Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is a relatively recent formal prayer in the Catholic Church, though it draws on a devotion to Christ’s redeeming blood that dates back to the earliest centuries of Christianity.

Devotion to the Precious Blood is rooted in Scripture (the accounts of Christ’s Passion, the institution of the Eucharist, and passages like Hebrews 9:12–14 on the blood that obtains eternal redemption). Early Christians honored it as the price of salvation, and it appears throughout the lives of the saints across the Middle Ages and beyond. As the 19th-century priest Frederick William Faber noted in 1860, “the lives of the saints are replete with devotion to the precious blood.”

The devotion gained particular momentum in the modern era through St Gaspar del Bufalo (1786–1837), an Italian priest known as the “Apostle of the Precious Blood.” Imprisoned for refusing allegiance to Napoleon, he later founded the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) and preached tirelessly on the blood of Christ as a source of reparation, propitiation, and sanctification. His work helped popularize specific practices and prayers tied to this mystery.

In 1849, Pope Pius IX instituted the Feast of the Most Precious Blood for the universal Church (originally on the first Sunday of July, later fixed to July 1 by Pope St Pius X and elevated in rank by Pope Pius XI in 1933 to mark the 19th centenary of the Redemption). Earlier approvals included indulgenced prayers and devotions such as the Chaplet of the Precious Blood and various offerings, some dating to Pope Pius VII in the early 1800s.

The month of July became dedicated to the Precious Blood in the Church’s liturgical calendar, reinforcing its place in Catholic piety.

The specific Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus that is prayed today was not an ancient composition but was newly drawn up by the Sacred Congregation of Rites. Pope John XXIII officially promulgated it on February 24, 1960, approving it for public recitation and attaching a partial indulgence. Pope John XXIII had a personal connection to the devotion; his family prayed the litany daily during the month of July, a practice he continued from childhood.

This 1960 version of the Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus standardized and enriched the Church’s official public prayer on the topic. While earlier devotions and private litanies existed, no prior official litany of this exact form and approval is recorded in Church documents or historical sources.

The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus remains fully approved and is widely used in private devotion and public liturgies, especially during July or in connection with the Eucharist. Even though the universal feast was suppressed in the post-Vatican II calendar reform, the devotion and the litany continue to flourish as a powerful reminder of Christ’s sacrificial love. A partial indulgence is still granted to those who recite it devoutly.

While the underlying mystery and devotion are ancient, the Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus as we know it today is a 20th-century gift from the Church, promulgated in 1960 to focus the faithful’s prayer on the saving power of Christ’s blood.