Before his religious life, St. Alphonsus practiced for some time at the bar and was fast growing in reputation when an incident occurred which was the catalyst for his apostolic labors and learned writings. Alphonsus, in his defense of a case of great importance pleaded so ingeniously that the president felt disposed to give judgment in favor of his client. When the counsel on the other side simply begged of Alphonsus to reconsider his argument and see whether it was not unsound, with great confusion Alphonsus perceived it to be flawed by reason of his having overlooked one negative particle in the process. The court acquitted him of any blame of negligence attributing his oversight to the warmth so natural to a young lawyer in his situation. Alphonsus, however, did not so readily acquit himself but was heard to say as he withdrew from the court, “False world, I know you, and have done with you.” At this he gave up the bar and after a three day retreat became solely devoted to the care of his salvation. St. Alphonsus became a great preacher of the Gospel to the poor. His charity and apostolic spirit led him to found the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer to carry on this work. He sent his Redemptorists, as our Lord did the Apostles, into the countryside and the market towns and villages to announce the Kingdom of God. He became bishop of Sant’ Agata dei Goti, near Naples, and died at the age of ninety in 1787. For his great works on Moral Theology he has been declared a Doctor of the Church.