June 21
Saints of the Day
 

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, 1568-1591, Aluigi Gonzaga; Luigi Gonzaga
A young noble Italian amidst a corrupted society who prayed a lot and became a humble Jesuit seminarian. Died at 23 from the plague he caught attending others

    The Lord can make saints anywhere, even amid the brutality and license of Renaissance life. Florence was the “mother of piety” for Aloysius Gonzaga despite his exposure to a “society of fraud, dagger, poison and lust.” As a son of a princely family, he grew up in royal courts and army camps. His father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero.

    Italian noble who grew up in a castle, the son of a compulsive gambler.
    Cousin of Saint Rudolph Acquaviva. Trained from age four as a soldier and courtier.
    Suffered from kidney disease which he considered a blessing as it left him bed-ridden with time for prayer.
    At age seven he experienced a profound spiritual quickening. His prayers included the Office of Mary, the psalms and other devotions.
    By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great austerities.
    When he was 13 years old he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to Spain and acted as a page in the court of Philip II. The more Aloysius saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about the lives of saints.
    Received First Communion from Saint Charles Borromeo.
    At age 18 he signed away his legal claim to his family's lands and title to his brother, and became a Jesuit novice. Spiritual student of Saint Robert Bellarmine.
    In 1591, a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital of their own. The general himself and many other Jesuits rendered personal service. Because he nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius caught the disease himself. A fever persisted after his recovery and he was so weak he could scarcely rise from bed. Yet, he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die within the octave of Corpus Christi, three months later. He was 23.