St. Aloysius Gonzaga

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whose Feast we celebrate on 21 June, was born 9 March, 1568, at Lombardy, Italy. He was an Italian noble who grew up in a castle, the son of a compulsive gambler. He received his First Holy 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. He was a spiritual student of Saint Robert Bellarmine. He died 21 June 1591 at Rome; his relics are entombed under the altar of Saint Ignatius Church, Rome. He was Canonized 31 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.

He is the patron of AIDS care-givers; AIDS patients; Catholic youth; Jesuit students; relief from pestilence; sore eyes; teenage children; teenagers; and young people.