About us

Our Mission

Our Mission is specifically to provide strong Catholic community to individuals returning from incarceration or who simply have a criminal history. They need to be repentant and willing. We work to provide all a person needs in body and soul to be rebuilt, repaired, and restored in Christ.

Our History

The seeds of Serenelli began when our founder Martin Arlinghaus began working with his parish priest with the death row ministry back when he was in high school. After graduating, he volunteered with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in their prison ministry while in college. The seeds were there, but Martin was juggling life. Every step along the way God kept pursuing him about the call to help the inmates. In 2019, he got an opportunity to become the director of prison ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. While in the position, an inmate asked Martin if he could become a priest. This question led Martin to find somewhere where incarcerated and newly released inmates could come together, practice their faith, and find a home within the Catholic Church. Marty also had a heart to help restore abandoned churches. Martin learned of the life of Alessandro Serenelli who had his own conversion story while in prison. Serenelli went to a monastery where he was accepted after he was released from prison. All of these three ideas came together by God to form the Serenelli Project. 

With a group, they discerned to start Serenelli Project in 2020. They found a church in Sedamsville, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. They bought a house in the neighborhood in 2023. Within the first year, they had completed the chapel in the house. After the second year, they had the entire house renovated mostly by volunteers. In 2024, they launched their work arm called Serenelli Industries. They hope to provide meaningful work for those re-entering after prison. Their main focus is to take care of the people to the steeple, everything a church might need. 

The main focus of Serenelli Project is to provide a contemplative monastery for those who have been incarcerated. This gives individuals a sense of purpose as they work and pray for the community around them. The core tenant is to pray for victims of crimes who have perished, victims of crimes who have lived, and anyone who has committed crimes especially those with hardened hearts. 

Alessandro Serenelli

Alessandro Serenelli was an Italian man who, on July 5th, 1902, at the age of 20 attacked 11-year-old Maria Goretti in revenge for her refusal to comply with his sexual advances. She said of Alessandro before dying the next day, “not only do I forgive him; I want him to spend paradise with me.”

Alessandro was neither repentant nor remorseful. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Six years into his term he had a dream in which he saw Maria in a garden picking flowers. She handed him 14 white lilies, one for each stab wound he had given her, representing her forgiveness. Each one burst into flames as he received it. From then on, he was transformed.

After his release, he was received into a monastery. He lived the rest of his life peacefully as a lay brother, answering the door and working as a gardener. He died on May 6th, 1970, at the age of 88.

We believe there are many more Alessandros in the world in need of that same kind of belonging in the Church, and so we are striving to be that community for them.

“Maria’s forgiveness saved me.”

— ALESSANDRO SERENELLI

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Prayer for the Glorification of Alessandro Serenelli

2 June 1882 – 6 May 1970

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Most loving and merciful God, Who patiently offers mercy to every sinner, so that none may be lost; I thank You for the life of Alessandro Serenelli, the repentant murderer of St. Maria Goretti.

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I praise You for the way he was converted by the heroic forgiveness that St. Maria extended towards him, which he accepted, and through which he discovered You.

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Humbly I ask that Your Church raise to  the glory of her altars Alessandro Serenelli, who lived the holy life of a penitent, and through his intercession You would grant the following petitions if they be in accord with Your Most Holy Will: (here mention your petitions).

Through Christ Our Lord.

Amen

Our Father / Hail Mary / Glory be to the Father

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Nihil Obstat: +Walter J. Edyvean, S.T.D. Titular Bishop of Aeliae

Imprimatur: +Sean P. Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop of Boston

Our Guarantee

We accompany anyone to Christ, no matter the crime.

Our Values

  • Faith
  • Forgiveness
  • Communion
  • Accountability
  • Prayer and work

Nothing is to be preferred to the work of God.

