“I would rather die or suffer evil than to take such an oath. I cannot, I must not, I will not!”
Born in Rome on January 6, 1786, the Feast of the Epiphany, which accounts for his name, Gaspar Melchior Balthasar del Bufalo, in honor of the 3 wise men. He came from humble origins. His father was hard working and ambitious, wanting the best for his family and worked as a cook for a prominent Roman family. Although he didn’t have enough to eat, and his parents feared he would die at an early age, he lived in the home of nobility. He received medical treatment and educational help at a time that was impossible for the poor.
Across the street from the home was a church were his mother prayed often and shared stories of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, all the Angels and Saints with him.
At the age of 12, he was admitted to Collegio Romano, to prepare for priesthood. For 11 years he completed his formation, was ordained. He began preaching missions immediately, becoming a very popular speaker throughout Rome until he locked horns with the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Rome was taken by Napoleon’s army and Gaspar, along with the majority of the clergy, were exiled for refusing to deny their allegiance to the Holy See. He was a thorn to Napoleon and his cohorts during their occupation, spending most of his time in horrible jail conditions. He became deathly ill, yet him and a fellow priest never complained, offering it up for many petitions. They denied loyalty to Napoleon 3 times as they tried to break him. Venerable Sister Agnes prophesized of his future and upon hearing of it, thru faith, Gaspar immediately regained his health.
In 1815, after Napoleon’s fall, he returned to find a broken country and a wounded church. He met with the Pope who stated that his calling was to be a missionary which he accepted with great fervor. He founded the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood to spread the Faith by training young men and women for the tremendous work ahead. Although they faced a lot of opposition, even from within the Holy Church, their work covered the whole of Italy, resulting in many conversions, especially in the most neglected and crime-filled towns and even with the bandits living in the mountains.
During the outbreak of cholera in 1836, his strength failed and returned to Albano. He suffered greatly and a state of tranquility and peace, died on December 28th, 1837. He was canonized in 1954.
The most important steps of his life occurred on various feasts of Our Lady. The missionaries can be found in 18 countries, including the U.S.
https://www.cppsmissionaries.org/
Virtual Tour of areas central to St. Gaspar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frXb6_8MLg
His feast day is January 2.
For God’s Glory.
