The Stars Tell the Story

Christ speaks to us of the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” What motivates us to do that? We are in the time of year when seasons change and we witness the dynamic of creation....

There is Life in the Blood

A message on the anniversary of C.PP.S. founding from our Provincial Director Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S. As we mark another year of life in our Congregation—208 years now since our founding in 1815 by St. Gaspar del Bufalo—my thoughts turn to his thoughts in those...

Precious Blood Scholarship Application Deadline Extended

The deadline has been extended until August 15 for the United States Province’s scholarship program, which aids students who wish to attend Catholic schools. Members and Companions are invited nominate a young person who wishes to attend a Catholic primary or high...

Fr. James McCabe, 65 Years

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood announce the 65th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. James McCabe, C.PP.S. Fr. McCabe, 91, a native of Newcastle, Neb., entered the Congregation in 1945 at Brunnerdale, the Missionaries’ former high school seminary near Canton,...

Fr. Donald Thieman Celebrates 70 years

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood announce the 70th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. Donald Thieman, C.PP.S. Fr. Thieman, who at 96 is the oldest living Missionary of the Precious Blood, is a native of Coldwater, Ohio. He entered the Congregation in 1941 at...

In the Realm of Miracles

By Fr. Tony Fortman, C.PP.S. Today we celebrate the ascension of the Lord. Jesus ascended into heaven body and soul in the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary and his apostles. This is not the first time Jesus was suspended in the air. If we go back to the...

A Powerful Passage

By Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S.   The “Journey to Emmaus” is one of the most well-known stories in the New Testament. It is a vivid story that we can truly connect with. Two downtrodden disciples leaving Jerusalem…an encounter with a stranger to whom the disciples tell...

Volunteers Serve in Many Ways

By Tim Deveney A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, speak at the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Teach-in for Social Justice. Fr. Boyle said we need to not “settle for just shaking your fist, roll up your sleeves to create the place where...

Mercy, Wrapped in Mercy

By Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S. The first time that I preached on the Gospel account of the appearances of the Resurrected Christ to the disciples was the day after my ordination. As I reflected on this narrative then, what caught my attention was that Jesus needed...

Fr. Edgar Jutte, C.PP.S., 1935-2023

Fr. Edgar Jutte, C.PP.S., 88, died at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, April 10, 2023, at St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Ohio, where he had been a patient for several days. He died of complications following a fall at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he made his...
Rending Our Hearts

Rending Our Hearts

By Fr. Joe Nassal, C.PP.S. On Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel proclaims, “Rend your hearts, not your garments.” Rending means tearing, as when the psalmist prayed for God to rend the heavens and come down to earth. Or, in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus steps out of the...

Look for the Face of Jesus

By Deacon Greg Evers, C.PP.S. “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” What does it mean to be holy like God? There are certainly a number of ways in which one can live out this call. On a fundamental level, this is what we are called to do as baptized Christian...

We Do Not have to Go It Alone

We Do Not have to Go It Alone

A New Year’s message from our provincial director, Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S. I am not one of them, but I have heard about people making New Year’s resolutions. Usually, these are cast in the first person: I will quit smoking. I will learn a new skill. I am here with...

Fr. Joe Nassal: Radiant Dawn, Epiphany

Fr. Joe Nassal: Radiant Dawn, Epiphany

In the first reading for the feast of Epiphany, the prophet Isaiah describes a scene: “Darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples.”

A Saint’s Sibling

A message from our Provincial Director Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., on the Feast of the Epiphany We often tell the story of our founder, St. Gaspar del Bufalo, that he was born on the Feast of the Epiphany in Rome on January 6, 1786. That’s how he got his name, Gaspar...

The Miracle Presented Anew

The Miracle Presented Anew

By Fr. Jeff Kirch, C.PP.S., Provincial Director On behalf of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, serving the people of God around the world, I would like to wish you and your family a very merry and blessed Christmas. “All around the world” has been on my mind....

Volunteer Commitment Is Transformative Experience

Volunteer Commitment Is Transformative Experience

“It amazes me that what started as a six-month commitment as a volunteer on the Navajo reservation has become a formative, transformative experience and way of looking at the world.”

St. Gaspar, a Child of the Magi

St. Gaspar, a Child of the Magi

By Fr. Ben Berinti, C.PP.S. As we celebrate the feast day of our founder, St. Gaspar del Bufalo, the Missionaries in this country do so, for the first time, as the United States Province. That should give us a jolt of energy, since this is our invitation to rebirth,...

Answering Immigration’s Clarion Call

By Fr. David Matz, C.PP.S. Having celebrated the formation of the United States Province last June at the electoral assembly last June, several of us on the Justice and Peace committee heard a clarion call from Assembly attendees asking why we were not down on the...