The Glories of Mary by St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
- Very Average Joe
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The Glories of Mary was originally written in Italian and first published in 1750. An approved English translation was first published in 1852.
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (b. 27 September 1696 – d. 1 August 1787) was an Italian priest, theologian and, amongst other things, a prolific writer. The Glories of Mary is one of his most famous works.
He was ordained deacon on 6 April 1726 and ordained priest on 21 December 1726. He founded the “Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer” on 9 November 1732. Although the founder, the congregation was directed by the Bishop of Castellamare until he died in 1743. It was then that the Saint was formally elected Superior-General.
Under obedience, he was consecrated Bishop of St Agatha of the Goths near Naples in 1762, a diocese that was hardly in a good state. There were even assassination attempts.
The Saint suffered from many illnesses such as rheumatic fever and even paralysis. He needed help to say Mass. He was eventually permitted to resign in 1775. Instead of being allowed to die in peace, he dealt with division and betrayal in the congregation he had founded. He died in 1787 at the age of 90 years. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI on 6 May 1839.
The Glories of Mary is a compendium of Mariology. The first part is structured on the Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Queen), spanning 10 chapters. Each chapter is typically divided into a few sections. Each section begins with the discourse, followed by an example which is often an anecdote involving some saint or mystic, and concludes with a prayer.
For example, the first chapter is “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy” so it discusses how Mary is a queen and the Mother of Mercy and how we can have confidence in her. The first part is concluded with prayers by other saints such as St Ephrem, St Bernard, St Athanasius, amongst others.
The second part is about Mary’s principal feasts, spanning 9 discourses. Each discourse finishes with an example and a prayer.
The first discourse is on Mary’s Immaculate Conception and the last is on her Dolours. This last discourse treats her Dolours (or Sorrows) generally, that she is considered the “Queen of Martyrs” for not only having watched her Son crucified but that she foresaw and always held His Passion and Death in her heart.
The above segues to the next segment containing 7 discourses addressing each of the Dolours specifically, beginning with St Simeon’s Prophecy. Again, each discourse finishes with an example and a prayer.
This is followed by the Virtues of Mary, divided into 10 sections, starting with Mary’s humility, her charity towards God, her charity towards her neighbor and so on. The last segment covers the Devotions to Mary, also divided into 10 sections, starting with the Hail Mary.
The third and final part is basically an appendix comprising additional examples, sermons and prayers.
The text is written simply. All the discourses are essays or sermons intended for the masses. The author constantly quotes Scripture and the writings of saints, mystics, Church Fathers and other theologians. The English edition has references and the quoted text in Latin as footnotes.
The tone is mostly plain; it not only educates the reader about Mary but also encourages one to turn to her and praises her without being bombastic. The text does not contain technical discussions, so in this regard one could argue it aims for breadth more than depth.
Either way, this compendium of 650 to 800 pages, depending on the layout design, is a highly valuable resource that demonstrates the richness of Mariology in Scripture and Tradition.
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