Saints

As Venezuelans await the upcoming canonization of the South American country’s first saints — Blessed José Gregório Hernández and Blessed María Carmen Elena Rendiles Martínez — both the church and the government prepare for the unprecedented event, promoting restoration works and planning the logistics of the several activities that will happen in Caracas and elsewhere.

When pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 19 to witness the canonization of Blessed Bartolo Longo, along with six other blesseds, they will see not just the elevation of a new saint, but a story of a radical conversion.