A Portrait of St. Arnold: (I.

His Physical Features, Habits and Mannerisms

I. a. Photo Albums, picture frames, photos in wallets, selfy, Gorgeous photo shop, etc.
b. Oliver Cromwell told the artist working on his portrait: “Paint me as I am. If you leave out
the scars and wrinkles I will not pay you a penny.”
c. There are preserved photographs of St. Arnold when he was young, middle aged and
old. Which one appeals to you most. Like Cromwell, Arnold Janssen did not like his
photograph be retouched.
2. St. Arnold was a look-alike of his mother Catherine. She always visited St. Arnold on the
anniversary of his ordination which was August 15…..
3. The townsfolk of Steyl referred to him as “the little Prussian;” a bishop called him “a
little fellow.” He was shorter than John and William. John, the youngest was tall and
slender. He was a priest like St. Arnold, died of T.B. in 1898 at age 45. William is the
Capuchin Bro. Junifer. William, Gerhard and Peter all outlived Arnold. They seldom
went to Steyl, much less his sister Gertrude who remained unmarried and lived in
Kempen.
4. Arnold did not speak openly about his parents. It is not known from whom he inherited
his susceptibility to pneumonia. At middle age he suffered attacks of it although it was
not the cause of his death in 1909.
5. St. Arnold was well formed but his eyes was unappealing. Later his gaze became
mellower but it always had a great seriousness especially when he looked at someone
inquisitively. He normally spoke with others with closed eyes to maintain calmness and
self-control.
6. From about 1886 onward, his face became broader and his eyes differed considerably.
The right eye became smaller and lower than the left eye. The general aspect of his face
had the appearance one would expect to see as a result of paralysis after a stroke.
7. His early photos further showed the strong features of a teacher with a lively but firm
look. Later his face lost the severity of the teacher and took the benevolent look of a
father. In later years one could even say that his features had a spiritual
appearance…..When he rejected something important he would curl his lower lip.
8. He always kept his laughter under control. When he laughed it was with an open mouth
but not loud.
9. His writings were small and scratchy.
10. His hair was light blond that later became white and lost its youthful abundance.
Students took care of cutting his hair and shaving him. The facial symmetry he enjoyed
 in his youth became distorted by an operation in 1989 when a lump was removed from
his left eye.
11. At age 60 he had a set of dentures but without gold, but he allowed other members of
the society to have gold teeth. Had difficulty chewing bread crust with his new teeth so
he would soak the bread and eat it with his knife. From an old custom at home, Arnold
used his large red handkerchief (70X65cm.) as napkin during morning and afternoon
coffee break although his companions would put a napkin beside his cup.
12. He ate quickly and did not attract attention. Did not use toothpicks but always had a
glass of water at hand.
13. St. Arnold had a somewhat soft voice. Even when he was excited it would not be sharp
or rude. Like his brother Gerhard, he inherited the high pitched voice of his mother.
But although he did not have the manly throat with the right resonance as that of an
orator or debater, his speech was still with feeling. He did not use meaningless
catchwords or expressions and never used strong language.
14. When giving a conference in the dining room on humility and modesty, he would say,
“The Lord god, to preserve one’s humility, gives each one of us an imperfection that
remains with us.” He knew that he was not a good speaker and he acknowledged the
fact. He was also a poor singer but gave great value to singing.
15. He did not use a special tag for his clothing. The brother who took care of his room
always saw to it that his clothing was in good condition. He wore overcoat or hat only
when travelling. Only once during his time in Steyl did he travel in Berlin in a cassock.
That was when he had to visit government officials. When so dressed he aroused pity
for he looked so impoverished. A Berliner poked fun at him saying, “Your petticoat is
showing, “because his overcoat was a few inches shorter than his cassock.
16. His manner of walking gave an impression of always being in a hurry but he had rather
the carefree step of a man from the countryside.
17. Once there was a discussion in the community as to whether lightning rods should be
installed on the high roofs of Steyl or not. Some were against it; after all, one should
trust in god who preserved all churches for centuries without artificial means. Arnold,
the science teacher, was in favor of the lightning rod. He said. “We have to consider
what has been entrusted to us and God certainly wants us to take care of it by human
means.” For over 50 years, the towers have deflected/repelled many lightning bolts.
18. The Founder is not used to troubling others about his personal health. Like all the other
older priests, he took care of himself in his room. But in 1884, at 47, he suffered a bad
attack of pneumonia and was confined to his room for months. After that he became
susceptible to colds. In 1905, it was found out that he had diabetes.
19. He did not call others by name but got their attention by a vigorous double “Psst, psst.”
Used proper name; addressed brothers by their religious names; used to formal Sie with
priests and familiar Du with the brothers. The term “lay brother” he used only in the
Constitutions. On all occasions he was accustomed to speak of the “good brothers.”
20. Had a good command of French but little of English. Did not approve of abbreviations in
letters, did not use a typewriter. He made copies of each of his letters.
21. He entertained his visitors briefly at the entrance. He would sit his guest where there
was more light while he himself would sit in a shadow. Punctual at prayer time and at
meals.

