Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Timeline

• 1568: Aloysius is born on March 9th at the Castle of Castiglione.
• 1578: The Saint makes a vow of perpetual virginity before the picture of Our Lady of the Annunziata.
• 1583: Aloysius is called to the Society of Jesus. His father interferes.
• 1585: July. Goes to Mantua to make the Spiritual Exercises. November. He renounces his right to the Marquisate and enters the Noviciate of Sant' Andrea, Rome.
• 1588: Feb. 28th. He is ordained Ostiarius; March 6th, Lector; March 13th, Exorcist; March 20th, Acolyte.
• 1590: Has a revelation of his approaching death.
• 1591: Nurses the sick in hospitals. Dies on June 20th.
• 1600: April 4th. Saint Aloysius appears to St. Mary Magadalen de Pazzi. This and a miracle on April 8th, in the convent where St. Mary Magdalen was living, causes his cultus to spread rapidly through northern Italy and Rome.
• 1604: The town of Brescia, with the permission of the Bishop, celebrates the feast of the Servant of God for the first time.
• 1605: The remains of St. Aloysius are solemnly translated from the Chapel of St. Sebastian to that of the Madonna, in the Church of the Annunziata at Rome.
• 1618: Paul V grants that the feast of B. Aloysius be held on the 21st of June, and that the Mass of the day be said in his honor, throughout all the states of the Gonzagas. This permission is soon extended to the houses of the Society of Jesus in Rome.
• 1621: This permission is extended to the whole Society of Jesus. All priests saying Mass in the churches of the Order are likewise allowed to say this Mass.
• 1725: Pope Benedict XIII gives Saint Aloysius to the schools of the Society of Jesus as special Patron.
• 1726: Dec. 10th. The decree of Canonization of Saint Aloysius is signed by Benedict XIII. Dec. 31st. The canonization is celebrated at St. Peter's.
• 1729: Nov. 22nd. St. Aloysius is declared special Patron of all students throughout the entire Catholic World.

The above Timeline was compiled from Father Maurice Meschler's "Life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga" (1911). For an explanation of the artwork, click on Woodcut.

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