Bishop Mario Moronta of the Venezuelan diocese of San Cristobal, celebrated the beginning of Christmas with the patients of the Central Hospital of his diocese, sharing with them moments of prayer, on the morning of December 25, and the traditional dish “hallaca.”
The visit to the Hospital was organized by the parish of Saint Michael the Archangel of Barrancas, whose faithful donated the hallacas, traditional dish with which Venezuelans celebrate the December feasts –, to share them with patients, relatives, nurses, doctors, and the institution’s staff.
In his Christmas greeting, the Bishop of San Cristobal said: “even in the midst of the sadness and crisis the nation is experiencing, we can say ‘Happy Christmas,’ because there is a very important reason to do so: The Lord became man and entered our history to make us children of God the Father, to make possible the love that can do all.”
While a bonus group intoned Christmas songs outside the Central Hospital, the faithful went through the corridors sharing the Christmas dish. And the Bishop visited the sick to greet and pray with them and to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to those that were gravely ill.
Bishop Moronta exhorted all the faithful to show gestures of fraternal solidarity to the neediest during the Christmas celebrations.
