The Catholic Church in Venezuela presented this May 14 the “Santos for All” campaign, with which it seeks to promote the life and testimony of Holiness of the Blessed José Gregorio Hernández and Madre Carmen Rendiles, whose causes of canonization were approved a few weeks ago by Pope Francis.
The Archdiocese of Caracas, at a press conference this Wednesday, said that during the next Consistory of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV determines the date on which the canonization of both blessed will be held, which will become the first Venezuelan saints.
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“This is a process. We must wait for the beginning of the Pope León Ministry next Sunday. The Commission is working on the relevant contacts to know when the Consistory would be and when the canonization would be. You have to wait. After the canonization, a great act at the national level will be held with the participation of all the bishops,” said Mons. Jesús González de Zárate, Archbishop of Valencia and president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV).
Together with Mons. González, the Archbishop of Caracas, Mons. Raúl Biord participated as spokesmen; the superior general of the Servants of Jesus, mother Rosa Ríos; The Bishop of Trujillo, Mons. José Trinidad Fernández and the engineer Alejandro Marius, director of the Central Commission for Canonizations.
Saints for all
Mons. Biord presented the “Santos for All” campaign, to promote the virtues, the work and legacy of these two great Venezuelans of the twentieth century. Before the media, the archbishop announced the graphic material –ogue and posters – that will be disseminated throughout the country in preparation for the day of canonization.
“The canonization of the two blessed is a goal that is achieved after a process. How beautiful that the two arrived in the same year, in a holy year. In addition, it was the last gift that Pope Francis gave to Venezuela. It is a proposed path for all, saints for all!” Mons Biord said.
In June and within the framework of the campaign, the Venezuelan Church will premiere a series of audiovisual capsules on television, radio and digital media, in order to publicize the life lessons of José Gregorio and Madre Carmen, among the entire Venezuelan population.
They will be twenty pieces based on the similarities between the two distinguished Venezuelan, who dedicated their lives to help the vulnerable, felt a commitment to our country, surpassed adversities and were faithful to the will of God.
When consulted by ACI Press on how the campaign can translate the testimony of blessed holiness into a language that inspires young people to stay in the country and contribute to build a better future, the bishop of Trujillo said that Venezuelan youth is always in the search for “an authenticity of life.”
“Who better than José Gregorio and Mother Carmen to be an example of this. Young people feel the desire to live their faith more. Both invite them to cultivate virtues of academia, study and experience of faith, which will allow many things to change in the lives of young people and our people,” said Mons. Fernández.
“Holiness,” he concluded, “is a life project proposal for all Venezuelans, also for young people, because no one is left out.”
Andrés Henríquez
I was born in Caracas in 1996. I am a writer for ACI Press and correspondent of EWTN since 2023. Since then, I cover events of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Latin America and the world. I have more than 6 years of experience in bilingual media. In addition, in Venezuela I have worked from various fields for freedom and respect for fundamental rights in the country. I am a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.