The Universality of the Church

A summary of the article by Msgr. Ocariz, vicar general of Opus Dei, in which he unpacks St Josemaria’s many references to the universality of the Church. When St Josemaria spoke and wrote about the Church he explained how she is one, holy, catholic and [...]
Tags: Passionately Loving the World, Church, Opus Dei, Pope, Vatican II

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The Early Days of Opus Dei in Boston as Recalled by the First Generation (1946-1956)

This is a documentary account of the first trips members of Opus Dei made to Boston and Cambridge, Mass. (U.S.) and the subsequent development of the apostolate there, primarily among students and professors at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It covers the period [...]
Tags: Passionately Loving the World, Citizenship, Youth, Optimism, Opus Dei, University

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The First Pilgrimage

I remember how in 1935 I went to visit a shrine in Spain, the shrine of Our Lady of Sonsoles. It wasn’t a pilgrimage in the normal sense: nothing noisy or elaborate, just three of us. I respect and love public demonstrations of devotion, but [...]
Tags: Opus Dei, Holy Rosary, Our Lady

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St Josemaria and Pope Pius XII

The first words of affection and encouragement Father Escriva heard in Rome in 1946 were from Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, an intelligent, sensitive Italian from Brescia who, since the end of the Second World War, had been involved in the delicate task of renewing the [...]
Tags: Church, Opus Dei, Pope

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Education which is Open to Society

I would like to consider the influence that saint Josemaría Escrivá has had in my life as an educator in Kenya. I will begin by talking about my childhood experiences because I am amazed that while they are so different from saint Josemaría Escrivá’s, I [...]
Tags: Citizenship, Education, Children, Opus Dei

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Ten years amidst scaffolding and bricklayers

Saint Josemaría traveled to Rome for the first time in 1946. Later he decided to establish the central headquarters of Opus Dei in Rome. The following extract tells of the search for a suitable property, and the adventures of beginning to build. It is taken [...]
Tags: Opus Dei, Poverty, Work

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Freedom, politics and Opus Dei

The difficulties that the Work encountered in the sixties did not come just from the opposition of one particular person or group. The founder faced all kinds of resistance, as often happens with any institution of historic significance. Some of these have already been mentioned, [...]
Tags: Citizenship, History, Freedom, Opus Dei, Politics

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How I came to Opus Dei

José María Casciaro was born in Murcia, Spain, in 1923. He heard about Opus Dei in 1939, when he was 16, from his older brother Pedro, who had been in Opus Dei since 1935. During the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath, Pedro encouraged his [...]
Tags: Youth, Opus Dei, Vocation

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St Josemaría arrived in Rome for the first time on June 23, 1946

On June 23, 1946 the founder of Opus Dei arrived in Rome to expedite pontifical approval of Opus Dei. This approval would enable Opus Dei, which was universal from the very start, to spread its apostolate to different countries. Pilar Urbano wrote an account of [...]
Tags: Church, Opus Dei, Pope

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In the hospitals and poor districts

José Manuel Doménech de Ibarra writes: “Opus Dei was born in the hospitals and poor districts of Madrid and I, albeit in a tiny way, was a witness to this fact.” Much has already been said about the Founder of Opus Dei’s abundant activity in [...]
Tags: Sickness, Opus Dei, Poverty