The Diocese of Allentown marked the feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori on Aug. 1 by thanking him for his commitment to the Church.

“With plain and simple preaching, his sermons were very effective at converting those who had been alienated from their faith,” the diocese posted on Facebook. “He said, ‘The Mass is the most beautiful thing in the Church.’ St. Alphonsus, pray for us that our souls may be fully committed to God and his teachings.” 

St. Alphonsus Liguori was born in Italy in 1696 and first pursued a legal career for eight years before entering the priesthood, according to Britannica. Six years later, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, what came to be known as the Redemptorists. 

Pope Clement XIII appointed him to serve as Bishop of Sant’Agata de' Goti in 1762. 

Britannica reported that St. Alphonsus wrote extensively, focusing on moral theology, devotional writings and dogmatic writings. He died at the age of 90 in 1787 and was canonized in 1839. Pope Pius IX declared Alphonsus a Doctor of the Church in 1871, and in 1950, the pope named him the patron saint of moralists and confessors. 

Those who were Redemptorists were dedicated to imitating Christ. They acted on that primarily through serving in missions in rural areas, Franciscan Media said. Alphonsus is also the patron saint of theologians and vocations. 

“Doctor of the Church” is a title that the pope can bestow upon a person who has made significant contributions to the Church, according to Crossroads Initiative. Only 37 people have ever been granted this title. Crossroads Initiative lists the three requirements to becoming a Doctor of the Church: “holiness that is truly outstanding, even among saints,” “depth of doctrinal insight,” and “an extensive body of writings which the church can recommend as an expression of the authentic and life-giving Catholic tradition.”