Alfonso Maria Fusco
Encyclopedia
Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco (March 23, 1839- February 6, 1910) was a Roman Catholic priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, commonly known as Baptistine Sisters. Their mission was to evangelize, educate and promote youth, especially those who were most poor, abandoned and at risk.
, Salerno
, Italy
, March 23, 1839. Alfonso's birth was attributed to the intercession of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, whose tomb was visited by the couple. A Redemptorist Father assured them that they would have a son, whom they would call Alfonso. Two months after the infant's birth, Alphonsus de Ligouri was canonized.
Due to the unusual circumstances related to the boy's birth, Aniello and Giuseppina sent him to a church school, trusting him to priests. This made Alfonso dream of becoming a priest. As a child, he played the role of a priests, saying a mass, singing hymns, and building an altar. From his days of childhood, his parents noticed his compassion for needy children, as told in the book Operaio di Dio ('Alfonso Is His Name'), by Monsignor
Salvatore Garofalo.
. According to Eliodoro Tedesco's Biographic Profile of the Venerable Don Alfonso Maria Fusco, Founder of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, the presence of the army in 1860 during battles related to unification, caused the dispersion of the Seminary's Archives. Fusco's coursework cannot be reconstructed. Giuseppe Nappi recalled that the Fusco was always respectful towards his professors. During these days, Fusco had a dream that Jesus Christ ordered him to found an Institute for nuns, and an orphanage for boys and girls. After he was ordained, he set about to make the dream happen.
Msgr. Antonio Salomone, Archbishop
of Salerno, ordained Alfonso Fusco in his private Oratory in Avellino
, on May 29, 1863 (Pentecost
Sunday).
Childhood
Don Alfonso Maria Fusco was born to Aniello Fusco, a farmer and his wife Giuseppina Schianova, at AngriAngri
Angri is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, Campania, Italy. It was the native town of Teresina Raiola, who, after emigrating to the United States and marrying, became the mother of Al Capone, the future American gangster. It was also the native town of Capone's successor, Frank Nitti....
, Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, March 23, 1839. Alfonso's birth was attributed to the intercession of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, whose tomb was visited by the couple. A Redemptorist Father assured them that they would have a son, whom they would call Alfonso. Two months after the infant's birth, Alphonsus de Ligouri was canonized.
Due to the unusual circumstances related to the boy's birth, Aniello and Giuseppina sent him to a church school, trusting him to priests. This made Alfonso dream of becoming a priest. As a child, he played the role of a priests, saying a mass, singing hymns, and building an altar. From his days of childhood, his parents noticed his compassion for needy children, as told in the book Operaio di Dio ('Alfonso Is His Name'), by Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Salvatore Garofalo.
Seminary
At age 11 on November 5, 1850, Fusco entered the Seminary of Nocera dei PaganiNocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore, formerly Nocera dei Pagani, is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 km east-south-east of Naples by rail.-History:...
. According to Eliodoro Tedesco's Biographic Profile of the Venerable Don Alfonso Maria Fusco, Founder of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, the presence of the army in 1860 during battles related to unification, caused the dispersion of the Seminary's Archives. Fusco's coursework cannot be reconstructed. Giuseppe Nappi recalled that the Fusco was always respectful towards his professors. During these days, Fusco had a dream that Jesus Christ ordered him to found an Institute for nuns, and an orphanage for boys and girls. After he was ordained, he set about to make the dream happen.
Msgr. Antonio Salomone, Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Salerno, ordained Alfonso Fusco in his private Oratory in Avellino
Avellino
Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...
, on May 29, 1863 (Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
Sunday).