On October 19, Pope Leo XIV declared Dr. José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Elena Rendiles saints during a mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez, founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in Venezuela and the country's third blessed, teaches us through her example how to overcome adversity and remain close to God's love.
She was born in Caracas on August 11, 1903. She was the third of nine siblings in a family with deep religious roots, where she was instilled with a sense of duty and love for her neighbor.
Despite being born without her left arm, Mother Carmen grew up among her siblings with independence and a spirit of leadership, which helped all members of her family to cope with the obstacle that never prevented Mother Carmen from developing and excelling in her family and social life.
At only fifteen years of age, she already expressed a deep desire to dedicate her life to God. A lung condition during her adolescence took her away from social life for a few months to recover her health and devote herself to prayer. It was then that her vocation became clearer and she began to develop in Christian life as a catechist and source of apostolate for her family and friends.
On February 25, 1927, at the age of 24 and after visiting several convents, she knocked on the doors of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Caracas, an institution of French origin that had recently arrived in Venezuela, whose members did not wear habits in order to fulfill their desires for humility and poverty. There the Lord awaited her and showed her the way clearly.
That same year, on September 8, Mother Carmen entered the novitiate of the Congregation, after completing her studies and prior preparation. On September 8, 1932, she took her perpetual vows, which made her a permanent member of this religious family.
She lived her religious life with the naturalness, leadership, and charity that she had been known for since childhood. Her religious sisters assure us that she was a source of joy within the Congregation, leaving an indelible mark on all those who were able to share her company.
“She was an extremely pious person who remained close to each of us as if she were another sister. She taught us to love Jesus in the Eucharist and to always remain in prayer,” says Sister Teresita Hurtado, who remembers her with great affection.
At only 33 years of age, Mother Carmen was appointed Novice Mistress, and in 1947 she was appointed Superior of the Mother House in Venezuela.
Under her leadership, the institution's works expanded to several states in the country, always focused on serving others.
In 1942, the Congregation began its educational work, founding the Betania, Santa Ana, Belén, and Nuestra Señora del Rosario schools. In their service to various parishes, they also contributed to the preparation of communion wafers and liturgical vestments.
Among her virtues, poverty stood out. Her religious sisters remember how she lived this virtue without it becoming a burden, but rather taking advantage of it to follow the example of Jesus.
The simplicity with which she lived moved her to build several pieces of furniture that the Congregation used at its headquarters. Today, some of these pieces are preserved in the museum located at the Belén School in Caracas, including a wardrobe and a base for vases.
As Provincial Superior, Mother Carmen opposed the decision of the general government of the Congregation in France, after the Second Vatican Council, to establish itself as a secular institute, a move that implied a transformation of its founding charism.
The Venezuelan nun firmly consulted her sisters and the Venezuelan episcopate and, with the special support of José Humberto Cardinal Quintero, began the process of separation from the French community, which culminated in 1965 with the establishment of a new religious congregation that would henceforth be called “Servants of Jesus” in Venezuela.
In 1969, she was appointed Superior General, a position she held with authority but also with great charity towards her sisters. Over the years, Mother Carmen enriched her human nature, always trusting in God's grace, and managed to pass on this example to all the Servants of Jesus.
On May 9, 1977, shortly after celebrating 50 years of religious life, Mother Carmen died in Caracas in the odor of sanctity.
Currently, the room occupied by Mother Carmen in the Belén School community has been converted into an oratory where the sisters devote themselves daily to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The process for the beatification of Mother Carmen began in Caracas on March 9, 1995.
Eighteen years later, on July 5, 2013, Pope Francis declared her Venerable of the Church, recognizing that she exercised Christian virtues to a heroic degree. It was not until December 18, 2017, that the Holy See approved a miracle that occurred through the intercession of Mother Carmen, who healed the arm of Venezuelan doctor Trinette Durán de Branger, allowing her to become the third blessed of Venezuela.
Mother Carmen was elevated to the altars as the third Blessed of Venezuela and the first of Caracas on June 16, 2018, in a ceremony held at the University Stadium in Caracas, presided over by Pope Francis' envoy, Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.