59-498: Saint Alphonsus may refer to the following Roman Catholic saints: Alphonsus Liguori , founder of the Redemptorists and devotional writer Alphonsus Rodriguez , Spanish-born widower, Jesuit lay brother See also [ edit ] St. Alphonsus Church (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
118-501: A community bound together by no formal vows but only with the bond of charity. Founded in Rome in 1575 by Philip Neri , today it has spread around the world, with over 70 Oratories and some 500 priests. The post-nominal initials commonly used to identify members of the society are "CO" ( Congregatio Oratorii ). The abbreviation "Cong. Orat." is also used. Unlike a religious institute (the members of which take vows and are answerable to
177-570: A central authority) or a monastery (the monks of which are likewise bound by vows in a community that may itself be autonomous and answerable directly to the pope ), the Oratorians commit themselves to membership in a particular, independent, self-governing local community (an Oratory, usually named for the place in which it is located: e.g., Birmingham Oratory, Oxford Oratory, Brooklyn Oratory) without actually taking vows, an unusual and innovative arrangement created by Philip. Normally an oratory must have
236-402: A dress similar to that of diocesan priests . However, the black cassock is worn with a distinctive Oratorian clerical collar: a white cloth that folds over the collar all around the neck, with a number of folds inward, indicating the particular oratory from which the priest originates. The cassock is bound by a fascia . The habit is given at formal reception into the community which comes after
295-610: A few months of living together to see if the candidate fits in well. Members often, but do not necessarily, wear the cassock whilst engaged in their respective ministries. When not wearing the cassock, members of the Oratory would wear the normal street clothes of a cleric, such as a clerical shirt, but with the Oratorian collar. In some countries such as Spain , Oratorians do not wear the distinctive Oratorian cassock and collar, making them indistinguishable from other secular priests. As of 2014,
354-1008: A house in Toronto , the Toronto Oratory , although the original foundation was in Montreal in 1975. The first Oratory in the United States was founded in Rock Hill, South Carolina , in 1934. The ministry of the Rock Hill Oratorians has long included campus ministry at Winthrop University and prison visitation at the Moss detention center in York County. The Pittsburgh Oratory was founded in 1961 by Cardinal John Wright , then-Bishop of Pittsburgh, in order to have Oratorian Fathers serving as Chaplains at Carnegie Mellon University , Chatham University , and
413-517: A meeting called a "Congresso Generale". The second is the "Particular Statutes", which outline how an individual Oratory is to be conducted; these must be approved by Rome. The third document is the "Constitutions", which establish general norms, and outline the relationship between the Congregation and the Holy See . As the Oratory is a confederation , there is no central authority such as is found within
472-566: A military career, so his father had him educated in the legal profession. He was taught by tutors before entering the University of Naples, where he graduated with doctorates in civil and canon law at 16. He remarked later that he was so small at the time that he was almost buried in his doctor's gown and that all the spectators laughed. When he was 18, like many other nobles, he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy, with whom he assisted in
531-428: A minimum of four members, two being ordained, in order to be founded. If a group of men seeks to establish an oratory, they may apply to do so, going through the proper diocesan channels; during the process of formation a member (or members) of a well-established oratory resides in the community to facilitate every aspect of the proposed foundation. The Congregation of the Oratory was founded by Philip Neri (1515–1595) in
590-495: A musician, painter, poet and author at the same time. Liguori wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology. The 21,500 editions and the translations into 72 languages that his works have undergone attest to the fact that he is one of the most widely read Catholic authors. His best-known musical work is his Christmas hymn Quanno Nascetti Ninno , later translated into Italian by Pope Pius IX as Tu scendi dalle stelle ("From Starry Skies Thou Comest"). A strong defender of
649-631: A naval officer and Captain of the Royal Galleys, and Anna Maria Caterina Cavalieri. Two days after he was born, he was baptized at the Church of Our Lady the Virgin as Alphonsus Mary Anthony John Cosmas Damian Michael Gaspard de' Liguori. The family was of noble lineage, but the branch to which Liguori belonged had become somewhat impoverished. Liguori learned to ride and fence but was never a good shot because of poor eyesight. Myopia and chronic asthma precluded
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#1733086262126708-564: A publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Alphonsus Liguori". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Oratory of St. Philip Neri The Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri ( Latin : Confoederatio Oratorii Sancti Philippi Nerii ), abbreviated C.O. and commonly known as the Oratorians , is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men ( priests and religious brothers ) who live together in
