Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Patron of Catholic Youth

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Jesuit novice
Born	9 March 1568 in Castiglione,Italy
Died	21 June 1591 in Rome, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	19 October 1605, Rome, Italy by Pope Paul V
Canonized	31 December 1726, Rome, Italy by Pope Benedict XIII
Major shrine	Sant'Ignazio, Rome (his tomb)
Feast	21 June
Attributes	Lily, cross, skull, rosary
Patronage	Young students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, People with AIDS and their caregivers

St. Aloysius was born in Castiglione, Italy. The first words St. Aloysius spoke were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. He was destined for the military by his father (who was in service to Philip II), but by the age of 9 Aloysius had decided on a religious life, and made a vow of perpetual virginity. St. Charles Borromeo gave him his first Holy Communion. A kidney disease prevented St. Aloysius from a full social life for a while, so he spent his time in prayer and reading the lives of the saints. Although he was appointed a page in Spain, St. Aloysius kept up his many devotions and was quite resolved to become a Jesuit. His family eventually moved back to Italy, where he taught catechism to the poor. When he was 18, he joined the Jesuits, after finally breaking down his father, who had refused his entrance into the order. He served in a hospital during the plague of 1587 in Milan, and died from it at the age of 23, after receiving the last rites from St. Robert Bellarmine. The last word he spoke was the Holy Name of Jesus. St. Robert wrote the Life of St. Aloysius