St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School offers spiritual formation to all students following the values and traditions of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The school is named after St. Aloysius, who is largely regarded as the patron saint to young people in a distressful situation due to his death at an early age as a result of the leprosy plague. 

The school offers masses for each class every Friday morning as well as monthly masses for the entire community including staff. There is a full-time priest who attends to the spiritual needs of the students and the faculty. The school chaplain meets with individual students to attend to their personal spiritual needs.

Imitating
St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Fr. Terry Charlton, S.J.

 The strains of our School Anthem are heard at our Friday morning school assemblies. Students hold their right hands over their hearts as they sing out with spirit, “So shining St. Aloysius . . . .” Our anthem is about the school; but hopefully each student, now and then, spends a few moments being inspired by the patron after whom our school is named, St. Aloysius Gonzaga. What are ways they can be inspired by a European youth who lived over 400 years ago?

First, our students are trained to be reflective about their lives, to be in touch with their desires, and to give themselves wholeheartedly to those which are legitimate and will move their lives forward. St. Al had a dream of becoming a Jesuit; his father was so against this that he imprisoned Al and only relented when he saw that nothing would stop Al from pursuing his dream. Our students desire to excel with their education. Let St. Al inspire them.

Second, we emphasize the unique talents and gifts of each student and help them recognize, develop and utilize their talents. Al was recognized with sensitivity to persons and an ability to see the complexity of situations so he was sent to mediate between warring factions in his family and brought them together in peace. Inspired by St. Al, our students will accomplish much by learning to exercise their own talents and gifts.

Last, our students are formed to be “Men and Women for Others” in keeping with our school motto: “To Learn, to Love, and to Serve”. St. Al so poured himself out in service of victims of the plague in Rome that he exhausted himself and died at the age of twenty-three. May our students see that service like St. Al’s is a component of living life fully.