The friars of the Basilica have received a heartfelt appeal from the Conventual Franciscan Friars in Venezuela, who carry out their missionary work in Guanare (the capital of Portuguesa region). They are urgently requesting humanitarian aid and financial support to help ease the immense suffering of the population affected on Wednesday, June 24, by two major earthquakes that caused severe damage across several regions.
Thousands of families are experiencing a time of profound grief. Many have lost loved ones, while countless others are now living in conditions of extreme vulnerability, having lost their homes and facing extensive damage to infrastructure and essential services.
Our confreres in Venezuela are helping those most in need, especially by opening their facilities to offer a meal and a place to spend the night. However, urgent aid and basic necessities are still desperately needed.
This is their heartfelt appeal:
“The images that have circulated in recent hours – collapsed buildings, displaced families, entire communities seeking shelter on the streets – remind us once again of the fragility of human life and the urgent need for fraternal solidarity. It is in moments like these, when the very ground beneath our feet seems to be shaken, that the Church is called to be a presence, a source of consolation and concrete action alongside those who suffer. In the face of this alarming reality, our immediate priority is to focus on caring for the most vulnerable sectors of the population: our children and the elderly.”
Fr. Franklin Durán of the Provincial Custody of Our Lady of Coromoto in Venezuela has informed us of the most critical and urgent needs for which they are seeking our support.
For this reason, we, the friars of the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, have launched a fundraising campaign to support the people of Venezuela affected by the earthquake.
Any contribution, no matter how small, will be a precious gift to help lessen the impact of this immense tragedy and restore hope to those who have lost everything. Thank you for your generosity.
Give now [https://pray.santantonio.org/earthquakevenezuela/]