New Year, New Struggle
This was the motto that Saint Josemaria set for himself at the beginning of 1972, in the face of many challenges in the Church and the world. An extract from Andrés Vazquez de Prada's biography of the founder of Opus Dei.
Prayer for Families of the People of Opus Dei
Since 1951, on the Sunday after Christmas, in Opus Dei a special petition is made to the Holy Family of Nazareth for the families of the Prelature's faithful. Here is the story of the origin of this prayer.
"I have come to cast fire on the earth"
An article about Saint Josemaria's ardent efforts to bring young people closer to Christ back in the 1930s: "Set [young people] ablaze with the fire of Christ... This yes: this I have a vocation for."
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Archangels
On September 29, the Church honors the Holy Archangels. A brief history of how Saint Josemaria chose them as patrons of Opus Dei.
"In Hiding": Surviving in the Spanish Civil War
Interview with José Luis González Gullón, author of "Escondidos," the story of how Saint Josemaria and the first members of Opus Dei managed to survive in the Republican Zone during the Spanish Civil War.
Consecrating Opus Dei to the Holy Spirit
In 1971, Saint Josemaria decided to consecrate Opus Dei to the Holy Spirit, realizing how much the Church needed all her members to be holy. He himself composed the prayer of consecration, which is renewed in all Opus Dei centers every year.
Saint Josemaria's First Holy Communion
Saint Josemaria made his First Communion on 23 April 1912, exactly ten years after his Confirmation. It was the feast of Saint George, patron saint of Aragon and Catalonia, and the traditional day for First Communion ceremonies.
The butter "tragedy" – 100 years later
Fr Willie Doyle, a heroic Irish Jesuit military chaplain, died in battle 100 years ago. The story of how St Josemaria came to know about his life and include his example of self-denial in "The Way."
St Josemaria Escriva in Argentina
On June 7, 1974, the founder of Opus Dei, Msgr Josemaria Escriva, arrived in Argentina, wishing to carry out an intense catechetical apostolate. During his stay in Argentina he had many encounters with people in Opus Dei, families and friends. In these gatherings he talked about the great themes that move the world: God and men, life and death, suffering and joy, love and the fight against sin.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
St Josemaria's first trip to Latin America was in May 1970. Guadalupe is not only a shrine visited by nearly thirty million people every year; it embodies the faith of the whole country in union with their Virgen Morena, the brown-skinned Virgin.
Saint Josemaria and Our Lady of Montserrat
St Josemaria had a lot of devotion to Our Lady of Montserrat. Records exist of frequent visits made by him to the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat in Barcelona, Spain, during the 1940s, especially towards the end of 1946, the year when he moved to Rome. Despite the move, his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary under this advocation continued throughout his life. And it was on the feast of Our Lady of Montserrat, 27 April 1954, that he was cured of diabetes, after a very severe attack which brought him to the
Forgiving – and asking for forgiveness
This article gives some examples of how Saint Josemaria practised forgiveness and said sorry, asking forgiveness of others.