Alphonsus de Liguori (1696–1787) was born in Naples to a captain in the Royal Navy and a member of the Neapolitan Nobility. After receiving an outstanding education he practiced law for eight years before becoming a priest. In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) for religious work among the poor, especially in rural areas. He refused the title of archbishop for the archiepiscopal see of Palermo, accepting instead, in 1762, the poor country diocese of Sant’Agata dei Goti. In 1775, sickness forced him to resign. Liguori was also an accomplished musician and wrote many hymns and instrumental pieces.
