Bibles for Evangelization Work in Venezuela

We frequently receive requests from Venezuela for Bibles for the work of evangelization in the parishes. For example, in the Diocese of El Tigre in northeastern Venezuela, we were able to provide 5,500 Bibles at a cost of $37,893, thanks to your generous support. This was in response to an initiative aimed at equipping the Catholic laity to consciously dedicate their lives to Christ and so themselves become missionaries to others.

This was done by forming evangelization groups, led by specially trained leaders and based on the most fundamental resource for deepening the Faith, namely the Sacred Scriptures. For these are by no means mere social gatherings, as Father Enrique Villalba Vallez, who runs the campaign, emphasizes. Instead, he explains, “Every meeting starts from the Word of God, who enlightens our lives and guarantees the correctness of our faith and spirituality. It is not about promoting our own ideas, but about revealed truth. Our evangelization groups must be genuine places of encounter with Christ.“

Similar programs are being organized in other dioceses. This work is also important because of the spread of the sects in Venezuela. It enables the Catholic faithful to be in a position to know their own faith and courageously and correctly explain it. “The faithful Catholic no longer has any reservations about opening his Bible and explaining his faith,” says Father Enrique.

The aim of the program is to encourage a missionary commitment in the parishes and strengthen the unity among the Catholic faithful, so that other initiatives, such as works of charity, for example, can also follow.

Again and again, we hear the appeal: “Please send us Bibles!” For in the poorest communities, the sprawling suburban slums, and the impoverished rural areas, the parishes cannot afford to provide the Bibles needed, and the people are also too poor. Will you help us, so that the Word of God can find a home deep in the hearts and lives of the people?

239-08-89