Our patron - St Aloysius (Deemed To Be University)

St Aloysius Gonzaga, a 16th Century aristocrat, the eldest son among 8 children, was born on 9th 1568 at Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy. A son of Ferrante, marquess of Castiglione, he was educated at the ducal courts of Florence and Mantua and at the royal court of Madrid, where he was a page to King Philip II’s son Diego. In 1585, he resigned his inheritance and entered the Society of Jesus at Rome, where one of his spiritual directors was the renowned theologian Robert Bellarmine. He was heir to the throne of the Marquisate of Gonzaga in Italy, who had, everything he could have desired in life at his disposal. But inspired by a deep spirit of faith and moved by a profound love of mankind, at the age of 18, he renounced his rights and entered the Jesuit Order to be a religious whose wealth would be God alone and whose happiness would be the service of others.

While Aloysius was still into training. there was a plague in Rome. Victims of the plague had no hope of recovery and were abandoned for fear of contagion. The youthful Aloysius, who was then 23, rose to the occasion with his companions and immediately set about caring for the sick and the dying, risking his own life. The risk, however, was too great. While nursing the plague victims, he contracted the disease and died on June 21, 1591 shortly before ordination.

He was canonized and named protector of young students by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726 and was declared Patron of Roman Catholic Youth whose characteristic chastity, holiness, heroism and enthusiasm for the Christian ideals have made him one of the most venerated saints. His feast day is celebrated on June 21.

This University is named after St Aloysius Gonzaga, who offered his life as a sacrifice for mankind. It is the example of his life, pure and noble, not seeking the glories of this world but genuinely concerned about the well-being of others, that stand as hallmark among youth who pass through the portals of St Aloysius (Deemed to be University).