Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ You know that you were redeemed from the

vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, not wish perishable things as silver or gold but with the Precious Blood of Christ as the Lamb without blemish and without spot.

Apostle of the Devotion to The Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ

Saint Gaspar del Bufalo [b. in Rome, Italy on Friday, January 6, 1786 d. in Rome, Italy on Thursday, December 28, 1837] Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, the Apostle of the Devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on Sunday, July 31, 1808. As a Priest, he revived the works of the apostolate in Rome, later becoming a missionary. During his missionary travels of Italy he invited the faithful to reflect upon and to adore the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Saint Gaspar brought devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Christ out of the Sanctuary of the church and into the streets. His preaching was rooted in the saving act of Christ on the cross which is why he carried a crucifix close to his heart. This explains why the mission cross became the symbol of the newly formed community.

At Giano, Italy, on Tuesday, August 15, 1815, in the 10th Century Abbey of San Felice, Saint Gaspar del Bufalo founded the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. In 1834, with his encouragement, Blessed Maria De Mattias [b. at Vallecorsa, the Southernmost town of the Papal States, in the geographical province of Frosinone, on Monday, February 4, 1805 - d. at Rome on Monday, August 20, 1866] founded the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ. Pope Pius XII pronounded her "Blessed" on October 1, 1950. Gaspar del Bufalo was Beatified by Pope Saint Pius X in 1904 and canonized by Pope Pius XII on Saturday, June 12, 1954. His body is enshrined for the veneration of the faithful in the Church of Santa Maria in Trivio, Italy. Pope Pius IX and The Feast of The Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ Historically, many dioceses have been assigned not one, but two days to which the Office of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ has been assigned, the Office being in both cases the same. Why? The Divine Office was at first granted only to the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. Later, as one of the Offices of the Fridays of Lent, it was assigned to the Friday after the fourth Sunday in Lent. In many dioceses of the United States, these Offices were adopted also by the fourth Provincial Council of Baltimore, Maryland in 1840 A.D. In 1849 A.D., Pope Pius IX, Giovanni M. Mastai Ferretti [Tuesday, June 16, 1846 Thursday, February 7, 1878], went into exile at Gaeta with the saintly Priest, Don Giovanni Merlini, the third Superior General of the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. Upon arrival in Gaeta, Father Merlini suggested that His Holiness make a vow to extend the Feast Day of the Most Precious Blood to the entire Roman Catholic Church. Although Pope Pius IX seriously considered this suggestion, a few days later sent Joseph Stella, his Domestic Prelate, to Father Merlini with the message: "The Pope does not deem it expedient to bind himself by a vow. Instead, His Holiness is pleased to extend the Feast Day immediately to all Christendom". This was Saturday, June 30, 1849, the day the French conquered Rome and the Republicans capitulated. June 30 was a Saturday before the First Sunday of July. On Friday, August 10, l849, Pope Pius IX decreed that thenceforth every first Sunday of July should be dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ with the rank of a Double of the First Class. (DecreeRedempti Sumus, Friday, August 10, 1849, Decreta Authentica S.RC. Rome: 1898, II, No. 2978.)

QUOTES OF POPES AND SAINTS ON THE DIVINE BLOOD Become attached in fervor to the devotion to the divine Blood which softens every heart, and do not fail to turn frequently to the most holy Mary Immaculate under whose protection it is most helpful to remain.(from St. Gaspar's Letter 1183 to Fr. Giovanni Chiodi, June 30, 1825) Here we are at the feast of the divine Blood ... What a great feast of love for Jesus is this feast of ours! Yes, let us love Jesus incessantly, irrevocably, so that we can love him eternally in paradise. To look at Jesus as he pours out his Blood is an act of religion which helps us do great work for our own eternal salvation as well as that of our neighbors, praying in a special way for the success of the missions and for the apostolic work that is being promoted throughout the Catholic world. (from St. Gaspar's Letter 1188 to Luigia del Bufalo, July 3, 1825) It is, therefore, the divine Blood that will placate the divine eternal Father, that will purify our hearts and will inebriate us with love for Jesus who dilexit nos, et lavit nos in Sanguine suo. (from St. Gaspar's Letter No. 1214 to Pope Leo XII, July, 29, 1825) I repeat: let us propagate widely this very important devotion; let us often meditate on those words: making peace through the Blood of the Cross both i n the heavens and on the earth. May Jesus be our love. (to Mr. Giovanni Francesco Palmucci, 24 February 1826, Letter 1341) Let us be filled with confidence in the merits of the Divine Blood, and may it be our mystical armament of defense against Lucifer: They conquered the dragon by the Blood of the Lamb.(to Fr. Giovanni Innamorati, 3 August 1826,Letter 1479) Oh Lord! when I begin speaking about the divine Blood, I feel my soul experiencing a special emotion. This is the most tender attestation of God's love. Oh what a treasure this salutary devotion is. I would like to have a thousand tongues to draw every heart tenderly to it, and I wish that my own soul would be totally penetrated with it. (to Sister Maria Giuseppa Pitorri Letter 3785, Quotation 9,12)

