ST. ALPHONSUS LIGOURI, LITURGICALLY OPENING THE MONTH OF LUGHNASA*

 St. Alphonsus Ligouri, 1696 -1787, a Catholic-Christian Bishop, Spiritual Writer, Scholastic Philosopher, and theologianm from Naples, Italy, allowed his Discipleship of Jesus to lead him to become the Founder of  a religious order, known as the Redemptorists, whose primary ministry is the preaching of Missions, and the publication of spiritual writings for the instruction and evangelization of the Catholic-Christian Faithful.  The Ligourian magazine, self help booklets of pastoral and theological ferverinos, and the Missions and Retreats preached by the Redemptorists, are some of the resources the work of Alphonsus Ligouri, and his congregation members have produced for more than two hundred years.   The most prominently named Alphonsus, Alphonse, Alfonso, many of us in Sacramento, and Los Angeles knew, was Bishop Alfonse Gallegos, O.A.R., the late Auxiliary Bishop of the Sacramento Diocese, from 1981-1991; who had served as Director of Hispanic Affairs for the California Catholic Conference, and was Pastor of a Catholic parish in Watts, California. in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, prior to that; and during the last eight years of his auxiliary bishopric in Sacramento, was also Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, in Sacramento.  As we celebrate this seminal saint of the day, and commemorate Bishop Alfonso, may the spirituality and evangelizing you exude in your Discipleship today, fully exemplify the Call to Holiness, we are all called to live by and embrace...........Fr.  Troy

*Lughnasa, is the Irish Gaelic word, for the month of August.  A Tony Award winning Broadway Show, and and Motion Picture, have the word in their title, "Dancing With Lughnasa".  Broadway actor Vincent Gardena, best known to television audiences as neighbor, "Frank Lorenzo", in the 1970's situation comedy, "All In The Family", was one of the co-presenter of the Tony Award for Broadway Show of Year, circa fifteen years ago, and when he saw the winning name in the opened envelope, exclaimed in  the full zestfulness of his own Italian-American heritage, "and the Tony goes to....."Dancing With Lasagne" !!!!!...........fr.tdp