On Tuesday, the Diocese of Scranton celebrated the feast day of St. Aloysius, patron saint of Catholic youth, by posting about how he didn’t let his own physical ailments keep him from serving others who were worse off.

“Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious,” the diocese posted on Facebook. “His health had been compromised by kidney disease, but he served in a Jesuit hospital opened in Rome when plague struck the city. He died of plague while ministering to the sick.”

St. Aloysius of Gonzaga was born in 1568 to a noble family, a report by Franciscan Media said. Although his father wanted him to join the military and become a hero, Aloysius felt God's calling from a very young age. He began praying devoutly when he was 7 years old, and by age 11 he was teaching other children about faith and fasting several days each week. When he was 13, he traveled to Spain with his parents, where he participated in the court of Philip II. Court life made Aloysius even more disillusioned, and he took comfort in reading and learning about the lives of saints. 

When he was 9, Aloysius took a vow of perpetual virginity, a report on Catholic.org said. To avoid temptation, he would keep his gaze downcast in the presence of women. When his family moved back to Italy after their time in Spain, Aloysius resumed teaching the catechism to the poor. At the age of 18, he became a Jesuit. 

Aloysius gave up his inheritance and social status when he joined the Jesuits, a report by Britannica said. When the plague broke out in Rome, Aloysius volunteered to care for the sick at a Jesuit hospital. He contracted the plague and died at the age of 23. 

Aloysius was canonized in 1726, and his feast day is celebrated on June 21.