Alphonsus Rodriguez

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The vision of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez , by Francisco de Zurbarán

The holy Alphonsus Rodriguez (also Alphons, Alfons, Alfonso Alonso * 25. July 1532 in Segovia , † 31 October 1617 in Palma ) was a Spanish Jesuit and lay brother . He is sometimes confused with Father Alphons (Alonso) Rodriguez (around 1526–1616), author of the Exercise of Christian Perfection , who was never canonized .

Life

Alphonsus Rodriguez grew up the son of an impoverished wool merchant and eventually took over the business at the age of 23. At the age of 26, he appropriately married Maria Suarez. They had three children together, two of whom died prematurely, and his wife Maria also died early at the age of 31. From that moment on he began a life of prayer and mortification . When his third child finally died, the desire to enter a religious community grew in him .

Earlier connections had brought him into contact with the first Jesuits to come to Spain, including Blessed Peter Faber . But at first it seemed impossible to carry out his plan to enter the Society of Jesus. He lacked the necessary training, as he had not even attended a whole year of a Jesuit college that had been founded by Francis Villanueva in Alcalá . At the age of 39 he tried to catch up on the lack of education. For this he attended the college in Barcelona , but without success. His penance had affected his health too much. After a long delay, on January 31, 1571, he was finally accepted into the Society of Jesus as a lay brother.

Dedicated novitiate had not yet been established in Spain. Alfonso therefore began his examination time in Valencia or Gandia (the location is controversial) and after six months he was sent to the newly founded college in Mallorca, where he served 46 years in the humble position of porter. During this time he exerted an admirable positive influence not only on the residents of the house, but also on a large number of people who came to the gate for advice and direction. One of the better-known Jesuits he influenced is St. Peter Claver , who lived with him for a while in Mallorca and who, on his advice, asked to be sent on missions to South America .

The physical penances that he imposed on himself were extreme, his scruples and states of mental restlessness frequent, his obedience was perfect and his immersion in spiritual matters uninterrupted, even when he was engaged in tasks that are easily distracting . His slogan was: "Please only God and always and everywhere fulfill God's will."

Works

Alphonsus left behind a considerable number of manuscripts , some of which were published in Barcelona in 1885 under the title "Obras Espirituales del B. Alonso Rodriguez" ("Sacred Works of Brother Alonso Rodriguez") in three octave volumes and completely in eight quarto volumes. The scripts lack the polished style, in some cases they are only notes from spiritual lectures that Alphonsus had heard. There is a lot of repetition and the examples are taken from everyday life. When dealing with the various virtues, there is often no precise delimitation. What is remarkable, however, is how correct and healthy (from the point of view of the Catholic Church ) his teaching is, and how deep the spiritual knowledge they reveal. They were not written with a view to publication, but Alphonsus wrote or dictated them simply in obedience to an order from his superior .

The path to canonization

Alphonsus was declared venerable in 1626 . In 1633 he was elected by the General Council of Mallorca as one of the special patrons of the city and the island.

In 1760 Pope Clement XIII declared. that "the virtues of the venerable Alphonsus have shown themselves to be of heroic degree". However, the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain in 1773 and the abolition of the order meant that he was not beatified until 1825 . He was canonized on September 6, 1887. His remains are venerated in Mallorca.

His feast day is October 31st .

literature

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Commons : Alphonsus Rodriguez  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Rodriguez, Alphonsus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rodriguez, Alphons; Rodriguez, Alfons; Rodriguez, Alfonso; Rodriguez, Alonso
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish Jesuit and lay brother, saint of the Catholic Church
DATE OF BIRTH July 25, 1532
PLACE OF BIRTH Segovia
DATE OF DEATH October 31, 1617
Place of death Palma