St. Gaspar del Bufalo, Our Founder

Saint Gaspar del Bufalo (1786-1837) founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in Italy in 1815.

Gaspar del Bufalo was a small, sickly Roman-born priest who found boundless energy to carry out God's work. A visionary and preacher who had the gift of persuading people to follow his seemingly outlandish dreams, Gaspar secured an abandoned 10th century abbey near Giano, Italy.

On August 15, 1815, this became the birthplace of a new society of preachers and missionaries dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus.

Gaspar's small band of missionaries worked among the country people of Italy. They staged parish missions where they preached day and night, in churches, on street corners, and anywhere else that people congregated.

Before he died in 1837, Gaspar del Bufalo had preached to thousands of people, and had established mission houses around the Italian countryside. Today, the priests, brothers and lay associates of the Congregation serve in more than 20 countries around the world.

To read more about Saint. Gaspar's remarkable life and works, see our booklet called Saint Gaspar del Bufalo: Saint in Motion.

Photograph: St. Gaspar Statue in Bangalore, India