767-418: A rule to pray in common, though this is something that Oratorians consider important, and they commit themselves to praying together at least twice each day, and having one communal meal which is usually dinner. Oratorians normally have a set time each day for praying together in silent meditation; this ends classically with the recitation of a litany . Although some oratories may have a dominant mission (e.g.,
826-420: Is permanently stable, i.e., he is not subject to transfer to other Oratories or communities. Oratorians have what is called 'stability,' which means they are committed as members of the community of a particular Oratory, though a member may move if there is a serious enough reason. As there is no vow of poverty, Oratorians may keep their possessions, and those who can afford to do so are expected to contribute to
885-874: The Archdiocese of Cincinnati . The Oratory is based at Old St. Mary's Church in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. There are also congregations are in Monterey, California ; Pharr, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A number of Oratories have associated with the congregation, a community of lay people called the Secular Oratory. The first Oratory in South Africa was founded in Oudtshoorn in 1997. The Port Elizabeth Oratory celebrated its inaugural Mass on 15 August 2008. In 2011, work towards establishing
944-542: The Catholic Church , Liguori said : To reject the divine teaching of the Catholic Church is to reject the very basis of reason and revelation, for neither the principles of the one nor those of the other have any longer any solid support to rest on; they can then be interpreted by every one as he pleases; every one can deny all truths whatsoever he chooses to deny. I therefore repeat: If the divine teaching authority of
1003-916: The Constitutions and General Statutes of the Congregration of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri . Its members continue in pastoral ministries. The New York Oratory was founded on 28 June 2007, in Sparkill, New York . On the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 15 August 2007, the Procurator General P. Edoardo Cerrato consigned the Decree of the Foundation of New York Oratory to its members, during
1062-726: The Dominicans , Franciscans , or Jesuits . The definitive foundation of an Oratorian Congregation is actually done by the Roman Pontiff directly, which makes a Congregation what is called a "Pontifical Right" foundation. The Confederation elects one of its own to represent the interests of the Congregations to the Holy See; this is done through the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life . This person, known as
1121-489: The London Oratory , which maintains a school ), in general the members of the Oratory spend the day involved in various ministries: teaching, parish work, spiritual direction, campus ministry, hospital chaplaincies, administration or maintaining the fabric of the community house. Some oratories are specifically connected with parishes and thus its members serve as clergy of the parish. As secular clergy , Oratorians wear
1180-561: The University of Pittsburgh . The Pittsburgh Oratory's ministry has since expanded to adult ministry, confession ministry , and a ministry of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration . The Pittsburgh Oratory maintains an 87-acre retreat house in the nearby Laurel Highlands , called "Rednal". The principal ministry of the Brooklyn Oratory, established in 1988, are the parishes of Saint Boniface, which it has cared for since 1990, and Assumption of
1239-823: The York Oratory . In Manchester ( St Chad's ) there is a community canonically established on the Feast of All Saints, 2019. There are also Houses in Formation at St Alban-on-the-Moors Church , Cardiff, as of April 2016, and in Bournemouth, as of May 2017. In Argentina : ( Mercedes ); Brazil : ( São Paulo ); Chile : ( Villa Alemana ); Colombia : ( Bogotá , Ipiales and Pasto ); Costa Rica : ( San José ); Mexico : ( Guanajuato , Mexico City , Orizaba , Puebla , San Miguel de Allende , Tlalnepantla , Reynosa, Tamaulipas , La Paz, Leon, San Pablo Tepetlapa y Mérida. As of 2012 there
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#17330862621261298-611: The Archbishop of Washington , Donald Cardinal Wuerl . Washington's Oratorians are responsible for the administration of the parish of St. Thomas Apostle in Woodley Park. They oversee a chapter of the Little Oratory of St. Philip Neri, a group of Catholic laymen. The Red Bank Oratory: On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7th, 2024, His Holiness, Pope Francis established The Red Bank Oratory as a Congregation of Pontifical Right. The church of
1357-756: The Birmingham Oratory was the Oratory School now at Woodcote , Berkshire , near Reading . In 1849 a second congregation was founded in King William Street, Strand, London (the London Oratory), with Frederick William Faber as superior; in 1854 it was transferred to Brompton. The Fathers of the London Oratory founded the London Oratory School in 1863, which continues providing education in
1416-520: The Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He first addressed ecclesiastical abuses in the diocese, reformed the seminary and spiritually rehabilitated the clergy and faithful. He suspended those priests who celebrated Mass in less than 15 minutes and sold his carriage and episcopal ring to give the money to the poor. In the last years of his life, he suffered a painful sickness and bitter persecution from his fellow priests, who dismissed him from
