Redemptorist, a community of Roman Catholic priests and lay brothers founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, Italy, a small town near Naples, in 1732. The infant community met an obstacle in the royal court of Naples, which tried to exercise complete control over the order. Only after steps were taken to settle in the Papal States and after papal approval was granted by Pope Benedict XIV in 1749 was the success of the congregation assured. St. Clement Mary Hofbauer extended the congregation into northern Europe in 1785, and in 1832 Redemptorists came to the United States, principally to undertake the care of German Catholic immigrants. The congregation has since become established throughout the world.
The community’s special concern is the preaching of the word of God, especially to the poor, through various means, but particularly parish missions and retreats. The Redemptorists also administer parishes and foreign missions, serve as chaplains in military forces, and foster scholarship in the field of moral theology. They administer several shrines for pilgrimage worldwide and are the special caretakers of the Byzantine icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Rome.