A thousand tongues
St. Gaspar’s dream continues to be realized in the mission we share today
More than 200 years ago, St. Gaspar del Bufalo traveled from city to city with his fellow missionaries, preaching love and reconciliation to those at the center of society and those living on its margins. He once said, “I wish that I could have a thousand tongues, to endear every heart to the Precious Blood of Jesus.” From the very beginning of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, Gaspar’s longing for a thousand tongues has been embraced as a core value of the mission. Today, that vision is lived out through our communion with lay associates, known as Companions, and with others who make up the broader family of the Blood of Christ. The Precious Blood family reaches far and wide, welcoming all who are drawn to its life and mission. The following reflections from the Precious Blood family illustrate how this value continues to be embodied today.
I have known the C.PP.S. for nearly 30 years now, and there is something that has struck me since the first encounter: internationality. When I first heard of the “thousand tongues” St. Gaspar del Bufalo dreamed to have, I realized that it is nothing less than the aspiration to make the passage in the Acts of the Apostles (2:4-11) come true: people who speak different languages, coming from all parts of the world, with distinct backgrounds and upbringings, from diverse religious traditions — things that might theoretically clash — hold hands and smile together, putting down barriers and overcoming obstacles because they are members of the same family.
I came first in 1998 as a simultaneous interpreter. In that capacity, I have always witnessed “the thousand tongues” unfold in front of my eyes (and also in my ears). The level of respect, openness, understanding, and acceptance between the C.PP.S. members and the lay associates and the Sisters show that there is something special among them; it is a real family. As in any family, there are roles, personalities, gifts, and views that vary. However, there is something that goes beyond differences, something the Normative Texts are very clear about: “the bond of Charity” (Normative Texts C1). That applies to the incorporated members but extends to all those who share the Precious Blood charism. I have seen love in action in every international gathering.
In 2024, I was appointed to be the C.PP.S. General Curia communications coordinator. You might wonder if my opinion changed when experiencing everything “from within.” On the contrary, my understanding of “love in action” increased. A community of communicators (both members and lay associates) now work together to make the transforming power of the Blood of Christ known and spread across the world. The beatification of Blessed Don Giovanni Merlini was the perfect occasion for priests, brothers, sisters, and lay associates to celebrate our past figures as a single body. Each one of us played his/her role, and all voices were clearly heard; we all collaborated to a common goal, and we all rejoiced together when the curtain that hid Blessed Giovani Merlini’s face was pulled up.
We also celebrated the Jubilee of the Precious Blood Family, and the message we heard was clear: make the powerful blood of Jesus act in the world through reconciliation, especially among those who are at the margins of society. In September 2025, the General Assembly took place, and it was a first in many regards: a lay associated woman was named secretary of the assembly; representatives of the different lay movements and groups of the C.PP.S. were invited to share the voice of the laity; congregations of Sisters were also invited as active participants; and also the communications coordinator was reporting daily about the assembly so that people from across the globe could feel part of it. It is precisely the General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the C.PP.S., that proposed Core Value 4 to be implemented in depth. It is, therefore, a gentle “obligation” for the Precious Blood family to seek avenues to enhance collaboration between the different vocations. It is only when we act together that the powerful blood of Jesus is present, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
Marcelo Rodríguez Rivollier
Communications Coordinator of the General Curia
Missionaries of the Precious Blood
_________
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The lifegiving state of being in communion with purpose is brought about by an abiding love that flows from God with and to his people. The Precious Blood charism, proclaimed by word and action, is a steady stream of Precious Blood flowing upon humanity. That gift of life-giving blood overflows in a unique way among those discerning single life, married life, or priesthood, brotherhood, and sisterhood. The outpouring of the Precious Blood of Jesus is ubiquitous and unstoppable.
In reading the sign of the times, the “call of the Blood” reveals that many young people want authentic accompaniment as they seek to discern God’s call, even while distractions and pressures make that search difficult at times. Trends tell us that many young people are returning to the faith and rediscovering God’s call. This is a time of hope and growth.
At the same time, many young people feel overwhelmed, lonely, unworthy, and unsure of how God could be calling them. The Precious Blood vocation team is collaboratively partnering with Precious Blood family members in roles of pastor, staff, and parishioners to implement parish vocation teams that offer encouragement and connection. Parish vocation teams cultivate a life-giving path of vocation discernment.
