Saint Josemaría’s love for the Eucharist

Saint Josemaría often talked about the need for Christian life to be essentially Eucharistic. He summed it up in a classic phrase: having a “Eucharistic soul”. He liked to make explicit acts of faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: “I [...]
Tags: Love of God, Eucharist, Javier Echevarria, Piety, Priesthood

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Priestly Holiness and Ministry: Priests that Love the Mass

“A priest's worth can be measured by the way he lives his Mass.”--St Josemaria When I was a young man serving Mass at my local parish, I was struck by one particular priest who was resident in the parish. He was a veteran of the [...]
Tags: Eucharist, Priesthood, Sacraments

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Those Masses made me love the liturgy

José María Casciaro met Saint Josemaría in 1939. The next year he moved to Madrid to study, and lived in Jenner hall of residence, where Saint Josemaría was also living. He spent more than five years close to the Founder of Opus Dei. When I arrived [...]
Tags: Eucharist, Piety, Plan of life, Priesthood

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Holy Mass, Center and Root of Christian Life

“I have always taught you, my beloved daughters and sons, that the root and the center of your spiritual life is the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar.” 1 Saint Josemaría Escrivá’s words and writings constantly pointed to the Eucharist as the center and root [...]
Tags: Eucharist, Jesus Christ, Presence of God, Priesthood, Blessed Trinity

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Our Lady of Guadalupe

“My children, this month (…) I did a pilgrimage to Torreciudad, barefoot, to honour our Lady. And I went to Fatima, also barefoot, to honour our Lady, in a spirit of penance. Now I’ve come to Mexico to do this novena to our Mother (…). [...]
Tags: Poverty, Priesthood, Get-together, Catechetical trips, Our Lady

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February 14, 1930 and 1943: New lights on founding Opus Dei

From October 2, 1928, when St Josemaría clearly “saw” the mission God was entrusting to him, his life had only one meaning: to fulfill God’s Will, to be a faithful instrument for opening up the way to holiness in the middle of the world that [...]
Tags: February 14, Founding of Opus Dei, Priesthood, Priestly Society of the Holy Cross

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Saint Josemaria speaks to doctors and nurses

When Saint Josemaria talked with healthcare professionals, he always expressed appreciation for their work, and encouraged them to improve their professional training so as to be able to serve their patients more effectively. The following is a selection of quotations from Saint Josemaria, founder of [...]
Tags: Joy, Charity, Spiritual guidance, Sickness, Priesthood

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First ordination of faithful of Opus Dei to the priesthood

The first three priests ordained from among the faithful of Opus Dei, on June 25, 1944 by the Bishop of Madrid were Father Alvaro del Portillo, Father Jose Maria Hernandez Garnica, and Father Jose Luis Muzquiz. All three of them were qualified civil or mining [...]
Tags: Alvaro del Portillo, Opus Dei, Priesthood, Priestly Society of the Holy Cross

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He put all his love into saying Holy Mass

Msgr Javier Echevarría saw from close at hand, from 1953 onwards, how St Josemaría prepared to celebrate Mass, how he said it, how he did his thanksgiving afterwards, and how he prolonged it throughout the day. The following is an extract from Msgr Echevarría’s book [...]
Tags: Gratitude, Eucharist, Faith, Javier Echevarria, Prayer, Piety, Priesthood

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Friends for 43 years

Msgr Pedro Altabella first met St Josemaria in Saragossa, Spain, in the early 1920s. In the following article he recalls some aspects of the enduring friendship between them. “I would like to be able to evoke at least some facet of the rich, priestly character [...]
Tags: Friendship, Prayer, Priesthood