Opus Dei

'Friendship is one of life’s gifts and a grace from God. Faithful friends, who stand at our side in times of difficulty, are a reflection of the Lord’s love, His gentle and consoling presence in our lives.' These are words of Pope Francis. The Prelate of Opus Dei, Don Fernando, wrote a long letter on Friendship in 2019 prioritizing the need for personal contact with people. The following year, the Holy Father also highlighted the importance of the art of encounter as an aspiration and a style of life.

Tomás and Paquita Alvira were married members of Opus Dei, who strove for sanctity through the heroic and persevering exercise of the Christian virtues, in their marriage, raising their children and passing on to others their joy of a bright and cheerful home. Both suffered painful illnesses towards the end of their lives, and offered up their suffering with a deeply supernatural outlook. Many Christians have had private recourse to their intercession for their different needs. Here is one such favour.

Jorge Barroso was born in Barcelona 28 years ago. He studied classical philology. He lives in Jerusalem, a city he moved to three years ago to pursue a master's in ancient Greek. We asked him to talk about his experience of the current situation of armed conflict in the Holy Land.

Óscar Migueles writes about the joy he discovered in friendship: "When you're involved in something good, you invite the people you care about."

Yesterday I was kicked out from the exam room because I had not cleared my fees. I called my mum but she did not have the money and I also called other donors who usually support me but this time they did not have the money which was around Ksh 7,000/=. (50 Dollars)

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church to which lay people are called – single, married, widowed – to live the greatest commandments of love of God and love of neighbour right there in the middle of their ordinary lives, raising their families, keeping a job and so on. It is therefore not obvious what an article on a nun would be doing featuring here.

Monick Tello is a Peruvian numerary who moved to Stockholm, Sweden seventeen years ago. She writes about her experience at World Youth Day in Lisbon this summer and how the Pope's invitation to acknowledge our roots inspired her.

I was very young when I arrived in Kenya. I was grateful that from the beginning, I did not feel alone. Immediately I realized that I was another link in a chain and would be picking the baton from many brave women who worked from the first moment to bring the message of Opus Dei to Africa.

We spent the last two weeks of our holidays helping needy students in the north of Mombasa.

Olamide is a pharmacist by profession and a basketball coach. Through a passionate training of upcoming student basketballers, she is creating a furrow of diligence in little things.