Rule of St. Benedict

Serenelli FAQs

No. It was founded by Marty Arlinghaus. Marty had the idea for a re-entry monastery, and later someone introduced him to the story of Alessandro Serenelli, who lived the life that Marty wanted to create room in the Church for others to do, and hence the patronage and name of Serenelli was adopted for our mission.
We chose the name Serenelli to emphasize the redemption of Jesus Christ merited on the cross for the sinner, and that Alessandro lived out his conversion and redemption until the day he died, giving an example and witness to others who have committed crimes that they can do it, too. It is not to minimize the evil of his crimes, but rather to show the only way to fully contend with the problem of great evil is with God’s infinite goodness, which is expressed most profoundly in heartfelt forgiveness. St. Maria undoubtedly gave that kind of forgiveness to Alessandro, as did Assunta Goretti, Maria’s mother. They truly lived the command of our Savior to forgive from the heart, and they followed him who made himself the model of what that forgiveness looks like, and to whom it can extend. He forgave everyone who put him on the cross, which is every sinner from all times and places. That includes his friend who betrayed him, the temple guards who falsely arrested him, his disciples who abandoned him, the Jewish leaders who condemned him in a false trial, the false witnesses who rose up against him, the crowds who called for his execution and chose Barabas instead, Pilate who consented to it, the soldiers who tortured him, mocked him, a nailed him to the cross, those who were indifferent to his suffering, and many more. Another key point of this story is that Alessandro accepted Maria’s and Assunta’s forgiveness, which was the forgiveness of Christ through them while also being their own forgiveness of him. Jesus’ forgiveness is for Judas and Peter both, but Judas did not accept Jesus’ forgiveness, and Peter did. In our experience with prisoners, the majority live out of their condemnation and rejection, and struggle to improve because they cannot accept forgiveness. We have seen many object to Maria’s forgiveness of Alessandro, not seeing justice in it, and they reject that he was converted or transformed. All they want to see is the crime, and that in raising Alessandro up in honor we are saying in that, that we think lightly of what he did. That cannot be further from the truth. We see in the story of Alessandro Serenelli and St. Maria Goretti the story of Jesus Christ and the sinful world lived out in a most striking way, and we want to enter into His story like they did.
No. Anyone coming into Serenelli Project must be free to enter our community of their own free will. This means that they would have the freedom to move into your neighborhood anyway. The difference is that with Serenelli, our residents are thoroughly vetted to see if they are a good fit for our contemplative monastic way of life, and their remaining in the house depends on their living that life. They are surrounded by strong community and resources. Someone who comes to the neighborhood by themself does not have access to those resources and is not connected with our strong community to support them in a good path. Which do you prefer?
No. The residence forms the core of Serenelli Project vision, but we provide many services, prayer times, programs, job opportunities, and more to help you find support in life and grow in your faith.

No, those who have a criminal record and have been in society for a
while are welcome to participate in our programs and discern joining us in our life of
contemplation and our programs.

No. Serenelli Project fosters vocations to the care of the incarcerated. We are a community composed of ordinary Christians walking this path of repentance, conversion, reparation, and contemplation with our formerly incarcerated and currently incarcerated brothers and sisters. There are many ways to volunteer or otherwise be a part of the Serenelli community.
No. We form stable communities living a monastic community life together. Will some people transition out because they are called to a different vocation in life? More than likely. But we are aiming to create an actual monastery with lifelong residents.  

This also cannot serve as a half-way house upon release from prison if that is a requirement of an individual’s release. Through our mentorship program we will try to maintain contact with an individual in a half-way house and involve them as much as possible in Serenelli Project activities, but they are only eligible to enter the residential community once they have completed their time in their transitional house. One must be free to enter a Serenelli residence, therefore, we do not accept court ordered releases into Serenelli houses.

You can give them the information for them to reach out, but they must
reach out of their own free will. We do not accept someone who does not want to be
here.

We are always building toward becoming one by creating a community
that follows the Rule of St. Benedict as well as it can. One day, we pray that some
courageous men answer the call to religious life and profess solemn vows, which is
when we would officially become a monastery.

Think monk and monastery. The monastic motto is Ora et
Labora, meaning prayer and work. We live a spirituality of prayer and work in order that,

by these things, we may live a balanced and disciplined life seeking the face of God in
contemplation. It is a life of spiritual combat against the powers of the Evil One and to
overcome sin and the weakness of human nature. We confidently hope that some of our
members, both with a criminal history and not, will be able to profess religious vows and
actually become monks one day.

No. The question for us is whether an individual is a good fit for our way of life and our community. Alessandro Serenelli committed two of the most heinous crimes one can commit, yet he was so transformed by St. Maria’s forgiveness and God’s grace in that forgiveness that he was an utterly changed man. He became a new creation, and in that restoration in Christ he persevered in his conversion to the end. He became a holy man and lived with Capuchin Friars, working as the gardener and doorkeeper of their monastery, and prayed with them. We believe there are many more Alessandro’s out there looking for a home in the Church like he found. We must take into account things like the space we have, the resources available for an individual, and the location/neighborhood we are in when determining if they are a good fit for our community. The answer may be no, or not yet. Patience is necessary for pursuing the will of God and your vocation.

