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Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.)

Historical Sketch

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood were founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo on August 15, 1815. The official title, Congregatio Missionariorum Pretiosissimi Sanguinis Domini Nostri Jesus Christi is rendered in English, Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood--abbreviated, C.PP.S.. Primary to Gaspar's idea of the Congregation was the preaching of missions, to invigorate a Church which had grown weak under the reign of Napoleon. The venerable John Merlini was responsible for much growth of the congregation in Europe. Later, in 1843, Fr. Francis de Sales Brunner and a small group of missionaries came to America at the invitation of Bishop Purcell of Cincinnati, Ohio to minister to the German immigrants in western Ohio.

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood are a Society of the Apostolic Life, not a Religious Order, like the Franciscans or Jesuits The main difference between a Religious Order and a Society of the Apostolic Life is that members of Religious Orders enter the vowed life. The members of the Congregation do not take those vows as part of their membership in the community. Instead, in the Rite of Definitive Incorporation, or profession ceremony, all the members, priest and brothers, make a promise of fidelity to the Society. For the members that are ordained, a vow of celibacy and obedience is part of the ordination rite. This structure was the wish of the Gaspar Del Bufalo, the founder, who called together diocesan clergy into a unity that was bonded by charity alone, not religious vows. 

Sponsorship

In recent years, there has been much discussion taking place on campuses of Catholic Colleges and Universities regarding their identity. At Saint Joseph's College the local C.PP.S. Community published a Statement of Purpose, which outlines how the spirituality of the Precious Blood is incorporated into the life of the College. 

More recently a paper Who Are We? What do We Stand For?  Reflections on the Mission of Saint Joseph's College, authored by Bishop William Higi and two faculty members, Dr. John Nichols and Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., describes more about the C.PP.S. sponsorship at Saint Joseph's College.   

The symbol of the C.PP.S. that is most often seen is the Cup and Cross

Find out more about the contemporary C.PP.S.

Currently the Missionaries of the Precious of the Cincinnati Province strive to live out the vision of St. Gaspar in these numerous forms of ministry.

• Parishes - large urban, small rural, African-American, Hispanic-American

• Chaplaincies - Military, Corrections, Convents

• Foreign Missions - Chile, Peru, Guatemala

• Education - Elementary, Colleges

• Renewal - Parish Missions, Youth Ministry, Spiritual Direction and Reconciliation

• Administration/ Support Services - Farming, Formation, Maintenance

Some C.PP.S. Links 

The C.PP.S. Generalate in Rome - world wide headquarters of the C.PP.S.

The Cincinnati Province

The Atlantic Province

You can also find out more about the various religious congregations dedicated to the Precious Blood at the Precious Blood Leadership Conference.

To read a little bit more about the work of the C.PP.S. at Saint Joseph's College, click here. If you have any questions about the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, please contact timm@saintjoe.edu.

Page updated 12/13/05