Venezuela: Seminarians put theology into practice among the rubble

Seminarian Germán Jiménez helping victims after the earthquake in Petare.

“Seeing people embrace us and seek comfort in us is a sign that the Church’s mission is to be with the people,” says one Venezuelan seminarian.

Germán Jiménez, a seminarian from the diocese of Petare, Venezuela, is in the final stage of formation before his ordination to the priesthood. From the very first moment following the double earthquake on 24 June – causing over 4,400 dead according to the most recent official figures – he mobilised to bring material and spiritual aid to thousands of victims in La Guaira, the worst-affected region.

According to the seminarian, the tragedy has left lessons for the seminarians that they will never forget.

“We lived through the earthquake with great anxiety, nerves, and fear,” he explains. He says he was studying in his room at the Saint Rita Seminary in Caracas when the alert sounded on his phone and he heard “the noise and nervousness” of classmates. “We ran out of the building, worried about what was happening,” he tells pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Germán says that hours later the seminarians saw “collapsed churches, civic buildings, and homes” both in Caracas and La Guaira, and offered their services to Caritas and parishes, to help people who had lost their homes and were searching for their loved ones under the rubble.

“I have gone down to La Guaira on three occasions to see reality first-hand: people who still hope to find a loved one alive, others who are simply waiting to locate their remains,” he explains.

Together with his classmates from the Saint Rita Seminary, he has distributed food, mattresses, clothes, and medicines, but his priority has been “for people to feel that the Church is with them”, and for the Church to stop to “listen, give a hug, a smile”. As a seminarian of the diocese of Petare, he is experiencing how “God makes Himself present in the midst of these circumstances”.

“Although we are not priests, they see us as representing the Church and Christ. For people to embrace us and seek comfort in us is a sign that the Church must be present without publicity or expecting anything in return. It also reminds them that there is a God who loves them, a God who cares for them. The mission is not so much about doing, but about being. The work has been just that – being present among the people and making the Church present in their midst,” he tells ACN.

In the midst of so much pain, Germán finds refuge in the Gospel. He says he is inspired by the passage where Jesus calms the storm and asks his disciples, “Why are you afraid?”. “He is in the midst of the storm with us,” he reflects.

Furthermore, he says he is learning a lot about his country because “this tragedy has allowed us to see that we Venezuelans form one single family”. For example, “the first to go to people's aid were the neighbours themselves, ordinary people. This spontaneous solidarity is a sign of hope for our country.”

Germán’s story reflects the role that many seminarians in Venezuela are playing in the Church's response to the tragedy. While caring for the victims and bringing them comfort, hope, and material aid, these future priests are receiving lessons that will have a huge impact on the life of the Catholic Church in many dioceses of Venezuela.

On Sunday, 12 June, the Archbishop of Caracas, Monsignor Raúl Biord, celebrated a commissioning Mass for the seminarians who, having finished the academic year, will travel to the areas affected by the earthquake, where they will carry out their pastoral experience helping the victims. The prelate stressed that “this work is going to be hard but is a crucial part of a ‘living theology’. Academic formation is important, but so is direct contact with the suffering and reality of the people, an experience that prepares future priests for their mission of serving those most in need.”

Germán concludes with a request to ACN benefactors: “I want to ask the Lord to grant us mercy in the midst of these times of difficulty. Venezuela has truly suffered for a long time from so many things, but today, especially, I want to pray that peace and tranquillity may reign in Venezuela, and that His presence may also reign in the midst of everything we are going through.”

ACN has approved emergency aid of 100,000 euros for the dioceses of La Guaira and Caracas, to assist with the most urgent needs and to support the seminarians and priests who, like him, are accompanying the victims. This week, a delegation from the pontifical foundation visited the areas hit by the earthquake as a sign of communion and to assess new ways to support rescue efforts on the ground.