its invisible Head, and that in consé­
quence you will bow to tho Divine Will. Allow
me to say that we all know that your Lordship
has not asked for the episcopate, that on tho
contrary you refused it when offered ; but we
know also that an obstinate refusal would bo an
open resistance to tho command of God. You
know not what may bo the designs of God for
you, nor the good which may result from your
election, for the diocese you arc called to govern,

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

and for tho Congregation that yon arc about to
quit. All that was humanly possible has been
employed to make tho motives you alleged avail­
able. His Eminence tho Auditor exposed them to
his Holiness, and I strengthened them and made
every effort to show how reasonable they wore.
Notwithstanding those representations, his Holi­
ness persisted in his resolution. You see then
plainly that all this comes from the Father of
Light, as tho spirit of the Lord gives His aid to
His Church, particularly in things that concern
it most. I have entered into those details in
order to anticipate every objection ; I hope that
you will correspond to your divine vocation, and
that you will in consequence give to the Vicar
of Jesus Christ a perfect assurance of your sub­
mission to his commands. I wait for your
answer with impatience, in order to communicate
it to Mgr. tho Auditor, together with tho letters
I shall address to him to-morrow evening. I
renew tho assurance of my perfect esteem to
your most illustrious Lordship, and I am,” &c.

CHAPTER IL

When Don Hercules hoard at Naples that his
brother had accepted tho episcopate he rejoiced,
and hastened to offer his services which might
be necessary to him under the circumstances.
Alphonso replied, and the letter ho wrote was
as follows : “ My dear brother, I have boon so

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

273

stunned by tho command of tho Popo that I
should accept the Bishopric on obedience, that
my ideas seem to have left mo, when I think
that I must separate myself from the society
amongst which I have lived during thirty years.
Thank you for your offer of advancing tho mo­
ney; I had thought of writing to tho Popo to
inform him humbly of tho embarrassment in which
I find myself on account of tho expense which tho
completion of the bulls and many other necessary
things will cause me. Who knows if the indi­
gence in which I am is not sufficient cause to
make mo hope to bo delivered from the bish­
opric ? I begged Cardinal Spinelli to endea­
vour to do me this good office, and ho has
done just the contrary. What do you wish that
I should say? You rejoice, for me I can only weep.
I have lost my sleep and appetite, I am beside
myself, a fever seized me this morning, and this
evening whilst I write it is not gone. I ask of
myself why my old age is to be afflicted by the
painful labours of the episcopate, and how it is
that the Pope, who never gives such commands,
lias adopted a tone of such severity with me ?
To conclude, may the will of God be done ; He
desires the sacrifice of the rest of my life ; I must
submit whatever 1 may wish.”
When tho news of tho promotion of St. Al­
phonso reached Venice, Don Remondini did not
fail to rejoice at it ; he wrote a letter of congra­
tulation to tho new bishop, who replied, thank­
ing him, and assuring him that his only consola­
tion in the pain which he felt was in blindly
18

|41

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

obeying the command of the Sovereign Pontiff,
who had placed this burthen upon him, and he
ended by saying how much he was concerned at
having been the object of so unusual an order,
which had filled the towns of Naples and Rome
with astonishment. After having accepted the
bishopric, Alphonso did not understand following
the custom of tho bishops of the kingdom, who
came to Naples and established themselves in
some dwelling whose luxury seemed to accord with
their own high dignity. Our saint, who thought
differently, wrote thus to his brother : “ As re­
gards the house, I do not want to charge myself
with its expenses. I think that when I come to
Naples one or two rooms on tho first floor will
be enough for me to receive tho people in who
may wish to speak to mo. Tho top story shall
be reserved for tho missionaries.” Brother
Francis Tartaglionc also wrote to him to know
what furniture our house should bo adorned with
for his reception. “I hope,” replied Alphonso,
“that I shall not return to Naples, but in any
case, four straw chairs will bo enough for me.”
Ho told him that ho must think of procuring a
carriage and taking a livery. “ If I have accept­
ed the bishopric by obedience,” replied Alphon­
so, “ I must follow tho example of saintly bish­
ops : do not speak to me then about a carriage
or livery. What good will it do me to act the
great Lord in Naples.” Bishops Borgia and Volpi,
and above all his director, Father Villani, hav­
ing shown him the necessity of a carriage ho
consented to it, but did his best to have only

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275

an old one, and of little value. “Yes, Sir, I am
resolved to buy one,” he wrote to his brother
Hercules, “but I wish to see beforehand if the
late bishop has not left a carriage which might
do, because I should have that much cheaper.
I shall be in Naples this week or next, and we
will speak about it, for the short stay I shall
make in that town I have no need to buy a car­
riage and mules immediately. I will use the
carriage of the Cordeliers for the visits I shall
have to pay there.”
Groat as was the submission of Alphonso to
the will of tho Pope, he made so violent an
effort, and experienced such internal constraint,
that he nearly lost his life. Fever seized him
on the morning of the 20th of March. At first
it was thought to be a cold, but the symptoms
soon became so alarming that his life appeared
in danger. Bishops Volpi and Borgia took no
rest, and knew not how to relieve him. They
knew tho cause of his malady, but they saw no
remedy. Every endeavour at consolation was
useless, for the thorn which pierced his heart
was the episcopate, which he looked on as a
chastisement for his sins. “Just are the judg­
ments of God,” he often exclaimed; “tho Lord
casts me out of the Congregation for my sins!”
During all his torments one thing alone brought
relief to him, it was the hope of being able to
re-enter tho order. “I believe it is certain,”
ho said to Bishop Volpi, “that after God’s
anger is appeased, and I hope that my prayers
and zeal in fulfilling my duties may disarm it

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276

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

in a few years, I am certain that then the Pope
will have pity on my sorrows, and will willingly
choose a more worthy person for St. Agatha ;
then ho will send mo back hero to dio, within
these very walls from whence now I am going
out.”
When it became known that his life was in
danger, Mgr. Giannini arrived from Settero to
visit him. Many gentlemen and ecclesiastics
of distinction hastened from neighbouring towns
for the same purpose. Bishops Borgia and \rolpi
were continually with him. The illustrious Sersale himself wrote from Naples to console him
and fortify his heart by wise reflections. The
evil however increased, and the end was feared
more and more.
While these things were taking place at Nocera, Popo Clement XIII. could not sufficiently
rejoice at the docility of St. Alphonso ; he wished
to testify to him the satisfaction ho felt. So Mgr.
tho Cardinal Auditor wrote to tho holy man tho
following letter, dated March 20th, 1762: “I have
tho pleasure of being able to address this letter
Ost Reverend Father, to assure your
Reverence that his Holiness has learnt writh ex­
treme satisfaction that, submitting your own will
to his determinations, you have resigned and
disposed yourself to accept the episcopal gov­
ernment of St. Agatha. I am fully persuaded
that the merit of your acquiescence in tho call
of tho Lord will obtain abundant strength for
you, and all desirable assistance for the accom­
plishment of your duties in this diocese. May

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277

this assurance of the holy Father’s satisfaction,
which I communicate to you in his name, con­
sole you until you are able to come to Rome,
and to be convinced of it in person. Ilis Holiness
has had tho kindness to consent that you shall
defer this journey on account of the inclemency
of the prcscut season, so that you can undertake
it at your convenience, regulating yourself how­
ever according to the advice of the agent of the
holy Father, in order to be present at the next
consistory. For my part, most Reverend Father,
I desire nothing so much as to be able to give
you new proofs of tho respect and esteem with
which I am,” &c.
This letter arrived when Alphonso was in the
height of the fever. As soon as Don Hercules
heard at Naples the dangerous state of his bro­
ther, he hastened to Nocera, bringing one of the
most skilful physicians of that capital with him.
Alphonso, when interrogated as to his state, re­
plied, “I am under the hand of God.” Those
of us who were at Ciorani had not failed to visit
him. This step on the part of his religious
however was far from consoling him ; on seeing
them ho began to weep, and said, “You are come
to expel mo from the Congregation
and when
Don Hercules strove to make him recover his
courage, he replied, “ I wish always to do tho will
of God.” His malady at last bccamo so serious
that they believed at Naples and at Romo that
he was dead. The Popo was extremely afflicted,
and doubted if he wore still alive ; ho said, “ If
he dies, we shall give him our apostolical bene­

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

diction ; but if he lives we wish to have him in
Rome.” All the Congregation wore in alarm,
and public prayers were addressed to God in all
tho houses, each feeling deep interest in tho life
of him whom ho looked on as his father.
Tho submission of Alphonso to the will of the
Popo produced quite an ecstasy of joy at St.
Agatha. The gladness was general. The chap­
ter deputed several canons to congratulate him,
but their sorrowful surprise on finding him in
bed and in danger of death was as great as their
ardent desire of becoming acquainted with him
whom God had destined to be their father.
II
Their congratulations became
rather words of
condolence. On their return to St. Agatha this
news spread consternation among tho inhabitants,
and in union with the clergy they addressed their
prayers to God that he would deign to restore the
health of him who was to bo their pastor.
Tho refusal to accept the bishopric, and the
subsequent definite acceptance, produced an
equally great sensation at Naples. Both tho
ono determination and the other had given much
edification to all. In tho refusal a new proof of
detachment from dignities was given by the
pious religious, and in his acceptance his great
submission to tho visible Head of the Church
was to be admired. The Marquis Tanucci did
not think thus, but probably he did not know
all. lie admired his refusal, but ho was afflicted
at his acceptance. Many years afterwards, Coun­
sellor Celano went to this minister to beg a
favour for Alphonso. “IIow was it! ” ho replied

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279

with emphasis, “ Bishop Liguori refused tho
bishopric of Palermo which tho King offered to
him, and after that ho accepted that of St.
Agatha which was offered to him by the court of
Rome ?” “ He was prevented from accepting
that of Palermo,” replied tho counsellor, “be­
cause he had made a vow not to accept any dig­
nity ; he equally refused that of St. Agatha ; and
if he accepted it at last it was because the Pope
obliged him to do it by a formal obedience ;
if the King had given him the same command­
ment for the Archbishopric of Palermo, he
would have accepted that just the same.”
This answer embarrassed the Marquis, but he
would not yield. “The King,” ho said, “does
not force, but he wishes to be obeyed.” How­
ever, tho Marquis Tanucci did not cease to sup­
port Alphonso, for whom he had great venera­
tion.

CHAPTER III.

That our Saint escaped from the death which
his promotion to tho episcopate nearly caused,
must bo attributed to a real miracle. As his
mind resumed its calmness ho abandoned himself
to tho will of tho Popo. His body also regained
its strength, and his health became re-estab­
lished. When his humility would have opposed
itself to tho will of tho Popo, ho was heard to
recollect himself and to say, “ God wills that I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

shall be a bishop, and for my part, I will to bo
a bishop.” He was in this disposition of mind
when, on the morning of Easter day, finding that
ho was almost well, ho took the sudden resolu­
tion of going to his bishopric. Ho entered then
without loss of time into ono of those miserable
carriages which are called mantico, and set out
for Naples, from whence ho had to repair to
Romo. Ho was accompanied by Father Villani.
He hoped that tho sight of so poor an equipage
would lead tho Pope to exempt him from tho
charge, the weight of which appalled him so
II inch in prospect.
On the Saturday before his departure he did
not omit to preach according to custom in our
church in honour of tho Holy Virgin Mary, and
he did it in so pathetic a tone that he affected
all his audience in an extraordinary degree.
On his way he visited his brothers of Nocera,
II all
and his adieus were the more moving, from
II
who heard him believing it to be for the last time
in their Church. Each one treasured up his in­
structions : he recommended them to persevere
in the fear of God, and in devotion to tho most
Blessed Virgin Mary. He begged all there pre­
sent never to forget him in their prayers, in
order that the Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed
Virgin might aid him to bear tho load which
they had placed on him, and ho on his part pro­
mised always to remember them. After that ho
added, “ Do not afflict yourselves, my dear bro­
thers, because 1 am going away ; I promise that
I will return here again to end my days.” Tho

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emotion became great, every one molted into
tears, not being able to help regretting tho loss
of a man who had so many titles to their love.
On passing by the Tower of tho Annunziata,
Iio stopt for a few moments at the house of the
Garganos, who had begged him to grant them this
favour. They wore a family of whom all the
members were much devoted to Alphonso. They
had been accustomed to hear at times a mission
from him, at others a novena, now they saw
themselves deprived for the future of his instruc­
tions, so they wcro very eager in soliciting them
for this the last time.
They wcro grieved to see tho uneasiness which
his dignity of bishop caused him. “I go to
Rome,” ho said to them, “but I am sure that my
representations which have been powerless at a
distance, will be more favourably heard when I
am on the spot ; the lioly Father will let mo go
and die among my brothers when he only finds in
me a miserable carcass.”
He found fresh subjects of distress on his ar­
rival at Naples. Being obliged to pay his re­
spects to the ministers and the magistrates, and
finding himself beset at homo by the crowd who
camo to compliment him, ho required all his vir­
tue to bear this new mode of life. “ Recommend
me, and let me bo recommended by others very
particularly to Jesus Christ,” ho wrote to Father
Mazzini on the 14th of April; “if I do not lose
my senses now, I shall never lose them. Unhap­
py that I am, I loft the world in my youth, and
now in my old age I have to begin again to hold
intercourse with it.”

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

He was received in tho most honourable way
by tho Nuncio, by tho Grand Almoner, and by
Cardinal Scrsalc. Tho governors of tho Infant
Don Ferdinand gave him especial marks of vene­
ration, and promised him their protection, as did
also tho four ministers of state, and above all,
the Marquises of Tanucci and of Marco. His
friends, knowing his distaste for dignities, did not
come to congratulate him, but rather to condole
with him.
These visits were like those which Job re­
ceived from his friends, who pitied by silence ra­
ther than by speaking. Some years before
Alphonso heard during his stay in Naples that
his friend, Father Janvier Fatigati, was going
to bo elected to tho bishopric of Cassano. He
went to see him one morning before break of
day, and met him on tho threshold of the
door. “Father Janvier,” he said to him with
ardour, “ do not accept tho episcopate, if you
do you will be damned.” lie feared before­
hand being raised to the same dignity, which
would take him away from his rising Congrega­
tion, and he foresaw that he could not accept it
without detriment to tho glory of God. But how
hidden are tho ways of God on high ! Alphonso
in his turn received at the time wo are speak­
ing of tho visit of Father Fatigati, who, more
fortunate than himself, had been able to decline
the episcopate. When they met they were mu­
tually silent, their eyes were bathed in tears, and
the features of Alphonso showed the bitterness
which rent his heart, while those of Father Fati-

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283

gati depicted tho compassion he felt for his
friend. Hercules Liguori was far from feeling
these sentiments ; on tho contrary, he rejoiced in
the elevation of his brother. Alphonso, dissatis­
fied at seeing him so well pleased, said to him one
day half offended, “ You aro not capable of pro­
curing consolation for a poor Christian. Ah ! if
you knew what a bishopric is, and what it is to
have to render an account of the souls of others
to God!”
During these trials he did not forget to steal
some time from the world to go and visit in their
convents his daughters in Jesus Christ. When
they knew the grief which preyed on him, and
the danger his life had been in, they hastened
to have recourse to God, to pray Him to restore
his peace and health. He begged all of them
to redouble their supplications to God, that He
would dispose all things so as to promote His
greater glory. “I am illustrious now because
I am a Bishop,” said ho one day to Sister Mary
Graziano ; “ but when tho Pope sees how broken
and infirm I am he will say, ‘Retire, tho episco­
pate is not fit for you.’ Pray much,” he added,
“for God can do all things.” When he visited
Sister Mary Desio, his penitent, whom God had
favoured with His gifts, and whom he found in bed
in tho hospital of tho Magdalene, ho said to her,
“ When I go to Rome, and am at tho feet of his
Holiness, tho Pope will plainly see what a miser­
able creature I am, and how incapable of bearing
tho cross and mitre.”
As soon as his arrival at Naples became known

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

at St. Agatha, a groat number of noblemen and
gentlemen went there to congratulate him. The
humility of Alphonso filled them with admiration.
They were equally surprised at his affability and
the tranquillity of his mind. They found nothing
imperious in him, for they saw a man who was
a foe to pomp, whoso heart was quito their own,
and full of sweetness and sincerity. On their
return to St. Agatha, they did not cease to eu­
logize their Bishop and to publish his virtues
throughout all tho diocese, so that before ho was
known there Alphonso was desired and proclaim­
ed as a Saint.
Tho expenditure of Alphonso when at Naples
for his equipment was really extraordinary : his
episcopal ring cost only a few carlins, it was
adorned with a simple bit of glass ; tho brilliants
in his pastoral cross were also made of false
stones. When Porpora gave it to him, Alphonso
said, on looking at it, “ Oh, what a heavy cross
you bring me!” “What! heavy!” replied the
workman with astonishment. “Yes, heavy,”
answered Alphonso, bending his head twice.
“ Alas ! it is so weighty that I know nothing
more overwhelming. ’ ’
Before he set out from Nocera he wrote to
Cardinal Spinelli to tell him of the command
which the Pope had given him, and to beg him
to see if he could find some method to dispense
him from obeying it. He received the following
answer at Naples : “ Your letter has reached mo
at Cisterna, where I am on visitation. I have
the honour to inform you how much I rejoice

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285

in tho re-establishment of your health, and that
I am quite unable to make the smallest repre­
sentation to his Holiness in your favour, for I
shall not bo in Rome till June, and besides in
so doing I should fill an odious office which
would not suit mo at all.” The Cardinal was
sorry for tho pain which Alphonso felt, but did
not regret being unable to remedy it.

CHAPTER IV.
On Monday 19th April, after Easter week, Al­
phonso, accompanied by Father Villani, set out
for Romo. He expected to find Cardinal Spi­
nelli at Vclletri, but as he was still absent Al­
phonso stopped at tho seminary in that town,
where he was congratulated by several noble­
men ; after waiting two days for the Cardinal
ho went to Cisterna, where ho found him. His
Eminence could not help smiling on seeing him;
but Alphonso said at onco, “ My Lord, you have
not acted fairly towards mo.” Tho Cardinal had
a high opinion of Alphonso ; his refusal of tho
episcopate had edified him ; his prompt obedience
to the Popo edified him still more. He related
what had passed at Romo concerning him; he
told him that the Popo said on receiving his re­
signation, that lie would recommend tho matter
to God, and that he had himself begun to set
about choosing another; but a little afterwards
his Holiness called the Cardinal, and said to him,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

“ I do not understand this, I will command Fa­
ther Liguori to accept.” The two bishops con­
versed on many things which concerned the
Church. The Cardinal urged his visitor to un­
dertake the burthen of tho episcopate coura­
geously. “My Lord,” he said to him, “be sure
of the assistance of God, for your divine voca­
tion is most certain.” The Cardinal would
have kept Alphonso some days with him, but
ho could not consent to it. When they sepa­
rated the Cardinal encouraged Alphonso, recom­
mended him to fear nothing at Rome, and pro­
mised to take away all the difficulties which
might present themselves.
The first thing which our Saint did on ar­
riving in Romo was to visit tho tomb of St.
Peter. lie remained before tho altar in a sort
of ecstasy for more than an hour, and he stayed
for a long time on his knees to honour the statue
of the holy apostle which is in the Vatican be­
sides.
They were so prepossessed in his favour at
Rome that he was welcomed everywhere with es­
pecial marks of esteem. The Fathers of tho Con­
gregation of Pious Workers wished to have him
in their house ; every one met him on tho thresh­
old of their door ; and his intimate friend, Father
Songobardi, loaded him with a thousand marks
of attention. Cardinal Orsini wont to see him
twice ; the Cardinals Gallo and Antonelli,7 Mgr.
o
the Vico Manager, together with Cardinal Spi­
nelli and others, visited him several times. Fa­
ther Ricci, General of tho Society of Jesus, went

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287

three times to seo him. The Duke of Sora,
Prince of Piombino, Don Gaétan Buon-Campagno,
being at Frescati, and hearing of his arrival,
begged him to lodge in his palace, and offered
him tho uso of a carriage. Alphonso declined
the dwelling-place, but accepted the carriage,
which his weakness and great age rendered in­
dispensable to him. He went to Frascati one
day, and the Duke received him with distinc­
tion.
The Abbé Bruni went to seo him also : he had
taken part with Cardinal Spinelli in Alphonso’s
nomination to the episcopate ; the latter, who
knew this, could not help gently reproaching
him by representing his incapacity. “I have
no quality which fits me in the least degree
for a Bishop, but I submit because the Pope
commands, and God wills that I should obey
him.” lie said also to Abbé Toppi, who was
a professor in Rome, and went to congratulate
him, “Father Reader, tho Popo wills that I
should bo bishop, but I have come to let him
sec that I am but a machine out of order.”
Ho would have made the circuit of Rome had
he accepted all the invitations ho received ; but
he excused himself very courteously to all ; his
humility made him quick in finding pretexts
for so doing. Tho Fathers of the Mission of St.
Vincent of Paul invited him to dinner one day :
“ My Fathers,” he said to them, “please to give
my dinner to Jesus Christ’s poor for mo, in or­
der that He may let mo seo His holy will dis­
tinctly while I am at Rome.” Cardinal Orsini

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

invited him to his table ; Alphonso wished to
excuse himself again, but it was in vain ; his
attendant told him that his Eminence had in­
vited other great personages to meet him ; the
reception which he met with from the Cardinal
deserves to be repeated. Alphonso in his change
of state had made no change of habit, and even
in Romo he gloried in wearing tho cassock of
his order. When ho was preparing to go to
the Cardinal’s, ho was told that ho ought not
to present himself there in such a dross. When
Mgr. Tosta had wished to go in his cassock,
the Cardinal’s steward persuaded him to change
it for a court dress ; but Alphonso did not at­
tend to this advice, and so when ho met tho
Cardinal he said to him, “My Lord, I am come
as I was.” Tho Cardinal smiled. “I know,”
added Alphonso, “that you aro ashamed of me.”
“Well, my wish is, that you should shame me,”
answered the Cardinal ; then ho embraced him
heartily and led him into his cabinet.
Alphonso suffered a great deal at Naples from
tho numerous visits and compliments with which
ho was loaded, but it was much worse at Rome.
“ The time which must pass before I can leave
Romo seems like a thousand years,” he wrote
to his brother Hercules. “How I long to be
free from all their ceremonial ! and yet I re­
ceive such testimonies of respect here!” He
was much grieved at the expenses he was obliII
ged to go to. “ Here,” he added in the same
letter, “presents alone exhaust one; there is
plenty of ceremonial but also of money.” Tie

