Heres a story of a Saint that people might like to read. I got it from
a The Morning Star, and am posting it with the permission of the
editor.


    Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

    The Patron of Youth


    The marquis Gonzaga had high aspirations for his son, the  Prince
    Gonzage.  He  wanted  him  to become a famous, brave and honoured
    soldier. After all, he must carry on the  great  family  name  of
    Gonzaga.  Of  course, he was to become far more famous, brave and
    honoured than his father could ever have imagined; though not  in
    the manner expected.

    Saint Aloysius' mother was a woman who received immense joy  from
    praying  to  God  and  meditating on the divine mysteries and the
    life of Our Lord. She had little time for the pleasures  of  this
    life.  As  Saint  Aloysius	grew, he began to resemble his mother
    more than his father.

    Saint Aloysius had learned numerous expressions from his father's
    soldiers,  but the moment he discovered that they were vulgar, he
    fainted from shock. This shows his immense hatred of sin (What an
    example for us of the contempt we must have for sin).

    About the time of his First Holy  Communion  (which  he  received
    from  the  Archbishop  of  Milan,  Charles Borromeo, whom himself
    became a great Saint), he con-secrated  his  purity  to  God  and
    asked the Blessed Virgin to protect his innocence for life.

    He wanted to share Our Lord's suffering to	show  his  reciprocal
    love.  He  started by denying his passions; he avoided eating the
    finest foods, wearing the best clothes, and would put  pieces  of
    wood  in his bed in order to mortify himself for the love of God.
    While he was in his early teens his  father  sent  him  (and  his
    younger  brother)  to  the court of the Spanish King, Phillip 11.
    Obediently, he set out to make the best of it. He mixed  in  well
    with  the people of the royal court, for he was handsome, polite,
    intelligent and always had something interesting to say.


    Not long before this time, the great soldier-saint,  Saint	Igna-
    tius  of  Loyola,  had founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits)
    towards which Saint Aloysius


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    began to have a yearning. When he finally told  his  father,  the
    marquis flew into a rage and forbade his son to become a priest.

    After a short time, his father sent him to the  great  cities  in
    order that he be tempted away from the priesthood, but even

    through these trials, Saint Aloysius grew in his desire  for  the
    religious life and was strengthened in the virtue of purity.

    The Marquis' plans were obviously failing, so he con-fronted  his
    son:  "Will  you or will you not obey me and forget this foolish-
    ness?" "I will not, father," was the  in-evitable  reply.	"Then
    leave from my sight and don't return until you change your mind!"
    With tears clouding his eyes, the Saint left the  room  to	pray:
    "Tell  me Lord, what am I to do? Tell me! Tell me!" He knelt down
    to flagellate himself as he had done several  times  before,  but
    this  time	he was seen. The onlooker rushed to the marquis. This
    at last brought the proud man to his senses. "The Lord wants him,
    the Lord can have him." He gave his consent for his son to become
    a Jesuit.

    After some years (at the end of the sixteenth century), a  terri-
    ble  epidemic  broke out in Rome. All the hospitals were full and
    could house no more, so the Jesuits opened their own. Saint Aloy-
    sius  did  all he could in the hospitals, particularly to prepare
    the dying for a holy death.

    Saint Aloysius himself contracted the plague  from	carrying  and
    nursing  the  sick.  For three months he lay with a burning fever
    and finally, on June 21st, 1591, he gave his  soul	to  the  Lord
    while gazing at a crucifix.

    Let us invoke Saint Aloysius as our patron and imitate him in his
    humility, purity and confidence in prayer.

    Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.

    - Brendan Arthur






    Prayer is as necessary to a person consecrated to the service  of
    others as a sword is to a soldier

God Bless

From Simon
Lines:  106