Maria José, Spain: "Helping others is a way of giving back what I've received"
María José is a lawyer who lives with her husband and son in Madrid. Since the return of the Taliban regime to Afghanistan in August 2021, she has been helping women from that country to find asylum in Spain. There were only a few of them at the beginning, but now they've formed a network that supports 110 families. "Prayer helps me understand the things that happen and God's calls," she says. Her faith inspires her commitment to improving the world around her through her work.
Tiago, Portugal: "I want to make the most of life"
Tiago is from Porto, works as a mechanical engineer, and loves car competitions. At the age of 20, he lost his grandfather, which let him to start questioning many aspects of his life. A friend, who passed away in an accident that same summer, told him about Opus Dei. Discovering prayer was the beginning of a path that led him to discern his vocation to the Work as a numerary.
Sandra, Spain: "I’d lived 22 years of my life convinced that God didn’t exist"
Sandra had no faith when she first set foot in a centre run by the Work, invited by a friend. Now, fifteen years later, she is an associate and she tells the story of her encounter with God, in whom she discovered the experience of paternity.
Jacinta, USA: "I never felt like people expected me to be a certain way"
When Jacinta moved from Trinidad to Boston for college, she knew what dreams she had for her life. In this video, she describes the long process of discovering God's dreams for her and deciding to become a numerary assistant in Opus Dei.
Javier, Spain: "From this moment on, I'm starting fresh"
Javier's life took a dramatic turn on 18 May 2018. A car jumped the central barrier and veered into his lane, colliding with him head-on. He has been in hospital ever since, trying to recover and walk again. Throughout this time, he has been accompanied every day by his entire family.
Autimio, Brazil: "In Opus Dei, I learned to find God in little things"
"At first, I couldn't find God in my work," says Autimio, a Brazilian dentist. He explains how, thanks to Saint Josemaría, he discovered the secret of working well: seeking to love God and others by taking care of the smallest details.
João Carlos, Brazil: "I found God in my archeological excavations"
João Carlos is an architect, professor of archaeology, and comparative history researcher. "We have to have great love for people's freedom, because without freedom, it's impossible to love God," he says.
Malina, Malaysia: "Seeing my friends take Communion was the beginning of my journey"
Malina learned to get along with Muslims, atheists and Christians in her own family. "My family is an example of the mix of cultures and religions that exist in my country, Malaysia," she says. Her father is an atheist, her mother is Catholic, and her sisters converted to Islam. She decided to be baptised at the age of 16. That was the beginning of a search that would eventually lead her to Opus Dei as an assistant numerary.
Cecilia, Canada: "Through my work, people feel loved and valued"
Cecilia was born into a Catholic family in Ontario, Canada. The faith she received in her childhood is, to some extent, from her great-grandfather (the English intellectual Malcolm Muggeridge) and his tireless search for truth. The legacy Malcolm and his wife Kitty left their family was this spirit of inquiry and dedication. In her vocation to Opus Dei as an assistant numerary, Cecilia seeks to make people loved and valued through her professional work and to bring them closer to God.
Manolo, Spain: "Faith is the most important thing. I would be a nobody if I didn’t offer everything I do"
“My name is Manuel Lozano Salamanca. I have a slight disability from birth on the left side of my body, due to cerebral palsy. I’m the eldest of three siblings, and I had to set an example… I had to be, well, not just normal, but a step beyond." Thus begins the story of a fighter.