In times of temptation, invoke the Divine Blood. (to Fr. Domenico Silvestri, 23 February 1827, Letter 1576) "I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." --St. Albert the Great

Pope John XXIII stated, "The world can still set itself right and always will be able to, because the voice and Blood of Christ cry out for pity and mercy... Devotion to the Precious Blood is the devotion of our time...It is devotion for all souls, for the whole world." Our Lord told Sister Mary of St. Peter: "Ask My Father for as many souls as I shed drops of Blood during My Passion." By asking for the Precious Blood to be poured out on souls we prevent Its being, as it were, spilled out on the ground in vain. In His mysterious Providence God has put the salvation of others in our hands: we must ask for it, and ask fervently and often. "Upon receiving Holy Communion, the Adorable Blood of Jesus Christ really flows in our veins and His Flesh is really blended with ours."- St. John Vianney In order to obtain special graces through the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to offer It in our stead. This advice is given us by many devout servants of God, in particular by St. John Vianney[the Cure of Ars] who says that this is the best method of prayer. He furthermore adds, "My children, mark this well: whenever I obtained some grace, it was obtained in this manner, which I never found to fail." We can make this offering many times a day. We can use these words: Marian Offering of the Precious Blood IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of sinners, especially [Name]. In the life of St. Dominic we read that on one occasion when he was preaching about the veneration of Mary, he saw the Blessed Virgin sprinkling his devout hearers with the Blood of her Divine Son. Once while the Saint was celebrating Mass, three hundred persons, among them the king and queen, saw the Mother of God, at the elevation of the chalice, pouring the Precious Blood over all present and over the whole Church.

Let us, particularly during Holy Mass, beseech Mary to offer to the Eternal Father the Blood of her Son in the chalice, for the holy Catholic Church, for the conversion of sinners, for the souls in Purgatory and for our various needs. We may enumerate them to her with full confidence, and the greater their number, the better will she be pleased. That which we offer to God in Holy Mass is of infinitely greater value than the gifts for which we ask. God remains our debtor, as it were, so great is the value of the Precious Blood. St. Gertrude's writings are replete with most beautiful sentiments concerning the Precious Blood. To St. Mechtilde Our Lord once revealed Himself on the altar, with hands extended and Blood streaming from His Wounds:

"I show these bleeding Wounds to My Father," He said, "to appease His wrath. He pardons when He sees the Blood." St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, when in ecstasy, once exclaimed: "Every time a creature offers up the Blood by which he was redeemed, he offers a gift of infinite worth, which can be equaled by no other." God revealed the practice of making this offering to this Saintly Carmelite nun when He complained to her that so little effort is made in this world to disarm His Divine justice against sinners. Acting upon this admonition, she daily offered the Precious Blood fifty times for the living and the dead. She did this with so much fervor that God showed her on different occasions the numerous souls who had thereby been converted or delivered from Purgatory. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi exclaimed on one occasion when in ecstasy: "Every time a creature offers up this Blood by which he was redeemed, he offers a gift of infinite worth, which can be equaled by no other!" God revealed to this sainted Carmelite nun the practice of making this offering when He complained to her that so little effort is made in this world to disarm His Divine justice against sinners. Acting upon this admonition, she daily offered the Precious Blood fifty times for the living and the dead. She did this with so much fervor that God showed her on different occasions the numerous souls whose conversion she had brought about in this manner and all the Poor Souls she had delivered from Purgatory. "This devotion," says Longius, "is pleasing to God, because He is thereby honored by the best and the most sublime gifts." Another time when St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was in ecstasy, she saw all the holy patrons of the city of Florence, accompanied by innumerable other Saints, before the throne of God, interceding for sinners, but their petitions remained unanswered. Then, the Guardian Angels of these poor sinners approached, but their prayers were not heard either. Next came the multitudes of the Blessed, and they made intercession for these guilty souls. While imploring God's mercy, they were intent at the same time to offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood, and on account of the merits of this Precious Blood, their petition was granted.

Precious Blood Offering ETERNAL Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, in satisfaction for my sins, in supplication for the holy souls in Purgatory and for the needs of Holy Church [especially for the soul of (Name)].