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289
l·

was so overwhelmed with visits that ho had
hardly time to pray to God, and this it was
which afflicted him the most. On his arrival
he hoard that tho Pope was at Civita Vecchia,
from whence he could not return immediately.
Alphonso resolved to go, in the meanwhile, to
Loretto, to visit the Holy House. Father
lani tried to dissuade him from it, to save him
from this additional fatigue. “ My good Mother Mary will strengthen me,” Alphonso answered ; “ when will so favourable an opportu­
nity offer again? Nothing .will hurt me, if I
can have the satisfaction of visiting this house
where tho Eternal Word became man for mo.”
This journey, like that from Naples to Rome,
was to Alphonso a time of continual union with
God. Ho commenced before day-break by a long
meditation and other prayers ; then he said the
canonical hours, paid a visit to the most Blessed
Sacrament, and after that to tho Blessed Virgin
Mary ; he then said tho Rosary and Litanies,
and he wished his servants also to recite the Ro­
sary with uncovered heads. Ho said many pray­
ers for the souls in purgatory besides ; ho passed
the rest of tho time till twelve in singing pious
hymns, and in holy converse with Father Villani.
Ho celebrated mass every day, and when the
hour approached ho mado his preparations be­
fore going a step. While he continued his route he
said Vespers and Compline ; ho then made a long
meditation, together with a visit to Jesus and
Mary, whose rosary ho recited again. On arriv­
ing at the inn he said Matins and Lauds for tho
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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

following day. His attendants were humility and
poverty. Ho wore nothing but tho gown and cas­
sock of his Congregation. He fasted in the
morning, and took his evening meal in a strange
manner, for ho went to the same table as tho dri­
vers, as if he had been the poorest of tho travel­
lers. He experienced ineffable consolations du­
ring the three weeks ho passed at Loretto in the
holy chapel. Ho observed, or rather lie meditated
on the smallest local circumstances connected
with it. “It is hero,” he exclaimed in unceasing
rapturo, “ it is hero that the Word became man,
it is here that Mary held Him in her arms!”
Ono day he told Father Villani to retire, wishing
to contemplate the mysteries which this cradle of
tho divine humanity recalled to his mind at lei­
sure. Though ho remained incognito, many per­
sons came to pay their respects to him. The
Jesuit Father, penitentiary of this Church, loaded
him with attention and consideration. He ac­
companied him continually, and lot him see all
the valuable things which are to be found in the
treasury of this chapel. Alphonso felt extreme
joy in hearing of the kings and princes who had
given to the Blessed Virgin such costly testimo­
nies of their piety.
During all the nights Alphonso passed at Lo­
retto, he never went to bed ; ho remained con­
stantly on his knees, sometimes without any
support, sometimes with that of his bed. These
details were given to me by Dominic Anthony
Zannelli, who was his servant then, and had
been witness of them, having watched his master

I

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

291

through the crevices of the door. The same
Zannelli told mo also that Alphonso took for
supper ■ only an infusion of sage ; he ate very
little at dinner, and when he was urged to take
some dishes which the innkeeper brought for
him, he always declined it adroitly. He never
left the house to go to see the town, only going
out to celebrate mass in the morning, and to pay
a visit in the evening to the Blessed Sacra­
ment and the holy Virgin Mary. The pilgrims
who were not wanting there, came to the
saintly man in crowds, and he neglected nothing
in order to relieve their misery. One of them
coming before him half naked, Alphonso opened
his trunk and gave him his best shirt, and a
tolerably large alms besides. When he was ob­
liged to leave Loretto, one may say he left his
heart behind in that holy spot. On his return
he did not cease to speak of the great mystery
the very scene of the accomplishment of which
he had been visiting.
o
A heavy rain fell the night after his de­
parture which swelled the stream of the river
Tarni. The next morning in leaving Marino
in a boat an awkward evolution nearly upset the
barge ; Alphonso fell into the water and disap­
peared in the middle of the river ; but for the
courage of tho servant who accompanied him
he would have been lost, lie threw himself into
the stream, had the happiness to bear him out
of it on his shoulders, and miraculously suc­
ceeded in taking him to the other side. When
they arrived at Spoleto, Mgr. Acqua, Bishop of

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

that city, being informed of the passage of liis
saintly colleague, sent his carriage to tho hotel
for him ; ho was himself confined to bed by
gout, and was under great uneasiness as to tho
stato of his diocoso. Ho thought himself most
fortunato in being able personally to know ono
whoso works he admired so much. Ho opened
his heart to him, told him all his trials, and
amongst others, that though there were four
hundred parishes and forty convents in his dio­
cese, he had not enough priests. Alphonso con­
soled the holy Bishop by pious reflections, who
passed the greater part of tho night with him
blessing God for having been able to converse
with a man of such enlightened piety.

CHAPTER V.

Alphonso returned to Romo on tho evening
of May 8th, 1762 ; the Popo arrived almost at
tho same time from Civita Vccchia. Alphonso
went to do homage to him immediately ; as he
bent to kiss his feet, tho Popo hastened to raise
him, and embracing him made him sit beside
him ; but Alphonso, who aspired only to show
his inaptitude for the episcopate and his holy
horror of dignities, threw himself anew at his
feet and supplicated in tears to bo exempted
from a charge which his infirmities, his age,
and above all, his incapacity rendered him
unfit for. The Popo was affected, but could

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293

not change his resolution. “Obedience,” he
said, “ enables miracles to be wrought ; trust
therefore in God, and lie will assist you.”
Ho then made him sit down, and questioned him
with interest as to the state of Naples, both in
its political and spiritual relations ; he kept him
for an hour and a half, as he took very great
pleasure in talking to him. Alphonso did not
omit to tell the holy Father of the great good
his missionaries were doing, and how much God
blessed our Congregation, which had merited the
esteem of tho King and Bishops. lie then went
to Cardinal Pallavicino, to Mgr. tho Auditor,
and Bishop Marefoschi, Secretary of tho Examen ;
he visited also some other Cardinals and Prelates.
When at the palaeo of Cardinal Torrcgiani, Sec­
retary of State, he wished before making himself
known, to wait till all who had asked an audience
were satisfied, so he staid humbly in the ante­
chamber. Bishop Molinari related, when he was
dangerously ill at Biomi, that being then at
Homo, as Postulator for the canonization of
tho Capuchin Fathers, ho entered tho ante­
room that same day, where he saw Alphonso
to whom no ono paid any attention. “ Bo you
know,” said he, turning to the Cardinal’s ser­
vants, “who this religious is ? It is Don Alphonso
Liguori, a Neapolitan nobleman, a man as learned
as he is holy, and much celebrated by his writ­
ings in Italy and among other nations.” He
had been taken for a mendicant ; tho Cardinal
was immediately informed however after this,
and received him with distinction above every

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

one else. When he visited Cardinal Antonelli
he came himself to receive him at tho hall door.
He conversed in a friendly way with him for
more than two hours, and when ho went away
ho reconducted him to tho door.
Tho Pope was so charmed with Alphonso that
ho wished often to see him, and conferred with
him on many affairs of much importance to the
church. The Pope conceived tho highest opinion
of his virtues and science from these interviews.
He never spoke of him without admiration, so
much so that a rumour went about that Alphonso
would bo made a Cardinal ; it was even spoken of
at Naples, and Bishop Borgia from what ho heard
thought tho news was certainly true. Alphonso
himself seemed to confirm these reports by the
terms in which ho wrote to his brother Hercules
of what had passed between him and the Sove­
reign Pontiff. In one of his visits to the holy
Father tho conversation fell upon frequent com­
munion ; Alphonso told him that ho had been
opposed at Naples on this subject by some men
II .ore rigorous than devout, who by exaggerating
tho dispositions which this Sacrament requires,
discouraged the faithful and kept them at a
distance from it. “ What do these innovators
mean ? ” replied tho Pope, afflicted at this news.
“ I know by experience, how advantageous fre­
quent communion is to tho soul.” Ho disap­
proved of tho silence of Alphonso, and charged
him to refute his adversaries. Alphonso consent­
ed, and during his stay in Rome ho composed
and published a treatise on this subject. The

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295

Pope received it with great satisfaction. Alphonso
presented it to a great number of Cardinals and
Prelates, who all admired the superiority of his
talent.
lie went to visit the examiners, that is to
say, Cardinal Gallo, Grand Penitentiary, and
Father Ricchini, Master of the Sacred Palace,
and Abbot of St. Peter ad Vircula: he receiv­
ed the greatest marks of esteem from them all.
When he was asked on what treatises he wished
to be examined, ho wanted to leave it to the
choice of the examiners ; but as they insisted
to the contrary, he named that de Mutuo to
the Cardinal, and that de Legibus to the Abbé ;
but Father Ricchini, who knew how much he
dreaded the episcopate, wished to propose a
question which would please him, it was this :
“ Is it lawful to wish for the episcopate, An
liceat appetere episcopatum ?” lie had touched
a sensitive chord. The Father General smiled,
but Alphonso, if he did not weep, showed the
bitterness of his heart depicted on his counte­
nance.
On the eve of the examination the thought
of the burthen which threatened him brought
o
on a sick head-ache, which took away all his
rest. Father Villani was much concerned at
it, knowing well that the evil would last a loug
time. Alphonso would not eat, and indeed
was incapable of taking anything ; however he
took a little on the command of the said Father,
and the next day, in spite of the discomfort
he felt, he presented himself for tho examina-

l·

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

tion. Tho Cardinals Orsini and Antonelli led
him into the ordinary hall, and seeing how
much ho suffered showed commiseration. Not­
withstanding all this, tho trial ended to tho
glory of Alphonso. Father Ricchini having ask­
ed him if it were lawful to desire tho episco­
pate, ho begged him to raise his voice a little,
but Cardinal Gallo turning to tho Popo said,
“ Holy Father, ho docs not hoar, because ho
docs not wish to hear.” Tho Popo smiled, so
did the examiners and persons present. At tho
end of tho meeting one of tho Cardinals suggested
to Alphonso that ho should return thanks to
tho Pope ; but either ho did not understand it,
or feigned not to understand it, as tho Cardi­
nal repeated it tho second time. “Most holy
Father,” said Alphonso, “since you have deign­
ed to make me a bishop, pray God that I lose
not my soul.”
On St. Basil’s day, tho 14th of June, 1762, Al­
phonso was consecrated Bishop at tho altar of
tho Saviour, in tho Church of Minerva, by Car­
dinal Rossi, assisted by Bishop Macedonio and
another, of whoso name I am ignorant. It was
an overwhelming day for our Saint. Ho con­
fessed to his director afterwards that he had
had two great battles in his life : tho first when
he left tho world, and had to struggle against
tho tenderness of a father who clasped him
tightly in his arms ; tho second when ho was
forced to bo ordained bishop when at Romo.
“For then,” said he, “ I was cast down by fcar
in thinking of tho burthen I was loaded with

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORi.

and tho account I should have to give of it to
God.” Alphonso only considered the good of
souls in the favours he asked fro: the holy
Father : when some one said to hi: that if he
wished to enjoy tho privilege of wearing a cap
at tho altar he must obtain a brief: “Oh,” he
exclaimed, “ what a thing it would be if I should
spend money in order to contract a wicked debt
towards Jesus Christ!” Ho could not imagine
why or how Bishops sought this favour.
While ho was at Rome, our Fathers, seeing
what great harm might happen to tho Congre­
gation by his loss, united to entreat the Pope
to grant to them, that, though a bishop, Al­
phonso might continue to be Superior and Rec­
tor Major of tho Institute, and that a Vicar
General should govern it in his name. This
request was supported by Father Villani, to
whom tho Holy Father immediately replied
with kindness, that his intention was to grant
tho prayer of tho missionaries: “I wish,” ho
added, “ that this Congregation should go on
and be well supplied with subjects, and I do
not intend that it should suffer any harm from
the elevation of its founder, for the great good
it has effected in the Church and in the kingdom of Naples is a great consolation to mc.”
Thus his Holiness, delighted with this proof of
tho attachment of children to their father, con­
descended to grant all their wishes, which help­
ed in no small degree to alleviate the sorrow of
Alphonso, who had believed himself cast out of
tho Congregation in punishment for his sins.

Ji

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Tho holy Father desired tho now Bishop to
come to his privato audience six or seven times ;
at his last visit, in bidding him farowell, he loaded
him. with kindness, and ho seemed unable to se­
parate from Alphonso, who on his side was never
wearied in conversing with tho Vicar of Jesus
Christ. Tho Popo commended tho Church and
himself to Alphonso’s prayers, who in turn begged
him to remember him before God, and also the
wants of his diocese. When ho went away seve­
ral Cardinals and Bishops accompanied him to
tho last ante chamber, and Cardinal Antonelli,
who had conceived an extreme veneration for
him, went still further with him. The Popo
gave him his bulls gratuitously, and Cardinal
Antonelli, Secretary of the Consistory, freed tho
other expenses.
Ho returned to Frascati, to take leave of the
Duke of Sora, who kept him to dinner ; he accom­
panied him on foot into the street, and gave him
his arm to help him to get into tho carriage. Ho
recommended himself and his family to tho
prayers of the Saint before ho left, and not
satisfied with embracing him, ho also kissed his
hand.
During all the time ho staid in Romo Alphonso
led tho most edifying life ; ho never went out
but from necessity, or to visit the sacred places.
After his consecration ho re-visited tho tomb of
tho apostle St. Peter, and placed himself and
those committed to his care under his protec­
tion. Ho also visited the basilicas of St. Mary
Major, of St. John of Lateran, and of St. Paul

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299

beyond tho walls of Rome,
the Vatican library, but it wa:
collections of most sacred Christian antiquities.
Cardinal Orsini invited him a second time, in­
tending to give him a fete on the place Farneso, but Alphonso declined, excusing himself
on the plea of his infirmities. He did not do thus
with Don Sergius Sersalo, who invited him to
come to assist at the procession of the Blessed
Sacrament, in the novice house of the Fathers
of the Pious Schools ; ho went there with plea­
sure to see the honour which is paid in tho capital
of tho Catholic world to so sacred a mystery, yet
ono so opposed by the unbelieving. lie mortified
himself at Rome as elsewhere. Tho great heat
caused him to suffer much from his head ; he was
asked one day to take an ice which was offered
to him, but he refused to accept it, and contented
himself with a glass of lemonade, which is called
fresh water in Rome, (aqua fresca.) He was al­
ways dressed as a missionary, and wore the
rosary at his girdle, and a broad brimmed hat.
Λ person of high rank could not help telling him
how much ho approved his conduct in this re­
spect : “ In not leaving off tho habit of your or­
der,” ho said to him, “you have given a most
edifying example to Romo.” Tho Popo himself
did not cease to praise his virtues. Archbishop
Mastrilli of Bethlehem, Clerk Regular and Theatin, who was present at his consecration, asserted
that tho holy Father said that day when speaking
to several Cardinals of Alphonso : “ On the death
of Bishop Liguori we shall have to honour another

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOIU.

Saint in tho Church.” “The prelates and Cardinais,” added Archbishop Mastrilli, “venerated
him likewise as a Saint.”

CHAPTER VI.
On tho 21st of Juno, St. Louis Gonzaga’s
day, after celebrating mass at tho altar of tho
Saint, in the church of tho Gesù, Alphonso left
Romo and set out towards Naples, passing by
Mount Cassino. Two young noblemen, Andrew
and Alexander Liguori, sons by tho first mar­
riage of Rachel Liguori, a relation of Al­
phonso, had begged him to take this route to
give them tho satisfaction of saluting him. Al­
phonso thought ho ought to gratify them, but
on condition that they should come to meet him
at San Germano, as he did not wish to lose time
by ascending Mount Cassino. lie stopped at
Ciprano to say mass ; tho clergy and gentle­
men, when informed that Bishop Liguori would
officiate in their town, hastened to pay their re­
spects to him. They adorned the church mag­
nificently, and decked tho altar with silver can­
dlesticks and other rich ornaments reserved for
great solemnities. Tho church was crowded with
people of all classes, and each ono already ac­
quainted with tho new Bishop’s renown for sanc­
tity, wished to have tho comfort of kissing his
hand and receiving his blessing. Alphonso was
less fortunate at San Germano ; for either from

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301

his letter not having been received in time, or
from some misunderstanding about the day of
meeting, tho two young men did not de­
scend Mount Cassino. Alphonso then took tho
straight road to tho Benedictine monastery,
Father Villani having preceded him to an­
nounce his arrival. At first ho received no an­
swer ; after waiting some time ho saw a lay-bro­
ther who told him that tho strangers’ quarter
was occupied. The hospitality and kindness of
tho Fathers of Mount Cassino, even to strangers,
is well known, but no doubt God permitted that
Alphonso should meet with this refusal. On ac­
count of it ho went to the inn where ho arrived,
as well as Father Villani, to pass the night on
tho ground, if tho host in respect to his charac­
ter had not given up his own bed to him. Al­
phonso was not annoyed at this unpleasantness.
“Blessed bo God,” ho said, “who has thus or­
dered it.” It was not Avithout difficulty that
Father Villani persuaded him to accept tho inn­
keeper’s offer ; his only cause of regret was from
tho disappointment his pious relatives would feel
when they heard of this mistake.
Tho fourth day of his journey was still more
unfortunate. Tho guide promised that ho should
arrive at a certain church in time to celebrate
mass there, but ho did not do so until two
o’clock, so that Alphonso could not offer tho
holy sacrifice that day. Ho was extremely con­
cerned at it, particularly as it was tho least of
St. John tho Baptist. He arrived at Capua
tho next morning ; Bishop Capeco Galeate ex-

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOBI.

pected him to dino there. In this journey as in
the preceding ones poverty was Alphonso’s
inseparable companion ; though a Bishop, he sat
at table with the voituriers, without suffering any
distinction to be made. At Capua he had once
more to resign himself to receive tho civilities
of a great number of distinguished persons,
both ecclesiastical and secular.
He only arrived at Naples on the morning of
the 25th of June. Our Father Ferrara and Don
Hercules went to meet him at Aversa. His ar­
rival in the capital was no sooner known than a
great number of persons of the highest rank came
to see him ; they were full of respect for his vir­
tues, and gloried in doing homage to him by
kissing his hand. After ho had rested a little
he hastened to visit Mgr. the Nuncio and the
Grand Almoner, who received him with marks of
the highest esteem, and on their parts they did
not fail to go to visit him. Bishop Sersale was
then at Tomo, so they could not see each other
this time. Alphonso also went to pay his respects
to tho regents of tho young king. The Prince
of St. Nicandra, tutor of the infant Don Ferdi­
nand, was informed of his arrival, and hastened
to go to meet him, and on leaving he accompa­
nied him to the stairs. The reception which, he
received from the rest was not less courteous ;
they saw his pain, so they told him to have
courage and trust to their protection. lie visited
the four ministers and commended himself most
particularly to tho Marquis of Marco. “ I go into
a diocese in a little disorder,” Alphonso said to

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

3()3

him, “and each one will wish to justify his con­
duct. I pray God that they may all be able
really to do so ; but I entreat you to regard the
honour of God and the welfare of souls.” “Do
not be distressed,” tho Marquis answered, “and
if you requiro the King's support bo assured you
will obtain it.”
He was invited to tho royal table, and went
there ; but while ho was in the ante-chamber he
was not recognized at first by the two young
chevaliers who were in office that week. The
Canon Don Fabricius Martini, treasurer of Arrenzio, made it known that ho was Bishop Liguori,
and Alphonso became immediately an object of
great veneration ; he was even given a seat.
Confused by these marks of attention, he gently
complained to Mgr. Martini for having made him
known. In the drives he took through the town
he always told tho coachman not to attempt pre­
cedence, but to give way on all occasions. At
the gate of tho Santo Spirito he met a prince’s
carriage which seemed disposed to go first. His
coachman wished to dispute this advantage, but
when Alphonso perceived it ho ordered him to
leave tho passage to the prince, and reprimanded
the man on his return, enjoining him to give
place for the future, oven to a groom.
The religious of tho principal convents asked
him to come to say mass in their churches ; but
Alphonso declined all these invitations, not wish­
ing to prolong his stay in Naples uselessly, lie
gave this gratification to tho nuns of St. Mary
of Zizza at Portanova however, for they celebra-

»

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ted there the transferred feast of St. Aloysius
Gonzaga. Ho went to console his penitent Donna
Maria Savcria Guevara, at Donnalvina, and to­
gether with her her numerous and worthy com­
panions, who ardently longed to hear his salutary
counsels. Ho went by the convent of St. Jerome
also, where tho sisters had asked for him. Ho
went to the church of the Fathers of tho Oratory,
to celebrate mass on the feast of the Visitation of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. As soon as his bro­
thers of tho Congregation of tho Doctors heard
this they begged him to say it in their oratory.
Ho also gratified his cousin Francis Cavalière,
who, with tho concurrence of tho Cardinal, wish­
ed him to give the Sacrament of Confirmation
to one of his daughters in the chapel of his
palace.
Tho heads of the clergy, the missionaries of the
Propaganda, and those of tho Congregation of
the Conference of Pious Workmen established
at St. George’s, gave him striking proofs of their
veneration. They looked on him as tho Apostle
of tho kingdom, and the head of all the mission­
aries. The Fathers of tho Congregation of the
Conference wished to give lustre to their socie­
ty by giving him tho title of Brother. Alphon­
so was full of gratitude, and went himself to
thank them ; he profited by the opportunity to
animate their zeal ; ho also told them if they
would not bo falso to their ministry they must
preach with tho simplicity of the Apostles. A
priest of Aricnzo, who was then at Naples, went
to visit him. lie thought it meritorious to pro-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

sent himself before his bishop like a Ganymede,
with a worldly affectation of dress ; he was per­
fumed and curled, and wore buckles on his feet
which covered all his shoes. Alphonso felt pity
in beholding such vanity of mind, and contented
himself by saying to him with touching good­
ness, “ My son, these are not the buckles of a
priest, and this head-dress does not suit you at
all ; if you act thus, you who should be an exam­
ple to the people, what then will men of the world
do?” The poor priest was quite confused, and
changed his conduct. This was as a prelude to
tho combats which Alphonso was going to engage
in against tho abuses of his diocese.
From Naples Alphonso went to Nocera on the
3rd of July, it was a Saturday ; he visited Cardi­
nal Sorsale in passing the tower of the Annunzi­
ata. Ho received him with the tenderest proofs
of friendship ; his Eminence rejoiced to see him a
bishop. “You are then caught,” he said with
a smile. “Obedience has so willed it,” answered
Alphonso. Tho Cardinal accompanied him to
the stairs, and on seeing his equipage, said
jestingly, “But so, you have taken the livery of
a Cardinal !” “It was not I who ordered it,” Al­
phonso replied, “ it was the work of Don Hercu­
les.” It is true that Alphonso wished to have
his livery of a dingy ash colour, but to his great
regret Don Hercules had made it of crimson on
a blue ground. Casting his eyes after that on his
shoe buckles, the Cardinal said laughingly, “ You
must have bought these at Romo, and no doubt

II

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

they cost you a great deal!” They were little
iron buckles, which had hardly cost a carlino.
Tho Lords of Gargano de la Tour had requested
him when at Naples to celebrate mass in their
house on his way. When Alphonso arrived he
found the chapel magnificently adorned ; ho of­
ficiated there, then accepted an invitation to
dinner at which wcro assembled a great many
noblemen and priests of tho place.
He arrived at Noccra on a Saturday ; he
preached there according to custom in honour
of tho most Blessed Virgin Mary. When the
people heard that Bishop Liguori would preach
the sermon they hastened in crowds ; on seeing
the saintly bishop the whole audience melted into
tears. He received visits from many noblemon,
ecclesiastics, and laymen on the following day:
every one was glad that he returned to Noccra
in good health, although he had left it in ill
health. Some told him that his consecration
had exercised a happy influence on his body
even. On that day he was visited amongst others
by Bishop Volpi, and by Bishop Martinez of
Avcllino, on the next by Bishop Cappola of
Castollamare, Bishop Borgia of Cava, and Bish­
op Giannini of Lettcro. The latter had a tender
love for Alphonso ; he had boon Grand Vicar to
his uncle, Bishop Cavalieri of Troy. Ho made
him a present of a very beautiful rochet and a
handsome ring, which he had himself received on
the day of his consecration from Bishop Cavalieri.
Tho Father Abbé Letizzia ex-general of Monte
Vcrgine, came also to sec him, as well as several

ST. ALPHONSO LIGL'OUI.

