St. Aloysius Gonzaga

The Lord makes different saints during every hard, and brutal times of history so that more people through the example of these beloved saints may chose to follow God and dedicate their lives to him.

St. Aloysius was born on March 8, 1568 in Castiglione, Italy. The first words that St. Aloysius is reported to say were the Holy names of Jesus, and his mother Mary.

When St. Aloysius was growing, he was expected to join the military due to the fact that his father served in the military for Philip ll.

However, at the age of 9, St. Aloysius felt the calling to join the religious life and at this young age he made a vow of perpetual virginity.

In order for St. Aloysius to protect himself from the risk of any temptations, he would always keep his eyes downcast in the presence of women.

St. Charles Borromeo decided to give the young boy his first Holy Communion which changed St. Aloysius life because it made his thirst for Christ grow larger.

St. Aloysius struggled with a kidney disease which made him have a hard time trying to live a social life. Therefore instead of St. Aloysius feeling down that he could not see people, he spent his free time praying and reading about the lives of saints.

St. Aloysius was eventually appointed a page in Spain, however, St. Aloysius still maintained many devotions and Austerities. St. Aloysius was also very interested in becoming a Jesuit.

When St. Aloysius’ family decided. To move back to Italy, they spent time teaching catechism to the poor. At the age of 18, St. Aloysius decided to join the Jesuits after he had finally convinced his father to let him go, after his father had refused his entrance multiple times before.

During the year 1587 in Milan, Italy, St. Aloysius decided to serve in the hospitals to help people with the plague. The plague had killed many people during that time.

On June 21, 1591, St. Aloysius was 23 years old and passed away. After he had received the final rites from St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Aloysius passed away. The last word that St. Aloysius spoke was the Holy Name of Jesus. Later on in St. Robert’s life he decided to write a book about St. Aloysius.

St. Aloysius’ feast days is celebrated on June 21, and he is the patron saint of the youth and plague victims.

St. Aloysius shows the youth the importance of following God's will even if others may tell us not to. St. Aloysius also shows the importance of offering up all the suffering we encounter for other people and he shows the importance of helping others even if it may affect our health. St. Aloysius may have lived a short life but during his lifetime he was able to bring many people to God through his charity and love for other people. St. Aloysius is a very important saint for the youth and he can help anyone who is having a hard time finding God's calling, find out what God's calling them to do through his intercession.

Prayer to St. Aloysius:

St. Aloysius intercede that all of the youth may be able to have a deep and sacred devotion to Jesus as you did. Help the youth to be able to detach from all the evils and temptations that this world has so that they may live a life of deeper devotion to Christ and a more happier life. St. Aloysius we pray that you may help all of those who may have any illness or virus to get cured so that he may be able to have more time to learn about Christ and more time to spend with their loved ones. We pray St. Aloysius that you may help us to deepen our relationship and spend more time in prayer with Christ so that we may overcome any temptations we may encounter during our daily lives.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord and Mary Our Mother in Heaven

Amen

St. Aloysius pray for us

St. Joseph pray for us

May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.

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Works cited:

Information (read from, not taken):

Catholic Online. “St. Aloysius Gonzaga. ”St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online . Accessed 15 April 2021.

Images:

Aloysius Gonzaga. April 15, 2021.Aloysius Gonzaga - Google Search.