Opus Dei

"With what a special blessing God referred to Mary from the beginning of time! Truly blessed, Mary, among all women!"

The approaching end of the year is an occasion to summarize some social initiatives that were taken in 2004. They all have in common the concern to help others that is part of St. Josemaria's legacy: "Don't be indifferent to the pain of another person. That relative, friend, colleague--even someone you don't know--is your brother" (The Furrow, 251).

The keynote address at the Toronto conference "Sowers of Peace and Joy" was presented by Mrs. Margaret Ogola. She is the well-known author of "The River and The Source", a Kenyan epic that traces the lives three of generations of African women. She is currently director of the Cottolengo Hospice for Children Living with AIDS. This article published in University of Toronto paper, "The Mike", summarises her talk.

The Sunshine Workshops is a recent personal initiative that has started to brighten up Saturday afternoons for a number of young girls in Vaudreuil-Dorion, a town located just west of Montreal, Canada. For the last 4 years, a group of young volunteers has been holding activities for mentally and physically disabled people in facilities loaned by a local rehabilitation center.

Bishop Javier Echevarría, then Prelate of Opus Dei, wrote this letter for the Year of the Eucharist proclaimed by Pope John Paul II for 2004.

Testimony of Paul Ybarra, a Los Angeles firefighter for nearly twenty years. He has three children, two of them adopted.

Conferral of prizes established in observance of the canonization of Opus Dei’s Founder took place in Rome’s City Hall on November 15, 2004.

The Annual Parents' Conference arranged by Dawliffe Hall Educational Foundation (DHEF) and the Family Development Foundation took place at Dawliffe Hall in London, England this summer.

The Message of St. Josemaria Escriva at Work in the Developing World Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16, 2004 University of Toronto

Camp Instructor Sarah Helmers of Kitchener Ontario tells of her Tenth Year in the back woods of Ontario where she has spent many an adventurous summer. The Chilawee girls camp was started by two Ottawa mothers in 1994 and has grown ever since.