Feast day: 21 June
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
An Italian marquis's heir who renounced his principality to become a Jesuit and died at twenty-three after nursing plague victims in Rome.
- Born
- 9 March 1568, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lombardy (Italy)
- Died
- 21 June 1591, Rome (Papal States)
- Canonization
- Beatified 1605 by Paul V; canonized 31 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
- Religious order
- Society of Jesus
- Country
- Italy
Biography
The soldier's son
Eldest son of Ferrante Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione, Aloysius was raised for arms and courts, serving as a page in Florence, Mantua and the Spanish court of Philip II. Amid that world he made a private vow of chastity at nine and practised severe penance.
Renunciation
After a struggle of years with his father, in 1585 he ceded his inheritance to his brother Rodolfo and entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome, where Saint Robert Bellarmine became his spiritual director and later obliged him to moderate his austerities.
The plague of 1591
When plague struck Rome, Aloysius begged and collected alms for the sick and carried the dying to the Jesuit hospital. He caught the disease, lingered three months, and died on the octave of Corpus Christi, aged twenty-three, saying he was going 'rejoicing' to God.
Timeline
- 1568 — Born at Castiglione delle Stiviere
- 1580 — First Communion from Saint Charles Borromeo
- 1585 — Renounces his inheritance and enters the Jesuits
- 1591 — Nurses plague victims; dies 21 June
- 1726 — Canonized by Benedict XIII
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Lily — His purity.
Crucifix and skull — Meditation on the Passion and on death.
Discarded coronet — Renunciation of his marquisate.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Angelic purity, detachment from rank and wealth, obedience, and charity that cost him his life.
Importance in the Church
Declared patron of Christian youth by Benedict XIII and confirmed protector of young students by Pius XI, he is the classic model of chastity and generosity for the young.
Quotes
“It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world.”
Attributed in his early Jesuit biographies
“I am departing with joy.”
Last message to his mother, June 1591
Prayers
Prayer to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
O Saint Aloysius, adorned with angelic virtues, obtain for the young a pure heart, contempt for vanity, and generosity toward the suffering; and grant that we who did not imitate your innocence may imitate your penance. Amen.
Traditional prayer of the Roman Breviary tradition.
Places
Church of Sant'Ignazio, Rome — Where his relics are venerated in the Lancellotti Chapel.
Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lombardy — His birthplace and family castle.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)