Opus Dei

We all need companions whose close conversation and encouragement help us navigate life, in service of “the ever-original action of the Holy Spirit” in our souls. This is the 15th installment in the “Combat, closeness, mission” series.

Jesus often withdrew to speak to his Father God alone, and we too need some time every day dedicated to dialogue with God. Our friendship with Jesus Christ unfolds and grows in these moments of quiet, through simple conversations in which we open our souls wide to Him.

Ciudad Guzmán (Mexico) paid tribute to a man who was a teacher, mentor, and tireless apostle. His beatification process is ongoing, and his memory remains a source of inspiration. Arturo Álvarez's academic, human, and spiritual legacy continues to shape new generations.

In this episode of Fragments of History, we take a closer look at the life of Elena Blesa. Born in 1925 in Barcelona, she was one of the first associate members of Opus Dei. Historian María Hernández-Sampelayo Matos traces her life story, shaped by her work in both Spain and Venezuela.

A column by Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, published in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Saint Josemaría. This is an English translation of the original piece.

A recollection is time spent in silence with God, talking to Him and “recollecting” who we are before Him. This is a package of resources for a recollection in your own home, including a downloadable PDF.

The historian José Luis González Gullón recounts some previously unpublished details of 26 June 1975, the day Saint Josemaría passed away.

50 years ago, St. Josemaría passed away in Rome. Here is a selection of resources to commemorate the day of his entrance into heaven. Since then, a new chapter began in the life of Opus Dei, during which his life and message have inspired thousands of Christians committed to sanctifying everyday life. He dreamed that this light of God would become a “great catechesis,” shared through the power of friendship.

In his 25 June general audience, Pope Leo XIV continued his catechetical cycle on Jesus Christ, our hope, speaking about the healing of the hemorrhaging woman and the daughter of Jairus.

The song “Aprite le finestre” was the piece with which singer Franca Raimondi won the popular Sanremo Music Festival in 1956, Italy’s most important musical competition. St. Josemaría liked it and saw it as a simple and radiant expression of Christian hope in eternal life. He told those around him that he would like it to be sung at the moment of his death.

José Manuel Horcajo is the parish priest of San Ramón Nonato, a church located in Vallecas, one of Madrid’s most well-known neighborhoods, and the author of “Al cruzar el puente” (Crossing the Bridge) and “Diamantes tallados” (Cut Diamonds), two books of stories around the parish life. In this interview, he shares the origin of his vocation and reflects on the priesthood.

Living like Christ, whether in marriage or celibacy, means embracing a new lifestyle given to us by the Holy Spirit: a fruitful love, a pure heart, and a preference for God’s riches and for caring for those in need, as the Gospel shows us.