Precious Blood of Jesus Prayers for Priests

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus for the sanctification of priests. + The Precious Blood of Jesus would be a powerful offering for priests. In the words of Blessed Pope John XXIII,

"Unlimited is the effectiveness of the God-Man's Blood--just as unlimited as the love that impelled Him to pour it out for us... "You know well enough that your ransom was not paid in earthly currency, silver or gold; it was paid in the Precious Blood of Christ; no lamb was ever so pure, so spotless a victim...God wants all men to be saved, for He has willed that they should all be ransomed by the Blood of His only-begotten Son; He calls them all to be members of the one Mystical Body whose head is Christ. If only men would be more responsive to the promptings of His grace, how much the bonds of brotherly love among individuals and peoples and nations would be strengthened. Life in society would be so much more peaceable, so much worthier of God and the human nature created in His image and likeness."

Prayer for Priests and Those Destined for the Priesthood. This beautiful prayer of St. Catherine of Siena, O.P. could be adapted to include specific mention of priests. + Precious Blood, Ocean of Divine Mercy, Flow upon us! + Precious Blood, Most Pure Offering, Procure us every grace! + Precious Blood, Hope and Refuge of sinners, Atone for us! + Precious Blood, Delight of the Holy Souls, Draw us! Amen. +

Pope Benedict recently said, "It is written in Genesis that the blood of Abel killed by his brother Cain calls to God from the earth. Unfortunately, today as yesterday, this cry has not ceased as human blood continues to flow because of violence, injustice and hatred. When will men learn that life is sacred and belongs only to God? When will they understand that we are all brothers? To the cry for spilt blood which rises from so many parts of the earth, God responds with the Blood of His Son Who gave His life for us. Christ did not respond to evil with evil, but with good, with His infinite love. The Blood of Christ is the pledge of God's faithful love for humankind. By gazing at the wounds of the crucified Christ each man, even in conditions of abject moral poverty, can say: 'God has not abandoned me, He loves me, He gave His life for me', and thus rediscover hope." + Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of his Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.

ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE MEMBERS OF THE 17th GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD Friday 14 September 2001 (Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2001/september/documents/hf _jp-ii_spe_20010914_missionaries-precious-blood_en.html) To the Members of the Seventeenth General Assembly of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood With affection in the Lord, I welcome the General Assembly of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood on this feast of the Triumph of the Cross. How fitting it is that we meet on the day when the whole Church sings the glory of the Cross of Christ and rejoices in the power of the blood that flowed from "its source in the secret recesses of his heart to give the sacraments of the Church power to confer the life of grace" (Saint Bonaventure, Opusc. 3, 30). With you, I bow down in adoration of that infinitely precious stream flowing from the wounded side of Christ, and I pray that the General Assembly will seek to ensure that the power of his blood will flow still more abundantly through your Congregation for the sake of the worlds Redemption. The dawn of the new millennium is a time for bold planning (cf. Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29); and it is good therefore that you have chosen as your theme "The Future Face of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood". This is a moment in which the Holy Spirit is summoning the whole Church to a new evangelization, and the Successor of Peter looks confidently to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood to play an imaginative

and energetic part in the Churchs fresh efforts to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19) as Christ commands. Your Congregation from the beginning understood the import of the Lords words: Duc in altum! (Lk 5:4). The command to Peter seemed to make no sense: he had toiled all night and caught nothing. So too now the Church is asked by Christ to go to places and to people where there seems to be little hope of success, and to do things which seem to make little sense according to conventional logic. The Lord asks us to abandon our own assumptions and to trust instead in his command, for he knows that otherwise we will toil in vain. When Saint Gaspar del Bufalo founded your Congregation in 1815, he was asked by my Predecessor Pope Pius VII to go where no one else would go and to undertake missions which seemed unpromising. He was, for instance, asked to send missionaries to evangelize the bandits who so troubled the area between Rome and Naples at that time. Trusting that the Popes request was Christs command, your Founder did not hesitate to obey, even if as a result some criticized him for being too novel. Casting his nets into deep and dangerous waters, he made an astonishing catch. Two centuries later, another Pope summons the sons of Saint Gaspar to be no less bold in their decisions and actions to go where others cannot or will not go and to undertake missions which seem to hold little hope of success. I ask you to continue your efforts to build a civilization of life, seeking the protection of all human life, from the life of the unborn to the life of the aged and infirm, and promoting the dignity of every human person, especially of the weak and of those deprived of their rightful share of the earths abundance. I urge you to pursue a mission of reconciliation, as you work to rebuild societies torn by civil strife, even bringing together victims and perpetrators of violence in a spirit of forgiveness, so that they may come to know that "it is [the blood of Christ] that is the most powerful source of hope; indeed it is the foundation of the absolute certitude that in Gods plan life will be victorious" (Evangelium Vitae, 25). "The future face of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood" must be the face of the Crucified Lord who poured out his blood for the life of the world. His, certainly, is a face of sorrow, for "in order to bring man back to the Fathers face, Jesus not only had to take on the face of man, but he had to burden himself with the face of sin" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 25). Yet most mysteriously, even in the midst of such affliction, Jesus did not cease to know the joy which came from union with his Father (cf. ibid., 26-27). And at the moment of Easter this joy came to its fullness as the light of divine glory shone on the face of the Risen Lord, whose wounds shine for ever like the sun. This is the truth of who you are, dear Brothers; this is the face of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood past, present and future; this ought to be your witness in the world. But this will only be so if your mission springs from the depths of contemplation, in which "the believer learns to recognize and appreciate the almost divine dignity of every human being and can exclaim with ever renewed and grateful wonder: How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator if he gained so great a Redeemer!" (Evangelium Vitae, 25). Contemplation of the face of Christ was the prime legacy of the Great Jubilee (cf. Novo Millennio Ineunte, 15) and it remains for ever the womb of

