Aloysius Gonzaga (1568–1591) was born into a noble Italian family and renounced his inheritance to enter the Society of Jesus in Rome at age seventeen. While still a young Jesuit student, he devoted himself to caring for victims of a plague epidemic in Rome, contracted the disease himself, and died at the age of twenty-three. He was canonized in 1726 and named patron of young people.
Aloysius shows that holiness is not measured in years but in love — he gave up wealth and rank for God, and gave his short life freely in service of the sick. His purity of heart and quiet courage remind us that even the youngest among us can love greatly and trust God completely.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of the young, help us to love God with an undivided heart and to serve others without counting the cost. Watch over all children who have gone home to God, and pray for us. Amen.