Opus Dei

We asked seven young people to read ‘The Way’ and to choose their favourite points. In this video, Veronica Maria, Michele, Angelica, Giulia, Angelina, Roberto, and Federico tell us why they chose the points they did.

Heloiza has been an assistant numerary of Opus Dei for 34 years. She was born in Lorena, but after her father was murdered in a robbery when she was 10 years old, her mother decided to move to São José dos Campos to be closer to her family. Her life has been marked by other painful events, including illness. She loves baking, and during the pandemic she started a business called "By Chef Helô." Her story is one of overcoming adversity.

"Sisu" is a Finnish word that translates to perseverance, courage or determination. Ilona is a good example of this concept: born in a country where Catholics are a minority, she dreams of changing the world through her work as an academic. "I tackle polarisation from a statistical perspective, with data. Not everything is black and white," she says.

Kele studied to be a gastronomy assistant and nutritionist. When she met Opus Dei, she says, "it was a real discovery, because I didn't know that, quite naturally, I could bring God into my things," even "outings I'd go on with friends."

Laura, a doctor in Barcelona, was a numerary member of Opus Dei for 25 years. In 2020, after a long process of reflection, she decided to leave the Work. "The overall experience was positive, without a doubt; I don't consider those years to have been wasted at all," she says, highlighting the formation she received, the people she met, and the way she learned to live the virtues naturally.

Abi grew up in Perth, in western Australia. There she studied Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and developed a lot of hobbies, which, however, did not fulfil her completely: “So, I had all this time and had all this money and all these opportunities. But I felt like I was wasting my time... Well, not wasting my time, but wasting my life!”

We asked seven young people to read ‘The Way,’ a book by St. Josemaria, and to choose their favourite points. In this video, Veronica Maria, Michele, Angelica, Giulia, Angelina, Roberto, and Federico tell us why they chose the points they did.

Inma lives in Valencia and is the second of seven siblings. She was an assistant numerary of Opus Dei for a time. After a period of reflection and prayer, she realized that her place was elsewhere: “It was very hard for me because I love the assistant numerary vocation deeply.”

Luli is 38 years old and originally from Corrientes, Argentina. Throughout her career, she has cultivated a deep relationship with people, highlighting her passion for listening, sharing and learning from the experiences of others. This facet of her life, which was not so prominent before, has become one of the most enriching aspects of her vocation to the Work as an assistant numerary.

Rebekah, better known as Bek, is from Wollongong, Australia. Bek has many hobbies: she likes sailing, painting, reading, music and cooking. Her passion for cooking ended up being her field of professional development. The purpose of her work is to ensure that people know that they are loved, something that requires continuous learning: "I don't think anyone can say that they've reached the summit of learning how to love people."