Venezuelan cardinal brings relic to cathedral

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – Venezuelans rejoiced as a cardinal from their country brought a relic of a saintly Venezuelan to St. Paul Cathedral Saturday. 
Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, archbishop of Mérida, Venezuela, and apostolic administrator of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela, celebrated a Mass attended by about 80 people. He blessed them with a relic of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández on the first anniversary of the popular physician’s beatification. 
“He is a model of holiness committed to the defense of life … and … a paradigm of service to others … excluding no one,” Pope Francis said in a video message to Venezuelans on the eve of the beatification in Caracas, vaticannews.va reported.
Those involved in Saturday’s celebration said Cardinal Porras is working on the canonization cause of Blessed José Gregorio, who lived from 1864-1919, studied in Venezuela and abroad, and was known as “the doctor of the poor” in Venezuela. They said the cardinal visited Washington, D.C., New York, and Cambridge before coming to Worcester, then was heading to Miami. 
Bishop McManus joined in the Mass in Worcester, which was concelebrated by Father Alejandro Keri, who was traveling with the cardinal; Father Alfredo Porras, the cardinal’s nephew and master of ceremonies for the Worcester Diocese; and Father Diego Buritica, associate pastor at St. Paul Cathedral. 
After Mass, individuals venerated the relic and the Venezuelan community of Massachusetts presented the cardinal with a poster and a plaque commemorating the occasion. 
“It means a lot to me,” said Guillermo Ivegui, of St. Paul Cathedral. He said Blessed José Gregorio was his grandfather’s godfather. Mr. Ivegui grew up hearing that the revered doctor “does miracles.”
“The whole country has a lot of faith (in) Dr. José Gregorio,” he said. “When you go to the hospitals (in Venezuela) you see people praying” to him for the sick and “you ask him just to keep you in good shape.”
“My mother was very devoted to José Gregorio Hernández,” said Fabiola O’Donnell, a Venezuelan from St. George Parish in Worcester, who frequents St. Paul Cathedral. “That was the saint she always prayed to. So it was very special for me to come here and hear Cardinal Baltazar talk.” She said her mother had petitioned Blessed José Gregorio to help one of her siblings who was sick and “her prayers were answered.”
Soledad Paulino, from St. Paul’s and St. Stephen parishes, touched a necklace with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Blessed José Gregorio’s relic. She said her sister told her that was a way to get a blessing. 
“This was big for us,” said Maria Rees, of St. Philip Parish in Greenville, Rhode Island, whose son Simon Rees belongs to the Newman Club at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where Father Porras is Catholic chaplain. “I haven’t been to Venezuela in 12 years, and my mom is from Mérida. That’s where the cardinal resides.” 
A holy card of Blessed José Gregorio was distributed at Saturday’s Mass and the cardinal also blessed images of him for people.

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