Grand Vicars, religious, and gentlemen of the
neighbourhood of Noccra.
After having taken some repose, he went to
Salerno accompanied by Chevalier don Francis
de Vicariis, our pensionary, in order to greet
Bishop Sanchez. Ho visited the Jesuit Fathers
there, who received him with so much cordiality
that Alphonso could not refuse to accept an in­
vitation to dine with them. In the evening he
went to Bishop Borgia at Cava, and tho following
day he was obliged to celebrate the offices pontifically in the church of St. John, being solicited
to do so by Bishop Borgia and the religious of
this monastery, who were almost all his peni­
tents. Tho seminary clerk, who performed the
office of train-bearer, observed, on raising his
pontifical robe, that his stockings were of coarse
cloth, which was a new motive for his esteem
and veneration. Wo, seeing the visits which
would bo paid to him, did not put him in his
ordinary cell, but gave him two in another clois­
ter, in order that ho might sleep in the one,
and receive in the other. One evening he was
with our Fathers, and passed tho cloister where
was his old cell: “0 my cell! ” he exclaimed,
“ formerly thy sight consoled me, now it afflicts
me.” He was so overcome by regret that he
could not banish tears from his eyes. On the
morning of tho Sth of this same July, after
a tender farewell to his dear monastery at Nocera, he took leave of tho missionaries and set
out for Naples accompanied by Father Francis
Margotta. “My brothers, ho said when going

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

away, “do not forgot me, 1 go into exile, far
from my dear Congregation.” lie could say no
more, for his emotion was extreme.

CHAPTER VIΓ.

As it was during the burning heats of sum­
mer, and at that period when the weather fre­
quently changes, tho inhabitants of St. Agatha
did not expect to enjoy the comfort of Alphonso’s
presence so soon. Any one else would have de­
ferred tho journey ; tho doctors of Nocera gave
him this advice, and the inhabitants of St.
Agatha thought it would bo so ; but Alphonso
considered it the part of a good shepherd to give
his life for his sheep, so that they might not bo
exposed to perish of hunger or to tho ravages of
wolves; so ho braved the inconstancy of tho
season, and without thinking of himself, set out
immediately to go and unite himself to his
Church. They wished to dissuade him from this.
“A Bishop,” ho answered, “ought not to think
of his own life, but ho should sacrifico himself
for the souls which are entrusted to him.” lie
could at least have stopped at Aricnzo, and ho
was strongly advised to do so, on account of tho
comfortable house and more salubrious air ho
would have found there ; but he wished to go to
St. Agatha, as the place where God had fixed
his abode. Being again at Naples, ho remained
there till tho following Sunday, the 11th of

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309

July, after which he and Father Francis Margotta in ono carriage, and his brother Hon
Hercules and Father Angelus Majone in ano­
ther, took the route to St. Agatha together. lie
arrived at Casoria, constantly tormented by anxie­
ties of mind, and pre-occupied by numerous cares ;
lie said mass in the collegiate church of St. Maur.
The clergy and gentlemen all went to obtain his
benediction. At Maddalona, he stopped to dine
in tho monastery of the Conventual Fathers.
Father M. Mirabelli, who was then Provincial,
paid him all possible testimonies of respect
and veneration. The repast was splendid, there
were not less than thirty guests. Bishop Al­
bertini, being informed of his approach, went
from Cascrto to Maddalona, from whence he ac­
companied him to the boundaries of his diocese,
together with other great personages of tho same
town. When they arrived at the celebrated
bridge of tho royal acqueduct, which separates
tho dioceso of Caserto from that of St. Agatha,
the Canon Jcnnicri said to the saintly prelate,
“ Behold your diocese, deign to give it your
blessing.” Ho wept, being affected at tho sight
of tho crowd of people who filled the road and
hastened in expectation of the benediction. No
triumph in the memory of man had ever been
scon to equal that of Alphonso when ho entered
the diocese of St. Agatha ; all eyes admired the
humility and openness which were depicted on
his faco, all mouths proclaimed that verily a
Saint had come to govern tho diocese. Ou ar­
riving at the gate of Real-Valle, he was saluted

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by a discharge of mortars and by brilliant fire­
works. Ho perceived when before tho parish
church, that tho street was long and that an im­
mense crowd, who had hastened from tho country,
also desired to have tho episcopal blessing ; af­
fected by this pious eagerness, he stopped in his
journey, got out of the carriage and entered the
church, where, after a short act of adoration of
tho blessed Sacrament, ho comforted all the
faithful by a simplo and pathetic discourse. “I
go,” ho said in conclusion, “but I will leave you
my heart, and in a little I will send a mission,
which will cause the abundance of the divine
mercies to descend on you.” In passing by Bagnoli, a fief of tho episcopal revenue, he was again
saluted by roars of cannon and by a thousand
acclamations from a joyous people.
On his arrival at St. Agatha, it will bo easy
to imagine the reception ho received from the
inhabitants of this town in which he was come
to reside. When he descended from the carriage
into the court of tho episcopal palace, he receiv­
ed the congratulations and homage of both
tho secular and regular clergy, and of a number
of distinguished inhabitants of the town and dio­
cese. After a moment of repose, when they were
making ready to conduct him to tho church in
procession, tho canons discovered that he had
no cap or green hat. Not being able to do better,
they took that which was placed on tho tomb of
the deceased Bishop Danza. After the blessed
Sacrament had been exposed, Alphonso pros­
trated himself for a long time with his face on

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311

the ground, which he deluged with his tears.
Tho Cathedral was so crowded, that spacious as
it was, a good many people were obliged to stay
at tho door. When they had chanted the Te
Dcum, the bishop descended from his throne,
and placing himself on the right side of the
altar, he comforted all present by a discourse
in which his love and zeal were equally shown
forth. All who assisted there shed tears of joy,
and thanked God for having given them an angel
for their pastor.
Tho Canon, Don Francis do Lucia, then semi­
narist, took care to take notes of the sentiments
which tho saintly preacher expressed on this
occasion, lie commenced by adoring with the
people the dispensations of God, who, notwith­
standing his inability, willed that he should be
Bishop of St. Agatha ; he protested that he had
not come in the midst of them to give himself
to pleasure, nor to lead an easy life, but to excite
them all by tho example of his labours and his
toils to work for their salvation. He said that
ho was not come into tho diocese to govern, but
to make himself all things to all, and that if as
shopherd ho on his side endeavoured to supply
his flock with safe pasturage, they as sheep ought
in their turn to profit by his words and be docile,
in order to escape from wolves. Ho addressed
himself afterwards to tho clergy, ho prayed them
almost with tears to aid him to carry his bur­
then worthily.
Such was pretty nearly tho purport of Bishop
Liguori’s discourse, when he opened his heart

I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

for the first time to the people of St. Agatha.
Before he ended, he announced a general mission
for the following Sunday which ho himself would
preach at tho cathedral, as well as spiritual ex­
ercises for tho clergy and nobles. After the
benediction of tho blessed Sacrament ho received
the promise of obedience from all tho clergy, and
retired to his palace.
During the sermon an accident happened,
which at first was amusing, but ended by being
serious. Alphonso was suddenly attacked by a
very obstinate fit of coughing ; one of tho canons
turned to the others, and said in joke, “Make
ready, gentlemen, to elect a new Vicar-capitular,
for if my Lord has another such attack, wo shall
infallibly lose him.” Alphonso, to whom this pro­
position was repeated, and its author’s name also,
said jestingly in his turn, “He does not know
that green pears fall more easily than ripe ones.”
A short time afterwards this priest, though in
the prime of life, was carried oft' by death tho
first of all the chapter.
Such was the entrance of our Saint into tho
town of St. Agatha. The old people, who re­
membered tho pomp of other bishops in similar
circumstances, could not help admiring tho po­
verty and humility of their now bishop : these
virtues obtained for him, from the first, general
respect and veneration. When the people came
out of the church, they were hoard to repeat
with expressions of joy, “ Wo have a saintly
bishop, wo have a saint among us.”
Alphonso, after having shown tho first fruits

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313

of his zeal as soon as he arrived, gave them
also a proof of his disinterestedness. The same
day several of the most distinguished people sent
him a quantity of provisions for his table of
great price. There was an abundance of sweet­
meats, foreign wines, of pastry, &c. ; but he
sent them all back, he gave money to tho ser­
vants who had brought him these presents, ex­
pressed his gratitude for so much kindness, and,
to the great edification of all tho town, bought
that same day at the market all that he requi­
red for his repast.
Some days after, the Provincial of the Do­
minican Fathers sent him a great quantity of
choice dishes by the Father Prior of the Con­
vent of St. Mary do Vico ; but Alphonso re­
fused all, and caused tho Father Provincial to
bo told that ho never accepted such presents
from any one. The Fathers Conventual also
wished to show him their friendly inclinations,
by sending him a basket of little cheeses, with
a quantity of sweetmeats, and small wax tapers.
Alphonso took ono of these chooses and sent
back all the rest. Tho religious of Frascio
wore not more fortunate, or the Father Master
Eanti, Dominican of the Convent of Durazzano.
Tho holy prolate’s secretary, Don Verzella,
who did not know how far his master’s fru­
gality would go, and saw that ho must havo
several distinguished guests at his table, such
as Don Hercules and others, thought ho
ought to provide a suitable supper. Alphonso
was dissatisfied and sent for him. “Don he-

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ST. ALPHONSO LIQUORI.

lix,” ho said to him, “may God forgive you,
what have you dono ? I am not como here to
give sumptuous repasts ; I do not wish to treat
you harshly, but I cannot understand any ex­
cess. When there aro so many poor who die of
hunger, it docs not befit us to make good cheer.”
Not satisfied with this reprimand, ho sent for
him again, and fixed the faro for each day : ho
desired that for his dinner, soup or boiled meat
should bo prepared ; an extra dish was only
to bo had for his family or guests. Though
raised to tho episcopate, ho did not change his
manner of life ; ho even followed a severer rule.
Before his departure from Nocera, he sent ono
of our lay-brothers to arrange tho palace of
St. Agatha, and charged him to carry tho cover
of his palliasse there, as ho did not wish to have
any other bed. Tho brother excused himself
by saying that tho canons had prevented it,
and that they had not been able to procure sui­
table straw. “Let it bo procured,” said Al­
phonso, “and let it bo bought at any price.”
lie had tho mattrass removed, and spread tho
empty cover of his palliasse on the boards of
the bed, where he passed the night, and the next
day he was not at rest till ho had seen his pal­
liasse arranged according to custom for tho fol­
lowing night.
Mortification and humility followed him to St.
Agatha. Ho went all over the palace, and chose
tho most inconvenient and plainest room for
his own. lie gave tho best to his Grand Vicar,
to his Secretary, and to Father Don Angelus Ma-

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315

joue, who was to remain with him ; he did not
go to bed the first evening till ho had disciplined
himself severely for a long time. He wished thus
to avert the anger of the divine justice from his
people, and to implore for himself and his flock
the mercies of the Lord.
When his arrival in the diocese became known,
ho received tho visits and congratulations of a
number of lords, bishops, and archbishops.
Bishop Borgia, then Bishop of Aversa, Bishop
Albertini of Caserto, Archbishop Paoti of Amalfi,
came there in succession, as well as Don Innocent
Pignatelli, and the Duchesses of Salandra, Bovino,
and Cassano Serra, and many other prelates,
lords, and ladies, who wished to receive the il­
lustrious bishop’s blessing. I cannot omit a
circumstance which gained him the admiration
of tho inhabitants from the beginning. After
visiting
garden,' and finding
O the O
o it destitute of
bees and vegetables, ho sent for Brother Leonard,
and ordered him to plant a number of kitchen
plants, as if it were the month of February. The
brother smiled at this order, and represented to
him that it was not tho proper season : “ Do as I
tell you,” replied Alphonso. Tho brother obeyed,
and every one laughed at it, but they wore much
surprised when a little afterwards they saw that
all without exception throve wonderfully.

4 Ί

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

CHAPTER VIII.
Moved by what tho Apostle said to Timothy,
“that it bchovcth a bishop to bo blameless ,*
moreover ho must have a good testimony of
them who arc without ; ” * and also in his
epistle to Titus, “ that he who is on the con­
trary part may be afraid, having no evil to say of
us.”f Alphonso continued in the episcopate that
life of poverty and penance by which he had edi­
fied us so long. From tho time of his arrival at
St. Agatha, ho made a rule of daily conduct
which ho continued to follow during tho thirteen
years in which ho sanctified his church.
As soon as he arose he gave himself the disci­
pline to blood each morning. After that ho made
half an hour’s meditation on eternal truths, to­
gether with his whole household, with tho excep­
tion of the Grand Vicar, λνΐιο alone was at liberty
not to assist at it. This exercise was never omit­
ted. “Meditation,” said the pious bishop, “is to
the soul what the mind is to tho body ; ho is not
a man but a brute, who does not hasten on aris­
ing to pay homage to his Creator, and to ask of
God the means of passing the day well.” The
canonical hours followed tho meditation, and
after a suitable preparation, his Lordship cclcbrat♦ Oportet ergo episcopum irreprehensibilem esse ; et testimonium
habera bonum ab iis qui foris sunt. (1 Tim. iii. 2 and 7.
1 Ut is qui exadverse est, vereatur, nihil habens malum dicere de
nobis. (Tit. ii. 8.)

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

317

ed Mass ; he then heard on his knees that which
his secretary or some other priest said immediate­
ly after. One day when this mass was missed,
Alphonso was much distressed, and complained
of it to his Secretary: “Don Felix,” he said to
him, “ the greatest annoyance you can give me
is to deprive me of hearing a mass after I have
said my own.”
Having thus done his duty towards God, he
gave audience to those who had to speak to him,
and occupied himself most in satisfying the
messengers who came from divers parts of his
dioccso ; to spare them all tho tedium of ante­
chambers, he told his servants to usher in im­
mediately every person, however poor ; thus
rich and indigent entered without distinction ;
it was noticed that the more poor and misera­
ble tho person was, the more interest Alphonso
had in listening. The curés and vicars as well
as confessors and foreign curates, had no need
of being announced : ho wished them to enter
at all times with perfect confidence. “ These
arc my privileged ones,” said he, “they ought
not to suffer any restraint.”
When no ono asked an audience of him, he
began to compose or to dictate immediately
after mass, which ho never did when he had to
attend to the people of his diocese. As soon
as there was any ono to hear, ho directly left
his study and did not return till he had satis­
fied the visitors.
Tho furniture of his room consisted of little
more than a writing table ; it was there ho

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

placed himself in the morning, with a crucifix and
figure of our Lady of Good Counsel before him,
continually engaged in prayer, in work, and in
giving audiences and attending to the affairs
of his diocese. As his dislike to useless visits
was known, no one went to him but for things
worthy of notice, and if after having satisfied
them they did not retire, “Now then,” Alphonso
said, “do not let us lose time,” or, “recommend
me to Jesus and Mary.” If ho had to do with
people whom ho could not with propriety dis­
miss, the constraint which he suffered interiorly
was visible, not on account of tho interruption
of his work, but the loss of time, of which he
was only avaricious for the glory of God and
the good of his neighbour.
A stranger priest came to him one day ; Al­
phonso did not see how he could shorten his
visit with politeness, when ho was told that a
curé of his dioceso wished to speak to him.
“Come in, come inj” he then exclaimed with
animation. The stranger went out and left
the curé with his bishop: “Oh!” said Alphonso,
“these arc tho people I like to hear and not
strangers, who come to converse with me about
things with which I have nothing to do.” Ano­
ther time he was told that an archpriest wished
to say a word to him: “Not one word, but a
thousand,” immediately answered Alphonso, put­
ting down his pen.
Every one, except females, had free access to
him ; ho desired to be informed if one of them
asked to speak to him, and generally conversed

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319

with them out of his own room, and always
with a witness. Λ lady of rank and of a great
ago wished to speak to him alone: “There is
no objection to this brother being present,” his
Lordship said to her ; (it was brother Anthony)
“ho is prudent, depend upon it.” Another day
ho was seen to give an audience in a drawing
room to an old lady who was quite decrepit ;
the bishop made her sit down on a long bench,
of which he occupied the opposite extremity
and conversed with her thus, with his back
half turned towards her. The witnesses of this
scene could not help being amused at it, Arch­
deacon Robertis told me. When he had to
reprimand some women of bad conduct, he wish­
ed always to have one belonging to him for a
witness, and if this witness manifested a desire
to retire Alphonso ordered him to remain.
When ho went to church, he wrapped his right
hand in his hankerchief, and held the left in
tho opening of his cassock ; if a woman pre­
sented herself to kiss his hand, he said, “Kiss
tho habit, that will suffice.”
Tho habit which our saint had adopted of
assisting at all the offices was not discontinued
when he was a bishop ; he liked to preside over
all that was done in his cathedral at the high
masses, vespers, and canonical hours, no indis­
position stopped him ; he was known to officiate
pontifically when seized by fever ; one day that
ho had applied a painful remedy to his logs, he
resisted tho advice of those who begged him not
to officiate, and yet ho suffered so much that ho

A ·

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

was seen to tremble on his throne. He did all
the offices of Holy Week himself; on Holy Satur­
day only, as ho had not strength to remain so
long standing, he made a canon preside at all
tho ceremonies and contented himself by saying
mass.
His table, poor and frugal for himself, was a
little less so for his family ; that is to say, that
besides that which ho took, they had another
dish of cheese and fruits. During tho meal ho
took care to give food to the soul also ; each one
read in turn. It was generally from tho Life of
St. Charles Borromco. The time which ho pass­
ed at table and in recreation did not exceed an
hour and a quarter. When the fruit was brought,
ho conversed with his Grand Vicar on the affairs
of tho diocese, or on some point of devotion. Ho
received even then those who had not boon able
to speak to him in tho morning, especially if
they were poor or messengers, for it pained him
to sec his inferiors neglected and to try their
patience.
After dinner he took some rest, which is so
necessary in Italy. For his household he fixed
an hour in winter and an hour and a half in sum­
mer ; for himself, he was satisfied with twenty
minutes or at most half an hour, and before it
he never failed to say tho Five Psalms in honour
of tho name of Mary, a devotion which he had
practised from his youth before ho entered tho
Congregation. Ho was so careful of his time,
that he often studied instead of taking this re­
pose. After ho rose ho took some coffee ; but

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

321

very often when Brother Francis Anthony brought
it to him, Alphonso was too much occupied to
take it, and waited till afterwards when the coffee
was quite cold.
Ho attached great importance to reading the
Lives of the Saints: “Tho example of the
Saints,” said he, “encourages us and excites
us to do good.” When lie became bishop he
never omitted to employ half an hour each day
in this exercise, as he had done in tho Institute.
He liked above all to read again the Lives of
sainted Bishops who had been distinguished by
their zeal and contempt of themselves, amongst
others the Life of tho Venerable Bartholomew of
the Martyrs, of St. Francis of Sales, and of
Bishop Cavalicri, his uncle, Bishop of Troy. At
tho end of this reading he made half an hour’s
meditation, after which ho recited vespers and
compline. Ho gave the rest of tho day to busi­
ness or to study. Evon in the evening he did
not go out, but continued his work without allow­
ing himself any respite. On feast days, and espe­
cially in Lent, after vespers, ho instructed the
children himself and taught them the catechism.
Ho knew how to attract them by giving them
pictures and rosaries. But it was not little
children alone who hastened to the instructions
of the bishop; older persons attended in crowds,
to learn from tho lips of their first pastor the
duties of a good Christian.
Our saint was too groat a lover of mankind
to neglect works of mercy ; ho charged himself
with visiting tho sick and abandoned poor, and
21

!,J

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

also those whoso consciences were neglected ; it
was about five o’clock in tho evening when ho
went to see them ; ho took care not to forget
ecclesiastics who might bo ill ; it was an in­
dispensable duty with him to go and comfort
them in their infirmities.
At half-past five tho boll rung for tho visit
to the Blessed Sacrament, and ho himself spoke
to tho people for half an hour, to inspiro them
with sentiments of faith and love towards Jesus
in this Divino Mystery. This practice produced
very great results ; and Alphonso attached ex­
treme weight to it. On his return from Romo,
and before he entered his diocese, ho wrote to
Archdeacon Rainono to introduce the visit to tho
Blessed Sacrament, and from tho second day of
his being at St. Agatha ho never failed to make
this exercise in tho cathedral. It was observed
from the first, that, though tho sacristan placed
a prio-dieu with a cushion for him, Alphonso
knelt on tho pavement near tho altar, and con­
tinued to do the same. It was during this de­
votion that, wishing to banish profane and im­
proper songs from tho lips and hearts of women,
he introduced hymns full of unction and piety ;
he gave tho tone himself and repeated tho verses
in union with the people. The doctor, Ccrvo,
told him that these songs weakened his chest : “ I
must make tho people like these hymns,” Al­
phonso replied, “ to disgust them with dangerous
songs.”
When he had returned homo, he gave audience
and distributed his alms ; ho then said matins

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

and lauds, after which he made half an hour’s
meditation with the lay-brothers, and when this
was ended, if it were in winter, he worked till
nine or ten o’clock ; but in summer he immedi­
ately united all his household, without excepting
even the Grand Vicar, to say the rosary toge­
ther, tho litanies to the Blessed Virgin, and some
other prayers. Then camo the examination of
conscience followed by acts of faith, hope, and
charity. Those who happened to be in his house
had to assist at these prayers ; whether employed
in tho palace, a servant, a stranger, or even a
prolate, all were obliged to perform this devotion;
thus many times Bishops Borgia, and Pallante
Mgr. Pignatelli, the Archbishop of Bari, and
others knelt down humbly with Alphonso in the
midst of his household. Bishop Mazza, of Castellamare, was with Alphonso one day, and did
not assist at tho evening prayer. Alphonso no­
ticed it, and immediately sent to call him, and
tho Bishop was obliged to come and join in it.
Even the princes and great lords who visited the
Bishop of St. Agatha were not dispensed from it,
and if they had shown disinclination, they would
have distressed their host, who practised the same
severity wherever ho was. Ho was one day at
Arienzo, where the examiners were gathered to­
gether for a meeting in order to fill up a
vacant euro. Tho examination did not close
till nearly ton o’clock ; all were obliged to
remain and bo present at tho night prayers ;
from their manner tho bishop perceived that
they felt it tiresome ; he assumed an animated