Christian mission. Therefore a new evangelization demands a new depth of prayer; and I urge you to make this a prime focus of all your deliberations during the General Assembly, so that in these days of grace you will not cease to say: "It is your face, O Lord, that I seek" (Ps 26:8). It was not by accident that Saint Gaspar del Bufalo established your Congregation on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady. For he saw in the glory of the Virgin the wondrous fruit of the sacrifice of her Son on the Cross. Christs Redemption marvellously restores humanity to the splendour which was the Creators intention from the beginning; and that splendour must be the goal of every plan and project of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. That is why you must look always to the Woman "clothed with the sun, the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev 12:1). Entrusting you to the loving care of Mary and to the intercession of your Founder, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing to the entire Congregation as a pledge of endless mercy in him "who has freed us from our sins by his blood" ( Rev 1:5). When entering or leaving your house: "Precious Blood of Jesus, shed on the Cross for us, bless this house. Take it under Thy protection." A Powerful Prayer to be Said Before Praying:"Almighty Father, I place the Precious Blood of Jesus before my lips before I pray, that my prayers may be purified before they ascend to Your divine altar." - St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Offering of the Precious Blood:"Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins, and in supplication for the holy souls in Purgatory and for the needs of Holy Church." - The Raccolta Precious Blood Prayer in Response to Requests from Our Lord:"Dear Jesus, moved by an impulse of love, and with purity of intention, I wish to cover my humble labors with Your merits and bathe them in the supernatural gold of Your Precious Blood. I desire to consecrate my life to the saving of souls and the extension of Your glory, and I beg the Heavenly Father for as many souls as You shed drops of Blood during Your Passion." - Sr. Josefa Menendez Prayer of St. Faustina: "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You." Pleading the Blood of Jesus: "Father in heaven, may we all be cleansed by the saving Blood of Jesus; may our consciences be purged of dead works. Scripture says that evil is defeated by the Blood of the Lamb, so we ask that the Blood of Jesus cover all who are in need of protection (all civil, religious and lay leaders, our families, friends, enemies, all those for whom we have promised to pray, and ourselves). We mark the borders of our nation and the doorposts of our churches, homes, schools and places of employment with the Precious Blood of Jesus. Also, we cover our vehicles that no one may ever be injured through them. Thank You, Lord, for shedding Your Blood for us. May the Water and Blood that came from the side of Jesus create a protecting

fountain of grace, one which flows directly from the throne of God to us. Come, Lord, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit."

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us. Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, save us. Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us. Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, save us. Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony, save us. Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging, save us. Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns, save us. Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross, save us. Blood of Christ, price of our salvation, save us. Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us. Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls, save us. Blood of Christ, stream of mercy, save us. Blood of Christ, victor over demons, save us. Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs, save us. Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors, save us. Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins, save us. Blood of Christ, help of those in peril, save us. Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened, save us. Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow, save us. Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent, save us. Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying, save us. Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts, save us. Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life, save us. Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory, save us. Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. .

V. You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your Blood. R. And made us, for our God, a kingdom. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, you have appointed your only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by his Blood. Grant we beg of you, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Canticle of the Blood By Saint Maria de Mattias Come, let us adore Christ, the Son of God, who has redeemed us with his blood. Clap your hands, all you peoples, sing unto God with a voice of jubilation. For you, God, glorious and mighty,have shown us mercy. You have not spared your only Sonbut delivered him up in our behalf. That you might redeem us from our sins in Christs own blood; That justified in the blood of Jesus you might turn your anger from us; That we who were separated might be reconciled through the blood of Christ. O God, my God, what can I render to you for all the good you have bestowed upon me? I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the power of Christs blood. Sing to Jesus, all you saints, and make known the memory of his holiness. For Christ indeed has loved us and washed us in his blood and has become our helper and redeemer. May Christ be blessed forever who has wrought such wonders in us. Blessed be Jesus for all ages, and may the heavens and the earth be filled with the praises of his love.

Come, let us adore Christ, the Son of God, who has redeemed us with his blood. Amen. --------------Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was later extended to include living sinners as well. "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of Thy divine son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy sould in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."