1475-584: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Brooklyn Heights which came under its pastoral care in 2016. In this year, the Brooklyn Oratory also began a pastoral outreach to students in the various secular colleges and universities in Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights . The Philadelphia Oratory was formed in 1990 at the Fairmount neighborhood parish of St. Francis Xavier . The oratory then gained responsibility for
1534-594: The Church, and the obedience to it, are rejected, every error will be endorsed and must be tolerated." Liguori's greatest contribution to the Catholic Church was in the area of moral theology. His masterpiece was The Moral Theology (1748), which was approved by the Pope himself and was born of Liguori's pastoral experience, his ability to respond to the practical questions posed by the faithful and his contact with their everyday problems. He opposed sterile legalism and strict rigourism. According to him, those were paths closed to
1593-579: The Congregation that he had founded. By May 1775, Alphonus was "deaf, blind, and laden with so many infirmities, that he has no longer even the appearance of a man", and his resignation was accepted by the recently crowned Pope Pius VI . He continued to live with the Redemptorist community in Pagani, Italy , where he died on 1 August 1787. He was beatified on 15 September 1816 by Pope Pius VII and canonized on 26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI . In 1949,
1652-586: The Cross , the latter still used in parishes during Lenten devotions. He was canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871. One of the most widely read Catholic authors, he is the patron saint of confessors. He was born in Marianella , near Naples , then part of the Kingdom of Naples , on 27 September 1696. He was the eldest of seven children of Giuseppe Liguori,
1711-767: The Czech Republic; and Dublin , Ireland. Saint John Henry Newman founded the first Oratory in the English -speaking world when he established the Birmingham Oratory in the city of Birmingham on 2 February 1848. This was initially located at Old Oscott , which Newman renamed Maryvale (after the Oratory church in Rome, Santa Maria in Vallicella ). After a couple of moves this community eventually settled in Edgbaston . Attached to
1770-704: The Gospel because "such rigour has never been taught nor practised by the Church". His system of moral theology is noted for its prudence, avoiding both laxism and excessive rigour. He is credited with the position of Aequiprobabilism , which avoided Jansenist rigorism as well as laxism and simple probabilism . Since its publication, it has remained in Latin, often in 10 volumes or in the combined 4-volume version of Gaudé. It saw only recently its first publication in translation, in an English translation made by Ryan Grant and published in 2017 by Mediatrix Press. The English translation of
1829-756: The Oratorian tradition to this day. Its church, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary , was consecrated on 16 April 1884 and is the second largest Roman Catholic church in London. A House also exists in Oxford (the Oxford Oratory ). As of October 2013, the church of St Wilfrid, York , was turned over to the Oxford Oratorians on the retirement of the incumbent parish priest and is now canonically established, known as
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1888-506: The Oratory continued to spread through Italy, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and other European countries; in South America, Brazil, India, and Ceylon. Under Napoleon I the Oratory was in various places despoiled and suppressed, but the congregation recovered and, after a second suppression in 1869, again revived. A few houses were founded in Munich and Vienna. There are 86 Congregations of
1947-505: The Oratory throughout the world. Each Community is autonomous, but there is a Confederation which facilitates contact with the Holy See. As such, the Congregation of the Oratory functions more like a monastic federation than like a religious institute. Three documents govern the Oratory. The first is the "General Statutes" of the Congregation, which are guidelines to be followed throughout the world; these may be changed or modified when representatives from each Oratory gather every six years in
2006-510: The Oratory was established as The Oratory Church of St. Anthony of Padua in perpetuity. The Red Bank Oratory had begun in September 2015, as an Oratory-in-formation and was established in Red Bank, New Jersey , with the permission of Bishop David M. O'Connell . Bishop O'Connell then issued a canonical decree on 29 May 2016 to govern the community, and established the permanent home of the community at
2065-556: The Procurator General, resides in Rome at the Procura General. Frederick William Faber described the Oratorian charism as "a spirituality of everyday life". The Oratory founded by St Philip Neri is a society of priests and brothers who live together under a Rule without taking religious vows. Hence, Oratorians are free to resign their membership in the Congregation without canonical impediment or ecclesiastical dispensation. An Oratorian resides in an Oratory community of his choosing and