-w

324

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

tono and said to them, “ I am older than you,
yet I can remain on my knees, and your rever­
ences, though younger, show that you lose pa­
tience ; that would make me believe that you
have not been in tho habit of attending night
prayers.”
When those prayers ended, supper camo, after
which Alphonso conversed for a few minutes with
his Grand Vicar and other members of the
house on subjects which might concern the dio­
cese ; after this conversation every ono retired,
and Alphonso remained alone, and resumed his
scientific occupations or was employed in prayer.
His digestion did not suffer from it ; for he ate
so as to bo able to recommence prayer or study
immediately. Often in summer, when he was in
a hurry for the printing of some work, he con­
tinued his labour until midnight. Father Don
Fabius Buonapane assured me that he regularly
employed sixteen hours each day in work and
in prayer. This excess of application cost him
very dear one day. It was at a time when ho
did not take supper and only took a glass of
water before going to bed. His servant Alexis,
who saw with regret the fatigue which such
prolonged labours caused to his master, wished
to correct it ; so, this time, though midnight was
already past, ho brought the water, as ho had
been told. Alphonso drank it, for ho had no
idea it was so late ; but what was his distress
and confusion when ho was afterwards told that
it was past twelve. He had several watches
brought, and compared them, but their agree-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

325

inent quite discomposed him. For several days
he never ceased to lament and complain of the
mass he had lost.
Besides the Vicar and Brother Francis An­
thony, Alphonso had a priest with him who filled
the office of secretary, steward, and almoner ; one
house servant, a coachman, who acted at the same
time as groom, and a cook. On his arrival lie took
two servants, on our advice and that of Bishop
Borgia ; but when he saw that the Grand Vicar
arrived with a private servant, he obliged him to
discharge him, saying that he would give up to
him one of his own. However, at the end of
five days ono of the two servants of the Bishop
went also, so that the only attendance for the
Bishop and tho Grand Vicar were reduced to
ono servant and the cook.
In the confusion in which he was when he
left Rome, Alphonso took into his service per­
sons whom his brother Hercules procured for
him ; but as lie found they wore not honest
servants, he got rid of them on his arrival at
Naples. “I have sent Don Anthony away,” he
wrote to Father Villani, “ and the coachman is
going also, for they do not suit me.” Having
heard that the cook had taken something
o from
another servant he dismissed him too, and took
another in his place.
His servants were obliged each day to assist
at the mass of the Bishop and Grand Vicar, and
to approach tho Sacraments at least every fort­
night, and on the principal feasts of our blessed
Lord and the Holy Virgin. They were obliged

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

to communicate at the Bishop’s mass. Every
sort of game was forbidden to them, above all,
games at cards where interest might be con­
cerned. Public-houses were prohibited to them
still more strictly. In a word, Alphonso wished
his household to edify every one by irreproach­
able conduct. “ One could read in the looks of
all the servants,” said tho curé, Don Pascal Bartolino, “ modesty, sweetness, and disinterested­
ness.”
He had most at heart uprightness of character.
Though indulgent for every other fault, if holy
purity were in question, whoever the culpable
one might bo, he was dismissed on tho spot. He
thought he perceived that the cook had some
attachment for a woman ; not content with send­
ing him away, he wished that he should live in
another place ; and as he paid no attention to
his wishes, with tho consent of tho civil authori­
ties he charged the constables of tho town to
arrest him ; the chief of tho police was bribed,
received fifteen carlines from tho cook and facil­
itated his escape. "I am very glad,” his Lordship
said on hearing it, "that the scandal has disap­
peared, and that tho criminal has expiated a part
of his fault by paying for it.” Ho also dismissed
another servant who went out during the night.
Ho made a rule never to receive any servant who
was not married and who had not his wife at
St. Agatha. Alexis Pollio, his faithful servant,
was a young man of irreproachable character ;
but Alphonso was not satisfied till he saw hi n
married. It was thus our Saint watched over

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

327

his household, or rather his family, for he had
the solicitude of a father for all who dwelt with
him.
He acted according to that which the
apostle says, “He who knows not howto govern
his own house, is not fit to rule the Church of
God.”* From the time of his entrance into
the diocese he used every exertion to fulfil
with exactitude every duty which this maxim
includes.

CHAPTER IX.

Bishop Liguori found the diocese in a most la­
mentable condition on his arrival ; it was like the
sheet filled with unclean animals which Jesus
Christ presented to the sight of His first apostle,
and Alphonso, like St. Peter, was also invited to
this mysterious repast.
On the Sunday which followed his entry into
St. Agatha, Alphonso began to give spiritual
exercises to all the clergy in a retired part of
tho church. Every one thought they saw in
him an apostle. His style was simple and ani­
mated, and, like celestial dew, penetrated the
heart ; all tho audience were obliged to yield to
the ardour of his zeal, and loudly confessed their
faults, and detested them with tho confusion of
sincere repentance. Scandals wore repaired then,

• Si quis autem domui su® præsse nescit, quomodo Ecclesiæ Dei
diligentiam habebit? (1 Tim. iit 5.)

328

ST. ALPITONSO LIGUORI.

and many sinners changed their mode of life,
and their conduct became a consolation to Al­
phonso and an edification to tho whole diocese.
On the evening of tho same Sunday he opened
a mission in tho church for tho people ; he kept
tho principal sermon for himself, and committed
the catechism to Father Margotta. In order to an­
imate the people to all those exorcises, Alphonso
asked several able canons to go through the town
before the sermon to give lively exhortations to
tho people. The high opinion which had been
entertained of the new bishop, attracted such a
concourse of people from all tho neighbouring
villages that tho cathedral could not hold them.
Floods of tears wore shed in the church. The
bishop’s life of poverty and mortification was as
a signal of compunction, and tho most hardened
hearts were affected at tho sight of tho saintly old
man, who struck himself with a thick cord to
make a public act of penance for his people’s
sins. All have owned that in the memory of man
St. Agatha had never had an example of such en­
tire devotion. Grace triumphed over tho most
obstinate sinners. To give complete liberty to
consciences, and to prevent sacrileges, all the
priests of the town were forbidden to hear confes­
sions ; in their stead were summoned tho best
cures of the diocese, who were lodged in the epis­
copal palace. These wise dispositions, as tho
confessors acknowledged themselves, produced tho
most unhoped-for conversions. The good done by
the mission was incalculable ; there wore recon­
ciliations and wonderful acts of restitution made

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

then, and sinners who had been sunk in disorder
for years embraced a new and exemplary course
of life. An artisan amongst others, reflecting
seriously on himself, received so keen a sense of
sorrow for his sins, that after the sermon, and at
the time when the discipline was used in common,
struck himself with such a holy indignation, and
wounded himself so much, that he died in a short
period afterwards.
The exercises of the retreat were given sepa­
rately to the gentlemen in the Church of the
Carmelites ; and these like the rest caused their
saintly pastor to feel the joy he so much desired :
they listened to his voice with attention, and by
the general reform in their conduct showed that
the seed of tho Divine Word had not fallen into
unfruitful ground. The conversion of James Rainone, brother of the archdeacon, and one of the
first men of St. Agatha, was most remarkable,
for ho had led an irregular and scandalous life.
Touched by divino grace he acknowledged his dis­
orders, and detested them so publicly and so con­
stantly, that he deserved to be placed at the head
of a confraternity which was established among
the nobles of tho Church of the Cannel, on the
occasion of this same mission. James Rainone,
though quite young and robust, gave himself up
with such ardour to acts of devotion, with which
his desire of doing penance inspired him, that
ho survived his conversion only a few months.
His death, which was that of a saint, was the
consolation of his relatives, and the edification of
the town.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

At his sermon on the last judgment Alphonso
put on a black stole, took a lighted torch in his
hand, and said that ho was going to curse usu­
rers, blasphemers, and above all, impenitent con­
cubines. A young gentleman was present, well
known as an usurer at St. Agatha ; he was so
struck with terror when ho hoard tho malediction
fulminated, that he was seized with fever, and
carried off in a few days.
On the following Sunday Alphonso had a gene­
ral communion. Ho announced in the invitation
he gave on tho subject, that he had obtained a
special brief from tho Pope, granting a plenary in­
dulgence to each person who would approach the
Sacraments. So one may truly say that tho
communion was general. Tho holy bishop was
full of joy at the sight of so numerous a crowd
eager for the bread of life, of which many had
been destitute for a great many years ; he pro­
nounced the acts of desire for tho preparation
and tho thanksgiving himself; he did it in so
touching a manner that all those present burst
into tears, tho rich as well as tho poor, the clergy
as well as tho laity. There was a kiss of peace
also in which they all took part. In short, tho
town of St. Agatha was sanctified : communions
became frequent, tho most Blessed Sacrament
and the holy Virgin Alary, became tho objects of
great devotion, and every evening tho Church
was seen filled with fervent worshippers.
So much labour and penance in an old man
already burthenod with infirmities, filled every
one with admiration. “Wo prayed God,” ex-

I

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331

claimed tho Dean Buonanno, “ to send us a good
bishop, and God has heard us favourably, but my
Lord will exhaust and kill himself.” The treasur­
er Cacciapuoti, could not contain his wonder any
longer ; ho said to tho Grand Vicar, “ What are
you thinking of? do you not seo that his Lordship
is shortening his days ? Have you forgotten the
tears wo shed, and how much it cost us to have
him ? Curb his zeal therefore : its excess will
be fatal to him.” And he advised him to speak
to his confessor of tho saintly bishop, to en­
join him to put bounds to his immoderate zeal.
All such conversations, which were held every­
where to tho same effect, affected the heart of him
who was their object, for he was far from insensi­
ble to these proofs of a sincere love ; but they
did not cause him to alter his mode of life, and
during tho mission even an opportunity presented
itself to him of persisting in his rigours towards
himself. Ho had only two teeth, and whether
from a chill after the sermon, or because God
permitted it to bo thus, to augment the merits of
his servant, Alphonso felt such sharp pain in tho
middle of tho mission, that it was impossible for
him to take any rest. Many of the canons sug­
gested to him to send for tho celebrated Moretto
of Naples, but ho would not, and when they in­
sisted on it, ho answered, “ Are not tho dentists
in this country as worthy as in Naples ? Have
we not tho barber ? Let him come, and lot us bo
patient, for God wills that I should employ tho
people of my diocese. ” There was a barber at
St. Mary do Vico, who was considered skilful in

•I

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

these operations, but it was necessary to take
care to call for him only in the morning, as his
habits of drunkenness incapacitated him from work
for tho remainder of the day. They chose this
time therefore, and when he arrived Alphonso
seated himself on tho ground on a cushion, and
his secretary, Verzalla, advanced to hold his
shoulders, but ho took his crucifix from his neck
and said, “ What better support can I have than
Him who suffered such pain for me ? ” Then
he crossed his arms, pressed tho crucifix to his
breast, and boro tho extraction without the small­
est exclamation. Notwithstanding this state of
suffering, ho did not omit to preach in tho morn­
ing to the clergy, and in the evening to the
people. There remained one tooth, which far
from being useful to him only served to incom­
mode him ; when the mission was terminated, ho
had that also extracted. This operation was
extremely painful, for the tooth, which was still
in a good state, adhered firmly to the jaw. Tho
barber was obliged to ro-commence throe times
before he could succeed in taking it out: Alphonso
did not lose patience. “Oh,” lie exclaimed when
all was done, “ how firmly this tooth was fixed!”
Then turning to tho barber, ho said gaily, “Mas­
ter Nicodemus, henceforth you will have no more
of my custom.”
Ho had not yet celebrated politically at St.
Agatha, though he had officiated in other church­
es on various feast days. He waited to do so in
the cathedral until the Assumption, as it was
under that title that the Blessed Virgin was the

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333

patron of his church. The Pope, in order to
enhance tho majesty of these the first functions in
tho eyes of tho people, granted a plenary indul­
gence to all who should, after having assisted at
them, approach the Sacraments, or visit the ca­
thedral this same day. This was announced on
the evening before, and from morning till night
tho church was filled with the faithful. The holy
Father granted the same indulgence to all those
who during Alphonso’s visitation of the diocese
assisted at the pontifical mass, or visited the
church in which ho had officiated on the same
day.
I cannot describe Alphonso’s solicitude for his
diocese from tho moment he entered it, in a
better way than by repeating that which Father
Angelus Majono wrote in a letter addressed to
Father Gaspar Cajone, Rector of Caposeli. “ You
wish to have tidings of our Father : know then
that the acts of virtue which ho makes his house­
hold perform are more numerous than those he
practises himself;
*
there is no time to cat, to
sleep, or to take breath. All is labour and fa­
tigue, and then, after all, one knows not if he is
satisfied. Every one admires his indomitable
perseverance, and his extreme patience in listen­
ing to all who ask to speak to him and who have
recourse to him, however poor and miserable the
applicant may bo : our good bishop’s charity is
• In the sequel the reader will learn who Father Majonc was,
and will see the reason of these sentiments better than we could
make him doe here,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

never discouraged, and he makes no difficulty in
going to tho church, in leaving the parlour, or in
going to some other placo to give to all entire
satisfaction. He is indefatigable in preaching; ho
is equally zealous in reforming this diocese, which
is in such disorder that he has neither rest nor
peace. Sometimes ho orders a person to come
to speak to him in private, sometimes ho writes
to the curés to watch another person ; at another
time he gives a paternal correction ; every one is
enchanted with his gentleness and charity. He
never accepts any present for the table ; he has
even sent back baskets of figs ; he gives alms so
liberally, that his income has not been sufficient
for his expenses, and ho has been on tho point
of getting rid of his carriage for the support of
the poor, and would havo done it had we not
exerted all our efforts to dissuade him from it.
You cannot think, my Father, how much poverty
exists in this town and in all the diocese. When
the news was spread that his Lordship gave alms,
all the poor hastened in crowds from every quar­
ter ; petitions camo to us in numbers, and each
one exposed his wants in his own way. Tho
theological canon told me that without his Lord­
ship’s perceiving it, tho town and diocese have
already changed their appearance since his gov­
ernment. This is all I can say without being too
lengthy. Father Ferrara’s letter will inform you
of the rest.” Alphonso himself was consoled at
the happy success of his labours. “ I am well,”
he wrote to our Fathers at Nocera, “ and thanks
be to God, our labours are fruitful.” On the

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335

other hand he wrote to Father Villani, “I am
full of anxiety for my church, this spouse whom
God has given me.”

CHAPTER X.
If the taking well fortified places always de­
mands several assaults and the effusion of much
blood, it is equally difficult to triumph over hard­
ened sinners grown old in the practice of evil,
and whom obstinacy has rendered, as it were,
impregnable. However great was the ardour of
Bishop Liguori’s zeal during the course of the
mission and spiritual exercises to convert a
canon of his cathedral, all his efforts were frus­
trated. This man belonged to one of tho first
families of St. Agatha, and for many years had
grieved his Superiors and fellow-citizens by the
most lamentable behaviour.
It had been a
question whether ho should bo divested of his
office of dignity, but ho was supported by the
credit of his house ; besides, tho protection of
one of his colleagues in the chapter, who was all
powerful under the preceding bishop, seemed to
promise him impunity. Alphonso tried to win
him by kindness at first, and many times address­
ed remonstrances quite paternal to him. The
criminal, who had not attended to the advice of
Bishop Danza, whoso brother as president ot the
royal council added still more to his personal
influence, despised Alphonso much more, in whom

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ho only saw a little man whoso humble exterior
announced nothing but poverty, and who was
bent down under tho weight of years ; he did
not care the least therefore for tho warnings
which were given to him, and carried his con­
tempt so far as to use most unbecoming expres­
sions. Alphonso invited him several times to
his table; nothing succeeded; at last ho threw
himself at this miserable being’s feet ; and taking
a crucifix from his breast, ho presented it to
him and said with tears, “My son, if you will
not do what I ask you in consideration of the
character with which I am invested, do it for
this Jesus Christ’s sake who died on tho cross
for you and for mo.” Tho blinded sinner did
not yield : equally indifferent to tho name of
God and to the entreaties of his bishop, he con­
tinued to live as he had done before. But be­
fore speaking of the severe methods employed by
Alphonso to subdue this incorrigible sinner, let
us hear tho recital of another instance of irregu­
larity not less grievous : tho result was tho same
in both cases. There was a clerk at Maj ano who
was provided with a benefice, who had led a de­
plorable life for several years ; his church ap­
peared to bo in taverns and houses of debauchery.
Ono may say that no crime was a stranger to
Joseph do Lucas : this was the name of that mis­
erable man. lie had carried on tho most criminal
connexions for two years. Bishop Danza had
caused him to bo arrested and condemned to
five years’ banishment in tho barony of Airola :
but Lucas only became more insolent, so that his

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337

very name inspired terror ; Alphonso groaning
over this unhappy being’s state, sent for him
several times to tell him how much his conduct
distressed him ; but it was vain. Besides that,
tho pious prelate made no difficulty in inviting
him to his table, as Dominic Samberti assured
me, who had met this wicked priest there ; but
this was trouble lost ; the incorrigible man only
became in consequence more haughty.
Alphonso, who wished to save these two erring
souls, had recourse to the mediation of several
good people, but with no better success. He
wished to employ the canon’s brother, but he
found him so wanting in courage as to leave little
hope of success.
Being compelled to recur to more rigorous
measures, he sent for the canon and told him,
that if he did not repair the scandal he gave
he would crave tho aid of the sovereign’s arm
against him. This menace, which ought to have
intimidated the culprit, made him very angry,
and he became in such a fury that ho nearly
used violence towards the bishop ; but Alphonso
without disquietude at it, said to him, “ My dear
canon, if you do not put an end to your irre­
gularities, God will know how to compel you to
do it.”
All the mild measures which Alphonso used
for tho conversion of the beneficiary equally failed,
or rather made him give way to still greater
excesses. The unhappy mother of the woman
whom ho had seduced, complained bitterly of
the scandal which resulted from it to her two

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

other daughters, and tho wicked author of it
was offended. Ono night, the 4th of August,
1762, while she slept with her daughters and
two little children, ho fired against the door of
tho house, killed tho mother and wounded one
of tho little children. It was then that Al­
phonso, seeing no other resource, applied to the
King ; tho regent, seized with horror, dispatched
a strict order to the president of Montcfusco to
arrest tho two criminals and place them in tho
prisons of that town. On tho 18th of October,
tho canon was arrested by tho police on tho
placo St. Agatha. There was an extraordinary
consternation in consequence. Tho criminals of
the same sort feared to become tho objects of
similar pursuit ; good people on tho other hand
were happy to seo tho scandal terminated ; but
all were amazed at Alphonso’s zeal and apos­
tolical courage.
Tho relations of tho canon regretted his be­
ing taken to tho prisons of Montcfusco, and
thought that the bishop could keep him in those
of the officially, so they used all their interest
to concilato his clemency. But tho royal orders
were too precise to allow of it. Alphonso how­
ever, wishing to pacify them and to prevent fur­
ther excesses, sought for some ono to inform
them of the impossibility of his satisfying their
request ; and as tho secretary Vcrzala was too
dejected to go himself, and besides did not wish
to leave his Lordship alone, Alphonso hurried
to call a chaplain from the cathedral, who, vested
in his choir dress, camo out of tho sacristy at

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339

the very moment. On seeing him the bishop
said in a quick and animated way, “ Take off
these things....... ” At these words the priest
fainted and fell at his feet. It was only by
means of strong scents that he recovered con­
sciousness, after which he was carried home more
dead than alive.
The bishop could not under­
stand the cause of such terror ; but the mystery
was soon cleared up. This chaplain was also enga­
ged in criminal courses, and on hearing these
words, “Take off these things,” he believed him­
self arrested like the canon, and he fainted from
the shock. “Tho birds are taken with one blow,”
said Alphonso ; “ the finger of God is here ; let
us pray Him to finish that which He has begun.”
Tho chaplain was so frightened at tho meeting,
that ho thought no more of tho past, but only of
an entire change of conduct. He led such an
exemplary life from that time, that his Lordship
after some years allowed him to hear confes­
sions.
On tho canon’s arrival at Montefusco, the
president wrote to Alphonso to put tho prisoner
at his disposal. The bishop wished at first to
transfer him to tho prisons at Benevento as
tho most secure, but his relations interceded,
and obtained his re-entry into St. Agatha, on
condition that they should place two guards at
their own expenso to prevent his escape. Ono
day Alphonso sent for him: “My dear canon,”
ho said to him, “it is not you that I punish,
but your sin ; I lovo your soul, and desire th art
it should not bo lost. Remember then that you

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

have a soul, and remember that there is a God
and a hell.” IIo was obliged to take this tone
in order to awaken ono so hardened. Our saint
had tho consolation to see that tho canon insen­
sibly began to think seriously ; ho often sent him
books of devotion, figures of our Blessed Saviour
on tho cross, and of tho Blessed Virgin. After
ono year’s imprisonment, tho episcopal court
condemned him to three years’ seclusion with the
conventual Fathers, and it was not till after a
lapse of years that tho canon was enabled to
say II ass again.
On the day after the imprisonment of the canon
the priest James Joseph do Lucas was arrested
at Maj ano. Alphonso, satisfied to see these two
arrests so satisfactorily executed, wished, in order
to impress still greater terror on others as cul­
pable and to show tho extent of his power, that
it should bo known that he was the author of
tho measure: “God bo praised,” ho wrote to
the curé of Majano, Don Thomas Aceto, “these
two arrests have succeeded very well. Tell and
II
proclaim
everywhere that it was I and no one
else who obtained these imprisonments from the
King; I wish that they should know that it was
I.” Lucas, who was kept in tho common prison
of Nevano, wished to enjoy tho privileges of eccle­
siastics ; but as ho had never worn that dross
Alphonso would not acknowledge tho title. After
a long imprisonment ho was condemned to ten
years’ incarceration in tho fortress of Ischia, from
whence ho was again transferred elsewhere.
Another priest of tho diocese, who was also

