, France In November 1585, Gonzaga gave up all rights of inheritance, which was confirmed by the
emperor. He went to
Rome and, because of his noble birth, gained an audience with
Pope Sixtus V. Following a brief stay at the
Palazzo Aragona Gonzaga, the Roman home of his cousin, Cardinal
Scipione Gonzaga, on 25 November 1585 he was accepted into the Society of Jesus in Rome. During this period, he was asked to moderate his asceticism somewhat and to be more social with the other novices. Gonzaga's health continued to cause problems. He was sent to
Milan for studies, but was sent back to Rome after some time because of his health. On 25 November 1587, he took the three religious
vows of
chastity, poverty and obedience. In February and March 1588, he received
minor orders and started studying
theology to prepare for
ordination. In 1589, he was called to
Mantua to mediate between his brother Rodolfo and the Duke of Mantua. He returned to Rome in May 1590. It is said that, later that year, he had a vision in which the
Archangel Gabriel told him that he would die within a year. In 1591, a
plague broke out in Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital for the stricken, and Gonzaga volunteered to work there. After begging alms for the victims, Gonzaga began working with the sick, carrying the dying from the streets into a hospital founded by the Jesuits. There he washed and fed the plague victims, preparing them as best he could to receive the sacraments. But though he threw himself into his tasks, he privately confessed to his spiritual director,
Robert Bellarmine, that his constitution was revolted by the sights and smells of the work; he had to work hard to overcome his physical repulsion. At the time, many of the younger Jesuits had become infected with the disease, and so Gonzaga's superiors forbade him from returning to the hospital. But Gonzaga—long accustomed to refusals from his father—persisted and requested permission to return, which was granted. Eventually he was allowed to care for the sick, but only at another hospital, called Our Lady of Consolation, where those with contagious diseases were not admitted. While there, Gonzaga was infected. He grew ill and was bedridden by 3 March 1591, a few days before his 23rd birthday. Gonzaga declined for many weeks. It seemed certain that he would die in a short time, and he was given
Extreme Unction. He spoke several times with his confessor, the cardinal and later saint,
Robert Bellarmine. Gonzaga told several people that he would die on the
Octave of the feast of
Corpus Christi. On that day, 21 June 1591, as he began to grow weak, Bellarmine gave him the
last rites. He died just before midnight. ==Veneration==