Opus Dei

Ruth Pakaluk was an extraordinarily warm and talented woman. She entered Harvard University as a pro-choice atheist. After her conversion to Catholicism, she dedicated herself to raising her family and to pro-life activism. At age 33, Ruth was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly before dying peacefully at age 41, she wrote to a friend: "I have loved the life God gave me. There is no other life I would rather have lived.”

It is indeed with great might and joy that I can testify that I have witnessed and obtained financial favours through invoking Blessed Alvaro. Through his intercession, I never lack!

Miguel González is a 66-year-old coffee grower whose dedication and hard work have made the quality of his coffee world-famous.

Álvaro Anguísola is a volunteer at the Diocese of Bilbao. When it was time for him to retire, a friend invited him to help out in his diocese with the economic and transparency areas. He agreed right away, and now he dedicates his days to collaborating with his local church in this way.

Cecilia was born into a Catholic family in Ontario, Canada. The faith she received in her childhood is, to some extent, from her great-grandfather (the English intellectual Malcolm Muggeridge) and his tireless search for truth. The legacy Malcolm and his wife Kitty left their family was this spirit of inquiry and dedication. In her vocation to Opus Dei as an assistant numerary, Cecilia seeks to make people loved and valued through her professional work and to bring them closer to God.

Aníbal was educated at Valle Grande, an Opus Dei initiative aimed at providing young people in Peru with the skills needed for social and professional integration. In this video, he shares his story and explains how this educational center has helped him succeed.

Malina learned to get along with Muslims, atheists and Christians in her own family. "My family is an example of the mix of cultures and religions that exist in my country, Malaysia," she says. Her father is an atheist, her mother is Catholic, and her sisters converted to Islam. She decided to be baptised at the age of 16. That was the beginning of a search that would eventually lead her to Opus Dei as an assistant numerary.

In August 2023, what started as a setback transformed into an extraordinary pilgrimage. Our original plan was to attend the 2023 World Youth Day, but faced with visa issues that scuttled our plans for Lisbon we turned our gaze to Southeast Asia.

They met friends who frequent centers of Opus Dei in Korea, and were attracted to the faith little by little. At the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday night, they will be received into the Catholic Church. These are their stories.

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.