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311

living with improper connexions, hastened to
break them off when lie heard of the canon’s
fate and that of priest Lucas ; it was the same
with several others upon whom the fear of tem­
poral punishment produced the most salutary
effects. Alphonso’s zeal did not manifest itself
with less ardour with regard to the regular cler­
gy. IIo sent for several whoso conduct was im­
proper to St. Agatha ; it is almost impossible
to believe all the gentle ways in which he tried
to reclaim them, but if after the reprimand they
did not amend he then adopted rigorous mea­
sures. There was a monastery in his diocese
consisting of four religious, including the supe­
rior, who disgusted all reputable people by
their scandalous behaviour. After being sent
for by the bishop and admonished, they laugh­
ed at it, and did not reform themselves in the
least. Alphonso then cited them before tho epis­
copal court, and informed their provincial of it.
lie tried to defend his religious. “Your Rever­
ence must send your subjects an order to go,”
replied Alphonso, “or I shall give them into
the custody of tho head of tho police.” This
menace had its desired effect; two of the reli­
gious went off with tho superior ; as tho third was
less culpable, Alphonso was satisfied by his re­
pentance. A religious of another monastery
lived also a most disorderly life, but as he was
not likely to bo reformed by other means, an
action was commenced against him, and he was
turned out of the diocese. There were two laybrothers in another monastery who lived in sin

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

also, the one passing his time in public-houses,
and tho other keeping up a most scandalous
intercourse with a female consecrated to God.
Preparations were making for their trial when
they also were sent away.
There was a still more remarkable fact. For
some time a monk had had connexion with a
young woman. Alphonso, having lost all hope of
reforming him, proceeded against him, and he
was banished out of the diocese. The superiors
of this religious sent him to tho monastery of
Montesarchio, but the miserable man returned
very often to Arpoja. When the bishop was in­
formed of it, he caused him to be arrested by tho
constables of the Prince of Riccia, and transport­
ed to the prisons of St. Agatha. Ho kept him shut
up there for a long time, and, as the monastery
took no further charge of it, ho provided for his
maintenance himself. After a long imprisonment
he was banished again, and while Alphonso ruled
the diocese he never re-appeared in it more.
The woman was also arrested, and incarcerated
in tho prisons of tho prince. Alphonso sent the
curé and other priests to her to convert her, and
the sinner was in reality converted and persevered.
In the year 17G7, tho bishop being at Naples,
made her enter the house of refuge at St. Ra­
phael.
Our Saint’s heart was grievously afflicted du­
ring his first mission. Among a number of repro­
bate women who gave themselves to Jesus Christ
there was one named Elizabeth, who went so far
as to ask pardon publicly in the church for the

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

scandal she had given. Although married she had
lived for a number of years in adultery with one of
tho first gentlemen of the town. After this
generous confession, and in spite of the holy dispo­
sitions she had manifested, she yielded to seduc­
tion again, which caused inexpressible sorrow to
the pious bishop. Ho wept over it, and the next
morning, before day-break, ho sent for the gentle­
man, represented to him the seriousness of his
sin, and exhorted him to penitence ; the man, as
proud as he was powerful, turned his back on him
with disdain. Tho bishop seeing his misconduct
still sent for him again, but tho hardened offender
was wearied of so many entreaties and repri­
mands, and answered by insults, even by menaces.
Tho bishop was not offended at it, but as he saw
that the scandal continued, he informed the King.
Tho Marquis of Tanucci, minister of state, sent
an urgent dispatch to the tribunal of Montefusco.
A constable was sent to arrest the noble and the
■woman. His Lordship was then at Airola, where
tho messenger of justice stopped on his way.
However the gentleman, whose passion had made
him furious, had come to Airola also, accompanied
by a troop of brigands, in order to ill-treat his
bishop, and hasten his passage to the other world,
as he said, which he would have done if another
gentleman had not succeeded in persuading him
to retrace his stops. When Alphonso hoard of
tho danger he had been in, he said calmly, “He
can assassinate mo if ho likes : wellho will give
me the crown of martyrdom ! When tho wrote hed man recovered from liis rage, and saw that

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ho was tho object of judicial pursuit, ho was
seized with such terror that ho fled from the
dioceso and retired into a distant country.
Tho woman did not undergo a slighter chastise­
ment. Ilis Lordship was still at Airola, when she,
with tho consent of her lawful husband, came to
bog for her own pardon and that of tho gentle­
man. But she was arrested by the constable,
bound, beaten with rods, and taken to Montefusco. Tin's example inspired terror into all tho
women of bad character, not only of St. Agatha
and Airola, but of all tho dioceso and its neigh­
bourhood. Tho unfortunate woman suffered the
rigours of justice for many months at Montefusco,
and was afterwards banished for ever from tho
diocese of St. Agatha under very severo penal­
ties. As for tho gentleman, ho consoled Alphonso
afterwards as much by the sincerity of his repen­
tance as ho had grieved him at first. Alphonso,
knowing that tho woman was imprisoned, and tho
further continuance of the scandal had become
impossible, was satisfied with tho flight of tho
gentleman, and on the entreaties of his relations,
and above all, of the archdeacon, ended all further
pursuit of him, and when ho heard afterwards
that ho was concealed in his house, ho feigned to
be ignorant of it in order to win him over the bet­
ter, and he succeeded so well through the medium
of persons in authority, that tho gentleman ac­
knowledged his faults, and flung himself at his
Lordship’s feet. From that time ho edified all
his fellow-citizens by his irreproachable conduct.
Before his death, which happened some time aftcr-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

345

wards, he asked pardon with tears for all the scan­
dals of his past life, which he had never ceased
to deplore bitterly.
Another gentleman, who resided in the country
in the neighbourhood of St. Agatha, had con­
tinued for nineteen years to live in a state of
licentiousness no less lamentable. Alphonso had
not failed to warn him as soon as he arrived in
tho diocese ; but seeing that he could not re­
claim him by mildness, he informed the sove­
reign of it twice. In consequence, the president
of Montefusco received orders to summon the
adulterous criminal before his tribunal, and the
gentleman was imprisoned for several months at
Montefusco : his accomplice suffered the rigours
of the law at St. Agatha.
A gentleman of high rank also afflicted the
inhabitants of St. Mary de Vico by the cynical
effrontery of his life, lie kept a young woman
of Naples in his house under the very eyes of
his wife. When Alphonso heard of this shame­
ful excess ho could not rest quiet. “ I have
heard to my great regret,” he wrote to the curé
Don Matthew Migliore, “ of tho scandal which the
Neapolitan causes who lives in tho house of N—;
I beg you to let the gentleman know from me,
that ho must dismiss her at all inconvenience
and immediately, otherwise I shall cause tho
woman to bo sent away and himself cast into
prison, to tho shamo of himself and his family.”
Tho gentleman, frightened at this tono of au­
thority, hastened to dismiss the woman, and had
no further connexion with her.

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

For many years a gentleman who was a li­
bertine had lived in sin at Frasso. A zealous
person, who was struck with his Lordship’s suc­
cess, which was the result of his influence at
court, bethought himself of applying to him. As
soon as tho bishop was informed of it ho wrote
to tho archpriest of the place : “ I cannot un­
derstand how your Reverence can see such a
scandal in your parish without informing me. I
beg that you will send for N----- and let him
know from me, that he must put an end to his
irregularities and reconcile himself to God. I
hope that he will yield to this paternal remon­
strance ; if he refuses, I shall bo obliged to have
recourse to the King, and to make him fool tho
rigours of justice. I weep over his sin, and
above all, to tho scandal it gives to others.”
This measure proved an effectual remedy ; the
gentleman began to think seriously, and from
that time always led an exemplary life.
To all that I have related I will add a last
example. On the arrival of his Lordship a young
liberated galley-slave was living in crime at St.
Agatha. lie was at first reprimanded, but paid
no attention to it. Alphonso had recourse to the
magistrate, who ordered his arrest. Ho was
seized in tho house of his accomplice, and as
he resisted he was killed on the spot. Alphonso
wept over tho loss of this soul ; but to give liber­
tines a spectacle as salutary as it was terrible,
ho ordered, in concert with tho authorities, that
his corpse should bo placed on a mule between
four lighted torches, and thus carried out of tho

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347

town and thrown into a ditch. The sentence
was executed, and the body was thrown into
the river, which was called at that spot the
Martorano.
It was thus that, enlightened by the Spirit
which especially directs the conduct of saintly
pastors, Alphonso knew from the beginning how
to oppose to each evil its particular remedy,
and to use fire and sword according to need for
the salvation of his flock. The blessing of the
Lord which was granted to his zeal is the most
glorious justification of his conduct. Nothing
but a saintly bishop could have changed a field
full of weeds into a flourishing vineyard.

CHAPTER XL
Alphonso commenced his episcopal visitation in
the town and surrounding country ; some wished
him to defer this visit until tho end of the year.
“ Why defer that which can be corrected to-day,”
replied Alphonso, “ until to-morrow ? It is wrong
to temporise with abuses.” In order to obtain
tho blessing of God from tho beginning, ho had
obtained a plenary indulgence from the Tope for
all those who should visit the cathedral or parish
church of the placo on tho first day. He con­
voked together tho treasurer Cacciapuoti, a man
as much to be praised for his virtues as his sci­
ence, Father Caputo, a Dominican Master, the
Theological Canon Don Evangelist Daddio, and

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Archdeacon Francis Rainono, a man distinguished
for his piety, prudence, and knowledge, as well
as several curés with whom ho consulted at once,
in order to see what would bo best suited to pro­
curo tho good of tho dioceso.
Tho seminary was tho principal end of this
first visitation. Alphonso attached great impor­
tance to it. From the timo he accepted tho bish­
opric ho intended to use all his exertions as soon
as possible to make tho establishment flourish.
“It is on tho seminary,” said he, “that I found
all my hopes of sanctifying tho dioceso. If that
does not second me, all my trouble will bo worth­
less.” Alphonso found a groat number of scholars
in tho seminary, but all was not according to his
heart ; many were full of intelligence, but of
doubtful character ; others had no abilities, and
could only prove useless to the Church as well
as to their families. “ Tho Church and families,”
Alphonso said, “arc interested in tho advance­
ment of young people ; the Church gives them
education, and their families bear tho expenses ;
it is not right to abuse their upright inten­
tions.”
After having consulted tho learned ecclesiastics
before named, and studied tho state of tho mas­
ters and pupils with attention, he proceeded to
a general examination, at which he assisted in
person, and afterwards found an excuse for giving
tho vacation sooner than usual. When it was
ended, he wrote to all tho pupils to tell them that
all those amongst them who wished to re-enter
tho seminary must address a request to him to

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that effect. By this method he was able to make
his choice and purify the house from all those
who did not suit the severe rules he wished
to establish. This decimation was painful to the
relations of the rejected subjects, but they soon
began to appreciate the wisdom of the bishop’s
measures, by seeing tho misconduct of their chil­
dren themselves, or their want of aptitude for
learning and ecclesiastical practices.
But tho reforms did not end here : the buildings
of the seminary had more the appearance of a
prison than a house of education ; they were too
much confined for the large number of young
people they contained, and the want of air ren­
dered them unhealthy. Every thing there was
incommodious. In summer especially the want
of a sufficient number of windows and the small­
ness of the rooms caused the heat to bo stifling,
and led to the multiplication of insects, so that
residence there was insupportable. Alphonso was
distressed at such serious inconveniences, and
sont for two of the King’s architects from Naples
to repair the interior of the building, whose
names were Don Peter and Don Saloador Cimafonte. He directed their labours himself: and
fisrt ho made them convert into rooms two closets
which wore annexed to tho palaeo,
Bishop Gaeta had destined to anoth
then made them break windows in v:
to procure greater coolness, and othei
the openness of which might have pro
sion of scandal to tho young seminar
he thus enlarged tho seminary, Λ1]

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ccived tho grand project of pulling down all tho
old buildings entirely and raising now instead.
All tho canons and gentlemen applauded these
schemes. Λ plan was got ready, materials wcro
procured, and without delay the work was begun.
About two years after, when Alphonso was oblig­
ed to breathe the salubrious air of Arienzo, four
rooms were finished, an apartment for tho presi­
dent, and several other parts of the building.
Little satisfied with the rules that had been
followed for tho government of the seminary, ho
established new ones, which in spite of tho bre­
vity of their wording were full of wisdom and
prudence ; besides that ho fixed the nature and
order of all tho actions of tho seminarists ; he
remedied abuses ; he strove most to fix and order
tho functions of tho prefects, and to make it a
point of conscience with them to acquit them­
selves of them properly. Tie made it plain that
tho good or evil of a seminary depends less on
the director than on the exact watchfulness and
fidelity of the prefects. The rules which ho es­
tablished were seen to bo so useful, that many
bishops adopted them afterwards for their own
seminaries.
It was necessary to have a now Superior for
the seminary of St. Agatha. Tho treasurer, Don
Lucas, who had been at tho head of the establish­
ment for upwards of thirty years, was more than
an octogenarian, lie was educated at the sem­
inary of Aversa, in tho time of Cardinal Caracciola, and had acquired there all necessary quali­
fications for the fulfilment of such a charge, but

351

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

his advanced age rendered him incapable at last.
But in order not to hurt this venerable old man,
to whom few years of life remained, he was con­
firmed in his post, and a coadjutor was given to
him in the person of the Father Rector, brother
Thomas Maria Caputo, a Dominican, as distin­
guished for his virtues as for his knowledge.
Alphonso spared nothing in order to choose
good masters whose knowledge and conduct might
servo as models, lie abolished the custom of
giving the office of prefect to a student, wishing
that exemplary priests alone should have the
charge.
lie established a general prefect to
overlook all tho rooms ; he chose for porter a
diligent man full of the fear of God. This last
change was not an indifferent one in his sight.
“If death,” said he, “enters into us by the
windows, it enters into seminaries by the doors.”
A porter went out one evening without leave
from the president ; Alphonso had him discharg­
ed immediately : the porter wept much and
sought the intercession of several people, but he
was obliged to go.
The autumn vacations were shortened, and
replaced by relaxations, repasts, and innocent
recreations, which tho young people were to
take in the seminary ; and nothing was spared
to avoid their being too much regretted. “A
month’s vacation,” said Alphonso, “is enough
to lose all that has been gained with much la­
bour during the year ; and which is replaced by
sin and vice.” Ho could not even bear that
young people should go home to their parents

-

.

352

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

under any pretext whatsoever, if it were only
for a few days.
He found the terms of the seminary were set­
tled equitably, but he could not approve that
when a pupil went away from infirmity or any
other cause ho was made to pay for the whole
six months. Ho looked upon this as a manifest
injustice, and wished that all time passed during
such absences should be deducted from tho
amount of the pension. Tho members of the
commission wore ardently opposed to this mea­
sure, but the bishop insisted, and it was with
difficulty ho consented to the seminary’s receiv­
ing payment for the month of vacation, as is
done everywhere else. He did not wish any
distinction in the provisions for tho superiors ;
ho called it a detestable abuse, and from his
time this preference, which ho considered a dis­
order, was never seen.
After having chosen the masters he regulated
tho studies. Ho forbade the dictation of lessons,
and wished that printed books should be used.
Two motives led him to adopt this course ; first,
the wish to take from the professor the possibility
of setting up for scientific, and in the second
place to husband tho time and health of the
pupils. He selected Honorius Tournely for dog­
matic theology, and Fortunius of Brescia for phi­
losophy. Ho reformed tho morality studies most,
which, in his opinion were the most essential.
“Morals and dogmatics, but principally morals,”
said he, “arc the needful studies in a diocese;
without them there cannot be good confessors or

ST. ALPHO!

excellent curés.” lie prohibited Italian poetry,
Latin alone was permitted. He wished that they
should be attached to what was solid, and that the
young people should have a good knowledge of
Latin. Before this Greek had also been taught in
the seminary ; but ho did not think it necessary,
as the students were mostly of the diocese,
and
_ - . ··, -fc. ,
destined to supply the numerous churches of the
surrounding villages. “ Greek is very good in
the East,” he said to the Superior, “but for us,
who are in the West, Latin is what we want.
My diocese requires good confessors, who may
aid me in helping the souls of a number of
country people ; I have not to make learned men
of those who often have not even knowledge of
themselves.” However, he allowed a slight acquaintanco of it, sufficient for reading and understanding certain passages which occur m
philosophical and theological authors. It had
been tho custom to receive young people into
the seminary who returned home for their meals
and to sleep. The thing appeared good, but
Alphonso did not approve it. “Day scholars,”
he said, “ serve as messengers for the semina­
rists, which is very dangerous to the conduct of
both.”
When bishops Borgia and Pallante went to St.
Agatha and heard of these wise arrangements,
they were full of admiration. “Know how to
appreciate your bishop,” said they to Father
Caputo and to the professors, “for you have ano­
ther Charles Borromeo. ”
Alphonso watched with the greatest care to

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354

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

preserve religion, not only in tho seminary, but
in all tho diocoso, free from all errors of
opinion. He heard that tho young people, who
came from Naples during the vacation, advanced
propositions far from orthodox, on tho authority
of tho Church, on faith and conduct ; ho sent
for them immediately and reprimanded them.
They answered that this doctrine was spread at
Naples, and that one of the principal professors
taught it from his chair. Alphonso enjoined
them not to go to this school again, and to ab­
stain from such propositions ; he undeceived them
at the same time, by showing them the sound
doctrine. Not content with that, ho wrote of it
in very strong terms to Cardinal Sersale and to
different zealous ecclesiastics.
He also wrote
to tho professor himself, and represented to
him the falsity of his opinions. Ho defended
himself, and maintained that his doctrine was in
conformity with tho Church’s teaching, adding
that he must attribute to tho wickedness of
tho young men the bad sense in which they had
interpreted his words.
Don Pascal Deodatus, who camo from Naples,
taught several young men at Airola tho trea­
tise, de Jure et Officiis, of Abbe Genovese. As
soon as tho holy bishop heard of it, he prohibi­
ted the book to bo read, principally on account
of the proposition: “Patriam religionem servato,
proquo eâ pugnato?”* Tho curé, Don Pascal
Deodatus, pretended to explain it in a lawful
• Preserve the religion of your country and fight for it.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

355

sense. “It is not as you say,” Alphonso wrote
to him, “ reflect on it, and you will see that
there is not a word in this sentence which does
not contain poison. IIow can one understand
tho word patriam in a good sense! Can one
help adding these words to it, etsi falsa! Is not
this blasphemy? Doos it not follow from this
maxim, that if any one were transported to Chi­
na and acquired there tho right of citizenship,
he must become an idolator? Must he not be
a Mahometan if he went to Constantinople?
Thus, you cither admit all religions indifferent­
ly, or you admit none. It is true that the au­
thor, through fear or some other motive I am
ignorant of, changed the word patriam into
Christianam in another edition ; but that even
discloses his bad faith; why Christianam and
not Catholicam? Add again, etsi falsa, and wo
shall see ourselves once more in doubt as to
what religion to profess. Shall it be that of
Luther, Calvin, Zwingle, or England?” The
Abbe was offended at this prohibition; but Al­
phonso persisted in it ; ho replied very strongly,
and very nearly prohibited the reading of all
those books in tho diocese.
To inspire tho young people with the love of
study and the spirit of submission to their su­
periors, he was in the habit of being present
at the lesson twice a week. lie took pleasure
in hearing tho rehearsals, and took part in the
discussions. He fixed that once a month a
thesis should bo maintained in the college chap­
el on philosophy or theology, and when confined

35G

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOJII.

to bed by illness ho wished the assemblage to
take place in his room. In order to stimulate
tho students and masters still further, ho invited
some of tho canons and regulars to those dis­
putations, and if it wore a philosophical ques­
tion even some learned secular. He also es­
tablished several public meetings for literature,
which excited the emulation of the young stu­
dents, who applied with greater pains to the
study of Latin and rhetorical compositions.
As he had it much at heart that tho semina­
rists of his diocese should learn to imitate in
preaching the simple style of tho apostles, and
become good labourers of the gospel, he estab­
lished an exercise for preaching once a week.
Besides tho young clerks destined soon to re­
ceive holy orders, he made some of tho canons,
chaplains, curés and other ecclesiastics assist at
it also. His Lordship taught and explained the
principles of rhetoric which he had himself ar­
ranged for tho exercises of tho missions. Each
one was obliged to be ready to repeat some
fragment of a sermon or some other short dis­
course. He could not bear studied expressions,
still less far-fetched transpositions, or obscure
phrases. “I wish,” ho often Said, “I wish that
the simple should bo able to understand and
derive fruit from tho word of God.” As long
as he resided at St. Agatha these exercises were
of very great utility, and if a simplo way of
preaching is now in force in tho diocese, to the
great advantage of the lower classes of people,
it is through tho indefatigable zeal of Bishop
Liguori.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

357

To encourage the young clergymen to apply
with ardour to their studies, he admitted even
deacons to the elections for benefices. We will
name amongst many others, Don Angelus Stasi,
who was afterwards theological canon, and Don
Pascal, a Ncopolitan, who were nominated before
they became priests, the former to the parish of
St. Angelus, In munculariis, and the latter to
that of the bishopric.
Alphonso, solicitous to take away all cause of
complaint from the seminarists, watched to see that
they were all treated equally well, and that their
food above all was prepared with the greatest clean­
liness. “ Tho little that is given,” said he, “ ought
to be eaten with pleasure.” They complained that
the cook was not very skilful ; Alphonso sent his
own several times to instruct the one at the
seminary. Often at the dinner hour he went to
examine the cleanliness of the dishes, and above
all, if the bread and wine were good. Once it
happened that tho broad was not of a good quali­
ty; a seminarist who was sure of Alphonso’s nicety
on this point, caused him to see it. The Supe­
rior was immediately sent for and reprimanded,
as well as tho housekeeper ; the bishop convoked
the members of tho commission, blamed the
quality of tho bread before them, and ordered
that all tho bread in the seminary should be
immediately given to tho poor.
He showed such tenderness to the young people
as to give them little feasts. When he officiated
pontifically ho was in the habit of giving each
pupil a small tart or slice of cake, prepared by

35S

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

his own cook ; and besides this, at the fair of

Salerno, ho provided himself with sweetmeats
for those family rejoicings. On Palm Sunday ho
regaled them with little cakes, and on particular
occasions ho gave them a treat by kindness and
delicate marks of attention. He wished tho cler­
gy to bo humble and respectful to every one,
and ho exacted in an equal degree that every one
should respect thorn. Λ canon having received
a slight offence from a seminarist so far forgot
himself as to give him a blow. It is easy to
imagine how much Alphonso grieved over it : “His
parents confided him to mo, and I ought to bo in
their place ; it is I whom the injury concerns, and
not the young man.” Ho sent for tho canon,
whom he reprimanded, and inflicted a pcnanco on
him ; on the other hand he punished tho young
seminarist with prudence.

