The aim of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is to promote the sanctity of the secular clergy according to the spirit and ascetical practice of Opus Dei (cf. St. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Ut Sit, November 28, 1982, preface and art. I). Priests incardinated in various dioceses join the Priestly Society (through a divine vocation, like the other faithful of Opus Dei), so as to find a help and a stimulus in seeking sanctity in their priestly ministry, which embraces all the dimensions of their existence.
Opus Dei's message on the sanctification of professional work is also meant for secular priests, since “the professional work of priests, their way of sanctifying themselves and others, is the ministerial priesthood of the Bread and the Word" (A. de Fuenmayor, V. Gómez-Iglesias, J.L. Illanes, The Canonical Path of Opus Dei, Scepter, 1994, p. 274).
This message implies realizing in depth the requirements for holiness and apostolate stemming from Baptism and later reinforced by priestly ordination, in full conformity with one's diocesan status. Priests of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross receive from Opus Dei spiritual assistance and, above all, a spirit that leads them to appreciate the gift of the ministerial priesthood in the Church, discovering in all of life's circumstances a constant invitation to encounter God, in accord with Christ's example, and to dedicate themselves for love to the service of mankind, especially those most in need.