SWEETWATER | More than 2,000 people of all nationalities gathered Feb. 20 at Our Lady of Divine Providence Church to celebrate a special Mass for peace in Venezuela.

The Mass was celebrated by Venezuelan-born Father Israel Mago, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Doral.

�I invited Father Mago to celebrate a special Mass for peace in Venezuela here at Divine Providence since they have no church in Doral,� said Father Manny Alvarez, pastor of Our Lady of Divine Providence. �The response was incredible. The church was overflowing.�

"We come to place our prayers for our homeland at the feet of Jesus and Mary," Father Mago preached as a statue of Our Lady of Corromoto, the patroness of Venezuela, stood to the right of the altar.

People came dressed in the colors of the Venezuelan flag and came to pray for peace, for an end to the violence, and for the souls of those who have been killed, including two Salesian brothers who were killed Feb. 15 in Valencia during a suspected robbery.

�Amidst all the prayers and worries for their homeland, it was a joyful celebration as Venezuelans realized that they are not alone,� said Father Alvarez.

"We are all members of the body of Christ," said Father Mago. "When one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. That is why tonight we are all Venezuelans."