2124-623: The Redemptorists founded the Alphonsian Academy for the advanced study of Catholic moral theology . He was named the patron of confessors and moral theologians by Pope Pius XII on 26 April 1950, who subsequently wrote of him in the encyclical Haurietis aquas . In bestowing the title of "Prince of Moral Theologians", the church also gave the "unprecedented honour she paid to the Saint in her Decree of 22 July 1831, which allows confessors to follow any of St. Alphonsus's own opinions without weighing
2183-421: The care of the sick at the hospital for "incurables". He became a successful lawyer. He was thinking of leaving the profession and wrote to someone, "My friend, our profession is too full of difficulties and dangers; we lead an unhappy life and run risk of dying an unhappy death". At 27, after having lost an important case, the first he had lost in eight years of practising law, he made a firm resolution to leave
2242-636: The celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Cardinal Egan , in the presence of Archbishop Alojz Tkac , Metropolitan of Košice, Slovakia , participating honorable guests, parishioners of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish Tappan, NY, visitors from other parishes and friends. In Washington, D.C., the Community of St. Philip Neri was established as a community-in-formation in July 2013 by canonical decree of
2301-472: The charism of preaching popular missions in the city and the countryside. Its goal was to teach and preach in the slums of cities and other poor places. They also fought Jansenism , a heresy that preached an excessive moral rigorism: "the penitents should be treated as souls to be saved rather than as criminals to be punished". He is said never to have refused absolution to a penitent. A gifted musician and composer, he wrote many popular hymns and taught them to
2360-483: The child was born"). As it was traditionally associated with the zampogna , or large-format Italian bagpipe , it became known as Canzone d'i zampognari , the "Carol of the Bagpipers". Liguori was consecrated Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti in 1762. He tried to refuse the appointment by using his age and infirmities as arguments against his consecration. He wrote sermons, books, and articles to encourage devotion to
2419-574: The church of Saint Anthony of Padua . The members of the Oratory-in-Formation subsequently established a Secular Oratory, the Women of Vallicella, a Children's Oratory, Jr. Oratory, a Youth Oratory, and the Friends of Saint Philip Neri which share in the spiritual and ministerial life of the Oratory. In 2017, Pope Francis issued a decree establishing the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in
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2478-441: The city of Rome. The first Oratory received papal recognition in 1575. The new community was to be a congregation of secular priests living under obedience but bound by no vows. Speaking of Neri, whom he called "the saint of joy", Pope John Paul II said, "As is well known, the saint used to put his teaching into short and wise maxims: 'Be good, if you can...' He did not choose the life of solitude; but, in exercising his ministry among
2537-425: The common people, he also wished to be "salt" for all those who met him. Like Jesus, he was equally able to enter into the human misery present in the noble palaces and in the alleys of Renaissance Rome." The core of Philip's spirituality focused on an unpretentious return to the lifestyle of the first Disciples of Christ . The object of the institute is threefold: prayer, preaching, and the sacraments. Up to 1800
2596-602: The first Australian Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri was conceived. The community-in-formation was welcomed to Brisbane by Archbishop Mark Coleridge, and is supported by the Fathers of the London, Oxford and Toronto Oratories. The Brisbane Oratory in Formation is based at Mary Immaculate Church, Annerley , in the Annerley Ekibin parish. Note that feast days of blesseds are only celebrated by permission in specific dioceses or religious congregations and not throughout
2655-474: The parochial grade school: St. Francis Xavier School. It was formally established by Pope John Paul II in 2000. The Raritan Congregation was formally established by Pope John Paul II , on 8 September 1998 as the New Brunswick Congregation. The members of the Congregation served in Catholic campus ministry at Rutgers University , at St. Peter the Apostle Parish and at St. Joseph Parish, New Brunswick, N.J. until 2018. The Oratory relocated to Raritan, N.J. at
2714-465: The people in parish missions. In 1732, while he was staying at the Convent of the Consolation, one of his order's houses in the small city of Deliceto in the province of Foggia in Southeastern Italy, Liguori wrote the Italian carol " Tu scendi dalle stelle " ("From Starry Skies Descending") in the musical style of a pastorale. The version with Italian lyrics was based on his original song written in Neapolitan , which began Quanno nascette Ninno ("When
2773-459: The profession of law. Moreover, he heard an interior voice saying: "Leave the world, and give yourself to me." In 1723, he decided to offer himself as a novice to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri with the intention of becoming a priest. His father opposed the plan, but after two months (and with his Oratorian confessor's permission), he and his father compromised: he would study for the priesthood, but not as an Oratorian, and would live at home. He
