Religious sisters remain in Venezuela in solidarity with earthquake victims
The Superior General of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, who was due to return to Rome, speaks movingly about the faith displayed by the people amid the tragedy.
The double earthquake that struck Venezuela on 24 June, claiming more than 3,000 lives and affecting thousands of families, has mobilised the Church throughout the country, as Caritas centres and many parishes become hubs of relief efforts, supported by numerous volunteers.
The Superior General and a General Councillor of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master had just completed a visit to their community in Venezuela when the earthquake struck. They were scheduled to return to Rome on 25 June but decided to remain in the country to accompany both the sisters and the Venezuelan people.
“We are praying here as the Pauline Family, as the Church,” Superior General Sister Bernardita Meraz told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The sister described how, in the midst of the tragedy, “the priests are truly speaking from the heart, pleading for the Venezuelan people” and how “families are praying in the streets, where buildings have collapsed.”
According to Sister Bernardita, the affected people “do not complain against God. Instead, they say: ‘With God, we will move forward. God helps us, Our Lady helps us, and the solidarity of the Church helps us.’”
At the time of the earthquake, the sisters were in Barquisimeto, approximately 95 kilometres from the epicentre. Even there, tense moments were experienced in homes and on the streets. Soon afterwards, they travelled to harder-hit areas such as San Bernardino, west of Caracas. They felt their mission was to be available to listen to people, pray with them, embrace them, and offer them hope.
Together with General Councillor Sister Lucía Filosa and the Venezuelan religious sister Soraya Herrera, they brought food, clothing, and medals of the Divina Pastora – the Marian devotion whose shrine is located in Barquisimeto – to rescuers and earthquake victims. The sisters were deeply moved and inspired by the faith and solidarity shown by the people.
“We would ask, ‘Would you like a Divina Pastora medal?’ and people would reply, ‘Oh, the Divina Pastora has come to me!’ Then they would take it in their hands and kiss it. They wanted us to place it immediately around their necks or on their wrists,” she recalls.
In San Bernardino, they accompanied rescue workers at the eight-storey Rita Building, where several bodies had already been recovered. At the time, rescuers were still searching for children who had reportedly been taking a shower when the earthquake struck, hoping they might still be alive.
“Some of the rescuers are people who have lost everything themselves and yet are showing solidarity with those still trapped beneath the rubble,” Sister Bernardita explains. “I met a young man and asked him: ‘Is your family here?’ He replied, ‘Everyone is my family. Venezuela is my family.’”
The sisters also visited families living in makeshift tents among rows of mattresses. Many are camping on sidewalks after being evacuated from buildings they cannot safely return to.
“We stopped to speak with people, offer them a comforting touch, and give them a blessing,” the sister says.
“Venezuelans have a special beauty. They ask you, ‘Will you bless me? Please give me a blessing.’ When I met rescuers, I would take their hands and bless them, saying, ‘Your hand is the hand of God. God is helping through you.’ Some would cry; others would bow their heads in a silence that became prayer, listening, and the loving presence of God,” she says emotionally.
She adds that people in the streets thank them for being there and ask for prayers for the country. “The Venezuelan people have suffered greatly, but they are a people of hope and a people of faith,” she says.
The testimony of the Pious Disciples reflects the role the Church is currently playing: providing material assistance, shelter, prayer, and pastoral accompaniment. To support this response, ACN has approved an emergency aid package of €100,000 for the most urgent needs of the dioceses of La Guaira and Caracas.
The aim is to support priests and religious sisters in the affected dioceses who, despite suffering severe material losses themselves, continue to accompany victims, welcome displaced families, and provide spiritual comfort to their communities.
In addition, an ACN delegation will visit the earthquake-stricken areas in the coming days as a sign of solidarity and communion, and to assess further ways of providing support on the ground.
