LIGUORI, ALFONZO MARIA DE, a saint of the Roman Catholic church, and founder of the order of Liguorians or Redemptorists. He was b. of a noble family at Naples, SePt. 27, 1696, anti embraced the profession of the law, which, however, he suddenly relinquished for the purpose of devoting lilinself entirely to a religious life. He received priest's orders in 1725; and in 1732, in conjunction with twelve companions, founded. the association which is ,now called by his name. See LIGUORIANS. In 1762 he was appointed bishop of Sant' Agata dei Goti, in the kingtlom of Naples, and his life, as a bishop, is confessed hy Protestant as well as Catholic historians to have been a model of the pastoral character; but, shrinking from the responsibilities of such au office, he resigned his see in 1775, after which date he returned to his order, and continued to live in the same shnple austerity which had characterized his early life. Having survived his retirement twelve years, he died at Nocera dei Pagani, Aug. 1, 1787, and was solemnly canonized in the Romau Catholic church in 1839. Liguori is one of the most voluminous and most popular of modern Catholic theological writers. His works, which extend to 70 volumes 8vo, embrace almost every department of theological learn ing—divinity, casuistry, exegesis, history, canon law, hagiography, asceticism, and even poetry. His correspondence also is voluminous, but is ahnost entirely on spiritual
subjects. The principles of casuistry explained by Liguori have been received with much favor in the modern Ron= schools; and in that church his moral theology, which. is a modification of the so-called "probabilistic system" of the age iinmediately before his own, is largely used in the direction of consciences. See PROBABILISM. it would be out of place here to enter into a discussion of the exceptions which have been taken to certain portions of it on the score of morality, whether in reference to the virtue of chastity or to that of justice and of veracity. These objections apply equally to most of the casuists, and have often been the subject of Controversy. Liguori's Theologia Moralis (8 vols. 8vo) has been reprinted numberless times, as also most of his ascetic works. The inost complete edition of his works (in Italian and Latin) is that of Monza, 70 volumes. They have been translated entire into French and German, aud in great part into English, Spanish, Polish, and other European languages.