CHAPTER XII.
The pains which our saintly bishop took were
not confined to reforming the building of the semi­
nary, and to giving more vigour to tho studies.
Ho endeavoured above all to cause morality to
dwell there. lie established half an hour’s medi­
tation in public on the great truths of religion,
each morning after mass ; he thought there was
no practice more useful to young people. Tho
Friday’s meditation was on tho passion of Jesus
Christ; “Ho who is not startled by hell,” said

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

359

Alphonso, “ cannot help being affected at the con­
sideration of a God dying on a cross.” lie also
prescribed examination of conscience in common
Π
twice a day, in the morning
before dinner, and in
the evening before going to bed. This latter was
followed by the recital of night prayers. During
the morning and evening meals spiritual reading
took place by his order ; it was not practised be­
fore. At dinner a chapter in the New Testament
was read first, or at least a portion, according to
tho will of the Superior, after which followed ec­
clesiastical history, or the Life of some Saint ; at
supper the reading of history was preceded by that
of some book treating of the virtues and glories of
tho most Blessed Virgin; on Saturday evening the
rules of the Seminary were obliged to be read.
He fixed that tho Blessed Sacrament should bo
kept constantly in the seminary chapel, and ho
ordered a visit there in common every day, as
well as tho visit to Mary and the recitation of the
rosary. Every Saturday after Vespers several
priests wore appointed to hear the confessions.
There was an obligation on all for confession, but
not for communion. Each had to follow his
confessor’s advice for the reception of this latter
sacrament.
Alphonso went to tho seminary once a week
before going to church, it was usually on Satur­
day ; ho assembled all tho young people in the
chapel, and gave them a practical sermon on
tho beauty of virtue and tho deformity of vice.
He recommended them to have above all great
love and profound respect for the most Blessed

I

360

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Sacrament, as well as a tender devotion to tho
Blessed Virgin Mary, and ho advised them to
have recourse to her as to a mother in tho
temptations they might experience. Ho took
other measures also to cause devotion to grow
up in tho students’ hearts. Ho introduced tho
practice of novenas in honour of Jesus and Mary,
with flowers of mortification for certain days,
such as to forego something at table, and to
eat kneeling or on the ground. lie recommended
tho ordinary fast, or a fast of bread and water,
on tho vigils of tho feast of the Blessed Virgin.
He enhanced tho value of fraternal love in the
eyes of the students, and proposed a holy emula­
tion to tho: il instead of vain friendships taking
rise in sympathy and a spirit of worldly rivalry.
Ho exalted tho advantages of poverty and mor­
tification, leading tho young people to fly all
effeminacy, to love humility, and to obey their
superiors implicitly.
He instituted a monthly retreat, during which
the studies were suspended, as he wished that
each one should give an account of his progress
or remissness in virtue. There was a general
communion on this day, which was preceded and
followed by fervent exhortations from the superior ,*
he preached a sermon himself in tho course of the
day. It was also an indispensable rule that every
year before tho recommencement of the studies,
all should go through the spiritual exercises for
eight days, directed by ono of the Fathers of our
Congregation, or by the missionary Don Gaétan
Girolamo, who came from Naples with Brother

ST. ALPHONSO LTOUORI.

3G1

Don Ignatius or other holy labourers. Once it
was Bishop Bergamo, at tho time when he was
only a curé in tho parish of the advocate.
Alphonso thought too continuous application
might hurt the young students, and wishing
to give them some relaxation, he gave them the
master of tho chapel, Don Alexander Speranza,
who was a virtuous and zealous ecclesiastic, to
teach them chanting. lie set the hymns he had
composed to music, and liked to see them taught
to tho young people in relaxation time, and to
hear them sing them at recreation. Very often
he joined them himself, and was exceedingly
pleased to seo them joyous and contented.
In order to bo admitted into the seminary, it
was necessary to give certain proofs of exemplary
conduct. It is difficult to believe all the plans
ho employed to be assured of this. He wished
that on tho score of birth no spot should tarnish
tho ecclesiastical dignity, he inquired if the sub­
ject frequented tho Sacraments, if he assisted at
mass in tho morning and tho visit in the even­
ing. A young man was presented to him, whoso
brother and uncle were canons, he admitted
him being assured of his good conduct ; but
after some days, ho learned that ho had been
among tho soldiers ; without further inquiry
ho dismissed him from tho seminary. He then
sent for his brother tho canon. “How is it,”
ho said to him, “wo aro always together, you
know tho affection I bear you, and yet you betray
mo !” lie excused himself saying that his bro­
ther had only been three days at Capua, and had

3G2

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

not put on the military uniform. Alphonso adhe­
red to his first decision. The old undo became ill
from vexation. On Holy Saturday, tho grand vi­
car, tho governor, and tho chapter oven, went to
pay their respects to his Lordship and to beg him
to yield, but ho did not; and when they re­
presented tho affliction of tho old uncle, “Toll
the canon,” replied Alphonso, “to bo of good
courage, and that I will not fail to pray to God
that Ho may grant him tho re-establishment of
his health.”
When tho seminary was thus regulated, all
became edifying there ; souls were seen there
who were full of self-denial and always engaged
in prayer. Although he had not fixed commu­
nion every fortnight, many approached the sacred
altar every week, and others still more frequently.
Charity dwelt amongst them, they studied dili­
gently, and each ono advanced in virtue and
knowledge. Tho saintly bishop rejoiced at it,
and was accustomed to call tho seminary tho
apple of his eye, or the jewel of his diocese. No­
thing seemed too much if it related to tho young
clergy, and ho dedicated his time and labours
to them willingly. “All my clergy aro my
crown,” said ho, “but I depend most on tho
seminary to cultivate and cause morality to
reign throughout tho diocese.”
When report had published all these things,
tho seminary filled Avith excellent subjects ; stran­
gers gloried in sending their children to it ;
knowledge and virtue flourished in it ; perfect
impartiality maintained harmony between the su-

3G3

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

poriors and pupils ; young people preferred this
seminary to every other ; and as the seminary
at Aversa had been celebrated in the time of
Cardinal Caracciolo, that of St. Agatha acquired
the same renown under Bishop Liguori.
Alphonso, jealously anxious to see this great
work prosper, exerted himself as much as possi­
ble to preserve it from all seeds of corruption;
ho watched solicitously to prevent the introduc­
tion of romances or irreligious poems. He was
not satisfied with having established secret in­
spectors, he had the rooms frequently visited
besides. Ho spared no one : a very orderly
young man was surprised in reading a Ncopolitan poet ; this was so great an offence in the
bishop’s eyes that ho made him come down from
the course of rhetoric into that of grammar, and
ho was obliged to remain there till a new course
began. The bishop heard that some rather
loose verses wore circulated in the seminary ;
ho immediately ordered tho superior to search
for them: and such great terror spread among
the pupils, that ho who had those verses swal­
lowed them, not having time to get rid of them
otherwise. Two seminarists were found in pos­
session of forbidden knives ; they were imme­
diately dismissed, without hope of ever being
admitted to holy orders. Three young semina­
rists committed an act of levity through tho
windows of tho seminary towards a woman who
had often to pass in tho court ; the very mo­
ment Alphonso was informed of it, he sent all
three away, and was unrelenting notwithstanding

: Ήi

I tvi

3G4

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

their submission and promises, and the entrea­
ties of several respectable persons. After many
years Alphonso admitted ono of them to the
sub-diaconato on the representations of the curé,
who exposed the wants of his church, and made
a protest as to tho amendment of the candidate ;
but his Lordship thought he perceived other
faults in him, though less considerable, so he
left him always a sub-deacon. The second could
never obtain this favour ; tho third, who had no
more hope of re-entrance, died soon after his ex­
pulsion. Alphonso was on thorns when any hy­
pocritical wolf disguised himself as a sheep. As
soon as ho detected it, ho had no rest till he
had unmasked and expelled him. Πο perceived
a certain vice in tho nephew of a reader ; he
dismissed him the same instant, without any
regard to his uncle, who asked in tears for his
forgiveness, and made all sorts of protestations,
but in vain. When ho saw the inflexibility
of tho bishop, he was so annoyed that he gave
up his class and took leave of tho seminary.
When tho bishop pronounced a sentence, the
tears of parents and tho intercessions of friends
had no influence. “What charity, what charity,”
he reiterated to those who wished to prevail on
him, “to pity one individual, and risk the ruin
of all the rest? that is not charity, it is cruelty.”
Some people of note wished to interfere in behalf
of some disgraced subjects, but they could not
move Alphonso. Several gentlemen interceded
uselessly for another young student whom he
had dismissed ; Count Cerreto also wished to

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

365

take him under his protection, but he had the
same refusal, and received this answer: “A taint­
ed sheep infects the whole fold.”
Another young man of Airola interested in
his favour all the priests and gentlemen of the
town, but without success. Abbe Bignatelli, who
was afterwards archbishop of Capua, begged our
saint to try a young man who, he assured him,
was reformed : “ Well, if it is so, very Rev. Fath­
er,” Alphonso replied, “ he can enter the cloister.”
Only one example is known of a young man,
who, after having fallen, found pardon from Al­
phonso. Ho was of the village of Ducento, and
had not sinned against morality, but being wea­
ried of study he ran away from the seminary
twice. He did not deserve mercy, but Alphonso,
in consideration of his belonging to Ducento,
a country singularly abandoned, where there
was not a single priest, thought he ought to
exercise patience and gentleness.
Bishop Liguori, though inflexible towards the
vicious, had a father’s tenderness for those who
were worthy of his care. One of these had main­
tained in a brilliant way several theses of theolo­
gy ; as he was poor, his Lordship gave him six
ducats every half year. He deplored tho neglect
under which several small places groaned, such as
Ducento, Bagnoli, Cancello, and others of the same
sort, which had no priests belonging to them ;
when he noticed any young man of talent among ·
the children of the inhabitants, he tried to per­
suade him to embrace the ecclesiastical state,
and generously gave him an entrance into the

3GG

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

seminary. Tho canons who were members of
tho commission objected to this charity, which
they disliked. “Tho seminarists,” replied Al­
phonso, “were only instituted for tho help of
churches, and tho pious persons who left their
goods in favour of these establishments could have
had no other intention than the good of tho
inhabitants of tho diocese, and especially of tho
poor. Tho seminary ought to undertake tho
education of those who aro without fortune, if by
their conduct and talents they promise to become
useful to their country.”
It was thus that ho procured excellent priests
for many villages and country places, of which
they had till then been destitute. In order to
assist tho poor scholars still more effectually, in
his visit in 1704 ho increased tho revenues of
tho seminary and the endowment by six hun­
dred ducats derived from part of tho rents of
tho archpriest of Duccnto, which was then only
inhabited by a small number of husbandmen.
Alphonso, who took pleasure in seeing his
seminary follow tho course ho had so wisely
traced out for it, had not tho samo satisfaction
as to tho reform of tho vacations. In tho year
1764, tho administrators of tho seminary found
themselves in debt from tho expensos of building ;
they consulted as to the means of becoming free ;
in order to do this in part, they demanded that
vacations should bo given to the pupils ; tho
bishop consented, but on condition that they
should not bo so long as formerly, and that they
should not last more than a month, that is to

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOKI.

3G7

say, from the 1st of October until the 31st of
the same month. lie took the most prudent
measures besides to prevent these days of relaxa­
tion being of any injury to the morality of the
young people. Before dismissing them they were
assembled together, and tho bishop gave them a
sermon on tho perils to which they were going to
be exposed, and tho evil they might commit during
their abode with their families. Ho prescribed
expressly, that they should make half an hour’s
meditation every morning in their parish church
in tho presence of tho curé, after which they were
to hear mass ; they had to visit tho Blessed Sa­
crament every evening, and on feast-days to
bo present at all tho offices as well as the in­
structions of the curé on Christian doctrine ; they
were to approach the sacraments of penance and
tho Eucharist every eight days without fail, and
never to leave tho house without tho soutane,
collar, and girdle. They were to converse with
those who feared God and ecclesiastics ; they
were not on any account to be present at vin­
tages, and still loss at hunts.
In order to insure tho maintenance of these
rules ho sent them to tho curés of tho young
seminarists, and not satisfied with that, ho knew
how to have most circumspect spies in each place,
and woo was to him of whom ho received a bad
report. No one was received at tho opening of
tho classes who had not an attestation of good
conduct, on the word of his curé ; this certificate
was indispensable ; several pupils, for having com­
mitted very slight faults against the regulations,

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGÏJOKI.

experienced all tho severity of Alphonso. A
seminarist, who had received two of the minor
orders, went to hoar a comedy ; that was report­
ed, and although tho young man had committed
no other fault, ho was not admitted for a long time
after to tho higher orders. Another wont out at
night by tho aid of a priest, who furnished him
with tho moans ; tho priest was immediately im­
prisoned, and tho young man expelled from the
seminary ; tho bishop was not moved by tears and
solicitations, and though ho eventually succeeded
in being re-admitted, it was not for many years,
and this required all the influence of Bishop
Borgia, then Bishop of Aversa, and towards whom
Alphonso boro the greatest veneration.
Wo cannot conclude this chapter better than
by repeating some advice which St. Alphonso left
to the seminarists, to aid them in sanctifying their
studies.
“ The Apostle St. Paul said of this world’s
wisdom : Scientia inflat, caritas vero ædificat : si
quis autem se existimet sciro aliquid, nondum cog­
novit quemamodum operteat cum sciro. (1 Cor. iii.
1, 2.) Knowledge united to the lovo of God is
most useful to us and to our neighbour, but if
charity doos not accompany it, it docs us much
harm by making us proud, and leading us to
despise others ; for tho Lord is merciful to the
humble, but severe to the proud.”
“Happy is the man to whom God has given this
wisdom of the Saints, which He bestowed on righ­
teous Abel. Dedit illi scientiam sanctorum. (Sap.
i. 10.) The Holy Spirit speaks of this as the great-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

369

est of all gifts ; how many we see who are puffed
up because they understand mathematics, litera­
ture, languages, and antiquities! What does reli­
gion gain by their knowledge ? What does it do for
their own spiritual advancement ? What do those
numerous learned men gain from their knowledge,
whose mind, though adorned with so many acquircments, knows not even how to love God so to
practise virtue ? The Lord refuses His lights to
these sages of tho world, who only labour to ob­
tain self-renown, and He grants them to the
simple : Abscondisti hæc a sapientibus et prudenti­
bus, et revelasti ea parvulis. (Matth. ii. 15.) By
babes are to be understood those who only seek
to please God. Happy, says St. Augustine, is
he who knows God, His greatness and His good­
ness, if he is ignorant of all besides. Felix qui
Deum novit et alia nescit. For he who knows
God cannot help loving Him; now he who loves
is wiser than all the learned of the earth who
have not this love. The ignorant arise, exclaimed
the same doctor, and obtain tho heavens : Surgunt indocti et rapiunt cœlum ! How many ig­
norant people, how many poor villagers, sanctify
themselves day by day and obtain eternal life,
a single instant of which is preferable to the en­
joyment of all the goods of the earth! St. Paul
wrote to the Corinthians :
on dijudicavi mo
sciro aliquid inter vos nisi Jesum Christum ct
hunc crucifixum. (1 Cor. ii. 2.) Happy are we it
we acquire the knowledge of Jesus crucified, oi
tho love Ho has shown us, and what He deserves
from our hearts who died for us on the cross.
24

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Verily in studying tho book of tho crucifix, wo
shall como to lovo Him with a love moro than
common.”
“ Father Vincent Caraffa, in writing to tho young
ecclesiastics who applied to study in order to
save souls, addressed tho following remarkable
words to them : ‘ In order to effect groat con­
versions, much prayer is worth moro than much
eloquence ; for eternal truths make quite a
different impression when they proceed from the
heart, than when they are preached from the
lips. For this reason ministers of tho gospel
ought to make their practice in conformity to
their teaching ; in a word, they ought to show
that they are quite detached from the world and
from themselves, and only occupied in procuring
H
God’s glory, and in making
Him loved by all.
Endeavour then,’ continued the same Father,
* endeavour then with all your strength to ac­
quire this divine love ; when it reigns over a
heart, it banishes all undue attachments ; for
it purifies it and cleanses it from all earthly af­
fections.’
‘ Cor purum,’ said St. Augustine,
‘ est cor vacuum ab omni cupiditate.’
For,
adds St. Bernard, he who loves forgets all to
think only of loving. Qui amat amat, et aliud
cupit nihil. Yes, a heart inflamed with the love
of God, knows not how to attach itself to any
creature.”
“As then the students ought each year to give
proofs of their progress in knowledge, so ought
they, if they pretend to sanctity, to strive to
advance in the love of God, not only each year

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371

but each day. For this end they should bo at­
tentive to produce frequent acts of love, to offer
all their actions to God, and to determine to do
everything with a single view of pleasing Him ;
they should pray to the Lord incessantly to grant
them His light and grace, to aid them to put in
execution the good desires with which Ho will
not fail to inspiro them.”
“ St. Thomas of Villanova said, that to convert
sinners and draw them out of tho mire of vice
requires arrows of fire ; but how shall these darts
of flame reach a heart all frozen and cold to
divine love ? Experience every day shows that
a priest of moderate learning, but full of love
to Jesus Christ, converts more souls than several
learned orators put together, whose eloquent
discourses charm whole populations. With fine
thoughts, curious allusions, and ingenious reflec­
tions, it is easy to send away the auditors in
admiration, but they also return cold in divine
love, and perhaps colder than they were before.
Of what use are such discourses to tho people
and tho preacher? They only serve to render
him vainer and more culpable towards tho Divine
Majesty. On the contrary, ho who preaches
Jesus Christ crucified in simplicity, not to gather
praise, but to cause Him to bo loved, descends
from tho pulpit laden with merits from all tho
good ho has effected, or at least wished to effect
in his audience.”

372

ST. ALPIIONSO LIGUORI.

CHAPTER XIII.

While Alphonso laboured for the reform of
his seminary, ho neglected nothing which could
apply to the end of his visitation. Being
informed of the disedifying conduct of several
priests, he sent for them, made them a represen­
tation of their offences, and declared to them
that ho dared not tolerate sin, but that if they
would amend, they would find in him an indul­
gent father, ready to forgive. Ho made some
retire into monasteries, to take away occasions
of vice from them ; he was constrained to punish
others by imprisonment, but the greater number
yielded to his charitable remonstrauces, and their
after life consoled that heart which had been
afflicted at their previous disorders.
The sacrifice of tho altai· and the sacrament
of penance were tho principal objects of his care
during tho visitation. Ho had an altar erected
according to custom in tho ante-chamber of tho
episcopal palace, and assembled tho priests there
for examination on tho rubrics ; he instructed
tho least capable himself, and confided several
to tho care of tho master of ceremonies. Ho
found a good number whom ho was obliged to
suspend, so grossly did they offend against the
most essential rubrics ; and ho only reinstated
them with difficulty and after many months’ pro­
bation.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Behold what happened to one of these priests
amongst the rest ; he undertook to be a master,
and thought ho knew more than the rest. A
young man recently promoted to the priesthood
was examined, and Alphonso finding him quite
incapable, could not help suspending him; he
asked who had instructed him, and hearing that
it was a priest named Dominic Oropalla, imme­
diately sent for him and ordered him to repeat
all the ceremonies of mass before him. Oh,
what shame ! The master, though a master,
made still greater faults than his pupil ; so he
also was obliged to be suspended. It became a
subject of jesting when it was known, that he
who undertook to teach others had to bo re­
proved himself.
Another priest, though noble, and tho pre­
fect of the College of tho Annunziata, was obli­
ged to pass through the same trial ; ho was found
wanting, and suspended in consequence. As he
was old, he lost courage, and had no hope of
being able to learn the rubrics, so ho preferred
to remain without saying mass for tho three
years he survived, rather than submit to a now
examination. Tho necessary rigour of those
measures caused reflection everywhere; the ru­
brics wore studied, and mass was celebrated
with an admirable degree of precision and devo­
tion.
Alphonso wished also to examine the confes­
sors of the town and diocese ; he had to grieve
over them also. Though aware of the igno­
rance which generally prevailed, he did not think

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

it prudent to subject all to an exmination. “Λ
mortifying word,” said ho, “which may pass
from one to another, may cause tho whole dio­
cese to bo without a confessor, and wo should
risk tho loss of tho good as well as tho evil.”
IIo therefore only called those before his coun­
cil who had been pointed out to him as re­
laxed or ignorant, and ho questioned them, in
order to know if ho could continuo their facul­
ties to them. In tho village of Cervino there
were two found in tho most complete ignorance ;
besides prohibiting them from hearing confes­
sions, ho forbade them even to say mass; somo
time after ho permitted them to celebrato it, but
ho continued to refuso to lot them sit in the
sacred tribunal. Ho deplored tho ignorance of
so many incapable ministers, and still more tho
injury which resulted from it to the souls placed
under them. He know however how to soften
the pain which these rigorous measures caused
by his accustomed prudence and sweetness. This
was not all. IIo oven found several curés want­
ing in necessary knowledge ; this afflicted him
M Ost deeply, for it was an evil to which ho could
not easily put a stop. In tho town and suburbs
alono ho found four completely incapable. Not
wishing to proceed against them, and injure their
reputation, ho appointed them canons, in order
to prevent it, and to avoid tho evil which might
have resulted to those who would have been
alarmed at severities exercised towards men
whoso functions had acquired their confidence ;
bo did not omit in tho meanwhile to warn them

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375

and to give them good vicaries. Ono of them
had deviated so far from rule, that his Lordship
was obliged to propose his immediato resigna­
tion. The curé wished to resist, but he was forc­
ed to yield whether with a good or bad grace.
After a scrupulous examination of tho town and
surrounding country, he commenced the following
year to visit tho other parts of the diocese, per­
suaded that if the cathedral and its dependancies were in such disorder, it must be still worse
elsewhere. IIo wont then to Durazzano and its
neighbourhood after Easter ; to Aricnzo and
then to Real-Valle and tho villages of Bagnoli
Duccnto, Forchia, and Arpaja in the begin­
ning of May, finishing with tho estate of Frasso.
lie showed tho curés everywhere the obliga­
tion they were under of fulfilling all their du­
ties properly, and represented to them what a
strict account they would have to render of all
to God. Above all, ho rigorously exacted resi­
dence ; and as several did not live in the pres­
bytery, because it was in too bad a state, he or­
dered that all the priests’ houses should bo re­
paired without delay. IIo met with a good curé,
well informed and of excellent character, who
could not resolve to reside, pretending that his
church was too isolated, and that his parishioners
were few and scattered about ; in consequence,
he lived in tho town. Tho most ho did was to
say mass on feast days. Alphonso was not able
to tolerate such an abuse, and sent for tho curé
and enjoined his residence in his presbytery ; as
he resisted, ho ordered him immediately to re­

