On June 24, 2026, Venezuela was shaken by two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that severely affected several areas of the country, especially the state of La Guaira and parts of Caracas and the north-central region. The scale of the tragedy is enormous: collapsed buildings, displaced families, people trapped under the rubble, hospitals and basic services under pressure, and entire communities living amid fear, uncertainty, and hope.

In the midst of this pain, the Vincentian Family present in Venezuela has also been deeply affected. The Daughters of Charity and the Congregation of the Mission, together with other Vincentian branches in the country, are now sharing in the suffering of so many Venezuelan families. Thanks be to God, the first reports received indicate that the Spanish missionaries and the Sisters in the affected communities are safe, though deeply shaken by what has happened. However, the material damage to several works and communities is significant and requires an urgent response.

In Caracas, the Santa Luisa School Educational Unit suffered peeling paint, falling small fragments of walls, cracks, and damage to decorative elements, walls, and furniture. The former Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity in Caracas has also sustained similar damage. These material wounds reflect the force of the tremors, but they also remind us of the fragility of spaces that, for many years, have been dedicated to education, welcome, and the promotion of the most vulnerable.

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One of the hardest-hit places has been the Social Work for Mother and Child, known as OSMAN, in Caracas, where the Daughters of Charity serve. There, the damage has been especially serious: many walls show deep cracks, some areas have suffered collapses, and spaces such as the Sisters’ rooms, a lodging area, the infirmary, the entrance, and the reception area have been seriously compromised. Because of the constant aftershocks, not all areas have been safely inspected. The Sisters who lived there had to leave the building and spend the night at the Pilgrim’s Inn, which was less affected.

The Congregation of the Mission and the other branches of the Vincentian Family in Venezuela are also living through this emergency in direct closeness to the people. Wherever there is a Vincentian community, there is also a network of accompaniment, listening, service, and solidarity. In these days, the priority is twofold: to care for the affected communities and to restore, as soon as possible, the ability to serve in order to respond to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, for its part, has expressed its deep closeness to the Venezuelan people. The International Confederation of the SSVP has remained in contact with the National Council of Venezuela in order to learn firsthand about the situation of the members, the Conferences, and the families most affected. The first reports point to a complex reality, still under assessment, as the Vincentian network verifies the condition of its members and seeks to identify the most urgent needs.

The emergency does not affect only buildings or institutions. It affects real homes, children, older people, the sick, families who have lost everything, people sleeping in the streets out of fear of further aftershocks, and communities in need of food, water, medicine, shelter, health care, and emotional support. In a crisis like this, the Vincentian Family cannot look on from a distance. Our charism places us precisely there: beside those who suffer, beside those who lack resources, beside those who are most exposed when disaster strikes.

For this reason, the Vincentian Family in other places has already begun to mobilize. COVIDE-AMVE has issued an urgent appeal to support the communities of the Daughters of Charity in the affected area, so that they may recover their capacity for action as soon as possible and continue serving the most vulnerable people. Financial assistance will make it possible to address material damage, sustain the affected works, and help Vincentian communities continue accompanying those who most need support in this emergency.

The international SSVP has also asked the entire Vincentian Family to unite in prayer for the victims, their families, and all those involved in emergency response efforts. This prayer, however, is not a way of distancing ourselves from suffering, but a way of committing ourselves to it more deeply. We pray in order to sustain hope, but also to open our hearts, share what we have, and respond with generosity.

In Venezuela, as so often in Vincentian history, the suffering of the poor becomes a call. The Daughters of Charity, the Vincentian missionaries, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and the other branches of the Vincentian Family are called to be a presence of consolation, service, and hope. But in order to do so, they need the support of us all.

Today, Venezuela needs us. It needs us united, attentive, generous, and available. It needs us as a Vincentian Family, with the same conviction that inspired Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac: love cannot remain only in words. It becomes closeness, concrete help, shared bread, rebuilding, and accompaniment.

We invite all communities, groups, Conferences, schools, parishes, associations, and individuals connected to the Vincentian Family to join in this response of solidarity. Every donation, every gesture, every prayer, and every act of support matters. Amid the rubble, the Vincentian Family wants to continue being a sign of God’s tenderness and of the humble strength of organized charity.

May our solidarity help raise up lives, homes, and hopes once again in Venezuela.