Born in the Papal States in 1568 (present day Italy), Aloysius Luigi Gonzaga was the eldest son in the Gonzaga family. Aloysius’s father, Ferrante Gonzaga, sent 8-year-old Aloysius and his brother Ridolfo in 1578 to Florence to receive education on how to become an effective soldier, as Ferrante wanted his sons to be honorable war heroes.
While in Florence, Aloysius became ill with a kidney disease. During this time Aloysius had the opportunity to study lives of the Saints and immerse himself in prayer. Because of his inspiration, he took a private vow of celibacy at age 9. In 1582, at age 14 Aloysius decided that he wanted to become a priest and join the Jesuit religious order. His family was very unhappy with this, as they wanted him to become a secular priest so he could hopefully be a bishop in the future. Jesuits take a vow to renounce any right to a high status in society making it not possible for them to enter into a higher office as a priest.
Archangel Gabriel appeared to Aloysius in a vision in 1590 and told him that he would die within the next year. After the plague broke out in Italy, the Jesuits opened a hospital for those infected. Unfortunately, Aloysius contracted the disease after working in the hospital tending to the afflicted and after having another vision that told him that he would die on the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi, he died on that day on June 21 in 1591 at the age of 23.
He was beatified in 1605 and canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. He is the Patron Saint of young students, the blind, Jesuit novices, and Christian youth. His tomb is honored today in the Church of Sant’Ignazio in Rome.
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