A son of a princely family, Aloysius Gonzaga grew up in royal courts and army camps, and his father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero. God, however, had other plans for this boy, who, when he was only seven-years-old, experienced a profound spiritual awakening. He entered into a life of prayer and fasting, and, when he was 11, he began teaching catechism to poor children. Aloysius became disillusioned of life in royal courts and found relief by learning about the lives of saints.
Reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India gave Aloysius the idea of entering the Society of Jesus. After a four-year contest with his father, who wanted his son to accept his “normal” vocation, Aloysius was allowed to renounce his right to succession and was received into the Jesuit novitiate.
In 1591, a plague struck Rome, and the Jesuits opened a hospital. The superior general and many other Jesuits cared for the sick and dying. Because he nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius caught the disease. A fever persisted even after his recovery, and he was left extremely weak. Aloysius died three months later, within the octave of Corpus Christi, at the age of 23. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on December 31, 1726.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga is the patron saint of Catholic youth, teenagers, and seminarians. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us!
