St. Alphonsus for the 21st Century: A Handbook for Holiness

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787) is one of the most renowned spiritual writers in the history of the Catholic Church. His many works on moral theology, prayer, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and more earned him the title Doctor of the Church less than a century after his death. This succinct, easy-to-read book — which includes anecdotes from the author’s own reversion story — presents, in an engaging manner, many of this beloved saint’s most profound insights. Part memoir, part spiritual treatise, St. Alphonsus for the 21st Century will help those who are seeking to grow in holiness unite their wills to God’s Will.Simplifies thousands of pages of St. Alphonsus’ extensive writings into a condensed, 7-chapter format so readers of all learning levels can understand his key teachings.Presents hard-to-find prayers and other compositions of St. Alphonsus that are not widely known. Also shares powerful stories about his upbringing and private life.Each chapter ends with a series of bullet points to help individuals apply St. Alphonsus’ wisdom on prayer, spiritual combat, suffering, sin, parenting, the devil, death, and more to their own lives.Answers questions such as: What would St. Alphonsus say about the modern world, especially technology? What advice would he have for priests? And what would he think about the Church today?Perfect for fallen-away Catholics, young adults considering religious life, clergy, and everyone in between!“In a moment of great crisis in the Church, in which all the gifts of which St Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori shone seem canceled, discredited and derided by modern clerics and prelates, Stephen Kokx shows us how holiness, which finds in God his own life-giving principle and his own ultimate goal, is the Christian’s only way of being, the only possible way to Heaven. This book allows us to rediscover the relevance of the example of St. Alphonsus and the perpetual youth of the Church of Christ: let us strip ourselves of the old man, therefore, and put on the new man.” — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States “It has been said that St. Alphonsus de’ Liguori took the spiritual principles of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross and made them understandable to the average person on the street. Stephen Kokx does something similar: starting with his own experience, he shows how St. Alphonsus’ teachings can be applied to life in the 21st century.” — Fr. Alphonsus Maria Krutsinger, CSSR Read more