Saint Carmen Rendiles

Carmen Elena Rendiles Martínez was born in Caracas on August 11, 1903, without her left arm. Raised in a devout family, she felt called to religious life, and in 1927, after being turned away by other communities because of her disability, she was admitted to the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

With the approval of the Holy See, the Venezuelan houses became an independent institute in 1965, the Servants of Jesus of Venezuela, and Mother Carmen was elected its superior general in 1969. She devoted herself to the Eucharist, to schools and catechesis, and she was known for her kindness and good humor despite her suffering. She died in Caracas on May 9, 1977. Pope Francis beatified her in 2018, and Pope Leo XIV canonized her on October 19, 2025, together with Saint José Gregorio Hernández, making her the first Venezuelan woman to be declared a saint.

Venezuelans call her "Madre Carmen," and her remains rest at the Colegio Belén in Los Palos Grandes, Caracas, where the faithful come to pray and give thanks. Each May 9, the day of her death, the Servants of Jesus and her devotees celebrate her feast with Masses in Caracas.

She is especially close to people living with disabilities and chronic illness, who see in her a sign that God's call does not depend on physical strength.