Catholic Heroes… St. Alfonso Maria Fusco
By CAROLE BRESLIN
In the Old Testament six barren women prayed that God would give them children. For example, Sarah, Abraham’s first wife, gave birth to Isaac at an old age. Manoah’s wife gave birth late in life, as did Samuel’s wife. In addition, Jacob’s wife also gave birth to sons late in life.
In the New Testament, Elizabeth delivered St. John the Baptist when she was advanced in years. Even in modern times, women have asked special saints for their intercession when yearning for children.
On January 31, 1834, Aniello Fusco and Giuseppina Schianova were married in the Collegiata of St. John the Baptist. After four years of marriage and no children, they turned to St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. They went to his tomb and prayed to have children.
Before the couple left the site, Fr. Saverio Pecorelli, a Redemptorist priest, stopped them to give them an important message. He told Aniello and Giuseppina that they would have a son and that they should name him Alphonsus. He also assured them that their son would become a priest and would follow the example of his namesake.
Just as the priest told them, God gave them a son, the first of five children. Alfonso was born on March 23, 1839 in Angri, Salerno, Italy. The peasant family passed on their deep faith to all their children.
Alfonso, because of the marvelous circumstances of his birth, was sent to the church school to be educated by the priests. As a child he behaved with great holiness. His gentle, mild, lovable personality accompanied his love for the poor and his universal love of prayer.
The priests remarked on his precocious spirituality and prepared Alfonso to receive both his First Holy Communion and Confirmation at the age of seven. (This was decades before Pope St. Pius X issued Quam Singulari in 1910 concerning the admittance of young children to Holy Communion.)
Alfonso pretended to say the Mass and sang hymns frequently, following the example of his priest tutors. He built an altar to facilitate offering Mass. Hence, his parents were not surprised when he came to them, expressing his desire to become a priest. He was eleven years old.
On November 5, 1850 Alfonso “freely and with the sole desire to serve God and the Church,” entered the episcopal Seminary of Nocera dei Pagani. During his time in the seminary, he had a dream of God calling him to establish a religious order of sisters to help with children.
For thirteen years he studied diligently as he prepared for Ordination. The Salerno archbishop, Anthony Salomone, ordained Alfonso on May 29, 1863 in his private oratory. His family and the people of the parish were full of joy and excitement for this new priest.
The times were full of anticlericalism and repression of the Church. Alfonso realized that the best gifts you can give people, especially children, are the gifts of mind and heart which no one can ever take away from them.
Alfonso quickly became known for his devout attendance at the liturgy and reverent celebration of the sacraments — especially Confession. His gentleness with penitents and his clear and profound teaching earned him the high regard among the clergy of St. John the Baptist Collegiata.
Finally, Alfonso was able to realize his dream from his seminary days. He began teaching children the basics of religion in his home. Knowing he needed help to give a good education and to prepare young hearts to love and serve God and neighbor, he hoped to bring religious women back to Angri. Sadly, the other nuns and orders had been dispersed during the anticlericalism of the early 1800s.
When he mentioned his aim to Mrs. Graziani, a wealthy widow of the parish, she held a meeting at her house. At this meeting, Alfonso met Maddalena Caputo and the two found they had identical ideas on how to help children. She was a strong woman of action, and she soon arranged another meeting with three other women on September 25, 1878 in the run-down Scarcella house.
This was the beginning of the Congregation of the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene whose members sought to grow in sanctification, live a life of poverty in union with God, and practice charity in the care and education of poor orphans.
In God’s divine Providence there were crosses to bear. Without the cross there is no salvation. As the house opened, the first orphans arrived as did their first problems.
Fr. Alfonso and his daughters accepted these trials, and offered them for the sake of their mission. With heroic obedience to superiors, they trusted in divine Providence.
First, the diocesan bishop, Saverio Vitagliano, tried to remove Fr. Alfonso from the institute because of false allegations made against him.
Then some of the sisters wanted to separate from the institute and refused to let Fr. Alfonso into their house — not unlike his namesake, St. Alphonsus Liguori.
Fr. Alfonso then received the final and most painful blow when Pietro Cardinal Respighi, the vicar general of Rome, told the priest: “You have founded this community of good sisters who are doing their best. Now withdraw!”
Fr. Alfonso retreated to the chapel in the Mother House in Angri. Afterward, witnesses found him at the church of St. Joachim in Rome praying in agony such as Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane during His passion.
Fr. Alfonso then focused on those sisters who remained in the institute, showing a sweet tenderness for all. He always made room for one more orphan, and somehow acquired provisions for the homes. “Don’t worry, my daughters,” he would say, “I am going to Jesus now and He will worry about us!” His prayers were answered quickly and with great generosity.
The work to teach the children to be fine citizens in both Heaven and Earth grew quickly. It thrived and prospered largely because of the tenacity of Maddalena Caputo who became Sr. Crocifissa, the first superior of the order.
Soon more and more houses were opened to care for orphans in Campania and throughout Italy.
Fr. Alfonso worked steadily with great charity, wisdom, and piety. On February 5, 1910 he fell ill and asked for the Last Rites. He received them on February 6 and blessed the weeping sisters who were gathered around his bed.
His final words were, “Lord, I thank you, I have been a useless servant.” Then to the sisters, “From Heaven I will not forget you. I will pray for you always.”
Today the work of Fr. Alfonso has spread throughout the world.
He was canonized on October 16, 2016 in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Francis. His feast is celebrated on February 6.
Dear St. Alfonso Maria, who loved the little children, intercede for us we pray to help the most vulnerable children among us. May we be proactive in seeking ways by which we may bring more of the innocent souls to Christ and protect them from the evils so prevalent today! Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
