Luigi Gonzaga was born March 9, 1568 to a noble Italian family at the height of the Italian Renaissance. As the first-born of eight children, he was heir to the title of Marquis of Castiglione and was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a great military leader. He was used to the luxury of the elite society he was born into, but not always satisfied by it.

When he was just seven years old, he contracted malaria. As a result, he suffered from fevers and other health issues throughout his life. During his time of illness, he turned to prayer and away from the courtly life that surrounded him. Even after he and one of his brothers were sent to study the customs of princes in Florence under the guidance of the Medici family, he felt drawn to the faith and away from the opulence of the world around him. By age eleven, he was teaching catechism to poor children and fasting three days a week. And at age twelve, he received his First Communion under the spiritual guidance of St. Charles Borromeo. All the while, his parents continued to push him towards nobility training including having him serve as a page in the court of Phillip II of Spain. Rather than helping him embrace nobility, this experience turned him further against it. In fact, it was during this time that he resolved to become part of the Society of Jesus. 

It took four years to get his father to accept the fact that he was renouncing his heritage and for the emperor to approve the transfer of his birthright to his younger brother. Ultimately, on November 2, 1585, he was free to pursue his new life and was received as a Jesuit novitiate. He soon made his vows and began his theological studies. In 1591, during his fourth year of theology, the plague broke out in Italy. Despite his own compromised health conditions, he insisted on caring for the afflicted. Unfortunately, he contracted the plague on March 3, 1591 and died on June 21st at the age of 23. He was beatified in 1605 by Pope Paul V and canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. He is the Patron Saint of Catholic Youth, Teenagers, and Seminarians.