With profound gratitude to God the almighty, to Our Lady of the Precious Blood, and to our beloved founder St. Gaspar Del Bufalo, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in India celebrated the Bicentennial of the foundation of the congregation and the Silver Jubilee of the C.PP.S presence in India.
July 27, 2014 marked the official commencement of the celebrations in India with the annual retreat followed by the celebration of the eucharist presided over by Rev. Shaji Kunnel, C.PP.S., the Indian Vicariate Director. For the next year, Missionaries in India organized and celebrated the Bicentennial in each of their ministry sites. Many parishes and communities held retreats, parish missions, and the praying of the Precious Blood Chaplet.
The year long celebrations culminated in the celebration of the eucharist on August 12, 2015, in Bangalore. Archbishop Bernard Moras, archbishop of Bangalore, was the main celebrant and he was joined by Rev. Giuseppe Montenegro, C.PP.S., the founder of the mission in India, and V.Rev. Oliviero Magnone, C.PP.S., the Provincial Director of the Italian Province. Eighty-five Missionaries of the Precious Blood gathered for the celebration along with countless other priests, religious, and laity from all over India. The liturgy included a procession with a statue and relics of St. Gaspar. In his homily, Archbishop Moras urged the Missionaries to live in the Spirit of true missionary life and not just be bearers of the title alone. He pointed to the lives of St. Paul and St. Gaspar as role models for true Missionary life.
To commemorate the Bicentennial of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and the Silver Jubilee of their presence in India a Souvenir was given to all the religious communities in the dioceses where the Missionaries have ever served.
Article and photos provided by Rev. Rajendra Mariadass Madichetty, C.PP.S.
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