José Gregorio Hernández

(Photo) José Gregorio Hernández in a black suit

José Gregorio Hernández (born October 25, 1864 in Isnotú near Trujillo ; † June 29, 1919 in Caracas ) was a Venezuelan medic and is venerated as the national saint of Venezuela.

Life

Hernández received his doctorate in 1888 at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas to the doctor of medicine . He received a grant from the state to supplement his studies in Paris . In addition to medicine, he studied the fields of bacteriology , pathology , microbiology , histology and philology . He started his career as a doctor at the José María Vargas Hospital and became a senior doctor. Between 1891 and 1916 he taught medicine and developed into a devout believer in theRoman Catholic Church . He had to give up his attempt to become a priest twice for health reasons, the first time in 1908, when he was in Italy for ten months , and the second time in 1913, when he wanted to study at the Pontifical Latin American College “Pius” in Rome .

During his studies he developed social ideas and resolved to provide medical care to the poor and destitute. He treated the poor for free and bought medicines with his own money. On June 29, 1919, he was the victim of a traffic accident in Caracas, in which he died.

Adoration and Beatification

Bust of José Gregorio Hernández in his birthplace Isnotú

Shortly after his death, the worship of the "doctor of the poor", as he was called in the population, began. The opinion quickly spread that miracles were being performed on his grave . In Venezuela, the person and the healer developed into a "folk saint" whom one can call and ask for help in the event of illness. At the same time, the custom arose to call Doctor José Gregorio for protection on long journeys. Since then he has been considered a Venezuelan faith healer, who is particularly invoked in the María Lionza cult . This popular saint is shown in the representations and figures as a "man dressed in black". The small figures can be purchased at any location.

In 1949 the bishops of Venezuela initiated the beatification process , and in 1985 Pope John Paul II elevated him to the status of Venerable Servant of God .

Commemoration

In the honorary court of Venezuela, he has received his place of honor next to Maria Lionza and Andrés Bello in the medical hall.
Venezuela issued a special postage stamp in his honor on his 132nd birthday .
In Trujillo a chapel was named in his honor and a museum was built.
In 1998 the Universidad Dr. José Gregorio Hernández opens in Maracaibo .
There is a wall painting at the point where he died .

Social programs

Since 2002 the association “help! eV "a social object called" Casa Hogar José Gregorio Hernández ", it is located on the outskirts of Caracas and offers space for about 25 needy children. In 2008 Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez presented a new social program, the "Misión José Gregorio Hernández", as this government initiative was called, specifically concerned the health care of disabled people.

literature

Angelina Pollak-Eltz : Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, the great Venezuelan faith healer . Folk Medicine and Popular Catholicism in Venezuela. In: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ethnomedizin e. V. (Ed.): Curare , magazine for ethnomedicine and transcultural psychiatry . tape 5 , no. 3 . Friedrich Vieweg & Son, 1982, ISSN 0344-8622 , p. 135-138 .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Religion - an important part of life. In: ReiseTops - online books on travel. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011 ; Retrieved January 6, 2011 : “One who is not one of the saints but is venerated is called Dr. José Gregorio Hernández. He tried to heal sick people in the slums. After his fatal car accident in 1919, many sick people visited his grave and recovered from it. Bus and taxi drivers hang a picture of him in their vehicle in the hope of preventing accidents. In the event of illness, the Venezuelans also direct a prayer to him. "

^ Postage stamp ‹Vargas Hospital, statue, portrait of Hernández. In: Colnect Collectors Club Community. Retrieved January 4, 2011 .

^ Universidad Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in Maracaibo ( Memento of the original from November 7, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ En Caracas homenajearon a José Gregorio Hernández por los 101 años de su muerte . In: El Nacional (Caracas), June 29, 2020, accessed on July 13, 2020.
↑ help! eV Archivlink ( Memento from February 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
^ Misión José Gregorio Hernández [1]

personal data
SURNAME	Hernández, José Gregorio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Venezuelan medic; is venerated as the national saint of Venezuela
DATE OF BIRTH	October 25, 1864
PLACE OF BIRTH	Isnotú near Trujillo (Venezuela)
DATE OF DEATH	June 29, 1919
Place of death	Caracas

[1] Religion - an important part of life. In: ReiseTops - online books on travel. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011 ; Retrieved January 6, 2011 : “One who is not one of the saints but is venerated is called Dr. José Gregorio Hernández. He tried to heal sick people in the slums. After his fatal car accident in 1919, many sick people visited his grave and recovered from it. Bus and taxi drivers hang a picture of him in their vehicle in the hope of preventing accidents. In the event of illness, the Venezuelans also direct a prayer to him. "

[2] Postage stamp ‹Vargas Hospital, statue, portrait of Hernández. In: Colnect Collectors Club Community. Retrieved January 4, 2011 .