Aloysius Gonzaga, St.
Patron of youth; b. Castiglione, near Mantua, Italy, March 9, ; d. Rome, June 21, The firstborn of Ferrante Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione and Prince of the Empire, and Marta Tana Santena, Aloysius grew up amid the brutality and license of Renaissance society, which witnessed the murder of two of his brothers. Between Aloysius and his devout mother a tender affection developed, while his father began early to prepare him for the military life envisioned for him. In Pierfrancesco del Turco he had a wise and competent tutor. In Aloysius was sent to attend the court of Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. In , he accompanied his parents, who joined Empress Maria of Austria on a visit to Spain. At the court of Philip II he acted as page to the heir apparent, Don Diego, and pursued the study of philosophy. At Alcalá he was invited to participate in a public debate. While in Spain Aloysius decided to enter the Society of Jesus. His father firmly resisted his decision and began a struggle of wills that lasted for several years and still continued after their return to Castiglione in Aloysius prevailed, renounced the rights to his inheritance, and e
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga was born on March 9, He is the model of the virtue of holy purity to all young Catholic boys. The first words Saint Aloysius spoke as a little child were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. So rich was his wisdom as a young boy that at the age of nine he made a vow of perpetual virginity. God arranged it that a saint should give Saint Aloysius his first Holy Communion. This saint was Saint Charles Borromeo, whose feast day is November 4, and who died in In , when Aloysius Gonzaga was seventeen years old, he joined the newly-founded Order of the Society of Jesus.
Saint Aloysius died speaking the Holy Name of Jesus, on the octave of Corpus Christi, June 21, , when he was only twenty-three years old. The name of Saint Aloysius in Italian is Luigi, and countless Italian boys have been called by that name, after him. His name in French is Louis. He himself was named for Saint Louis of Toulouse, who in turn was named for the great King, Saint Louis of France. Saint Robert Bellarmine wrote, by way of eulogy, the life of Saint Aloysius.
The Vocation of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri
(a/k/a &#;Guercino&#; –) source
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St. Aloysius Gonzaga
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. To safeguard himself from possible temptation, he would keep his eyes persistently downcast in the presence of women. 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 austerities, 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 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.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga (Luigi Gonzaga, ) gave up a privileged life and a princely inheritance to live the vows of religious life even to the point of contacting the plague because of his selfless care for people already sick with it. He was the eldest son of the Marquis of Castiglione, and heir to the family title. The Gonzagas were known as patrons of Renaissance artists, and they ruled what amounted to a kingdom.
As a young man Gonzaga wore a suit of armour and walked at his father's side when he reviewed troops. His life began to change after he contacted malaria and suffered frequent bouts of fever. As early as age seven, he became attracted to prayer and turned away from the courtly life around him. When he was nine, he and his brother were sent to Florence to learn the customs of princes at the court of their father's friend the Grand Duke Francesco de' Medici. The Medici court was one of the grandest, most opulent in Europe, but also one full of intrigue, deceit, sex and violence. The young Gonzaga withdrew from this world and became firm in his desire to never offend God by sinning. In November he moved to Mantua to stay with the duke, a relative; in t
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