Saint José Gregorio Hernández

José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, O.F.S. was a Venezuelan physician and active member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Born in Isnotú, Trujillo State, he became a highly renowned doctor, more so after his death. Known for his many acts of charity for the poor of his society and his dedicated life of faith, he was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2021 by Pope Francis, who later approved his canonization in early 2025. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on 19 October 2025, one of the first two citizens of that nation to be so recognized by the Catholic Church. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros was born on 26 October 1864 in Isnotú, a small village in the State of Trujillo in Venezuela. He was one of the six children of Benigno María Hernández y Manzaneda and Josefa Antonia Cisneros y Mansilla. His mother was descended from a notable family of Spain, being related to the famed 15th-century Cardinal Cisneros, a major figure in Spanish history. Hernandez spent the entirety of his childhood in his hometown, where his mother worked as a housekeeper and his father sold pharmaceuticals and livestock. Hernández was baptized on 30 January 1865 in what is now the parish Church of Niño Jesús de Escuque. He received the sacrament of Confirmation on 6 December 1867 from the Bishop of Mérida, Juan Hilario Bosset Castillo. At the age of thirteen, José Gregorio told his parents of his desire to go to law school and become a lawyer, but was persuaded by his mother to pursue a career in medicine instead. In 1878, he set off on the long and difficult journey from the Andes Mountain Range in Trujillo to Caracas. He enrolled in Colegio Villegas, one of the country's most prestigious schools at the time, where, in 1882, he graduated with a baccalaureate in philosophy. After completing his high school education, Hernández enrolled in the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas to begin his medical studies.