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Arnold Janssen

Nobody in Goch could have guessed on November 15, 1837 how significant this day would be for the world church and what role the parish of Mary Magdalene in Goch would play in it. On this day, Arnold Janssen was born in Goch. Among other things,
he later founded a worldwide missionary organization and was venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. He was baptized the following day in the parish church of Mary Magdalene.
Arnold Janssen grew up in modest circumstances: his father was a carter. His mother came from nearby Weeze. Arnold was the second of 11 children. It was a scholarship that enabled him to attend Gaesdonck - a newly founded Catholic boarding school. Just like his siblings, he was very influenced by his parents, who were deeply rooted in their faith.
After studying in Bonn - mathematics and natural sciences as well as theology and philosophy were his subjects – he continued his studies in Münster, where he was ordained a priest in 1861. He initially worked as a teacher in Bocholt and at the same time became involved in the then new spiritual movement of the Apostolate of Prayer, of which he became the director in the diocese of Münster. Topics such as the reunification of Christian faiths, the lay apostolate and the use of the media in
proclaiming the faith were further areas in which he became involved. However, the idea of missionary work was soon to become increasingly important to him. In addition to that he was also concerned with enhancing the understanding of missionary work among German Catholics.
Political developments in Germany were to play a significant role in the next phases of his work. In Germany the church was increasingly curtailed in its scope as a result of the Kulturkampf (a struggle between church and state). That’s why Arnold Janssen relocated his activities to Steyl, a little border town on the Dutch side of the river Meuse. Here he founded the first German mission house in a disused inn on September 8, 1875. It was intended to train priests for their work in the missions. Due
to a lack of financial resources and institutional back-up all this was initially not taken very seriously within the church – but it soon proved to be a success story. The Steyl mission house became the founding site of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD, societas verbi divini), from which the first two missionaries were sent to China as early as 1879. Steyl missionaries were soon active in all continents and further mission houses were founded in other countries. Arnold Janssen also founded two
communities of sisters: the Servants of the Holy Spirit (Steyler Missionary Sisters) and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (Steyler Adoration Sisters). In 1909, the year of Arnold Janssen's death, the Steyl communities already consisted of 430 priests, 700 brothers, 460 missionary sisters and around 1,000 missionary students.
By the standards of that time Arnold Jansen used modern strategies to establish his missionary work: The establishment of a print shop and a publishing house, for example, contributed to the financial security of the missionary society and were successful contributions to Catholic popular literature - the City of God (now 'Leben jetzt') and the Michael's Calendar are still part of the Steyl publication range today. Arnold Janssen also set new accents in missionary work: his priorities were first heal,
then teach, then baptize. As a result, Steyl mission projects served also as social institutions, educational institutes and development aid facilities. A pleasant distance from the colonial thinking that prevailed in his time.
The reaction of the Bishop of Roermond to Arnold Janssen's request to open a mission house in Steyl was anything but encouraging given the precarious starting position: "He is either a fool or a saint," he said. In 2003, he was indeed canonized, together with Josef Freinademetz, one of the first two missionaries to China. At the time of the canonization, the Steyl religious family comprised of around 10,000 members who were working in around 70 countries. This impressive record can be attributed not least to their founder's unparalleled trust in God: "If we do everything in our power, God will do the rest".
It is obvious that Arnold Janssen, undoubtedly the most important son of Goch, is particularly present in his home town.. Inspired by Pope Paul VI, who beatified Arnold Janssen in 1975, a church dedicated to Arnold Janssen was consecrated in 1982. The baptismal font transferred from Arnold Janssen's baptistery Maria-Magdalena also found a worthy place in this church. Its modern architecture and its
artistic design impressively illustrate the missionary endeavor saint and his spirituality of its patron. In 1983 the new church became the parish church of the newly founded Arnold Janssen parish. In the meantime, the previously independent Goch parishes were merged into a new pastoral organization. Arnold Janssen remains the patron saint of the new Goch parish.
The Goch Arnold Janssen parish has a special connection to its patron saint in that the pastoral care of the parish is currently in the hands of priests from the Steyl Missionary Society. Despite the fact that Arnold Janssen did not die in Goch, but in Steyl, where he was also buried, the then diocesan bishop Lettmann made Goch a place of pilgrimage in 2005. Here, too, Arnold Janssen's work is to be commemorated in a special way and visitors can be inspired by his work. A visit to the churches in Goch is particularly worthwhile, as is a visit to his birthplace in the Frauenstraße and the grammar school he attended, the Collegium Augustinianum Gaesdonck.
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Many pilgrims and visitors from all over the world find their way to Goch to seek
inspiration from a man whose impact can be felt world wide.
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