Saint Alphonsus Liguori, 1696–1787

August 1

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was a very good lawyer. God wanted him to become a priest though. So he did. He was an even better priest than he was a lawyer. Saint Alphonsus loved to pray. He wrote many different prayers. He wrote prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and petition. He especially loved to ask the Blessed Mother to pray for him. He was also a painter, poet, and musician. He even wrote a song to sing at Christmas!

Saint Alphonsus was often ill, and was given the Sacraments for the dying eight times in his long life. After a year-long illness with rheumatic fever, he was paralyzed for the remainder of his life. He died at age ninety-one. He was later named a Doctor of the Church, meaning that his writings encouraged and supported the faith.

Alphonsus is the patron Saint of confessors and moral theologians. He is often pictured bent double with rheumatism or as a young priest.

Discuss: What type of prayer do you like to pray?

Activity
Writing Prayers
Verbal/Linguistic

Remind your child that Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote many different prayers. Invite her/him to write his/her own prayer.

• Review with your child the various types of prayers: blessing, petition, thanksgiving, intercession, and praise.
• Have your child pick one type of prayer and write a short prayer to God.
• You should pick a different prayer type and write your own short prayer.
• Share your prayers with one another and the rest of the family.
• Encourage the other family members to write their own prayers to share.