Anthony Filger, SVD, his private secretary (1905-1907), had this to say: As he was
dictating letters, his thoughts would sometimes stop flowing.
….I would see him slightly move his lips in prayer for help to fight the right words. Often
he asked me to kneel down with him and pray the Veni Sancte Spiritus, since he was
seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to determine the proper tone for the letter. After
doing so, I noticed that his dictation proceeded smoothly, in contrast to the laborious
way in which he had been formulating his sentences before.

II. The Development of his Personality

1. What was St. Arnold like during the early part of his life?
During the early part of his life, Arnold’s countenance was frightening for his
eyes where sharp and fixed. He looked sharply at students that they got scared.
2. What was he like as he was getting older?
When he was past 60, his whole external appearance changed. His look was
milder, friendlier and more fatherly.
3. Why does the article say he changed for the better as he was getting older?
Fr. Gier, the third Superior General of the SVD, when he was 30 and St. Arnold
was over 60 gave a fraternal correction in writing. He later wrote: The Founder
developed a fatherly aspect around 1900 and did not defend himself against the
fraternal correction that I had written.”
We cannot be sure if the change to fatherly figure was the result of fraternal
correction. The fatherly attitude of the Founder was not due simply to old age; rather, it
 can be attributed to his ability to learn, to change the style of his behavior, even in
dealing with others.
Why was he then considered impersonal and authoritarian?
Realism and severity, both of which were found in the Janssen family, all of
whom were accustomed to hard work, characterized Arnold’s middle life. Arnold was
also trained in the diocesan seminary in Gaesdonck by an authoritarian and impersonal
director and mathematician teacher, Dr. Perger who was aloof to the students. The
direction of his concern was not the Individual but the class or group. He demanded
respect to the individual, but seldom came into direct contact with him. So Dr. Perger,
became the model of St. Arnold when he was the director of the still small house in
Steyl.
5. What style of training did St. Arnold use when he trained the first seminarians, brothers
and sisters?
He was more group oriented and did not pay much attention to the individual.
He gave priority to the group, to the community. The individuals had to adjust to the
daily routine and daily order. The members of the group adapted themselves to the
various community exercises. In someone did not adjust, he was ostracized by the
group and eventually dismissed.
5.1 The founder adapted the idea of manual work and poverty from the French Jesuits.
In the first years, among the clergy at least, Steyl was known for its poverty and meager
food.
5.2 There were many common oral prayers and the quarter-hour prayer.
5.3 In the other houses, the daily, weekly and monthly schedules were patterned after
those in Steyl; such as retreats, the opening and closing of semesters fell on the same
date.

