Scala News Wishes you all a very Happy Feast of St. Alphonsus, the founder of the Redemptorists
We would like to share some interesting facts about St. Alphonsus
The most popular author
“In 1933 a Flemish Redemptorist, Fr. Maurice De Meulemeester, published a folio volume of 370 pages listing all the printed works of St. Alphonsus and naming his translators and publishers. According to this, there had been 4,110 editions of St. Alphonsus in the original language, which was either Italian or Latin. Altogether there had been 17,125 traceable editions in 63 languages. Besides his books and booklets, 1,451 letters of St. Alphonsus have been published. In figures given in 1961 for Shakespeare, the number of languages into which he had been translated was 77. But in editions of his works, Shakespeare, with a head start of 150 years, trails St. Alphonsus by some 7,000 editions. (An edition here means a publication containing one or more of his works) In August, 1962, an article by R. J. Miller C.SS.R. in ‘The Liguorian’ estimated that there had been some 21,000 editions of the various works of St. Alphonsus. This would mean that, as of that time, one or other of his works had been put out in a new edition somewhere in the world every three or four days for the previous 200 years! Fr. Miller says that St. Alphonsus Liguori, as a published author, has no competitors: «The most popular author, who ever lived, was St. Alphonsus Liguori, and he never wrote a novel. No other writer, sacred or profane (we are not speaking of the Holy Bible, which is a class by itself), ancient or modern, has had so many different editions of his works published as St. Alphonsus.»” (Source: Thirty-Three Doctors of the Church, Rengers C. O.F.M. Cap., Washington, 1993, p. 623-624)
Doctor of the Church
“The Catholic Church recognized the wide influence of St. Alphonsus Liguori by declaring him a Doctor of the Church on July 7, 1871, as proclaimed in the Apostolic Letter of Pius IX. This was done 32 years after St. Alphonsus’ canonization, which took place on May 26, 1839, and less than a century after his death. «St. Thomas Aquinas had to wait for three centuries, St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Peter Canisius for more than three centuries. St. Albert the Great was not declared Doctor of the Church until seven centuries had passed. St. Alphonsus, however, received the title in less than a century after his death.» … The earlier Doctors that were closest to him chronologically, but still more than a century and a half earlier, were St. Francis de Sales (+1622) and St. Lawrence of Brindisi (+1619).” (Source: Thirty-Three Doctors of the Church, Rengers C. O.F.M. Cap., Washington, 1993, p. 624)
Way of the Cross & Visits to the Bl. Sacrament
“St. Alphonsus’ Way of the Cross and Visits to the Blessed Sacrament give familiar testimony to his devotion to the sacred humanity of Christ. These are his works most published in English, and in fact all languages. According to a count made in 1933, the Way of the Cross had at that time been published 63 times in English and 890 times in all; the Visits had been published 54 times in English and 2,009 times in all.” (Source: Thirthy-Three Doctors of the Church, Rengers C. O.F.M. Cap., Washington, 1993, p. 616)
Pius IX
“One can in fact assert that there has not been one error even in our times which Alphonsus, at least in great measure, did not fight against.” (Source: Qui Ecclesiae Suae, Apostolic Letter, Pius IX, Rome, 1871)
Glories of Mary
“The Glories of Mary «is probably the most widely read book on the Blessed Virgin in the world.» [F. J. Connell in ‘Thought’, Fordham U. Press, 7:279-287]. As of 1933, The Glories of Mary had been published 32 times in English and 736 times in all.” (Source: Thirty-Three Doctors of the Church, Rengers C. O.F.M. Cap., Washington, 1993, p. 617)
For more facts on St. Alphonsus please visit: http://www.goodcatholicbooks.org/alphonsus/alphonsus-facts.html
Let us pray with St. Alphonsus;
0 my God, help me to remember—
That time is short, eternity is long.
What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death?
To love You, my God, and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace, no joy.
My God, I need fear nothing but sin.
For to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
0 my God, help me to remember—
That to gain all I must leave all,
That in loving You I have all good things:
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church, the motherly protection of Mary,
peace beyond understanding,
joy unspeakable!
Eternal Father, your Son has promised that whatever we ask in His Name will be given to us.
In His Name I pray:
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for Jesus Christ.
Give me the grace of perseverance in doing Your will in all things.
Do with me what You will.
I repent of having offended You.
Grant, O Lord, that I may love You always and never let me be separated from You.
O my God and my All, make me a saint!
Amen. Amen.
