St. Aloysius decided to make his vow of virginity while reading this book:
He acquired especially such a devotion
to Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin, that when he talked about
her or meditated on the Mysteries of her life, he seemed to
melt with holy tenderness. What helped much to this his
devotion to her was the memorable picture in the Annunziata
at Florence, and a little book on the Mysteries of the Rosary
written by Father Gaspar Loarte S. J. While reading it
one day he felt inflamed with the desire of doing some
thing pleasing to Our Lady. Then the thought came to him
that it would be most pleasing and acceptable to the most
holy Queen of Heaven, if he offered and dedicated his
virginity to her by vow, thus to imitate her purity as far as
possible.
...
Gaspar Loarte, a Spaniard of good family, entered the--Life of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Society of Jesus in 1552, and died Oct. 8th 1578. He was Rector of
the College at Genoa, and later, of that at Messina. He was a man of
great learning and still greater virtue and received many special favours
from God. The title of the little book mentioned in the text is
"Instruzione e avvertimenti per meditar i misterii del Rosario delle SS
ma Vergine Madre."
S. Charles Borromeo thought very highly of this work of Loarte.
In his Instructions for Confessors, when speaking of the pious books
which they should recommend to their penitents for their own use and
that of their families, this little book is one of the few he mentions by
name.
Loarte published several other spiritual works which were very popular.
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