St Aloysius Gonzaga

Aloysius’ father planned on making him a soldier from the time that Aloysius was very little. His father sent him to train with the soldiers while he also studied. Even though Aloysius knew his dad wanted him to be a soldier, Aloysius planned on living his life for God from the time that he was 9 years old. When he was young, he got sick with a kidney disease. While he was getting better, Aloysius had lots of time to read about Jesus and the lives of the Saints and this helped him love God even more. Aloysius’ dad would not let him become a priest for a long time, so instead he taught the poor about Jesus. Finally, when Aloysius was 18 years old his father let him join the Jesuit order. He gave up all of his riches to his brother and took a vow of poverty (to live like the poor) and did whatever the order asked him to do. When the plague (a really bad disease) spread all over Rome, Aloysius volunteered to help with the sick and the dying. He soon became sick as well and although he got better he was always very weak. He died when he was only 23 years old, and so he became an example for youth all over the world of how to live life for Jesus.