The Catholic Church in Colombia congratulates the Venezuelan people on their first two saints

The Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) has expressed its joy to the Venezuelan people for the canonization of its first two saints: the doctor of the poor, San José Gregorio Hernández; and the founder of the Servants of Jesus Congregation, Santa Carmen Rendiles.

Both Venezuelans were canonized on Sunday, October 19, by Pope Leo XIV in a completely full St. Peter’s Square, in which a large delegation of Venezuelan Catholics was present.

In that sense, to share their joy with the Venezuelan people—three million of whom have migrated to Colombia, according to the UNHCR—the Colombian bishops addressed two letters.

The first was sent October 17 to the president of the Episcopate of Venezuela, Mons. Jesús González de Zárate, on the occasion of the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández.

In its letter, the Catholic Church in Colombia pays “tribute to the integrity of life and the heroic virtues of a man dedicated to alleviating human suffering and transmitting a message of love and hope, following the mandate of Christ, Good Shepherd in the lay state.”

“The legacy of what we will now call San José Gregorio Hernández continues to permeate strongly in the faith communities of Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially in the people of God who pilgrimage in the sister Venezuelan nation. To his intercession we entrust the spiritual and physical health of our people, so afflicted by different moral illnesses,” expresses the CEC.

The second letter It is dated October 20 and is addressed to the superior of the Servants of Jesus Congregation, Mother María Eugenia Noreña.

In this, the Colombian bishops express their tribute “to the upright life and heroic virtues” of Saint Carmen Rendiles, whom Pope Leo XIV called “charismatic founder.”

“The legacy of strength and charity in education,” the CEC highlights, “was one of the priorities of Holy Mother Carmen Rendiles throughout her life. She sought for her Congregation to serve those most in need in the classrooms and, in general, to be at the service of the Church, mother and teacher.”

In that sense, the bishops assure that “their living example, in the current Latin American context, is for us an incentive that moves us to continue working on the comprehensive promotion of the children and youth of our people.”