The life of Bl. José Gregorio Hernández is full of fascinating anecdotes, which, 102 years after his death, continue to be proof of his holiness.
PINO ESPOSITO
Author, “Dr. José Gregorio”
“When the people would go for a medical visit, he would set out his hat and invite anyone who could pay to place the money there. And those without money were invited to take the money from the hat.”
Pino Esposito wrote the book “Dr. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, a Good Samaritan in the streets of Caracas,” the first book in Italian about the live of the new Blessed.
With a unique narrative style, he recounts José Gregorio's experiences as if he had witnessed them firsthand, either as a friend or curious bystander. One of them is how the Blessed came to understand that his vocation was not to the priesthood.
PINO ESPOSITO
Author, “Dr. José Gregorio”
“He talked to his bishop and the bishop told him, 'Look, Gregorio, you are a great doctor and scholar. And right now, Venezuela needs Hernández the doctor more than it needs Hernández the priest.'”
Fr. Pino Esposito says that even the beatification ceremony was marked by the Blessed's personality.
PINO ESPOSITO
Author, “Dr. José Gregorio”
“Maybe there could have been more participation, but his personality was like that. He was reserved, discreet. He liked to avoid the spotlight.”
The Venezuelan Blessed's impact is felt even in Rome. Pope Francis recently declared him the patron of the cycle of Studies of Peace Sciences at the Pontifical Lateran University. It's perhaps a sign of hope for the people of Venezuela struggling through a humanitarian crisis.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
TR: CT
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