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;void(0)) Introduction |
 A Little History In August 1815, St. Gaspar del Bufalo founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in order to help renew the Chruch in central Italy. Napoleon had recently been defeated, after having occupied Italy for a number of years. During that time, the Church was oppressed. Many of the clergy were imprisoned or sent into exile. St. Gaspar was among them. Many people had been discouraged by the experience. So, St. Gaspar gathered several other priests to renew the Church through the preaching of parish missions. In March 1822, a young woman heard him preach such a mission. St. Maria de Mattias would later gather several other women together to educate and share their faith with others. They were especially interested in reaching out to women and children, who often were uneducated. As she taught them about their salvation in Christ, she was often accused of "preaching" - a practice unheard of by women of the time. Thus was born the Adorers of the Blood of Christ. In December 1832, Maria Anna Brunner accompanied her son on a lengthy pilgrimage to Rome. During that time, she, too, was inspired by the preaching of St. Gaspar, whom she heard several times. She joined the Archconfraternity of the Precious Blood, a group of people - men and women, lay and clerical - who shared a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Not long after that, she invited several other women to join her in prayer and a life of devotion to the Precious Blood. While there are no records of her preaching, her personal devotion was contagious and other women came to share it with her, thus establishing the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Inviting others to share her devotion and way of life, Theresa Weber founded the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in Steinerberg, Switzerland in 1845. Coming to the United States in 1870, the community dedicated its energies to the education of the young throughout the mid-West. Sharing part of its history with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, the community today shares a common spirituality and concern for sharing God's abundant love and mercy with other Precious Blood communities. St. Gaspar del Bufalo had joined the Archconfraternity of the Precious Blood several years before founding the community. Maria Anna Brunner did the same. St. Maria de Mattias may have been a member, too. Today, three of the four Precious Blood communities have associate members who share in their spirituality and mission. They include the Union of the Blood of Christ - which developed from the Archconfraternity. Companions share in the mission, life and spirituality of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. ASC Associates collaborate with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ for spiritual support and empower one another to spreach God's love and justice. Partners in Mission commit themselves to shared faith and service as associates of with the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood.  The Precious Blood Family Today Today, members and associates of these four congregations collaborate on a number of specific projects. Their leaders form the Precious Blood Leadship Conference. Their formation and vocation directors are part of the Precious Blood Vocation/Formation Conference. Their candidates gather annually to share their common experience as men and women with a common vocation and spirituality. The leadership of the associates of these congregations have formed the National Precious Blood Associates Conference. These various conferences sponsor occasional workshops, retreats and congresses in order to broaden their understanding of what it means to be men and women dedicated to the blood of Christ today. A workshop for preachers was held September 30-October 4, 1998 at Precious Blood Spiritual Center in Columbia, PA. Twelve members and associates participated in a workshop entitled, "The Mobile Mission Team Pilot Experience." While there was interest in possibly forming joint preaching teams, no one was available to coordinate or direct such a program at that time. As part of its strategic planning process, the Cincinnati Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood sponsored a seminar on new ministries for the province in January 2001. Two specific proposals came out of that gathering. One of them, entitled "A New Approach to the Renewal Ministry," focused on developing a collaborative approach to preaching parish missions. In September 2002, the leadership of the Cincinnati Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood appointed Fr. Dennis Chriszt to full time retreat and renewal ministry with the understanding that he would seek to form a collaborative approach to preaching parish missions with members and associates of the various communities that are part of the Precious Blood Leadership Conference. During that first year, in additional to actually preaching a number of missions and retreats, Fr. Dennis also gathered together preachers from the various Precious Blood communities in the US to form a core team for future development of this collaborative ministry. The core team met several times over the next year, designed a parish mission, conducted the mission in three parishes in the US and reviewed their experience. Now, they are preparing to train others to join them in this ministry. Your Parish Mission This mission - Proclaiming Abundant Love - is a direct result of those gatherings. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our spirituality with the members of your parish. We - like St. Gaspar, St. Maria, Maria Anna and Theresa - believe that the spirituality of the Precious Blood is a gift for the whole Church. We know and rejoice, as St. Paul did, that we "who were once far off have become near by the blood of Christ(Ephesians 2:13)" and that "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)." We believe that we are being sent by God to share the good news of our salvation in and through the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Each celebration that is part of a Precious Blood Parish Mission focuses on a different element of God's abundant love for us. We are people of the covenant, people of the cross, people reconciled in the blood of Christ and people of the cup. God shares God's own life with us in and through the life of Jesus Christ. It is our hope that your parish will be renewed in God's grace as we proclaim God's abundant love during this parish mission. Click here for a brochure about our mission.  Continuing to Proclaim Abundant Love to the Poor Precious Blood Parish Missions is partnering with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging in its ministry of bringing people together across the miles to share their faith and concern for one another. Both the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging and members of several of the Precious Blood communities in the US serve the needs of the poor at two missions in Guatemala and one in Peru. Working together, they help to promote the dignity of the people at the parishes of Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) in LaLabor and San Miguel (St. Michael) in Tucurú, Guatemala and at Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Our Lady of the Light) in Lima, Perú. The Christians Foundation for Children and Aging is also working with the poor along side members of our communities in Tanzania. The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging is a sponsorship organization of lay Catholics who help to establish relationships of care between people in the US and twenty-six poor countries around the world. By prayer, letter writing, and donating $30 a month, one poor child or aging person and someone in the US come to know one another and share their lives and concern with one another. Children and elders in serveral missions served by members of Precious Blood communities in Guatemala, Peru and Tanzania benefit directly from the work of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Some of our preachers are sponsors, too. They know the blessings that come to both those who are sponsored and those who sponsor. During the mission, participants are invited to consider proclaiming abundant love by establishing such a relationship. This is only an invitation, and only one of many ways people might proclaim God’s and their own abundant love for someone else in need. | Gaspar del Bufalo | Maria de Mattias | Maria Anna Brunner | Theresa Weber | | Return Home | Introduction | FAQ Page | Mission Outline | Contact Us | Great Links | Preachers' Forum | Download Pages | Mission Schedules | Preachers | |
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