Why join the Missionaries of the Precious Blood?
In a Church richly blessed with a variety of religious congregations of priests and brothers, you might wonder what makes the Missionaries of the Precious Blood unique. Why do men choose to join us when they answer God’s call? You might think of us like one of the many baseball teams in the MLB. They all play the same game, but each team is different because the manager develops the strategy and leverages the talents of his players to win the game. In religious congregations, the vision of the founder sets the strategy and calls forth the talents of the members. Our founder, St. Gaspar, developed a vision that we remain true to today.
We live in community
Whether in our formation house in Chicago, our campus in St. Joseph, Missouri, or one of our many other mission sites, you’ll find priests and brothers living together as family. We are a Society of Apostolic Life, which means we don’t take religious vows, but are bound together in Christ with a promise to live the bond of charity — to do all things in love. St. Gaspar used the bond of charity as a way to unite the varied gifts of the members for the service of the Church. This collaborative spirit is modeled in our ministry rooted in the vision of Vatican II.
We’re still regular people
We are practical, down-to-earth missionaries. Because life can be messy, we roll up our sleeves to be a source of healing and hope for others in their time of need. St. Gaspar saw the gift of the blood of Christ as the starting point to all other spiritual undertakings within the Church. Blood is essential for life; it is something every human being has in common, including us. We are participating members of our communities as we serve those communities. When you sit down with us for a meal, pitch in with us on a project, or bump into us out in the neighborhood, you’ll find we’re easy to talk to.
Our missionary hearts go where God calls us
We serve in a variety of ministries, including parish ministry, retreat and renewal, chaplaincies, education, foreign missions, and social justice ministry. As missionaries, we are sent by God into those places where the blood of the innocent continues to cry out from the earth. The blood of Jesus, the authentic witness of God’s unconditional love, motivates us to continue his mission of bringing those who are far apart, near, celebrating our identity as children of God. St. Gaspar had a missionary heart, a spirit that continues to motivate his missionaries across the world to spread the Good News.
We live our spirituality
We are called to live a reflective life, personal prayer, and prayer in common. The spirituality of the Precious Blood is a way of life that brings people closer to God, each other, and creation through the healing power of the blood of Christ. St. Gaspar continually challenges us to develop greater trust in God as we are drawn to the celebration of the Eucharist, the gift of unconditional love given to us through the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
Did you know?
Among college students involved in Catholic campus ministry, 66% have seriously considered becoming a priest or religious brother.