After quake wrecks their church, Venezuelan youths confirmed outdoors in Tarmas

Two months after a double earthquake on June 24 collapsed the roof of the 18th-century Church of Our Lady of Candelaria in Tarmas, 62 young people from the mountain parish were confirmed outdoors in the square, Aid to the Church in Need reported. Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez of La Guaira presided, with an altar set up near the damaged building.

Parish priest Fr. Daniel Acosta told ACN that despite the heat and the unusable sanctuary, families gathered in prayer, joy, and hope, and that celebrating outdoors became a sign of unity rather than only a workaround. ACN said the rectory and parish hall, built with its earlier support, remained intact and have been used to receive parishioners.

Bishop Modesto told the community they were not alone and that the diocese would stay at work beside people still dealing with the quake’s aftermath. ACN reported it sent emergency aid to sustain priests, religious, and lay workers helping victims in La Guaira and Caracas, and that a delegation had returned from a second visit to evaluate further support for damaged church buildings.