While many think of the founding of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood as the work of a single man, Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, there were others involved in establishing the new congregation in 1815. One of the most important of these was Don Francesco Albertini, a Roman priest, who had a great devotion to the Blood of Christ. He instilled that devotion in the newly ordained Gaspar, and encouraged him to establish a missionary congregation under that title.

The story of Albertini and his role in the founding of the CPPS is beautifully told in the latest volume of the CPPS Resources series, The Hidden Father: Francesco Albertini and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. This English translation of a biography by Don Michele Colagiovanni, CPPS, tells the story of a devoted and humble Roman priest who became the spiritual director of Saint Gaspar when the two went into exile together for refusing to swear loyalty to Napoleon. Don Francesco believed that Gaspar was called to establish a congregation of preachers under the banner of the Precious Blood.

In a brief interview about the book, D. Colagiovanni commented, “Without Albertini, we would not have St. Gaspar.  In many ways Albertini founded our founder!  Their relationship began before their exile and was strengthened during their time of imprisonment.  It was the combination of Gaspar’s zeal and Albertini’s devotion to the Precious Blood that provided the foundation for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.”

The book offers the reader life story of an extraordinary priest and bishop, who patiently suffered terrible hardships in exile on the island of Corsica. It also provides additional information on the times of Saint Gaspar and the history of the founding of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.

CPPS Resources is a series published by the Cincinnati Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. It aims at providing resources for Precious Blood spirituality and the history of the Congregation.