Opus Dei

This Newsletter is dedicated to the teachings of St Josemaria on the family.

At the beginning of the fifth week of quarantine I was asked “How are you managing with all your kids in that little house of yours?” My husband and I have a happy little brood of nine children ranging in ages from 5 to 22.

In his preaching, the "saint of ordinary life" often made small suggestions on how to get along with others. Here is a selection of his ideas that could help at this time.

The D´Orville brothers live in Puerto Rico and are very different: Francisco is talkative, and Jonnatan is reflective; what one likes, the other doesn't. One day, Francisco invited Jonnatan to participate in a recollection, but he didn't attend because it was an invitation from his brother. Now, however, they've both grown closer to God, and they run a catechism course for friends and a youth club for their children together. Their sense of mission brought them together.

Saint Josemaría insists that marriage is a Christian vocation meant for many men and women, as shown in a the video “Take a chance on happiness.” The homily "Marriage, a Christian Vocation," given by Saint Josemaria on the feast of the Holy Family in 1970 helps us celebrate this Feast.

November and December are the holiday months for many primary and secondary students in Kenya. Keeping the young ones constructively occupied in this long break is a challenge to many a parent. Strathmore School compiled and distributed among its parents some pointers on how to make prudent and profitable use of the holidays and of the internet.

Sole and Juampi, an Argentinian couple, continue the story of their married life together. Second in a series of six videos that could serve as a resource for pre-marriage courses.

We celebrate the first anniversary of "Amoris Laetitia" with a collection of quotes from the Apostolic Exhortation which can help us reflect and take up the joyful challenge of the most important virtue.

Knowing how to be creative with what one has at home: perhaps this example could serve as inspiration. Every year on the "Friday of Sorrows" (the Friday before Palm Sunday), the mother of Saint Josemaría, Dolores Escrivá, used to prepare a special dessert called "crespillos".​ It was a simple dessert that she ​would only make on that day, and thus the family would look forward to it. The recipe is easy to follow and inexpensive, and makes for a tasty and original dessert for your family.

I am very impressed with Dora. About three weeks ago, I came across her prayer card in a chapel and I said to myself, "If I feel like I'm 'in a hole' for how bad I feel, then what could be better than to pray to Dora 'del Hoyo' (Spanish for 'of the hole')." I even started to use her name as a password, to remind myself to pray to her.