A Milestone for the Venezuelan Church
Pope Francis has authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to Blessed Carmen Rendiles, thus paving the definitive way for her canonization as the first saint born in Venezuela. The decision, announced by the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) last Monday, constitutes the last formal requirement in the process, now pending only the setting of a date for the ceremony at the Vatican.
Trajectory of Faith and Service
Carmen Rendiles Martínez was born in Caracas on August 11, 1903. After her father’s death, she helped her mother support the family and worked at a local parish. Despite facing stigma for being born without her left arm, which frustrated her desire to be a teacher, her religious vocation persisted. In 1927, she entered the French congregation of the Servants of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, recently established in the country, and began her novitiate less than seven months later.
In 1961, with the support of the Venezuelan episcopate, she requested separation from the mother congregation to found an autonomous institute, the Servants of Jesus, of which she was appointed first superior general. The CEV highlighted in its statement «the testimony of her life, her diligence and delicacy as superior general, her maternal tenderness, and her experience of God» as fundamental tools for leading souls to faith.
Process Toward Sainthood
The path to sanctification formally began on March 9, 1995. Pope Francis recognized her «heroic virtues» in 2013, granting her the title of venerable. In 2014, the diocesan investigation of an alleged miracle was initiated, with documents sent to the Vatican. Three years later, in 2017, the pontiff approved her beatification. Finally, on June 16, 2018, Mother Carmen was declared the third blessed Venezuelan, preceded by Mother María de San José and Mother Candelaria de San José.
The Recognized Miracles
The canonization is based on two miracles validated by the Holy See. The first, which occurred in 2003, involved Dr. Trinette Durán de Branger, who miraculously regained mobility in her right arm, paralyzed by an electric shock, after visiting the place where the religious sister’s remains rested at Colegio Belén in Caracas.
The second miracle, which propelled the canonization, dates to 2015. A young woman diagnosed with a complex type of hydrocephalus, requiring multiple interventions and the placement of a shunt valve, experienced a severe deterioration in her health. After touching a portrait of Mother Carmen and receiving prayers from her loved ones, her recovery was «complete, stable, and lasting,» an event that the Vatican considered «inexplicable from a scientific point of view.»
Historical Context and Reactions
This decree comes just 31 days after Pope Francis also authorized the canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, the «doctor of the poor,» who will be the first lay Venezuelan elevated to sainthood. While devotion to Hernández is deeply rooted in the Venezuelan people, the figure of Mother Carmen Rendiles has gained notoriety in recent years. Faithful such as Elena Rodríguez, a 71-year-old homemaker, expressed joy over this «blessing for the country,» highlighting how faith offers comfort in difficult times.
Original source: apnews.com (published on March 31, 2025)
