Blessed María Carmen Rendiles is all set to become the first Venezuelan female saint as Pope Francis has approved. On Monday, the Pope authorized a decree that recognized a miracle attributed to her. She is the founder of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Jesus.
Carmen Elena Rendiles Martínez was born on August 11, 1903 in Caracas. She was the third child of Ramiro Antonio Rendiles and Ana Antonia Martínez. She was baptized in the church of Santa Anna on September 24, 1903. She received her Confirmation on October 28, 1905 and her First Communion was on March 11, 1911.
After her father passed away when she was quite young, Rendiles helped her mother in supporting the family and worked in a local Parish. In 1927, she joined a French congregation in Venezuela and became a novice at the age of 24 years. In 1961, she was supported by the local Catholic hierarchy and established an autonomous congregation.
As reported by Exaudi News, “On September 8, 1929, she made her first vows, and three years later, on September 8, 1932, she pronounced her perpetual vows. She was sent to the cradle of the congregation, France, to strengthen her religious formation.”
Moreover, “In 1934, upon her return, she was appointed Mistress of Novices. She subsequently held several important positions in the Congregation until she was appointed superior of the houses in Venezuela and Colombia.”
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“In 1961, Mother Carmen, with the support of the national episcopate, preferred to request the separation of the mother Congregation to form an autonomous Institute, a request that was approved by the Sacred Congregation for Religious by Decree dated November 23, 1965.”
While she did not have her left arm since birth and used a prosthetic one throughout her life, her physical lack “did not prevent her from developing an exemplary Christian life” as mentioned by the news release made by The Catholic bishops conference of Venezuela.
Her canonization was requested by the Catholic leaders in 1995 and she was beatified in 2018. Rendiles passed away in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas on May 7, 1977 due to influenza.
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As per the Vatican, a young woman diagnosed with a type of hydrocephalus was miraculously cured by Rendiles. This condition leads to the cerebrospinal fluid building up in the brain. Her condition was not seeing any improvement and only kept getting worse till there was a Mass celebrated before the grave of Rendiles. As the sick woman’s near and dear ones prayed for her to get well and the patient herself touched Rendile’s portrait after the Mass, her health seemed to get better.
In a statement regarding the same, Holy See wrote, “The young woman’s recovery was complete, stable and long-lasting, and the event was deemed scientifically inexplicable.” This year also witnessed the first Venezuelan layperson to be beatified as Pope Francis approved the canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández (born Oct. 26, 1864), who is also known as “the poor’s doctor.”
