03 El Doctor
Doctor José Gregorio Hernández is recognized throughout Latin America as one of the “modern-day saints” worshipped by many Catholics. You can find his image in local Mexican yerberia stores within the US. He was born October 26, 1864, in Isnotú (State of Trujillo) 500km outside of Caracas, Venezuela. A graduate doctor of medicine in Caracas, he completed his extensive studies in Europe.
He returned from Paris to Venezuela where he introduced the microscope, advanced scientific developments and established the central medical University of Caracas.
José Gregorio worked in the mornings as a professor and attended to the sick in the afternoons. The recognition he received from the professionals and aristocratic circles of Caracas accompanied with the modern knowledge and valuable experience that he had acquired in Europe, guaranteed a favorable reception in all the social spheres. The modern methods that he employed at the time, was given by professional opinion with indisputable validity.
But above all, shines the holiness of his exemplary life of a man dedicated to serving his God and his people. His spiritual life led him to a monastery in 1904 where he chose to be in cloister for a time and contemplated the choice between the life of a physician and the devotional life of a priest to the Church. He decided to keep his life of prayer accompanied by his calling as a physician. He took on the customary dress of the times for a teacher ( a close facsimile of a priest) – a suit of black. He was given the title of :The Doctor of The Poor” who, not only visited them freely but the same who bought their medicine.
It is said that when he would cure his patients of their illnesses, he would not accept the responsibility, and modestly explain that it is God who does the healing and he is only but an instrument. It was during one of these acts of charity on a Sunday afternoon in June, that he was crossing a street and was struck by a car and soon died.
There are various cases documented that after Dr. Gergorio Hernándezs’ death, he was seen by many of his patients who had prayed to him, invoked him, and he appeared to them dressed in black, smiling, and had left infallible prescriptions written by him, in his legendary handwriting.
Because of his esteemed reputation for all that he had contributed to Venezuela and his deep devotion to serving God, and the proposed miracles of healing, he was introduced by a Franciscan professor to the Church for beatification as the patron saint of Venezuela.
The Catholic Church does not, at this time, recognize Dr. José Gregorio Hernández as a saint, though he is glorified throughout Latin America for his services to science, medicine, Venezuela, to God and to the world.
