Venezuela is still suffering three weeks on from a pair of devastating earthquakes that hit the country on 24 June.
At least 4,500 people were killed in the earthquake, with thousands more still missing. At least 16,700 people were injured.
Such was the devastation, that the Catholic parish of St Oscar Romero, in Ciudad Chavez, reportedly lost much of its membership.
Father Alfredo Bustamante, the parish priest, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), “This was a young parish, but it has been practically destroyed. Around 80 percent of the faithful have died. We lost entire families, grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. Only four members of our choir survived, and I lost four of my altar servers. It has been hell.”
Clergy on the ground have been doing their best to aid and counsel the suffering, all while dealing with their own trauma.
Father Daniel Acosta told ACN that he had lost his home and some of his closest friends when the earthquakes hit.
“So many people, so many friendships gone. It hurts badly when you realise that somebody you knew your whole life has gone, after years of sharing everything with them," he said.
"Feelings are very mixed. We are here to accompany, to counsel and to support those who have suffered human losses, but also the many who have lost their jobs.
“We commend ourselves to the Lord, asking him to help us every day. In the morning we fill ourselves with His strength, with God’s spirit, to better serve our communities. But at night the heart sinks, and since we are merely human, the tears flow.”
Survivors are reportedly seeking God following the devastation.
During a memorial service, Bishop Pablo Modesto, said that those who survived such terrible tragedies should not fall into despair or resentment, but consider what to do with the life God has given them.
“But in the end, it’s the miracle of why we made it but others didn’t. It’s difficult to understand, but these are things we need to ponder in our hearts – like Mary. And to realise that if God gave us the gift of life – and it was a gift – it is so that we can live in service to others and not just give up. The question is not why I am alive, but what for," he said.
