Do you know...

where this is and who is in this tomb?



The answer is that this is the tomb of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in the Church of San Ignazio.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Born in 1568, he died in 1591 at the young age of 23. His feast day is June 21.

Some notable things about him are that he recieved first Communoion from St. Charles Borromeo and he received last rites from St. Robert Bellarmine. He was born into nobility and it was only with persistence that he finally won over his father's will to allow him to become a Jesuit. Already at the early age of nine, he made a vow of virginity. He is known for his charitable works, especially teaching catechism to poor boys. He was very prayerful and died in Rome after tending to plague victims.

St. Aloysius is a special patron of our Rector, Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan. Those of us at the seminary know of Monsignor's devotion to this saint. Some of us make it a point to let him know the whereabouts of the saint's images and statues (although I am sure he would immediately recognize this photo!).

Through the communion of the saints, we know that there is a special and real bond between heaven and earth. The saints are in the presence of God. Their prayers and intercessions for us are very important for us who hold eternal life in faith and hope. What we hold by faith and hope, they possess. Please be sure to offer a prayer that this Saint intercede for Monsignor and his intentions.


(PS - while in Italy, I will periodically post photos for you to guess their location and significance. This post was revised from its original format because it is likely that the question was answered through an information leak, i.e someone was having a little fun:) For the next posts, the comment box will be available for posting your guesses.)