376

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI,

sign. The curé was astonished at so rigorous
a proceeding ; ho still wished to hesitate, but
Alphonso said to him, “ Decide, give in your
resignation, or I will suspend you.” Afterwards
by mildness ho was able to persuade him and to
obtain all he had wished. From wishing to
spare him, he obtained a dispensation from tho
Pope for him, to enable him to reap the fruits of
his curé, which ho had gathered so ill.
In a village parish he found such disorder that
he forbade women, under pain of excommunica­
tion, to enter tho curé’s house further than the
threshold, and forbade the curé under the same
penalty to receive them in any other way, wish­
ing they should only converse with them in
church.
He also prohibited hermits who had their cells
in some churches to have any communication
with females. He saw that in the rural church
of St. Michael, in tho country of Real-Valle,
there was a door in the interior which gave en­
trance into the cell of a hermit ; ho immediately
prohibited women from all access to tho hermi­
tage under pain of excommunication, ipso facto,
and he threatened the hermit with three months’
imprisonment and the deprivation of his hermi­
tage if ho. dared to introduce them there for the
time to come. He did the same thing in regard
to another hermit of tho church of St. Mary of
Sajano. In order that tho hermits might not
bo able to enrich themselves by the alms of tho
faithful while neglecting the cares of their church­
es, he ordered those of Carmel and St. Anthony

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

377

under pain of deposition, to place all that was
not necessary for their support in the hands of
the canon Don Francis Cesare, to be e Hl ployed
for tho benefit of the churches.
He heard that several curés through ignorance
or disregard of the bull of Benedict XIV. did not
celebrato for the people except on Sundays ; he
obliged them to do it also on feast days. lie
also saw that in several parishes the morning
mass was not said on feast days, and still less
that of midday, which prevented many of the
faithful from assisting at the holy Sacrifice ; he
enjoined both to be said, above all, on days of
obligation. Ho also observed some abuses in the
dress of the ecclesiastics. Several wore curled
hair and used perfumes ; Alphonso blamed and
prohibited such customs. He met with a priest
who had obtained permission from Rome to wear
a wig, nevertheless not without tho bishop’s ap­
probation. Alphonso wished to see it, and not
thinking it suitable, ho sent for a vessel of boiling
water, into which ho plunged the wig, and thus
straightened its curls. “This is how it ought
to be,” said ho smiling, “and in no other way.”
There was a great deal of vanity in their clothes
also. Some were ornamented with gold lace,
ribbons, and laces ; coloured mantles were also in
fashion. Alphonso forbade them all under pain
of suspension latæ sententia?, and ho prohibited
their entrance into the church without tho sou­
tane. He allowed tho canons alone to use colour­
ed cloaks in travelling, provided they wore of a
quiet shape.
Ho gave warnings, or inflicted

»

378

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

penances, according to the greater or less degree
of oftensivencss of the state of those ho met with ;
by this method the rest were reprimanded indi­
rectly and reformed themselves. The youngest
especially were tho objects of tho strictest watch­
fulness.
Considering tho great evil which tho custom
said to be from St. John brought to families, ho
strictly forbade priests to be godfathers at baptism
or confirmation. However, ho permitted though
with regret that it might take place in baptism
only in extraordinary cases.
As he found priests who were not ashamed to
frequent theatres,
*
Alphonso stopped this abuse
forcibly, and proscribed it under pain of suspen­
sion ipso facto a divinis and under other censures;
ho made a general rule that priests were not to
play at any game of chance.
That which afflicted Alphonso most, was tho
precipitation with which some priests celebrated
mass. To remedy this, he declared that whoever
did so in less than a quarter of an hour, oven in
requiem masses, should incur suspension latæ
sentontiæ. He was informed of a priest who hur­
ried through his mass in six minutes ; ho imme­
diately suspended him and sent him to our house

* We know that irréligion and immorality are very strictly ban­
ished from the theatres in Italy, and that they are therefore far
from being able to be compared with ours; no piece can be repre­
sented at Rome which has not passed under ecclesiastical censor­
ship. Besides, it is certain that what Alphonso deplored in his
time as an abuse does not exist in our days in the capital of the
Christian world.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

379

at Nocora. “ If ho does not amend,” he wrote
to Father Villani, “ I will never re-establish him,
for then both ho and I would bo in a constant state
of mortal sin.” Ho suspended another at St. Aga­
tha for the same fault. These means caused fear
to arise in several, and from that time the holy
mysteries were celebrated in quite a different
manner. In order to show the enormity of such
a disorder, he published his little book on Hurried
Mass, with acts of preparation and thanksgiving.
This treatise was spread throughout Italy, and
there were few priests who did not profit by it.
On continuing his visitation he found serious
disorders even in *the ministers of the sanctu­
ary. Ho had compassion on the weakness of the
man, but he did not leave tho sin unpunished.
He sent several into the house of the mission
of St. Vincent of Paul, and others were entrusted
to our houses, with the certainty that tho ex­
ercises of a retreat would prove an effectual
remedy for them. Ho was not loss careful to
purgo tho monasteries from tho presence of hurt­
ful subjects. He was obliged to employ severity
towards a religious who, forgetting her duties as
the spouse of Jesus Christ, afflicted all the house
by her continual irregularities. The woman was
a Neapolitan. Alphonso sent her away, and had
her conducted back to her homo by several excel­
lent priests ; but she had scarcely left Frasso,
before tho impudent religious again presented
herself at tho convent door. Tho bishop on
hearing that she acted with violence in order
to enter it, and received tho aid of her parents,

380

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

who accompanied her in so doing, went to tho
convent himself to prohibit her return.
Alphonso took every pains also in the reform
of the people. From tho beginning of tho visi­
tation ho saw that a great number transgressed
tho commandment of paschal communion ; ho
charged the cures to insist upon it to negligent
Christians, and not to give rest to those who
refused to amend. Ho sent for several, to warn
them himself and to urge them to perform their
duties ; to others ho sent warnings in writing.
He was particularly interested about tho salva­
tion of tho inhabitants of tho country, but did
not therefore at all neglect tho labourers
and dAvellers in towns. It was a custom, or
rather a general abuse, throughout tho diocese,
that after tho ceremony of betrothment, tho
parents received the young aspirant to their
daughter’s hand into their house. Despairing of
being able to prevent these dangerous meetings
except by rigorous measures, he made it a reserved
case, and alarmed the peasantry by threatening
them with excommunication. Ho wrote in those
terms on the 1st of September to tho curé Don
Anthony Tancredi : “ Tho Archdeacon and I
have found no other method than that of telling
the fathers and mothers of tho affianced that
they shall bo excommunicated if they permit
their betrothed children to bo together in the
same house, and wo have ordered the confessor
to refuse absolution to those who offend in this
matter.”
He had also the sorrow of seeing that in tho

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

381

diocese tho catechising of children only took
place in Lent. He ordered, under very severe
penalties, that it should take place every Sunday
and feast-day, as well as every day during Lent.
In order to remedy the ignorance of the people
in tho elements of Christian doctrine, he recapi­
tulated its most essential points, which he had
printed in Italian, in one sheet for the conveni­
ence of the people ; besides this he ordered that
these instructions should be put on a tablet
board, and should be read by the curés on every
feast-day at tho first mass, and at that where
there were the most people. He exacted the
same thing from all the priests attached to
churches and chapels in tho country. He pro­
hibited confessors, under pain of suspension,
from admitting any one to tho sacrament of
penance, in paschal times, who had not been
examined by his curé on Christian Doctrine,
and was not provided with his certificate.
Ho feared that tho sacrament of baptism was
not well administered in cases of danger, through
the ignorance of tho midwives; he did not rest
till ho had examined them himself ; he did not
fail to instruct them, and ho continued to do it
through tho course of all his visitations. Ho
reflected on tho sacrileges whi
causes to bo committed in thinly
whore sinners fear to present th
feet of the priest whom they seo
day ; in consequence ho advised
such localities to change parish
paschal time.

382

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

When ho found any of those unhappy beings
whose scandalous life caused sorrow to their kind,
ho had recourse to tho civil authority, who im­
prisoned them ; ho spared them the galleys, in
consideration of the poverty of their families, and
other sad consequences which would have resulted
thence. Ho ordered all women of irregular
lives
o
to come to him, and in presence of tho curé
ho put fire and water before them, I mean, he
showed them on one hand his indignation, and on
the other, his mercy. “If you reform,” said he,
“you will find in mo a father full of charity ; but
if you remain obstinately in sin, I shall be to you
a severo and importunate judge.” IIo advised
tho curés to watch over them, and to inform him
of their conduct. A great number of these repen­
tant sinners only experienced acts of love on
Alphonso’s part, but tho incorrigibles wore tho
objects of his justice and his zeal.
There was a most immodest custom in tho
dioceso of St. Agatha, as well as in some other
parts of Italy, which long usage had in a manner
authorized among the lower classes of women.
Archbishop Puoti of Amalfi told Alphonso that
ho ought to abolish this custom. “ Rem difficilem
postulasti,” Alphonso replied. IIo did all ho could,
however, to gain this end, but all his pains were
useless ; so difficult is it to extirpate a bad cus­
tom when it has taken root in practice, and is,
as it were, consecrated by time.
Tho practice of paying a visit in tho evening
to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Most Holy
Virgin, was unknown in the diocese. He cstab-

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

383

lished it everywhere, and for tho aid of the curés
had printed suitable acts for this exercise, which
were placed on tablets of a portable sort.
IIo noticed also that they were very ignorant
as to the method of assisting the dying, and that
sometimes long tirades in Latin, and demi-sermons
wore addressed to tho poor peasants, to the great
disgust of tho sick people, who could not reap
any good from it ; he therefore published a prac­
tical little book on the subject, containing an easy
and devout method, which he distributed to all
the priests, and especially to the curés and vi­
cars.
There was a sad neglect also in tho outward
part of tho churches, especially in the villages
and towns ; all was in a bad state. The walls
were dirty, and covered with a thick plaistering
of dust ; our vigilant bishop, who thought that it
is difficult for people to pray where their sight
is painfully affected by what they sec, made them
repair tho furniture and whiten tho walls of the
churches. His watchfulness caused tho deformi­
ties to disappear, and raised up that which threat­
ened to fall ; tho roofings were better kept, which
saved tho building from damp ; several edifices
were destitute of frames and windows, these
were soon provided ; the paving was suitably re­
placed ; tho cleanliness of tho courts left nothing
to bo desired. “Tho house of God,” said he,
II
“ demands holiness and decency, and too much
pains cannot be taken to put it in proper or­
der.” Λ cobweb in a church was tho cause of a
severe reprimand to tho curés and sacristans.

384

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

Ho forbade statues and altars to bo preserved
which had become disfigured by time. “An image
is useless,” said Alphonso, “when it docs not
inspire devotion.” At Frasso ho wished to burn
an old statue of tho Blessed Virgin, which was
black and shapeless, but tho people opposed it;
Alphonso yielded reluctantly to this ill-bestow­
ed devotion. Ho had many broken altars resto­
red, and pictures which had been injured by
time. Tho rotten wood was given to tho poor,
and when all was repaired, they were obliged,
in conformity to the strictness of his regulations,
to dust every part of the church once a week,
and to clean the holy-water stoups.
The holy oil was kept in no less distressing
a state : in many churches he found it banished
into a corner of tho sacristy, or at best of tho
baptistery ; he ordered that it should be placed
in little closets on purpose for it. Tho small
sepulchres that aro exposed on Holy Thursday
were also in a bad state ; he wished that new
ones should be made ornamented with taffety.
He would have liked to have had several lights
before tho Blessed Sacrament, but on account of
tho poverty of the churches he was obliged to bo
contented with ono. In ono parish he found only
a pitiful lamp on a window ; he was indignant
at this, and had it replaced by one of copper, which
was suspended before the altar. In many places
there was no canopy for the exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament; ho fixed tho cost of these,
and rejected all those which wore unsuitable. He
also noticed that the Holy Viaticum was followed

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

385

with too few lights, and he remedied this by no
less explicit instructions.
He prohibited the use of unsuitable veils and
humerais, and established the use of small cano­
pies for the Viaticum. Many tabernacles were
better arranged, and several, which had been
lined with cotton, were by his order lined with
silk. However, negligence in these restorations
was general ; and as they showed little anx­
iety in going to new expenses, he declared that
wherever omissions and faults in these points
were found, ho should stop the revenues. He
was rigorous also as to the form and material
of the sacred vessels ; he could not see tho ava­
ricious economy which had directed the manu­
facture of these things without sorrow. The
churches had no re-monstrances ; he ordered such
to be procured, prohibited improper chalices or
ciboriums to be continued in use, and ordered
that, in two months, they should all be re-gilt.
Many unsuitable chalices were obliged to be re­
placed, and ornaments capable of repair to be put
into a good state; if magnificent ones were
unattainable, it was necessary to use at least
those which were fitting and decent. Λ great
quantity of albs, chasubles, copes, and missals,
wore rejected, and great cleanliness in corporals
and other linen for the altar was exacted.
Such was Alphonso’s solicitude for sacred
buildings and for all that could render the ser­
vice of tho Lord most dignified. One may say
that the glory of the Lord consumed him with
its holy flames, and rendered the words of King
25

386

387

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

David eminently applicable to him : * “ The zeal
of Thy house hath eaten me up.”

found them incorrigible, he imprisoned them, and
afterwards banished them by the aid of the
Prince de la Riccia, who supported him strongly.
A more severe chastisment befel a nobleman of
the first rank, who was engaged in a criminal
intercourse: Alphonso, however, succeeded in ma­
king him return home to his own wife ; but this
was only a feigned obedience, commanded by
the fear with which the bishop’s well-known
severity inspired him. This nobleman, who was
in no degree repentant, thought ho could carry
on his culpable intrigues with impunity; only
ho practised caution, and acted in secret. But
he had a quarrel with his wife, and fearing
lest she should go and denounce him to Alphonso,
he threatened to take her life ; now, a short time
before, a libertine had really killed his wife. “ If
you do not keep silence,” said he, “I will treat
you in the same way as that man treated his
wife.” The bishop was informed of what had
past ; as ho knew the violence of this nobleman’s
temper, he took a great interest in the fate of
his unhappy wife ; he immediately ordered the
husband’s arrest, and had him banished to Airola
with the prince’s aid ; in spite of his banishment
the gentleman continued to live in licentious­
ness, so tho prince, at the instigation of the bish­
op, shut him up in a state prison, where he died
in impenitence.
While Alphonso thus performed tho visitation
of his diocese, God proved him still further. His
asthma tormented him again at Airola, and this
torment was soon followed by a fever, accoin-

CHAPTER XIV.

The Bishop arrived at Airola on tho 24th
of July, 1762. Ho entered in triumph and was
welcomed as a messenger from heaven. The
Prince de la Riccia, who had the highest opin­
ion of his sanctity, wished him to take up his
abode in his palace, and ordered his steward
to spare nothing to treat so distinguished a guest
worthily. Alphonso opened a sort of mission
in tho church of the Annunziata, where he
preached eight days following ; ho gave the spiri­
tual exercises at the same time to the clergy in
the Church of St. Charles. His preaching was
efficacious, and followed by a complete reform.
He was, however, obliged to suspend and banish
two priests of bad conduct, as well as a deacon,
but without judicial formalities ; he enjoined
them to submit readily if they would not incur
the just condemnation which their crimes merit­
ed. Ho expelled three religious at tho same
time who scandalised tho whole town by their
conduct. The curé, Don Pascal Bartolini, has
asserted, that being exasperated at tho dissolute
conduct of some laics, ho sent for and imposed
a paternal correction on them ; but that having
« Zelurf domus tua comedit me.

I’d. ixviii.

388

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

panied by symptoms which appeared mortal,
This event caused tho greatest affliction to all
the clergy and gentlemen of tho town ; as tho
evil did not leave him, it was proposed to him
to send for some skilful doctor from Naples,
“The doctors of Airola will suffice for mo,” ho
replied ; “ have they not studied in tho same
books as those at Naples ? besides, my life is not
of such great value.” At tho beginning tho
doctor Don John Baptist Truppi was called in,
and during the whole course of his illness Al­
phonso would not bo attended by any one but
him and his son Don Jerome, and ho would not
allow any ono to speak of calling in others. The
state in which tho bishop was did not prevent
tho continuation of tho visitation ; his place was
supplied by the Grand Vicar, whom ho told to go
through tho country, while he received accounts
of tho state of tho faithful from the curés and
several gentlemen. When ho heard of any scan­
dal, he did not rest till ho had remedied it.
IIo exhorted the curés and confessors to acquit
themselves of their obligations well, and recom­
mended tho fear of God to them all, tho fré­
quentation of tho sacraments, and hatred against
sin, IIo asked his Grand Vicar to attend to tho
proper preservation of the churches very partic­
ularly, to examine into tho conduct of ecclesias­
tics, to bo sure that it was edifying, and in
short, to exact a strict observance of discipline.
During this malady he did not fail to commu­
nicate each day, to hear mass in his room, and
to make his customary meditations in the morn­

w —

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

389

ing and evening. All Airola admired the con­
duct of tho holy bishop, whose example did not
produce less fruit than his words.
On the ninth day, the malady got worse, and
ho asked if there were any danger. The phy­
sician Truppi did not conceal the truth from him ;
he knew tho firmness of the saintly invalid’s
mind, so ho frankly avowed the real state of the
case. Alphonso then sent for his secretary, Verzella, and told him to administer extreme unction
to him without loss of time. He received it with
pious confidence, as may be easily believed ; his
face manifested the joy of his soul and his entire
submission to the will of God ; far from fearing
death, ho seemed to invite it as a friend, who
would deliver him from his exile and lead him
to his true country.
The visits which were paid him by persons
of tho highest rank and ecclesiastics of various
degrees, were burthensome to him ; if he did not
expressly dismiss them, they were obliged to re­
tire, for they always found him meditating or
listening to the recital of some pious book, and
this reading was not interrupted by tho arrival
of any ono whatever. Tho doctor cautioned him
not to fatigue himself by too much application :
“It is that which relieves mo,” answered Al­
phonso ; “ without it my illness would bo too
painful to me.” His health improved after the
fifteenth day, but ho was scarcely convalescent
when ho returned with ardour to tho objects ot
his pastoral care. He was still in bed when he
examined priests on tho rubrics and made the H

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

practise under his own eyes on an altar arrang­
ed in his room. lie recommended them above
all to celebrate with a gravity becoming the
holy mysteries ; he suspended four whom he
found incapable, and put them under tho instruc­
tion of the cure Don Joseph Truppi. He also ex­
amined several priests on moral theology. lie
was satisfied with the accounts which he receiv­
ed of tho regular clergy, especially of the Fathers
of St. Fetor of Alcantara : ho exhorted them to
labour for the glory of Jesus Christ, and to serve
as an example through their virtues. He estab­
lished visits to tho Blessed Virgin and to the
most adorable Sacrament, and though scarcely
recovered from his malady, he went to church
himself to set the motives for tho love of tho
Divine Saviour before the eyes of the faithful,
and to animate them to labour for their salva­
tion. Ho visited tho nuns of St. Francis. Ho
preached a sermon to them in choir on their
duties, and commented on tho rule of which they
had mado profession. He spoke to them amongst
other things, as they have told me, on tho lovo
of Jesus Christ with all the ardour of a seraph;
he showed them how wo arc obliged to lovo
him, as well as the Holy Virgin, to whom ho
urged them to recur unceasingly.
Alphonso, in visiting his vine, cut and pruned
all that was bad or uncultivated ; but far from
neglecting that which was good, ho cultivated it
with care, in order to make it produce fruit still
more abundantly. In all the populous parishes he
established tho congregation of “Cases of Morals”

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

391

for the clergy, which had ceased from the time
that Bishop Gaeta occupied tho see of Capua. In
order that the same case should be discussed on
the same day by all the diocese, and that no priest
should find an excuse for not being prepared for
it, he made a choice of several questions himself,
and every year ho had the list of cases for each
week printed in tho calendar of the diocese. In
order that each person should be well prepared
before tho arrival of the meetings, he wished
tho names of all tho members to bo put into a
box, and that that of the one who should con­
duct tho conference should be drawn by lot ;
when the drawing was over, tho ticket was repla­
ced in the box, for it was important that the
same name should bo exposed several times to
tho uncertainty of the ballot: “ otherwise,” said
Alphonso, “ho whose name camo up once would
close his reading in morals for a long time, cer­
tain that he would not bo called for again before
all the names were exhausted.” IIo also wished
that note should be made of all tho decisions
and conferences for future use. Even ceremonies
of mass wore not omitted ; they were mado the
subject of special exercises, and each priest had
to represent the holy mysteries in his turn, and
to show in what manner ho celebrated them.
Besides the reunion for tho study of morals,
ho attached a school of morality to the ca­
thedral, which had to assemble every week in his
palaeo ; ho presided at tho sittings himsolf. I his
academy was a sweet source of consolation to
his Lordship, and the members of this assembly

1

392

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

393

capacity, pronounced a short discourse of exhor­
tation, or a fragment of a sermon. His Lord­
ship thought this work most suitable for form­
ing exemplary priests, and a very useful one to
tho people.
During the spiritual exercises which he gave
at Durazzano, he noticed several ecclesiastics
after his own heart, and excited their zeal and
united them into a Congregation specially destin­
ed to labour in the rural parts of the diocese.
They went to fulfil their duties in some place
or other every eight days, and the priests and
clerks of the place were obliged to assist at their
exercises. These new missionaries distinguished
themselves so much that Alphonso attached the: It
to the Congregation known at Naples by the name
of the Conference.
Ho did not forget the gentlemen during his
visit ; ho gave them the spiritual exercises at
Arienzo, which succeeded marvellously, and to
strengthen them in good things, he instituted a
confraternity in their favour in tho church of
St. Mary of Mount Cannel. He said, “ The siu
of the great is like the sin of Lucifer, who in
his fall carried a third part of the angels after
him ; but on the other hand, if they edify by
their exemplary conduct, they do an immensity
of good.” It appeared plain that God was with
our saintly prelate, and that lie inspired him when
ho spoke from the holy pulpit. Ono day in a
sermon which ho preached during those samo
exercises, in which ho magnified the love of
Jesus Christ for man, ho suddenly fell into an

were those ho most frequently chose for curés.
When he could not preside in person, ho deputed
some ono of us to replace him who lived with
him. Some of tho academicians wanted needful
books and had not tho means of procuring them ;
ho furnished all they required from his own li­
brary, and spared no expense to facilitate their
labours. A great many of the clergy could not
maintain themselves in the seminary for tho
samo reason. Alphonso, who was anxious about
their vocation, and wished to make them useful
to the diocese, founded societies on purpose for
their benefit. He instituted ono at Airola under
the management of tho learned priest Pascal
Bartolini. These clerks met together every eight
days, when they began by making a quarter of
an hour’s meditation, and after followed an in­
structive sermon. They were obliged to wear long
habits. Some amusements were allowed to them,
but they could not join in some diversions which
are allowed to seculars, such as tho chase, <fcc.
Besides frequenting tho sacraments, they were
obliged to assist at the offices of their parish on
all feasts days, and could not bo admitted to
orders without a testimonial of approbation from
their superior, Don Bartolini.
After all tho experience of his life, our saint
could not fail to institute a society of priests
in his capital to give missions ; tho prefect
ho appointed for them was tho dean Bar­
tholomew Balzarano. The young clerks also
took part in the labours of this Congregation,
and every Sunday, each one, according to his

if

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ecstacy, in which he appeared quite transfigured ;
his face beamed with so brilliant a light that tho
church became resplendent as from tho rays of
the sun.
Tho young did not escape his zeal. He insti­
tuted particular confraternities for them, where
they might receive solid instruction, and learn
to know the value of chastity, and the dangerous
snares which surround it. He put them under
the direction of priests of well-tried and exem­
plary character.
The confraternities for girls at Airola, Durazzano, and Frasso distinguished themselves most.
Ho instituted special confraternities for young
men, who also received instruction on their
duties, and who mutually encouraged each other
in goodness. Our Saint was greatly consoled
at St. Agatha on tho subject of the educa­
tion of little girls. Two nuns, Sister Mary Co­
lumbo Fritto, and Sister Mary Antoinette Baretta, trained these children in virtue and taught
them trades. Tho holy pastor examined this
interesting flock himself, and ho had tho satisfaction to see that they were properly instructed in
Christian Doctrine, and that they were made to
frequent the Sacraments and recite the rosary
in common. He insisted above all on the oldest
among them being made to understand how great
is tho value of virginity, and how painful a bur­
then is the state of matrimony, in order that at
a later time they should have a rule for their
guidance, •whether they embraced tho married
life, or consecrated themselves in celibacy.

