Arnold was the second of eight children. His father was involved in farming and transportation. His mother looked after the numerous children and the farm animals devoting what time she had to prayer. It came as no surprise when Arnold was ordained a priest in 1861.


He spent the next 10 years teaching maths but felt drawn to missionary activity. This was banned in Germany at the time and so he went to nearby Holland. Here he set up his own seminary to train priest for mission activity. The community took the form of a religious order known as the society of the Divine Word. Arnold used the form of print in mass circulation as a means of evangelisation. In 1874 he started ‘The Little Messenger Of The Sacred Heart’.


The printing works expanded and he formed the Divine Word Missionary Brothers to work in this area. The Divine Word missions spread to China, Japan and other Asian countries and widely in Latin America. Arnold died on the 15th Jan 1909. He was beatified a saint on World Mission Sunday in Oct 1975.

Today is his feast day and we ask his many blessings on us. Ameen