St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Rebroadcast of the long-running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour," a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org

Aloysius Gonzaga was born the eldest of seven children in Castiglione, Italy into the illustrious House of Gonzaga. As the first-born son, he stood to inherit his father's title and status. However, by the age of 9 Aloysius had decided on a religious life. Wishing for a strong heir to perpetuate the family name, his father violently objected.

Eventually, his father relented. In 1585, Aloysius gave up all rights of inheritance and was accepted into the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Rome. In 1587, he took his religious vows and began studying theology to prepare for ordination.

In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital for the stricken, and Aloysius volunteered to work there. He begged for alms and washed and fed the victims. He soon contracted the disease and died in 1591 at the age of 23. St. Aloysius Gonzaga was beatified in 1605 by Pope Paul V and canonized in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. His feast day is celebrated on June 21.