Opus Dei

In Abidjan in Ivory Coast, parents and teachers are working together closely to build a school that reinforces the values learned at home.

As we prepare for the Synod of the Family that Pope Francis has called for later in the year, we are posting some videos prepared by Strathmore University. They reflect the day to day experiences of several employees with their families. They speak about their effort to raise children and to keep the marriage relationship going through the ups and downs of life. They are not special cases but they may be useful reminders for some of us of what it takes to raise a family.

Emily Marcucci, a Harvard grad from Massachusetts who has been married for 15 years and has 8 children, talks about the challenges and joys of raising a large family.

Yiran was born in China, in a city near Shanghai. Reading Scott Hahn's “Rome Sweet Home” gave her the final “push” she needed to decide to be baptized soon.

Daniel Plazek is a sales engineer from Pittsburgh, PA. He and his wife Luisa have 7 children, one of whom, Kathryn, is a numerary in Opus Dei. Daniel shares his perspective on marriage, fatherhood, and also offers some practical advice for young parents.

Interview with Joanną Raczyńską, who lives in Poland. The mother of two children, she is a graphic designer and writes several blogs.

Angela was born in 2003 with Down Syndrome. Her father says that, with faith in God's Providence, confronting this reality brings with it great rewards.

Daniel is from New Orleans, the cradle of jazz. He says that his guitar has brought him quite far, leading him to both the rhythms of flamenco and to get to know Opus Dei.

Sophie, a Cooperator of Opus Dei in France, talks about confronting her husband's devastating accident a few months after their marriage, with the light and strength she found in Saint Josemaria's writings.

Opus Dei started in Kenya in 1958 by the direct impulse of Saint Josemaria Escriva. In this video clip we see how its message has taken root there.