The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.  Our Lord's blood poured out on the Cross purchased our salvation, washed clean the robes of the martyrs, and gave birth to the Church as it flowed from his wounded side. The Precious Blood of Christ — now pulsing through his Mystical Body — continues its salvific work, preserving and purifying, repairing and providing nourishment for regeneration and renewal of its members.  Therefore the Church developed a devotion to Jesus' physical blood and its mystical power, just as it did for his Sacred Heart from which his blood poured out on the Cross.

The ancient Israelites considered blood to be both sacred as well as polluting.  It was an essential part of their rituals but was also regarded as something that could cause ritual impurity if not properly dealt with.  In Christianity, the blood of Jesus as well as the blood of the martyrs was considered redemptive.  Just as the animals of ancient Jewish ritual washed away the sins of the Israelites, the blood of Jesus has washed away our sins.  The blood of the martyrs watered the seed of Christianity and gave birth to the Church.

Many saints had a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, most notably St. Catherine of Siena. Devotion to the Precious Blood spread greatly through the preaching of Bl. Gaspar del Bufalo, a 19th century priest and founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, and was later approved and recommended by the Holy See.

In the pre-Vatican II Church, July 1 was celebrated as the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.  In the post-conciliar liturgical calendar, this feast was combined with that of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) which is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday in the United States.  In much of the world, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday and is considered a Holy Day of Obligation.

Our Families

We pray that today's families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance.

July, the seventh month in our calendar, was originally the fifth month of the year, and as such was called by the Romans Quinctilis.  The later name of Julius was given in honor of Julius Caesar, who was born in the month.  The Anglo-Saxons called July “Moed-monach” or “Mead-month,” from the meadows being then in bloom, and “After Lida” - the latter mild month, in contradistinction to June, which they named “the former mild month.”

July 3: Dog Days begin
July 15: St. Swithin
July 25: St. James

Mottos:

“St. Swithin’s Day, if it do rain,
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s Day an’ it be fair
For forty days t’will rain nae mair.”

A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay,
A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon,
A swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly.

In July, shear your rye.