2832-399: The reasons on which they were based". The church did not bestow this unique privilege lightly but was due to the extraordinary combination of exceptional knowledge and understanding of church teachings combined with the great precision in which he wrote. Liguori was a prolific and popular author. He was proficient in the arts, his parents having had him trained by various masters, and he was
2891-450: The request of Bishop James Checchio . The Raritan Oratory of St. Philip Neri serves five apostolates under its care: the Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Ann Church, St. Joseph Church, and St. Ann Classical Academy of Raritan, N.J. and Holy Trinity Church of Bridgewater, N.J. On 26 May 1994 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of the Archdiocese of Chicago decreed the formation of a diocesan right Oratory of St. Philip Neri which follow
2950-417: The soul, and at the same time make it careful". In 1729, Liguori left his family home and took up residence at the Chinese Institute in Naples. It was there that he began his missionary experience in the interior regions of the Kingdom of Naples, where he found people who were much poorer and more abandoned than any of the street children in Naples. In 1731, while he was ministering to earthquake victims in
3009-454: The support of the house. It is possible for an ordained secular priest to join the Community if he feels called to a more recollected life in community than is possible in a diocesan presbytery, however the Constitutions do not permit anyone who has been a solemnly professed religious to join the Congregation. Neither is it customary to admit anyone over the age of 45. Unlike the members of some religious institutes , Oratorians are not bound by
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#17330862621263068-425: The time of his death, there were 72, with over 10,000 active participants. His sermons were very effective at converting those who had been alienated from their faith. Liguori suffered from scruples much of his adult life and felt guilty about the most minor issues relating to sin. Moreover, Liguori viewed scruples as a blessing at times and wrote: "Scruples are useful in the beginning of conversion.... they cleanse
3127-536: The title Saint Alphonsus . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Alphonsus&oldid=978336338 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Alphonsus Liguori Alphonsus Maria de Liguori , CSsR (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787)
3186-402: The town of Foggia, Alphonsus said he had a vision of the Virgin Mother in the appearance of a young girl of 13 or 14, wearing a white veil. On 9 November 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer , when Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa told him that it had been revealed to her that he was the one that God had chosen to found the congregation. He founded the congregation with
3245-880: The website of the oratory's "headquarters" in Rome lists the following as some of the numerous congregations throughout the world: There are oratories in: Vienna , Austria; Dijon , Hyères , and Nancy , France; Acireale, Biella, Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Verona, Prato and Vicenza, Italy; Germany ( Aachen , Aufhausen , Dresden , Frankfurt , Hanover , Heidelberg , Leipzig , Celle and Munich ); Lithuania ( Vilnius ); Netherlands ( Maastricht ); Poland ( Gostyń , Studzianna , Tarnów , Radom , Bytów , Tomaszów Mazowiecki and Poznań ); Portugal (Convento e Palácio de Nossa Senhora das Necessidades), Lisbon ); Spain ( Barcelona , Seville , Porreras, Albacete, Vic, Alcalá de Henares, Getafe, Tudela, Soller and Palma ) and Switzerland ( Zürich ). There are also Oratories in formation in Bratislava , Slovakia; Mikulov in
3304-444: The work is projected to be around 5 volumes. His Mariology, though mainly pastoral in nature, rediscovered, integrated and defended that of St Augustine of Hippo , St Ambrose of Milan and other fathers; it represented an intellectual defence of Mariology in the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment , against the rationalism to which contrasted his fervent Marian devotion. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
3363-546: Was an Italian Catholic bishop and saint , as well as a spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher , and theologian. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer , known as the Redemptorists, in November 1732. In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti . A prolific writer, he published nine editions of his Moral Theology in his lifetime, in addition to other devotional and ascetic works and letters. Among his best known works are The Glories of Mary and The Way of
3422-400: Was an Oratory in Formation in Port Antonio, Jamaica (Archdiocese of Kingston). This community of priests had been constituted many years ago and upon completing the necessary requirements in the Archdiocese of Kingston in 2014 the community was erected as a Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, the first in the history of the English speaking Caribbean. In Canada, the Oratorians have
3481-513: Was ordained on 21 December 1726, at the age of 30. He lived his first years as a priest with the homeless and the marginalized youth of Naples. He became very popular because of his plain and simple preaching. He said: "I have never preached a sermon which the poorest old woman in the congregation could not understand". He founded the Evening Chapels , which were managed by the young people themselves. The chapels were centres of prayer and piety, preaching, community, social activities, and education. At
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