Father Oscar Aguirre Carried the Blessed Sacrament Out of Church During Colombia Earthquake
Father Oscar Aguirre Calderon led worshippers out of Holy Trinity Church in Palmira, Colombia, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, after an August 10 earthquake struck during Mass
An earthquake struck on August 10, 2026, while Mass was being celebrated in several parishes in Colombia, among them Holy Trinity Church in Palmira, in the Valle del Cauca region of the country's southwest. Father Oscar Aguirre Calderon decided to evacuate the church and carried the Blessed Sacrament with him.
The tremor began just after the consecration. Aguirre said a short prayer and told those present to leave the church in an orderly way. Holding the ciborium with the consecrated hosts, he led the congregation outside. "Our Father, pray for all of us; help us, Lord, holy and mighty God," he said before the evacuation.
Aguirre said that after leaving the building the group sheltered under one of the arches of the doorway and gathered in a small square. "We were able to leave with the Blessed Sacrament, which was a blessing for all of us," he said in a video released by the Diocese of Palmira.
Damage to the building
No one was injured or killed, but the church was damaged. Part of the tower and the dome collapsed, and bricks fell in the area of the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima and the Just Judge. "Thank God, there were no personal injuries; no one was hurt and no one died, thank God," Aguirre said.
Aguirre said Holy Trinity parish is part of the cultural heritage of the municipality and that many residents of Palmira were baptized and received other sacraments there. He said restoration work will be needed and that Mass cannot be celebrated in the church while the work is carried out.
Other parishes in the diocese
The Diocese of Palmira said other parishes were also damaged in the earthquake: 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, Our Lady of the Rosary in Chiquinquira, and the old chapel of St. Anthony of Padua.
Aguirre said he was grateful that everyone present was safe and that he trusted the community's faith would carry it through the situation.
