Founder of the congregation
of the sisters of Consoling Holy Mary

The hand of the providing God often chooses the stones discarded by men for His own constructions, so that man knows that some constructions belong completely to Him.

The same happened to f. Arsenio.

His relationship with Giuseppina Fumagalli, who came from Cassano, dated back to the times when he was coadjutor in that village. After she had joined and later left a congregation of sisters, she had gathered round her some women that she had called “The Sisters of Consoling Mary”. At first she managed to get a permit from Turin’s Curia but that was soon withdrawn because of her behaviour. The general vicar disowned her on 4th October 1890 in Milan, where she had founded a house.

In January 1897 the Fumagalli went to Venice to meet f. Arsenio, who was there to preach. Probably it had been this event to have placed him in an unfavourable light in front of the Superiors of his Congregation. Towards the end of April 1892 he went to Turin to preach at the spiritual exercises for Fumagalli’s group. Before going there, however, he went to the archbishop mons. Davide dei Conti Riccardi to ask for the leave and then he talked to him about the good intention of the young sisters and the unreliability of the Fumagalli. The archbishop asked him to look after the group, since he intended to put the Fumagalli to the test and so he dismissed her from Mother Superior and appointed another one. In the month of October the general vicar from Turin notified to the general vicar from Milan that the archbishop had entrusted f. Arsenio with leading the sisters of Consoling Holy Mary. As a result, Milan’s Curia declared the Institute canonically recognised.

In the meantime he had adapted the Rules of the Society of Jesus to the young sisters defining their charisma: “The aim of this Pius Institute of Consoling Holy Mary is not only to attend to its own health and perfection through the divine grace, but to devote itself to the neighbour’s health and perfection through the divine grace and by studying, attending to both spiritual and corporal works of mercy towards our neighbours, the very young orphans, so much praised by Jesus Christ” (Summary of the Constitution, 1).

The Fumagalli was definitely sent away. In 1893 she underwent also a civil process that was the occasion to slander Father Arsenio, who was suffering silently. Nothing was said in his favour, but, on the contrary, he suffered a lot of humiliations. The Cross continued to exist in his life and he embraced it for God’s love.

At Christmas in 1892 he clothed the first nuns. Two of them took vows in June 1893. This is regarded as the official year of the foundation. Today the nuns are 605 scattered all over the world.

F. Arsenio undertook to form the nuns that were increasing rapidly and opened new houses. On 14th November 1895 in the present Melchiorre Gioia Street in Milan, the blessed Andrea Carlo Cardinal Ferrari laid the foundation stone of the mother house, which officially started in 1898.

In Turin F. Arsenio was helped by the canonical mons. Giuseppe Casalegno that is regarded as the cofounder of the Institute. Meanwhile some nuns started to be unable to bear him, because they considered him to be either too strict or too paternal. He became the object of envies, jealousies and slanders. In 1902 he left the Institute. This was another big cross he was carrying with faith. Since then he didn’t want to get involved anymore in the events of the congregation, he didn’t even tell what he had done up to then. But he kept thinking and praying for his nuns.

In 1908 he wrote to Sister Maddalena Defendi: “…I always pray for all you, and even more times a day, especially for those who pray for me, so you are one of the first ones: I always remember the dead ones: and every day during the Holy Mass I always do a memento for all the living and the dead ones: and every month I celebrate some Masses for all the living and the dead nuns and for the progress and the good state of the Institute” (Mario Lessi-Ariosto, God wanted, did and won, vol. II, Rome 1993, 89).

In the same year he wrote again to the same sister: “I thank you for the nice letter you wrote to me, and for the good News you gave me about the good progress of the Institute, as I see that God is opening new houses for you; I do not really know how many they are, but I suppose they must be certainly a lot. Let us praise and thank God, who is pleased of you, since he augments you and puts you to good use gladly in his vineyard” (Ivi, 90).

And, in the last letter of 1909, he pleaded sister Maddalena: “See always more than you can to the observance of the holy rules and of the discipline, but without letting charity fail. Lead them to their aim firmly and mildly. See to it that in the community charity might always reign together with joviality, that they always rejoice in the Lord: and you will see how light your office will become” (Ivi, 93).

These letters reveal us the heart of a man who was able to forgive whom had done him wrong. The imitation of Christ is really total.