6. When did this style and attitude of training changed? A most significant change in the
life of St. Arnold is his turning into a father.
7. How did St. Arnold show a more flexible style in training the seminarians?
7.1 His name’s day turned into the family feast that are still being celebrated today in
seminaries.
7.2 He introduced the system of seniors among the students.
7.3 In 1902, he appointed a more liberal prefect, Fr. Handrup and removed Fr. Wegener
who took charge of the seminarians for more than 20 years.
 7.4 The new prefect toned down the religious exercises, reduced manual labor and
promoted sports. Some older members complained of worldliness of seminarians.
7.5 There was a relaxation in the observance of poverty. In 1885, the food became
better. DM 40,000 were spent annually for butter because St. Arnold said that “Butter is
a good supplier of fat and our young people need fat in order to grow strong.” He also
remarked that “For reasons of health, a lot of sugar should be used in the kitchen since
sweet things are nutritious.”
7.6 The three days of abstinence each week was dropped, and meat appeared on the
table.
7.7 the kitchen was managed better and in 1889 a small brewery was built.
7.8 Fr. Arnold found out that uniformity in the routine of the houses was
counterproductive so he gave various houses independence to determine their own
lives. He did not interfere during his visits. Even in Steyl, the administration of the
house laid in the hands of the Prefect.
8. How did St. Arnold learn to be flexible in his administration?
The founder’s great flexibility was learned through his work. The work had its
own inherent laws which he, the creator of the work, had to observe and which in fact,
he did.
9. Give an example in the personal life of the Founder which demonstrated how he
learned to be flexible.
As he grew older, Fr. Arnold became more punctual. In the early years when the
SVD was still a small, the community had to wait for St. Arnold because he had to
attend to so many things. They waited for him during Holy Mass, devotions, etc. Such
lack of punctuality was tolerable in a small family. However in 1886 the SVD started
growing.
10. Did St. Arnold allow the elimination of RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS?
As Superior General, St. Arnold became the faithful guardian of religious
traditions. Fr. Grendel, when he was rector of St. Gabriel, had to carry the statue of
Bambino Gesu from the classroom to the Church at Christmas. At that time he wanted
to discontinue the practice. When he became superior-general, he became a great
defender of all traditons of the Society, the crib procession was no exception.
.
From nobody to Somebody
11. Why was Fr. Arnold Considered to be a “nobody?”
 St. Arnold was a nobody when he was just a simple high school teacher of mathematics
and natural sciences .
12. How did Arnold’s mind and interest broadened?
When he joined the Apostleship of Prayer, he became conscious of the world wide
activities of the Church. He wrote prayer leaflets and brochures about the organization
and distributed these himself visiting parish priests and religious houses.
13. When did St. Arnold start a publication?
When he became a chaplain of the Ursuline Sisters in Kempen in 1873 at age 35,
he published a mission magazine, SACRED HEART MESSENGER. Naturally, his library
contained books contained books on geography and history of the missions worldwide.
14. When did he become a “somebody”? How?
14.1 When he founded the St. Michael Mission House in Steyl in 1875, he visited
bishops, cardinals and nuncios. His circle of contacts had been upgraded.
14.2 He acted as “dean of studies in the early years of St. Michael.
14.3 He corresponded with his counterparts of other seminaries that offered Latin
School, Philosophy and Theology.
14.4 In 1878, he began the publications of STADT GOTTES.
14.5 He travelled to Rome Italy three times to negotiate a mission in China and other
places.
14.6 He founded the institute of mission brothers that same year.
Thus after 5 years, from small beginnings he became a somebody. He grew
continuously in his work.

Traits and Behaviors

1. His Main Traits
1.1 Faith which could also move mountains.
1.2 Complete trust in God in spite of not fully understanding what was in store for him
in the future.
1.3 Total dedication to the mission.
2. Traits and behaviors in which he remained constant and firm
 2.1 Hard worker
2.1.1 Wrote a lot (5,000 known handwritten letters; 1,500 pages of drafts of
constitutions, not to mention his lectures, conferences, retreats, and the like.
2.1.2 Did not choose his work but did what his office demanded.
2.1.3 Highest priorities received complete time and energy.
2.1.4 Sincere in all he did without lacking in charity towards those with whom he lived
and worked.
2.1.5 For thirty years since 1875, he took no vacation. He was forced to take one only
in 1905 when his diabetes grew worse.

St. Arnold’s Traits and Behaviors in which he remained constant

2. Silent type
2.1 Normally, those who are silent possess self-discipline and have a love for truth.
2.2 Father Arnold could have defended his reputation and good name from many
criticisms had he spoken out, but he ramained silent. (“Jesus autem tacebat.”)
3. True to his ideals
3.1 St. Arnold deal with each member of the Roman Curia patiently and heeded their
authority, but he did not sacrifice their principles to them.
3.2 His ideals or standards for the students, brothers and sisters that he admitted to the
three congregations should be well-prepared in terms of the following:
3.2.1 strive for holiness, spiritually minded
3.2.2 genuine piety
3.2.3 morally firm and strong
3.2.4 Chaste
3.2.5 obedient
3.3 St. Arnold did not compromise ideals in favor of numbers. He gave value to quality
instead of quantity. For him the most important are spiritually and morally solid men
and women over those with technical or professional abilities. He was willing to reduce
the size of St. Michael Mission House or close it altogether. (“They can leave if they
want to.” “Get rid of her.”)
 3.4 Until 1896, the clerics took their perpetual vows five years after ordination. During
this 5 year preparation before the perpetual vows, St Arnold would advise an unworthy
priest to leave the SVD if he did not prove himself worthy according to the standards he
set.

4. Closeness to God
4.1. He had great respect for those who prayed a lot and this appreciation for prayer
explain the founding of the Perpetual Adoration Sisters.
4.2 for him genuine piety and closeness to God produce inner humility and modest
behavior.
4.3 Those who want to bring God to the people must have God in themselves.