"This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." — Matthew 26:28
July belongs to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.
The Church has dedicated this month to that devotion for generations — not as a seasonal practice, but as a sustained meditation on the price of our redemption. The blood shed on Calvary, made present on our altars at every Mass, is the source and center of everything the Church is and does.
What follows covers the theology and history of the Precious Blood, the novenas and devotions of July, the feast days of the month, and the saints the Church sets before us along the way.
Why July Belongs To The Precious Blood
Devotion to the Precious Blood is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.
The universal feast of the Precious Blood was established in 1849 by Pope Pius IX. On June 30, 1849, Pope Pius IX announced his intention to establish such a feast. Remarkably, the war concluded soon after, and the Pope returned to Rome. On August 10, he formally proclaimed that the first Sunday of July would be dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
The occasion was the First Italian War for Independence. Pope Pius IX had been forced into exile at Gaeta. His companion was Don Giovanni Merlini, third superior general of the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood, who suggested the feast as an act of petition for divine aid and peace. The war ended. The Pope returned. The feast was established.
In 1933, Pope Pius XI raised the feast to the rank of Double of the 1st Class to mark the 1,900th anniversary of Jesus's passion. Pope John XXIII, in his 1960 apostolic letter Inde a Primis, further promoted devotion to the Precious Blood and approved the Litany of the Precious Blood, enriching it with an indulgence.
The feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, because the Most Precious Blood of Christ the Redeemer is already venerated in the solemnities of the Passion, of Corpus Christi, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and in the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. A votive Mass in honor of the Precious Blood remains available and may be celebrated throughout the month of July. The dedication of the month to the Precious Blood continues.
The Theology Of The Precious Blood
The Precious Blood of Jesus is precious because it is the blood of God made man. It is not merely a symbol of sacrifice — it is the actual blood of the Second Person of the Trinity, shed for the remission of sins.
The Letter to the Hebrews is the doctrinal foundation of this devotion. Christ entered the sanctuary of heaven not with the blood of animals, as the high priests of the Old Covenant did, but with His own blood — securing an eternal redemption:
"He entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." — Hebrews 9:12
The blood Christ shed was not spilled at one moment only. It was poured out throughout His Passion — in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He sweat blood; at the scourging; at the crowning with thorns; on the road to Calvary; and finally on the Cross, where the soldier's lance opened His side and blood and water flowed.
Each shedding was an act of love. The total gift was complete.
That same blood is now present on every Catholic altar. When the priest speaks the words of consecration over the chalice — "This is the chalice of my blood" — the Precious Blood of Christ becomes truly, really, and substantially present. Every reception of Holy Communion from the chalice is an encounter with the blood that purchased our salvation.
St. Gaspar Del Bufalo — Apostle Of The Precious Blood
No saint is more closely associated with devotion to the Precious Blood than St. Gaspar del Bufalo (1786–1837), whom Pope John XXIII called "the world's greatest apostle of the devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus."
St. Gaspar was a Roman-born priest who was small in stature but blessed with boundless energy to carry out God's work. Shortly after his ordination in 1808, Gaspar was exiled during the anti-clerical movement promoted by Napoleon during the French Revolution. His imprisonment was a time of severe trial, but it gave him a clear vision of establishing a congregation devoted to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
After his release from prison, Pope Pius VII called upon Gaspar to preach renewal and reconciliation to a Church and country in chaos after the French Revolution. Gaspar secured an abandoned 10th century abbey near Giano, Italy and established the Congregation of the Most Precious Blood on August 15, 1815.
He preached throughout central Italy with extraordinary power. Bandits came down from the hills and laid their weapons at his feet after hearing him speak. His preaching on the Precious Blood had three ends, in his own words: reparation to our Holy Redeemer, propitiation of the Eternal Father, and the sanctification of souls.
St. Gaspar put it this way: "In this devotion we have the treasures of Wisdom and of Holiness; in it are our comfort, our peace, and our salvation."
He died on December 28, 1837. Gaspar del Bufalo was beatified by Pope Pius X on August 29, 1904, and canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 12, 1954. His feast day is October 21.
July 2026 At A Glance
Quick Reference — Feast Days & Novenas Print or save this section for the month.
Feast Days — July 2026
- July 1 — Opening of the Month of the Most Precious Blood
- July 3 — St. Thomas, Apostle (Feast)
- July 4 — Independence Day (250th Anniversary of the United States)
- July 6 — St. Maria Goretti (Optional Memorial)
- July 7 — Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena begins
- July 11 — St. Benedict, Abbot (Memorial)
- July 14 — St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Memorial — first Native American saint)
- July 16 — Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial)
- July 22 — St. Mary Magdalene (Feast)
- July 23 — St. Bridget of Sweden (Optional Memorial)
- July 25 — St. James the Greater, Apostle (Feast)
- July 26 — Sts. Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)
- July 29 — Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (Memorial)
- July 31 — St. Ignatius of Loyola (Memorial)
Novenas — July 2026
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — July 7–16 (feast July 16)
- Precious Blood Novena — any nine consecutive days during July
The Devotions Of July
The Litany Of The Precious Blood
Approved by Pope John XXIII on February 24, 1960, and enriched with an indulgence, the Litany of the Precious Blood is one of the six public litanies of the Church. It addresses the blood of Christ shed at each moment of His Passion — in the circumcision, in the Garden, at the scourging, in the crowning with thorns, on the Cross — and asks for its intercession.
Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, save us. Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us. Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, save us.
The Precious Blood Novena
The Precious Blood Novena may be prayed at any time during July — on any nine consecutive days. It is an act of adoration and reparation offered to Christ for the shedding of His blood.
👉 [Download the Precious Blood Novena — Free]
The Chaplet Of The Precious Blood
Approved and enriched with indulgences by Pope Pius VII, the Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood is a structured prayer of adoration and petition addressed to the seven sheddings of Christ's blood.
The Votive Mass Of The Precious Blood
With the removal of the July 1 feast from the universal calendar in 1969, a votive Mass in honor of the Precious Blood was established. The opening prayer of this Mass captures the devotion's spirit:
"O God, who by the Precious Blood of your Only Begotten Son have redeemed the whole world, preserve in us the work of your mercy, so that, ever honoring the mystery of our salvation, we may merit to obtain its fruits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Feast Days Of July 2026
July 3 — St. Thomas, Apostle
Thomas is the Apostle whose doubt became the occasion of one of the most profound professions of faith in all of Scripture. When he saw the Risen Lord and touched His wounds, he said: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). His feast is a reminder that faith does not require the absence of questions — it requires the willingness to encounter Christ where He offers Himself.
July 16 — Our Lady Of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is honored on the anniversary of her appearance to St. Simon Stock in 1251, when she presented him with the brown scapular — a sacramental of her maternal protection. The Carmelite Order traces its origins to the hermits of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, who gathered to pray in the spirit of the prophet Elijah.
The novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel runs July 7–16. It is one of the most beloved Marian novenas of the summer.
👉 [Download the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — Free]
July 22 — St. Mary Magdalene
Pope Francis elevated the memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast in 2016, recognizing her as the "Apostle of the Apostles" — the first to witness the Risen Christ and the first commissioned to announce the Resurrection. She was present at the Cross when the Apostles had fled. She came to the tomb before dawn. Her devotion was total.
July 25 — St. James The Greater, Apostle
James was among the first called by Christ — a fisherman, the brother of John, one of the three present at the Transfiguration and at Gethsemane. He was the first Apostle to be martyred, beheaded by Herod Agrippa around 44 AD. His shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Spain remains one of the great pilgrimage destinations of the Catholic world.
July 26 — Sts. Joachim And Anne
The parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grandparents of Jesus. Nothing of their lives is recorded in Scripture — their story comes to us through pious tradition. What is certain is that they raised the woman who would say fiat to the Annunciation. Their feast is a quiet celebration of the holiness hidden in ordinary family life.
St. Maria Goretti — July 6
St. Maria Goretti (1890–1902) was an eleven-year-old Italian girl who was killed defending her purity. Before her death, she forgave her attacker. From prison, that man later repented and eventually attended her canonization in 1950, where her mother was also present.
She is one of the youngest canonized saints in the Church. Her feast on July 6 is a powerful witness to the grace that can be found even in the most violent suffering — and to the power of forgiveness.
Pope Leo XIV's Intention For July
Each month, Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics around the world to join him in prayer. For July, he asks us to pray:
That we may respect and protect human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God.
This intention connects naturally to the month's devotion. The Precious Blood of Christ was shed for every human life — from conception to natural death. July is a month to honor both the blood that redeemed us and the lives that blood was poured out to save.
👉 [Pope Leo XIV's July Prayer Intention — Vatican Prayer Network]
How To Observe July
Attend Mass with renewed awareness. The Precious Blood is made present at every Mass. July is an invitation to attend with a deeper consciousness of what is offered on the altar and received in Holy Communion.
Pray the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — July 7–16. Begin it this Sunday. Her feast on July 16 is one of the strongest Marian observances of the summer.
Pray the Precious Blood Novena — any nine consecutive days during the month.
Pray the Litany of the Precious Blood — approved for public use, enriched with an indulgence, available as a free download below.
Wear or reflect on the Brown Scapular — July 16 is the feast associated with this sacramental of Our Lady's protection. If you have been enrolled in the scapular, July 16 is the day to honor that devotion.
Free Downloads
👉 [Download the Precious Blood Novena — Free]
👉 [Download the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena — Free]
👉 [Download the Litany of the Precious Blood — Free]
Conclusion
The Precious Blood of Christ is not a devotion for specialists. It is the devotion of every baptized Catholic — the blood in which we were redeemed, the blood that flows through the sacraments, the blood made present at every Mass on every altar in the world.
July is the Church's annual invitation to return to that mystery with fresh attention. The feasts, the novenas, and the saints of this month all point toward the same center: the love of God made visible in the blood of His Son, poured out for the life of the world.
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, save us.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved.