Pope Leo XIV named José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez as Venezuela’s first saints on Sunday, the 19th October 2025, before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square.
About St. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros
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Pope Saint John Paul II (Credit : Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)
José Gregorio Hernández (1864–1919), was a Venezuelan physician renowned for his dedication to helping the poor. Born in Isnotú, Venezuela, Hernández pursued a medical career in Caracas, where he became famous for refusing to charge impoverished patients and often providing them with money for medicine. His compassion and commitment to the vulnerable earned him the nickname “doctor of the poor.”
Acts of compassion
Hernández’s life was defined by service. He regularly treated patients regardless of their ability to pay, often walking long distances to deliver medicine and care. In 1919, he tragically died in a road accident shortly after picking up medicine to give to an elderly woman in need.
Legacy and religious veneration
After his death, Hernández became a symbol of charity and selflessness in Venezuela. His face appears in street art across Caracas, in hospital portraits, and on home altars throughout the country. Millions of Venezuelans revered him as a spiritual intercessor, often attributing miraculous healings and blessings to his prayers.
Path to sainthood
The movement for Hernández’s canonization began decades after his death. In 1996, during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Venezuela, a petition with 5 million signatures requested his sainthood — nearly one in four Venezuelans at the time. Pope Francis approved Hernández’s canonization on February 24, 2025, bypassing the Vatican’s usual miracle verification process due to Hernández’s “widespread veneration among the faithful.”
Canonization
On October 19, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized Hernández at St. Peter’s Square, making him Venezuela’s first official saint. The ceremony drew tens of thousands of pilgrims to Rome, with many more watching from Caracas and other parts of the country.
About Saint María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez
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Saint María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez (Credit : Enman23, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez was a Venezuelan religious sister who founded the Servants of Jesus and lived a life of deep devotion and service to the poor and Church.
Early life
María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez was born on August 11, 1903, in Caracas, Venezuela, into a deeply Catholic family of French heritage. She was born without her right arm, a condition she embraced with humility and never allowed to hinder her dedication to God or her service to others. Her early life was marked by an intense spirituality and desire to enter religious life.
Religious life
In 1927, Carmen joined the French-founded Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and received her religious formation in France. Returning to Venezuela in 1931, she devoted herself to teaching and forming young people, always emphasizing Eucharistic devotion, prayer, and the virtues of obedience and charity.
Founding of the congregation
Recognizing the specific needs of the Venezuelan Church, Carmen founded the Venezuelan branch of the Servants of Jesus in 1965 with papal approval, becoming the first Superior General of the new community. Her leadership was deeply maternal, and she was admired for her practical holiness, deep humility, and unwavering faith. Her order focused on education, pastoral work, and social outreach.
Legacy
Throughout her life, Carmen was known for her serenity, trust in Divine Providence, and tireless efforts in promoting the Eucharistic spirituality that fueled her congregation. She remained a beloved figure within the Church in Venezuela, serving as a spiritual mother to many.
Carmen died in Caracas on May 9, 1977. The cause for her beatification began in 1994, and in 2017, Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to her intercession. She was beatified on June 16, 2018, in Caracas — the first Venezuelan woman to be beatified in her homeland. On October 19, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized her at St. Peter’s Square.
- Article by Catholic Time Staff
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