Opus Dei

It all started with a telephone call from Mike, a friend and fellow member of our Small Christian Community (SCC) on Thursday 30th May 2024 just before midday. An SCC is a small group of Catholics from the same parish who pray and discuss Bible passages together. Mike and I rarely talk on the phone, and I rarely take personal calls while in the middle of my daily work activities, I normally send an auto reply to call back, but I didn’t want to miss this one.

21 August is the feast of St. Pius X, the intercessor to whom St. Josemaria entrusted the Work's relation with the Holy See. In this excerpt, Miguel De Salis Amaral writes about St. Josemaria's lifelong devotion to this Pope.

Interview with the Prelate of Opus Dei in the Italian newspaper "Avvenire", on the occasion of his recent meeting with the families of FAES schools in Milan.

The Feast of Our Lady of Knock on August 17th celebrates the Marian apparition at Knock, Ireland, which occurred on August 21, 1879. The event underscores the intimate relationship between Mary and the Eucharist, highlighting her role in Christ's sacrifice and her guidance in Eucharistic devotion. Pope Francis elevated the Knock Shrine to an “International Shrine of Special Eucharistic and Marian Devotion” in 2021, emphasising its significance.

Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poorest."

On the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Prelate of Opus Dei invites us to live "in heaven and on earth at the same time": with our minds deeply immersed in God and our feet firmly planted on the ground.

On 15 August, the Church celebrates Christ taking his Mother up to Heaven, a dogma defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

On Sunday, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz met with families and friends of Opus Dei at Intisana School in Quito. Among other memorable moments, Andrés, a commercial pilot, asked him how to sanctify work and family, and Ángela requested prayers for an initiative to support women in vulnerable situations. On Monday afternoon, the Prelate will travel on to the final stage of his trip in Colombia.

Entering into paths of contemplation means realizing that we need God, to the point of needing to "wrestle" with him... And to ask him, again and again, for his blessing: "I will not let go until you bless me."

From 30 July to 8 August, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz visited Arequipa, Piura, and Lima. At the same time of year, 50 years ago, St. Josemaría traveled to Peru to be with members and friends of Opus Dei there in 1974.