From Rome-bound to Rescue Mission – Sister stays to help quake survivors

The head of a religious community preparing to return to Europe remained in Venezuela to help survivors of a devastating double earthquake which claimed thousands of lives.

Sister Bernardita Meraz, the Superior General of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, had been visiting Venezuela and was due to return to Rome on 25th June – but when the quake struck the day before her departure, she stayed on to lead the order’s outreach to those hit by the disaster.

In San Bernardino, west of Caracas, Sisters accompanied rescue workers at the site of the collapsed eight-storey Rita Building, where several bodies had 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.
Sister Bernardita told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “Some of the rescuers are people who have lost everything themselves and yet are showing solidarity with those still trapped beneath the rubble.

“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. Many are camping on sidewalks after being evacuated from buildings they cannot safely return to.
Sister Bernardita added: “We stopped to speak with people, offer them a comforting touch, and give them a blessing...

“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.

“The Venezuelan people have suffered greatly, but they are a people of hope and a people of faith.”

More than 3,000 died, thousands have been injured and tens of thousands missing after tremors minutes apart devastated the east of the country. 

At the time of the earthquake, the Sisters were in Barquisimeto – approximately 59 miles (95 kilometres) from the epicentre, where tremors were felt in homes and on the streets – and soon afterwards, travelled to harder-hit areas such as San Bernardino. 

Sister Bernardita said their mission was to listen to people, pray with them, embrace them and offer them hope.

With her fellow Sisters, she brought food, clothing and Divina Pastora medals to rescuers and earthquake victims. 

The Divina Pastora – The Divine Shepherdess – is devotion to St Mary based on a vision of the eighth-century Capuchin saint Isidore of Seville. There is a shrine in Barquisimeto.

Sister Bernardita said: “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.”

The Church has provided material assistance, shelter and pastoral support. ACN has approved an initial emergency aid package of £86,000 (€100,000) for the dioceses of La Guaira and Caracas.

The package will support priests and Sisters helping victims, welcoming displaced families and providing spiritual comfort.

An ACN delegation is visiting the earthquake-stricken areas this week as a sign of solidarity, and to assess further ways of providing support.

Sister Bernardita said: “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’.”