Remembering St Aloysius Gonzaga

Today we celebrate the remarkable life of a young saint, who was born in 1568 as Diego Gonzaga, but later became known as Aloysius. His family was one of the most powerful in Italy and as the eldest son, he carried his father's hopes to maintain the wealth and position of the family. At the age of four, his father dressed him up in a tiny suit of armour, gave him a set of small guns and took him with him when he went to review his soldiers. His childhood was spent in rich courts but Diego rejected the corruption and rivalry that he saw there, and incredibly, at the age of 10 took a vow to avoid sin and become a saint. To achieve this, he fasted on bread and water three days a week, got up at midnight to pray on a cold stone floor and practised custody of the eyes, never looking at women in the face. Such practices would not be encouraged today, but they were fairly normal at that time. His father sent him to stay in the courts of powerful families, but he rejected the corruption and rivalry he found there, and decided to join the Jesuits. His father refused permission but after several years of persistence, he relented. With the help of his spiritual director, Robert Bellarmine, he learnt to direct his obsession for personal sanctity to helping others, and when a plague broke out in Rome, he tended the patients in a hospital. He became contaminated himself and died aged 25. He is the patron of youth but would be a wonderful patron for victims of Covid and all those who are caring for them today. St Aloysius, protect and guard them all.