Who We Are
The Parish of St. Alphonsus, Davenport has served the spiritual needs of the people of the West End for over a hundred years. From simple beginnings in a rented home, the parish has grown into a strong community of faith. The parish has embraced the needs of service to the poor, education of the young, spiritual growth of the faithful and fellowship for all. I pray that God will bless all who worship here and consider St. Alphonsus their spiritual home. May our service, prayers, and support be a blessing to all!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Nicholas.
“He that loves Jesus Christ desires nothing but Jesus Christ.”
“Love is a fire that inflames the Heart.”
"You will probably gain more by praying fifteen minutes before the Blessed Sacrament than by all the other spiritual exercises of the day."
What We Believe
Three fundamental and foundational beliefs as Catholics:
Belief in the Holy Trinty
Catholics believe in one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is distinct, yet they are united in one divine nature. The doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully understood by human reason alone, but it is revealed through Scripture and the teachings of the Church.
Belief in the Bible and Sacred Tradition
Catholics believe that the Bible is the inspired, error-free, and revealed word of God, and they also believe in Sacred Tradition, which is the transmission of the teachings of Christ and the apostles through the Church.
Belief in the Seven Sacraments
Catholics believe that the sacraments are visible signs of invisible grace instituted by Christ for the spiritual life of the Church . These sacraments include Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick.
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St. Alphonsus Liguori
Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born in 1696 near Naples, Italy, the son of a captain in the Royal Navy and a very devoted mother from a noble family in the city. His parents provided him with an exceptional education in philosophy, literature, and the arts. He was 16 when he was awarded doctorates of civil and canon law. When he was 18, like many nobles, he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy with whom he cared for the sick at the hospital for "incurables," washing afflicted bodies, feeding the helpless, changing bedclothes and devoting himself to works of mercy and compassion.
The Redemptorists
In 1732, Alphonsus realized he could no longer be comfortable in his role of popular preacher living apart from the poor. So, leaving his family and his dearest friends, he set out to dedicate himself completely to the service of the poor and most abandoned. He sought others who were called as he was, and adopted a style of ministry to "mission among the people" — and so began the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists.
During a mission (a place like Davenport, Iowa), a band of Redemptorist priests and brothers would come to an area to preach and conduct religious activities. They saturated the people with the sense of God. They lived in community in houses in the countryside so that the mission revivals could be repeated regularly, which gave the poor the assurance they would not be abandoned by Alphonsus and his brothers.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Since 1866, the Redemptorists have spread devotion to Mary under the icon and title of Mother of Perpetual Help. According to tradition, the ancient Byzantine icon of Our Mother (or Our Lady) of Perpetual Help was stolen from a church in Crete where many miracles had occurred. The image remained in the private possession of a Roman merchant and his family until 1499 when it was publicly displayed in the Church of St. Matthew in Rome between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran.
When St. Matthew’s was destroyed in 1789, the icon was rescued and hung in an obscure monastery chapel until the Redemptorists learned that the site of their new headquarters in Rome had once been the site of St. Matthew’s, the one-time home of a miraculous icon of Our Lady. A Redemptorist priest who, as a young man, had frequented the monastery chapel that displayed the icon informed his brothers where to find the image.
The Redemptorists asked Pope Pius IX for permission to move the icon to their new church, San Alfonso, which was built on the location of the icon's earlier home. The pope granted his permission, and told the Redemptorists to “make her known throughout the world.”