Priest takes Blessed Sacrament and flees church with faithful during earthquake in Colombia

As the church began to shake right after the consecration, Father Oscar Aguirre uttered a quick prayer, grabbed the Blessed Sacrament, and directed the faithful to exit the church.

The Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia caught countless people by surprise while attending Mass at various parishes including Most Holy Trinity in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, where the priest ensured everyone’s safety by calmly exiting the church with the faithful, taking the Blessed Sacrament with him.

As seen in the livestream of the Mass starting at 53:30 in the video, Father Oscar Aguirre Calderón had just consecrated the body and blood of Christ and was distributing the Eucharist to those assisting with the celebration of the Mass. As he was preparing to give Communion to the rest of the congregation, the ground began to shake and the churchʼs stained-glass windows started vibrating.

Without losing his composure, the priest said, “Our Father, pray for us all; help us, Lord, holy and mighty God” and then told the people to leave the church in an orderly manner while he carried the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts, guiding the faithful to safety.

“We were able to leave with the Blessed Sacrament, which was a blessing for us all, making our way to one of the arches of the doorway; we stayed there, and the entire community gathered in the small plaza,” the priest recounted in a video shared by the Diocese of Palmira.

Although people were safe, the church tower partially collapsed, as did part of the cupola. Bricks also fell inside the church: “In the area of ​​the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima and the Just Judge, some bricks fell and smashed through the ceiling and damaged everything there,” Aguirre added.

However, “thank God no one was harmed; there were no injuries and no fatalities, thank God,” he said.

The priest noted that “Most Holy Trinity Parish is part of the municipality’s cultural heritage” and that many residents of Palmira have been baptized and received various sacraments there.

Aguirre said there is work to be done to restore the church following the earthquake but that while repairs are being made “the Eucharist cannot be celebrated; yet, thank the Lord, we are all safe.”

Other churches in Palmira also damaged

The Diocese of Palmira reported that in addition to Most Holy Trinity church, the following parishes were also affected: Our Lady of La Candelaria, St. Peter the Apostle, Our Lady of Perpetual Hope, Immaculate Conception in Yotoco, Our Lady of the Rosary in Vijes, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Restrepo, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rozo, and Our Lady of the Rosary in Chiquinquirá, as well as old St. Anthony of Padua chapel.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.