Which Catholic saint founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1815?

Saint Gaspare del Bufalo founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1815. He established the congregation in Italy to promote preaching, spiritual renewal, and devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ.

Gaspare was born in Rome in 1786 and was ordained a priest in 1808. During the Napoleonic period, he refused to swear an oath to Napoleon and was imprisoned after declining to support the emperor’s authority over the Church. He returned to pastoral work after Napoleon’s fall.

In 1815, Gaspare founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood at Giano dell’Umbria. The community became a congregation of priests and brothers dedicated especially to missions and retreats. Maria De Mattias later founded the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, a separate congregation inspired by the same devotion.

Gaspare was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954. He is also remembered for his opposition to Freemasonry and for his energetic preaching throughout the Papal States.