St. Gaspar Del Bufalo, according to Pope St. John XXIII, is the true and the greatest apostle of the Precious Blood of Christ. He was born in Rome on January 6th, 1786 and died very young on December 28th, 1837 at the age of 51. As a devoted priest he revived the works of the Apostolate in Rome and later he became a dedicated Missionary. In his Missionary travels he invited the faithful to reflect upon and adore the Precious Blood of Christ.
He founded the Missionary Congregation of the Precious Blood on the August 15th 1815 at St. Felix in Umbria. In 1834 with his encouragement, St. Maria De Mattias founded the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ.
Gaspar was beatified by Pope Pius X in December 18, 1904, canonized by Pope Pius XII in St. Peter’s Square in June 12, 1954. The remains of his body are preserved in St. Maria in Trivio Church in Rome’s city center, just near the Trevi Fountain. Pope John XXIII visited his body in the Church of St. Maria in Trivio on January 4th, 1963, just few days before the convocation of the second Ecumenical Vatican Council.