Saint Arnold Janssen founder of the 3 religious missionary communities

     Arnold Janssen was born in Goch, in the Rhineland, Germany, not far from the Dutch border, one of eleven siblings. He developed a deep, simple faith. His first school was the Catholic Augustinianum High School in Gaesdonck, which is near his birthplace. He did his college degree, then studied theology and was ordained to the priesthood on 15 August 1861.
     For a while he worked as a high school teacher in Bocholt, Germany, teaching physics and catechism. His real passion, however, was the mission. In 1867 he became the director of the Apostolaat des Gebeds for Germany and Austria and founded a scien-tific institute in Mödling, near Vienna. He also founded, in 1874, the German language journal "Kleiner Herz-Jesu Bote" (Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart), which looked to enlist the faithful in prayer and support for the mission.
     The Kulturkampf, however, hampered his efforts, and Janssen purchased land in Steyl, the Netherlands to begin his seminary, dedicated in 1875 as the "St. Michael the Archangel Mission House". Within a few years, many seminarians, priests and brothers were preparing for missionary service there, and the first two missionaries, Joseph Freinademetz and John Baptist Anzer, were sent to China. St. Arnold Janssen also founded two congregations of Religious Sisters: The Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (members known as "Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit") on December 8, 1889, and the Holy Spirit Adora-tion Sisters ("Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration") on September 8, 1896. Arnold Janssen was canonized together with Joseph Freinadmetz and Daniel Comboni on October 05th, 2003 by St. John Paull II
     Note: The Kultukkampf was the “cultural movement”, called “culture struggle” that refers to a German police to reduce the role and power of the Roman Catholic Church in Prussia enacted from 1871 to 1878 and headed by Otto Von Bismarck, who as the prime minister of Prussia. During this time convent and seminaries were closed, and no priest was allowed to wear the clergy attire outside the church.