The Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Puducherry a Catholic registered charitable entity committed to the cause of education and social transformation of the less privileged humanity, and women in particular in a rural environment was founded by Rev. Fr. Michael Ansaldo, SJ in 1775 at Puducherry. It has now a little over 1000 members at every level, dedicatedly serving through many educational and philanthropic centres in India and abroad all people, irrespective of caste, creed, race etc.
This Congregation owns and manages our Gonzaga College of Arts and Science for Women. Established in June 2009, Gonzaga College of Arts and Science for Women, affiliated to the Periyar University, Salem, enjoys imparting. in Christian atmosphere, quality higher education and character formation to women with the sole view of guiding and facilitating them to become leaders and agents of social change.
Our College continues to equip with modern state of infrastructure and comfortable amenities and human resources with the vision of promoting student-friendly pedagogy and facilitating the appropriate intellectual, moral, spiritual and integral formation of young minds to become wisely resourceful for building a Strong India.
THE PATRON OF OUR COLLEGE IS ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, SJ
THE LIFE-SKETCH OF ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, SJ (09.03.1568 – 21.06.1591)
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, SJ is an Italian aristocrat who joined the Society of Jesus, whose members are called Jesuits. He was born as the eldest of seven children of Ferrante Gonzaga (1544–1586), and Marta Tana di Santena, in northern Italy. At the age of 8, he was sent to Florence to serve at the court and to receive education. When he fell ill, he started reading prayerfully about the saints.
Despite several of his family-members placing obstacles to his desire to become a priest, he joined the Jesuit Order, on 25 November 1585.
As a young Jesuit, he suffered from the malfunctioning of his kidney, chronic headaches and insomnia etc. Yet, he volunteered to assist especially the victims of plague that broke out in Italy in 1591. He begged for alms for the victims, he worked with the sick, carrying the dying from the streets into hospitals. He admitted that he worked hard in spite of his physical repulsion. While engaged in such a mission, he himself grew ill and was bedridden by March 3, 1591. Aloysius Gonzaga died on June 21, 1591 with the name of Jesus on his lips. Purity was his notable virtue.
Aloysius was buried in the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Rome. On 19.10.1605, Pope Paul Fifth beatified him. And on 31.12.1726, Pope Benedict XIII made him a Saint. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared Aloysius to be the patron saint of young students. Aloysius Gonzaga has become the patron both of AIDS sufferers and their care-givers.
