A Reflection on the c . pp . s . Founding Anniversary
by Mike Bolin, Sedalia, Missouri Companion
Two hundred three years ago, on August 15, 1815,
four men gathered in the Abbey of San Felice in
Giano, Umbria, and prepared to begin a journey
dedicated to a life of missions and spreading devo-
tion to the Precious Blood. Gaspar Del Bufalo, urged
by the pope and Francesco Albertini, gathered those
men, establishing the Missionaries of the Precious
Blood and enhancing their lives and the lives of oth-
ers who came after them. Gaspar knew the neighbor-
hood, he knew of the bandits, he knew of the terrain
and the dangers within. He knew, through his own
experiences, that there were going to be challenges,
yet it had begun, he had started.
Gaspar had been given the abbey by the pope,
a place of beginning. His faith was strong and his
devotion to the Precious Blood had been enhanced
during his time of exile. He had discerned this call-
ing—but did he have fears, doubts, or concerns about
what this humble beginning would evolve into, or did
he just begin, take the first step in what he had been
inspired to do? I believe that it was just exactly that.
He opened the door of the abbey and looked out over
the surrounding hills and invited others to join him.
Join him in feeding the spiritual needs of the nearby
communities. Join him in feeding the spiritual needs
that they held within their hearts and minds.
Since my visit to San Felice during the Bi-
Centennial Celebration Pilgrimage, I have often
thought about what that first calling was like for
those men in 1815. What direction, encouragement,
or inspiration did St. Gaspar pass on to them? What
were their expectations and how did they come to
know that they needed to join him in this endeavor?
Why were they invited to reach out to other commu-
nities? What were they tasked with, what were they
burdened with? How they came about embracing the
opportunity, making the decision, choosing to be a
missionary. As my wife and I stood next to Gaspar’s
statue outside the abbey and overlooking those same
hills, I could only imagine.
My imagination was further enlightened as I stood
in the upstairs dorm room of the current seminary in
12 • The New Wine Press • September 2018
Albano on that same trip. I recalled when in 8 th grade
at a Catholic School in Kansas City thinking about
which direction to take for my next step, high school,
I looked at several options—St. John’s Seminary and
Rockhurst High School. I chose the latter. Today I
don’t remember all that went into that choice, but it
had been made and I was prepared to take on what-
ever challenges that came with it. I do remember
thinking as I stood in the upstairs room gazing out
the windows overlooking Albano, what if I had this
choice? Would I choose differently? I took Latin for
four years and did well. Italian couldn’t be much differ-
ent. But that wasn’t one of my options and I had made
my choice and I believed I had made the right one.
I knew that for the next few years I would be
taught by Jesuits who would come to expect more
from me than the sisters and the lay teachers of my
grade school. Aside from school, I needed to become
less of a burden on my parents with such a large fam-
ily. I had held jobs before but this time it somehow
meant more to me to help provide especially for my
needs and to start preparing for the future not know-
ing what it was exactly I wanted or where I wanted it
to go. My ultimate goal was to obtain a college educa-
tion and from there employment that would support
my life. It had begun, my choice had been made,
I had taken the first step. I needed to be an active
participant in that choice and those that I would be
making from there on.
I did have help along my path. I felt I had made
the right choice for me as I was being prepared to
reach my goals and beginning to have a better under-
standing that my faith would be one of the driving
forces in my life and a basis as well as support for my
future choices. Gaspar had this faith as he opened
the abbey doors and stepped into his journey. He
had discerned, he had prayed and now he had taken
action, knowing that his faith and devotion to the
Precious Blood of Jesus was the basis of the action
and his support along the journey.
The Missionaries of the Precious Blood, like many
religious communities, would face tests and trials