Bishop and Doctor of the Church · Feast day August 1
St. Alphonsus Liguori
The feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori is August 1, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Below: a short life and 5 sourced quotations in their own words.
| Feast day | August 1 |
|---|---|
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
| Died | 1787 |
| In their own words | 5 sourced quotations |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | None left in the published calendar (through December 31, 2028) |
Life
A Neapolitan lawyer who lost one case, saw through the world, and became a priest. He founded the Redemptorists to preach missions to the rural poor and wrote Moral Theology, steering between rigorism and laxity with pastoral genius.
His devotional works — The Glories of Mary, visits to the Blessed Sacrament — went through thousands of editions. Doctor of the Church and patron of confessors and moralists.
In their own words
Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under In Scripture.
He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly lost.
The whole sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in loving Jesus Christ, our God, our sovereign good, and our Redeemer.
Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.
Our entire perfection consists in loving God, and the perfection of love consists in uniting our will with that of God.
Mary is the peacemaker between sinners and God.
In Scripture
In Bless, St. Alphonsus Liguori’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version.
On this theme
Jesus said to him: “‘You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Matthew 22:37 · CPDV Beside their words: “The whole sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in loving Jesus Christ, our God…”
On this theme
And continuing on a little further, he fell prostrate on his face, praying and saying: “My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass away from me. Yet truly, let it not be as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:39 · CPDV Beside their words: “Our entire perfection consists in loving God, and the perfection of love consists in…”
On this theme
teaching them to observe all that I have ever commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 · CPDV Beside their words: “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after…”
On this theme
For he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Luke 1:49 · CPDV Beside their words: “Mary is the peacemaker between sinners and God.”
On this theme
Now he also told them a parable, that we should continually pray and not cease,
Luke 18:1 · CPDV Beside their words: “He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly lost.”
On this theme
And when the wine was failing, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
John 2:3 · CPDV Beside their words: “Mary is the peacemaker between sinners and God.”
On this theme
Jesus said to them: “My food is to do the will of the One who sent me, so that I may perfect his work.
John 4:34 · CPDV Beside their words: “Our entire perfection consists in loving God, and the perfection of love consists in…”
On this theme
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
John 6:56 · CPDV Beside their words: “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after…”
2 more verses
On this theme
If anyone does not love our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema! Maran Atha.
1 Corinthians 16:22 · CPDV Beside their words: “The whole sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in loving Jesus Christ, our God…”
On this theme
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 · CPDV Beside their words: “He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly lost.”
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Alphonsus Liguori. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. Alphonsus Liguori keeps August 1 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of August.
All the saints of August Born on August 1? A saint for every day
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