The Venezuelan Church celebrates the arrival of new missionary vocations

The Church in Venezuela is celebrating the arrival of four missionary vocations. Amid the difficult times the country is currently facing, four young people from different local Churches have said ‘yes’ to God, to serve Him in mission territories. Luilly Gutiérrez, from the Diocese of Cabimas, will serve in the indigenous parish of San Miguel de Betania, in the Venezuelan Amazon, whilst Augusto Valencia, from the Diocese of Valle de la Pascua, will work with the Pemón people in the Gran Sabana region, served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní. Iliana Gómez, from the Diocese of Margarita, will join the missionary service in the community of San Francisco de Wayo, in the Apostolic Vicariate of Tucupita, and Omar Rodríguez, from the Diocese of Maturín, will serve among the Wonken, another indigenous community in the Gran Sabana.

Before their departure, these young people took part in the “Ad Gentes” missionary formation program, a comprehensive course of discernment and preparation that strengthens their missionary vocation and prepares them for service in missionary communities in Venezuela. Professor José Luis Andrades, coordinator of the program, emphasized: “These are four young people who were born and raised in our parishes, who received guidance during their missionary formation, in particular from the Pontifical Society for Children and Adolescents (IAM) and the Service for Youth Missionary Animation and Cooperation (Jovenmisión). Following this journey, they felt in their hearts a call to go further, temporarily leaving their daily lives behind to share them with the most vulnerable and to collaborate in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel.”