Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Also known as
- Aluigi Gonzaga
- Lewis Gonzaga
- Luigi Gonzaga
Profile
Born to the Italian nobility who grew up in a castle, the son of Ferdinand Gonzaga, a prince in the Holy Roman Emperor and a compulsive gambler. Cousin of Saint Rudolph Acquaviva. Trained from age four as a soldier and courtier. Served as a page in the Spanish court. He suffered from kidney disease, which he considered a blessing as it left him bed-ridden with time for prayer. While still a boy himself, he taught catechism to poor boys. He received his First Communion from Saint Charles Borromeo. At age 18, Aloysius signed away his legal claim to his family’s lands and title to his brother, and became a Jesuit novice. Spiritual student of Saint Robert Bellarmine. Tended plague victims in Rome, Italy in the outbreak of 1591 during which he caught the disease that killed him at age 23.
Born
- 20-21 June 1591 at Rome, Italy of plague, fever, and desire to see God
- relics entombed under the altar of Saint Ignatius Church, Rome
- against sore eyes
- AIDS care-givers
- AIDS patients
- bodily purity
- boys
- Catholic youth
- Jesuit students
- relief from pestilence
- students
- teenage children
- teenagers
- young people (proclaimed on 21 June 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII, and in 1926 by Pope Pius XI)
- —
- Saint Aloysius College, Mangalore, India
- Stoneyhurst College, Lancashire, England
- –
- in Italy
Readings
There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. – Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake. – Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by they most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son. – Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last, and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means “to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad,” then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him. Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness. – from a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
O God, giver of heavenly gifts, who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life, grant through his merits and intercession, that, though we have failed to follow him in innocence, we may imitate him in penitence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – collect for the liturgical memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
MLA Citation
- “Saint Aloysius Gonzaga“. CatholicSaints.Info. 21 April 2024. Web. 27 April 2024. <>