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

395

Ho introduced the practice of prayer in com­
mon into the cathedral, as well as into the
other parish churches ; he magnified its utility,
and wished that it should be made at the first
mass, during which, for the aid of the people, a
priest read at various intervals a chapter on the
truths of eternity, or the enormity of sin, or on
the mysteries of the passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ. This pious exercise produced so much
fruit at Durazzano, and it was so well appreci­
ated, that after he had established it in tho great
church, the archpriest had it practised in the
country churches, and in that of the Blessed
Sacrament.
Alphonso also fixed a day each year for the
general communion of men and women in every
parish, lie obtained a plenary indulgence for this
day from tho Popo, applicable either to the com­
municants or to tho souls in purgatory, on the
condition of visiting the church during the same
day. IIo also wished for tho liberty of con­
sciences on this occasion, and that tho confes­
sions should not bo made to the curés or con­
fessors of the place, but to curés and priests
from other places, who should bo invited to come
for this purpose.
After having thus terminated his visit to
Airola, Alphonso returned to St. Agatha, and
charged his grand vicar to finish the visitation
of the dioceso himself ; as long as ho was bishop
ho had made a rule of visiting it every two
years, each year doing half, and he never failed
in this. In this his first visitation of his dio-

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

ceso, our Saint had many opportunities of notic­
ing great ignorance among tho country confes­
sors in matters of moral theology ; this discovery
caused him keen sorrow. In order to remedy
so great an evil, ho summed up all tho most
essential things for the right administration of
the sacrament of penance in one small volume,
with all possible clearness and in tho vernacular
tongue. He named this book “ The Guido to
Country Confessors.” This work was a
fruit of his zeal. Seo what judgment Father
Albert Sacco, a celebrated Dominican, passed
on it : “ Verba ponderanda sunt, non numeranda....... paucis, verbis magnam massam hac
in opella complexus est ! ”
The bishops testified their gratitude to the
author, and this work spread speedily over all
the kingdom.

CHAPTER XV.
Humility and charity, penance and disinter­
estedness were our Saint’s inseparable com­
panions during tho visitation. Without adorn­
ment and without pomp in tho members of his
suite, all the equipage of tho bishop of St. Agatha
consisted, besides himself, of his grand vicar, of
his secretary, and a canon of tho cathedral, bro­
ther Francis Anthony, and a servant, who waited
on them. For him there was neither coach nor
carriage, nor horses with rich trappings ; a wretch­

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

397

cd hired beast was all his train, and even the
saddle he had borrowed from a lady of St. Aga­
tha, named Emilia Vinaccia. The cavalcade was
a remarkable one. His Lordship was beheld seat­
ed as women sit, on an ass, the bridle of which
was held at one side by a child of ten or twelve
years, tho son of tho owner. On the other was
tho father, who supported the bishop ; it was
a sight well worthy of admiration, and which
caused all those who saw it to shed tears of com­
passion. As he never omitted any of his ordinary
devotions in tho morning, and let no poor person
pass without consolation, he got on so slowly,
that he was often on tho road at mid-day, in the
heat of the sun ; the grand vicar sometimes ex­
cused himself from starting at the same time, and
did not set out till towards evening.
At Frasso a person of distinction, who had pre­
pared for his reception at his house, seeing him
arrive on an ass, said to him in astonishment,
“Why, my Lord, do you travel on an ass!” and
his Lordship replied with a pleasant smile, “ Hi
II in nomino
in curribus et hi in equis, nos autem
Domini.”* On his way through Mighano to go
to Arpaja, Don Francis do Marco, a gentleman
of the place, offered him his carriage, but AlphonII
so declined it, and thanked him,
saying, “ I am so
comfortable on this beast that it is wonderful;"
and notwithstanding tho urgency of tho gentle­
man, he would not consent to accept his offer.
* Some in carriages, and others on horses but we in the name
of the Lord.

·*"

398

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

IIo arrived at Arpaja about the middle of the
day, and the canons exclaimed in their surprise
at seeing such an equipage, “ What ! to travel
in this heat, and on an ass ! ” Alphonso smiled,
and a vendor of poultry happening to pass at the
time with a great basket on his head, “ Look at
this poor man,” said he, “which of us has come
most easily, I on this ass, or he on foot and with
this basket on his head?” Ono Sunday when he
had to go from Arpaja to preach in tho little vil­
lage of Forchia, a canon covered tho back of the
ass with a rod cloth. Tho bishop was dissatisfied
with this decoration, but boro it for fear of pain­
ing tho canon. Hero is another trait which will
give a still more just idea of his magnificent train.
When he went from Arpaja to Airola, he could
not procuro enough beasts for all his followers ;
not wishing to incommodo any one, he set out
on foot, accompanied by his servant Alexis only.
It was during the heat of the month of August ;
ho had pity on the poor young man, who was
bathed in perspiration: “My son,” said he, “it
is exceedingly hot, take off your waistcoat, and
give it to mo to hold.” The servant would
not consent, but Alphonso gavo such persuasive
reasons for it, that ho was induced to give him
the waistcoat, that is to say, Alphonso had
no difficulty in waiting on his servant : ho very
nearly went half tho way on foot, and ho
Avould have done it if he had not boon overcome
and quite exhausted by fatigue. On tho way
ho observed tho rule which ho had fixed for jour­
neys, during which he was constantly engaged in

I

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

I

399

saying the rosary with those who accompanied
him, as well as the litanies of tho most Holy Λ irgin, and other prayers in honour of his patron and
of the saintly protectors of the divers places
through which he passed.
During tho time of the visitation he was so
full of charity for his flock and of zeal for God’s
glory, that he braved every kind of inconvenience.
Once in going from Durazzano to Frasso, he was
indisposed, and therefore made use of a convey­
ance, but this was rather to please the grand vicar
than from wishing it himself.
The coachman,
whether through awkwardness or drunkenness,
upset them twice ; the second time Alphonso fell
on tho vicar and put out his wrist ; he showed no
sign of dissatisfaction, and though in great pain
he finished his journey on a mule. The news of
this accident spread, and as ho passed near St.
Agatha the canons and gentlemen wished to get
him to stop and take rest in the town, but his zeal
carried him on, and ho would not fail in what he
had resolved. Ho was to commence the pastoral
visitation at Frasso tho same evening. When he
travelled through tho country called the Steps,
a rich merchant, named Angelus Cervo, who was
much devoted to him, being affected at seeing
him sufler, forced him to alight at his house, and
it was there that a doctor set his wrist.
This accident, which was an evil for Alphonso,
caused a happy meeting for the merchant. He
had a son in the house who was ill and given
up by tho physicians ; when the bishop saw
tho affliction that this misfortune caused to the

I■

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

family, ho went to sec the (lying boy, though in
suffering himself. On approaching him he made
the sign of tho cross on his forehead, and then
turning to his father and mother said to them,
“Be of good courage, and bo assured that your
son will recover.” Indeed, at the same moment
the child began to get better, and three days
afterwards ho was walking about. Don Cervo
begged the man of God to remain at least tho
evening with him, but Alphonso only thinking of
tho visitation would continue his journey imme­
diately. On arriving at Frasso ho went to tho
parsonage, and as if nothing had befallen him
opened the visitation, preached, and was as cheer­
ful as usual.
Wherever he wont he chose the poorest places :
we said that at Airola the Prince of Riccia put
his palace at the bishop’s service ; Alphonso
accepted this in order not to disoblige a noble­
man who had so powerfully protected him. His
steward had prepared a magnificient bed for him
in the room which tho prince was in the habit
of occupying himself ; when his Lordship saw this
apartment he praised it highly, but examining
afterwards tho rooms prepared for his grand
vicar, and that destined for his valet, ho gave
the preference to tho latter, because it was little
and incommodious: “I shall bo best off hero,”
said he, “ for I suffer from my chest ; largo rooms
where there is too much air are hurtful to me.”
So ho gave up the chamber and bod which had
been richly adorned for himself to his vicar, and
the steward had much trouble in getting him to

ST. ALPTIONSO LIGUORI.

»

401

allow a rather more decent looking bed to be
II he had chosen.
made up in the room
He only
consented on condition, that in case he returned
at other times the same little room should be
always prepared for him in the same manner.
It was there he became ill, as we have said ; but
notwithstanding all the entreaties of the canon,
and still more of tho steward, who had the
prince’s honour at heart, Alphonso never could
consent to leave his little chamber or to use
another bed. “ If you wish my comfort and
relief,” said he, “it is here I find it.”
He could not understand any belonging to him
complaining or being dissatisfied, and ho gavo a
good proof of the pain ho felt at it while he was
at Frasso. Convenient apartments had been
prepared for him and for his grand vicar ; the
latter, the day after his arrival, disturbed every
ono on account of his room, pretending that it
was damp, and that the window did not shut
quito close; ho quarreled with the canons, and
they did not know what room to give him. Some
believed that neither the damp nor tho window
were the cause of his discontent, since it was
the month of July, but rather the circumstance
that the two rooms given to his Lordship had
some ornaments on tho ceiling and wainscot
which his had not. Tho bishop perceived the
perplexity and said, “ It is nothing, I know how
to remedy it.” When tho vicar had gone to
church, his Lordship had his own bed, which
was tho plainest, moved into the vicar’s room,
and that of tho vicar into his, who on his return
26

'Λ

402

ST. ALPHONSO LinüORT.

seemed not to notice any change. His conduct
caused surprise, but tho bishop’s humility and
thorough indifference were admired all the more.
In proportion to his joy at being treated poorly
was his sorrow at being made an object of any
distinction. The Dominican fathers at Durazzano served him with damask table linen.
Alphonso was confused at it, and would not use
it. lie said, “ Father Prior, this can bo kept for
other occasions, and ordinary cloths used to-day.”
“But,” said tho prior, “if it is not used for your
Lordship, for whom else will it do ? ”
At Real-Valle God manifested how agreeable
His servant’s humility was to him : tho room
which he inhabited in tho house of Don Anthony
di Martino, had been infested for a great many
years with beetles, and no means of getting rid
of them could be found. The Saint passed a
night there, and it was entirely freed.
On arriving in a place he went first to the
principal church, where ho opened tho visitation
by a discourse to the people, and announced the
plenary indulgence to all who after having con­
fessed should communicate and visit this church
during tho visitation. When tho day after his
arrival was a Sunday or feast day, he offi­
ciated pontifically if the parish were populous
enough. If the church were not a collegiato
one, ho sent at his own cost for seven canons
from his cathedral, or from the nearest college,
and also for the seminarists of the place. Ho
preached during all tho course of the visitation.
The second day after his arrival he commenced

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

403

tlio mission in tho afternoon, which lasted for
eight days following ; the people did not leave
the church till nearly seven o’clock in the even­
ing. He visited the blessed Sacrament every
evening with the people, which was in itself
another sermon. Ho recapitulated the motives
for the love of Jesus Christ and hatred of
sin. Compunction became general, and all his
words bore fruit. At the first sound of the bell
every one hastened to the church, “to hear,”
as they said, “the Saint who smoothed their
way to heaven.” He also gave a retreat to the
clergy every morning during these eight days
as well as to the convents which were in the
town.
He assembled children after vespers for cate­
chism. He attached much importance to this,
being anxious to see what instruction they re­
ceived himself. He excited the curés to perform
this duty well, and made fathers and mothers
sensible of its necessity. He administered con­
firmation in the morning and evening of festi­
vals. He told the curés to prepare the children
for tho proper reception of this sacrament, and
he instructed the children particularly himself.
He caused adults to go to confession, and only
gave the holy chrism to children who were pre­
sent in the church from the first imposition of
hands. When he had finished this part, he
waited till tho others were assembled together,
and then he recommenced the imposition. He
was very scrupulous on this point, and ho ex­
horted the curés never to present any child to

404

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

him who had not been present at tho imposi­
tion. If however any one amongst them camo
to the church too late, ho did not put him off
till another year, but administered tho sacrament
in his private chapel.
He wished tho children to bo at least from
seven to eight years of age, in order that they
might be able to remember tho reception of tho
sacrament. At Durazzo a child was presented
to him clothed in a religious habit, on account
of a vow made by his mother : ho was the euro’s
nephew, but as ho was only five years old, tho
bishop would not confirm him. His mother was
advised to take off tho habit ho first appeared
in, and to put him on a wig ; when Alphonso
saw him, ho smiled and said, “ There is the lit­
tle monk again.” IIo yielded however to tho
reiterated entreaties of tho cure and his family,
who, fearing that his Lordship would soon die,
felt it a satisfaction to have their child confirm­
ed by him. IIo did not allow any priest, and
much less any religious, to stand as god­
father. IIo refused Don Bartholomew Bartolini of Airola, who asked to be god-father to his
two young brothers. IIo was very strict on this
head, and did not permit it even to those of
his own house : “ I know not if this St. John
has not done more evil than good,” said ho.
“Tho end of god-fathers is to supply the placo
of fathers, but how can ho who leads tho life of
an Egyptian and has no fixed abode fulfil this
ofiico ?”
When ho knew of any young people who wore

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405

infirm, and doubted if they had received this
divine Sacrament, ho did not fail to inquire
into it from tho curé or tho parents. lie learnt
that a young invalid of Airola had not been con­
firmed ; he went to him immediately, and made
a most joyous prediction on seeing him : “ My
dear Pascal,” ho said, “be very glad, for
in three days you will go to Paradise.” Tho
third day arrived, and the state of tho sick per­
son seemed far from that of a speedy death, for
ho seemed better ; however towards the close of
tho day, the symptoms of fever became more
alarming, and before night young Pascal was
dead, as Alphonso had foretold.
lie was most exact during his pastoral visita­
tion, in inquiring minutely from each priest
about the conduct of his colleagues, and not
satisfied with one inquiry, if he felt any
doubt, he wished to be enlightened about it two
or three times. lie remonstrated with charity,
butin time of need lie could menace also; when
any want of edification had happened which
concerned the public, ho recurred immediately
to severe measures, such as tho cloister or tho
spiritual exercises. When he met with good
priests, though but little instructed in tho ru­
brics, he put them under the direction of some
more competent priest. The regulars caused
him less uneasiness than the secular clergy : as
soon as he heard that there was any disorder in
a convent, ho directly went to the local superiors,
and if he could obtain nothing from them, cou­
riers were soon dispatched to the provincials.
8

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ST. ALPHONSO LIGUOHI.

He inquired about tho regular from tho secular
priests, and tho religious, whoso sincerity he
could depend on, informed him in turn as to tho
conduct of tho secular clergy. No ono could
escape his vigilance.
When tho testimony of ecclesiastics did not
satisfy him, ho had recourse to lay-men. Ho sent
for persons who had most character for probity,
and interrogated them about tho scandals which
II
might
havo afflicted tho country, on tho disorders
which existed among tho priests and laity, or on
any other thing contrary to morality. Ho asked
them if they knew of privato quarrels or hatred
between the heads of families, and ho took tho
most efficacious measures wherever ho went to
re-establish good order and cause piety to flourish.
Ho took a lively interest in tho salvation of each
soul, he sent for the person, exhorted and re­
primanded him, and when tho wound seemed
to forebode mortification, ho resorted to violent
remedies; if his own arm proved too weak for
this, ho demanded tho aid of the powerful and
great. He very often begged for the support of
the King, and took no rest until ho had attained
his point.
In the course of his pastoral visitations, Al­
phonso also showed the warmth of his charity
towards tho poor. He inquired into tho miseries
of all from tho curés and others. He strove
particularly to know those whose houses were ir­
regular, and who made their children sleep pêlemêle in the same bed. When he was convinced
that their indigence was real, he endeavoured

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407

to supply beds, clothes, and all other necessaries ;
but he cared most for widows, as well as young
women in danger, and spared no expense in
aiding them.
His charity was equally shown towards the
sick, above all, the sick poor. As soon as he
arrived in any place he inquired about them
most solicitously ; he went to visit them himself,
and consoled them by his words and by his
alms. He recommended them to the care of the
curés and rich, and desired their medicines to
be furnished at his expense. At Airola he
heard that a man was grievously afflicted with
the stone, and that the physicians had aban­
doned him ; ho went to visit him immediately,
confessed him, and encouraged him to suffer in
patience, and prepare himself for a good death.
He visited every place in his diocese without
exception ; ho staid eight or ten days in the little
villages, sometimes twelve or even fifteen, and he
did not leave until ho had established order and
reformed abuses.
Alphonso did not like novelty. He strengthen­
ed good things wherever ho found them, and re­
formed the evil which had been introduced. Don
Francis Mustillo wrote to him to have tho Bless­
ed Sacrament in the chapel of Mount Carmel
at St. Agatha, alleging for reason that it was
an ancient parish. Alphonso was ready to agree,
but when tho chapter represented to him that
tho church was not such as he had been told,
ho deferred making a decision, saying, “ My
principle is that a bishop ought to change no­

—0

408

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

thing except to repair an injustice or to destroy
a manifest abuse.” Tho canons and present
discipline of tho church were his invariable rule,
and not abuses, whoso long toleration formed no
authorisation in his eyes.
Tho sins of tho people made him reflect on
his own, and ho offered himself unceasingly to
the Lord as a sacrifice. His table was tho same
as at St. Agatha wherever ho went, both for
himself and for his suite, and ho novor omitted
his seasonings of bitter herbs, lie lodged with
tho Dominican Fathers at Durazzano, and during
dinner, which lie took in the refectory with these
religious, ho did not ceaso to insist to tho prior
on having frugality at table ; on which Father
Fanzolini was a little vexed, and said to him one
day, “ Your Lordship may fast if you fancy it ;
as for us, wo cannot imitato it.” On one fasting
day when ho saw various things prepared for
supper he asked tho prior if ho did not know that
it was a vigil : “I know it perfectly well,” replied
the prior, “ but it is necessary to prepare all these
things in order that each ono may use them
according to his conscience.”
During the visitation, he did not exempt himself
from mortifying himself daily by hair-cloths and
disciplines. Once ho forgot the instruments of
penance in setting out for Durazzano. IIo im­
mediately sent his servant Alexis to seek for them
secretly. Sister Mary Theresa Coscia, a religious
recluso, has attested, that during his Lordship’s
visitation in the country of Real-Valle, on making
his bed in the morning, the sheets were found all

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

409

spotted with blood, and small stones were found
in the bed. Besides these penances, he took
nothing but broth and very little fruit at dinner.
Don Anthony Scottini, valet de chambre of Prince
do la Riccia, at Airola, has also attested that
on the departure of his Lordship he found nine
stones as largo as an egg on the mattress. Ano­
ther person assured Father Anthony Gandiuo, that
he had observed that he was covered with hair­
cloths during the time of his visitation. For a
great number of years, and until his infirmities
became extreme, he carried the covering of his
straw bed about with him ; and wherever he arri­
ved, he had it filled with straw, and did not
use tho bed which had been prepared for him.
He never permitted anything, however inno­
cent, to bo done in the house with him which
could attract the admiration of others. Ono
year his brother Hercules arrived with his wife
at Airola; they lodged in a part of the prince’s
palace, which was separated from that where
Alphonso lived. He found that they played the
harpsichord to amuse themselves and a few gentle­
men in tho evening ; ho forbade them to go on
with these musical parties. IIo said to Don
Hercules, “Take care that a bishop’s house is
not turned into a place of diversion.”
In the morning ho occupied himself in medi­
tating on sacred things from tho moment of his
awaking, and in tho evening, after his own
prayer, ho united his family to recite tho rosary
and tho other accustomed prayers in common.
Ho took all possible pains to prevent being a

I

410

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

burthen to his people during his journeys ; his
disinterestedness was such that he always re­
turned from his rounds destitute of money and
burthened with debts. During tho course of
these visitations ho scrupulously observed tho
law he had made to himself, never to accept any
present. A gentleman at Frasso thought ho
might send him a plate of laitage. As soon as
Alphonso saw it, ho frowned, severely reprimand­
ed his secretary who had received it, and ordered
him to take it back, or else pay its value. Don
John Manco, a priest and one of tho first gen­
tlemen of Airola, took it into his head to make
him a similar present. The porter was told,
“ Either take what that is worth, or carry back
your butter.” Don Manco was offended at this
proceeding, and when Alphonso tried to justify
himself, this gentleman replied, “ I do not wish
to hear anything. See this Mgr. Crepin with
his troublesome austerity ! ” then getting more
and more irritated he said, “ Plague take Mgr.
Crepin, and him who consecrated him!”
Alphonso carried delicacy so far as to buy all
that ho required during his circuit, and if ho
accepted the hospitality of the Dominican Fathers,
to avoid paining them, ho repaid the monastery
on his return to St. Agatha by sending them a
great quantity of wax and several of his works.
The prince do la Riccia ordered his man of busi­
ness to furnish his Lordship with a gift as soon
as he stopped at Airola ; Alphonso accepted tho
prince’s apartments, but constantly refused his

ST. ALPHONSO LIGUORI.

411

other offers ; he wished even to pay for wood
and lights.
Through the same disinterested spirit he re­
duced tho fees of the visitation to nearly nothing,
choosing for his model in that among all his
predecessors, Mgr. Albim, whoso memory he held
in great veneration. He forbade all the mem­
bers of his household to accept or solicit presents,
II
after the too prevalent custom.
“Keep to St.
Francis of Sales,” said he, “ask for nothing and
refuse nothing.”
Such conduct gained him general esteem and
π ­
respect, so much so that people thought them
selves happy if they could obtain a morsel of his
garment. Don Joshua of Donato told me, that
his mitres were several times found without
pendants, and one day a piece was cut off his
cloak. These relics were very carefully pre­
served ; they were applied to the sick, and every­
where they related what miraculous cures had
been produced by their touch.

IUCRAKDSON AND SON, DEP. BY.

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