At the heart of parish vocation teams and the path of vocation discernment in community is the charism of St. Gaspar del Bufalo — who was the first of a “thousand tongues” to proclaim the power of Christ’s Blood. Parish vocation team members help build vocation “awareness, accompaniment, and action” through participation in four workshops, supplemented by guidelines. Each workshop is framed by a Scripture verse and guidepost. Early pilot workshops at St. John the Baptist in Glandorf, Ohio, and St. John the Baptist in Whiting, Indiana, show strong promise. The Precious Blood vocation team is exploring new ways to reach today’s digital natives through a blend of various innovative technology tools that will complement discerner engagement. Workshops are presented online and in person to heighten action. Trusting in the ever‑present love of Jesus, “vocation animators” are inspired to accompany today’s young people who are so loved and worthy of the shedding of the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Patricia Malinowski
Associate Vocation Director
Missionaries of the Precious Blood
United States Province
_________
Tongues of fire, if left untended, follow the path of the wind’s breath or its furious draft. Tongues of fire upon the apostles spread on wings of word and miracle. Two papers were written by Precious Blood men, Fr. Joe Nassal and Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, proposing a program of formation for lay associates of the Precious Blood. The laity would be invited to re-member the Precious Blood, to become the conduit of its flow as each discerned. We were called through that intimate invitation brought to fruition through common prayer, study reflection, and after two years, Covenant. We stepped into our bloody world armed with that flow and transforming power and led by teachers who continue to guide us as we navigate the wave.
As a working mom with three boys, invitation to a movement was not on my radar. Clean socks, underwear, lunch materials for the week, and keeping the counters cleared of plates, ants, and crumbs left time for Mass on Sunday and maybe one or two dailies. On my journey as a Companion, I was led by incorporated members who shared what the Precious Blood is. We learned line by line at meetings, as we read and reflected upon Precious Blood theology, history, and stories of suffering and redemption. And so, we were formed.
Tongues of fire don’t just appear; you must have access to kindling, breath, or air, and something to combust, and maybe a miracle. I knew the word “discernment,” but had never learned of the process. Gaspar started with great courage, imprisonment, illness, a few good men, a mission cross, and sturdy boots. We came to this table as family accompanied by our sponsor/member, fellow Companions, and a formation workbook.
Fire must be fed. The Precious Blood family of priests and brothers thrust the Spirit upon us through their rending of the Word, encouragement over a cup of coffee, a walk along a sandy path by the water, an invitation to share during a chapel Mass, or praying over the Cup. With time, we felt the fire of the Blood within us, mothers with children in our bellies or in tow were awakened, valued, and encouraged to proclaim the power of the Precious Blood. We spoke during Lenten missions, preaching alongside Precious Blood Sisters and members. We were encouraged to envision, to interpret the vision, and to take on the responsibility to carry it out in our own way through our covenant with the Precious Blood priests and brothers. We were fed. We were led.
Covenant. Mission. Transformation.
Today, I met a young man at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago, dressed in a sweatshirt and loose jeans. He wore no insignia, no collar, no distinctive icon of cup and cross. He greeted the room with, “Hi! I’m Precious Blood!” He wore the cross and his transformation in his smile and his story. The energy surrounding him and all those we met was the energy and light of Gaspar’s thousand tongues.
Some of us live in the inner cities, others in farming communities, pouring out hope and coffee to the homeless in soup kitchens, accompanying immigrants to court appointments, driving them to get IDs and groceries, and teaching them in our classrooms. That is mission. That is Covenant lived. Perhaps we may not call ourselves missionaries, but we are in mission. Together we comprise Gaspar’s longed for thousand tongues. We are one family, sisters, brothers, priests, and covenanted laity, living a thousand visions of those tongues of fire. And the fire spreads. Though fire may burn institutions, it is the Holy Spirit and life-giving blood that rise from the ashes of walls. From one razing, the raising of a thousand bridges, a thousand tongues.
Gretchen Bailey
Alameda, California, Companion
_________
In 2002, I was assigned to reimagine the preaching of parish missions in the Cincinnati Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, one of three provinces in the U.S. at that time. I invited a member and a Companion from each of the provinces, as well as a member from each of our sister congregations, to become part of the core team that would come together and see where our imaginations might take us.
We met several times in Chicago and designed a mission rooted in the spirituality of the Precious Blood. Sr. Donna Liette, C.PP.S., gave it its name: “Proclaiming Abundant Love.”
A team of two or three preachers goes to a parish, works with a team from the parish that has been preparing for the mission, preaches at all the weekend Masses, and then presides and preaches at four celebrations that include a liturgy of the Word with at least 20 to 30 minutes of preaching, followed by a ritual that enables the participants to experience God’s blessings in their lives. Sometimes, the mission celebrations include the dismissal of children, who have their own reading(s) and activities that focus on the same themes as the adult celebrations. The four celebrations focus on the fact that we are people of the covenant, the cross, and the cup, as well as people who’ve been reconciled through the blood of Christ.
We piloted the mission in three parishes around the country and then taught a workshop to train others to join the ministry. Since then, we have conducted over 40 parish missions, spreading the spirituality of the Precious Blood around the country, and even around the world. The mission was turned into a retreat, which was given to members of the congregation in Tanzania and the U.S. and for Precious Blood Companions throughout the U.S.
While the number of preachers in the mission has shrunk, we’re still among the thousand tongues that proclaim the transforming power of the Blood of Christ. Check out our website at Precious-Blood-Parish-Missions.org.
Rev. Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S.