Bear in mind that what we are looking for is someone like Alessandro Serenelli. We’re not  looking for perfection, but we are looking for true humility, penitence, and conversion. Someone who does not care or take time to get to know us and let us get to know them, continues in a criminal lifestyle, exhibits pathological thought/behavior, has gross emotional immaturity, refuses to get sober and maintain their sobriety, refuses to work, doesn’t desire to pray alone and with others, doesn’t want to participate in programs and community life, or is simply looking to have a roof over their head for the sake of their transitional control application, is not an individual suited for life in our community. For some of these things we can help provide or connect an individual to services to help them, whether provided by Serenelli or another agency, such as: counseling, addiction recovery groups, victim awareness programs, employment, or spiritual guidance. However, Serenelli Project is not a social service agency. We are a Catholic community. You have to show that you want to be a part of the community to receive the benefits of it. There are programs, groups, prayer times, work days, etc. by which you can show that you want to be a part of the community.

Serenelli Project reserves the right to refuse access and/or service to anyone who is belligerent, makes threats, attempts to coerce staff, volunteers, neighbors, and residents, perform criminal acts while in our programs or on our properties, deliberately and repeatedly violates our community rules, or in any other way is disruptive to the prayer, work, life, and tranquility of a Serenelli Project community and its surrounding neighborhood.

Yes and no. We encourage everyone to reach out and inquire, but we
also discern if an individual is right for our community, and that answer might be “no”.
This applies to those who have a criminal history as well as everyone else. The contemplative and penitential spirituality and community life is key to understanding
what we are really doing here, and it is not for everyone.

There are also different levels of involvement. Someone may not be a good fit for
residential living, but they may benefit greatly from being a part of our Catholic In
Recovery group, or Bridges To Life program. If you are of good will and can accept what
the community decides, we will discern in the Spirit where you fit best.

No. Living in the monastic house is only for confirmed Catholics. When we have multiple houses, we can be open a discernment house for those who are striving to become Catholic. Non-Catholics and non-Christians are invited to participate in our prayers, work, programs, groups, etc. and to learn our way of life and the Catholic faith. None of that means you have to become Catholic as a result, but we encourage you to ask God if He is calling you to embrace our Catholic Christian faith. We believe it is the Truth, and we want you to have that, too. If you do feel called to the Catholic faith, we’re here to support you in the journey of conversion. Don’t be afraid to come and ask questions and learn, but please don’t come to preach.
In general terms Serenelli’s mission is to help the formerly/currently incarcerated practice their Catholic faith and find stability in life and a home in the Church. There are many layers and levels of programs and services that we provide which serve that end, and they are open to men and women, including: re-entry mentorship, Catholic in Recovery, Bridges to Life, work internships through Serenelli Industries, and more. The only thing not available for women is the residence until such as a time as a woman foundress hears the call of God to found the women’s Serenelli community, like St. Scholastica did with her twin brother St. Benedict, or St. Clare did with St. Francis of Assisi.

Reach out about volunteering and we can set up a time to meet you, preferably in-person but virtual is possible. We ask that you sign in to one of our Wednesday morning communications and onboarding calls. The other way is every third Saturday of the month is a daylong introduction/work/prayer day. We call it Serenelli Saturday. The schedule for those days gets posted on our website. We take a break from it in July.

Yes. Serenelli Project does not do the hiring, we have a company called Serenelli Industries that hires people with criminal records.  Serenelli Project has some staff positions that open up from time to time. We post those when they are open.

We can help get you trained, or find where you do have something to
offer and have you work.

Contact our Re-entry Services Director.

Yes.
A Serenelli Project community is currently only located in Cincinnati, OH. Perhaps the Lord will grant us to expand to other locations one day.

Cash – send to Serenelli Project P.O. Box 15170, Cincinnati, OH 45215

Check – make check out to Serenelli Project, Inc. and send to Serenelli Project P.O. Box 15170, Cincinnati, OH 45215

Online – go to the donate page on our website Support Us | Serenelli Project

Stock donation  – email info@serenelliproject.org to ask for broker information

Bank Wire – email info@serenelliproject.org to ask for wiring information

Partners of Serenelli Project are those companies or organizations that make a transformational gift, financial or in-kind, to help make our mission and vision a reality. But it is also a relationship with our community, and through us with the mission of the Catholic Church. Therefore, according to the moral law, we cannot knowingly accept gifts or form partnerships with companies/organizations whose business is contrary to the law of God and the Catholic Church.

Get in touch with us to see how you can get involved.
Info@serenelliproject.org

Yes. Please reach out to us to discuss at info@serenelliproject.org

Our Partners
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