Opus Dei

Laura, a doctor in Barcelona, was a numerary member of Opus Dei for 25 years. In 2020, after a long process of reflection, she decided to leave the Work. "The overall experience was positive, without a doubt; I don't consider those years to have been wasted at all," she says, highlighting the formation she received, the people she met, and the way she learned to live the virtues naturally.

Abi grew up in Perth, in western Australia. There she studied Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and developed a lot of hobbies, which, however, did not fulfil her completely: “So, I had all this time and had all this money and all these opportunities. But I felt like I was wasting my time... Well, not wasting my time, but wasting my life!”

Inma lives in Valencia and is the second of seven siblings. She was an assistant numerary of Opus Dei for a time. After a period of reflection and prayer, she realized that her place was elsewhere: “It was very hard for me because I love the assistant numerary vocation deeply.”

"Sisu" is a Finnish word that translates to perseverance, courage or determination. Ilona is a good example of this concept: born in a country where Catholics are a minority, she dreams of changing the world through her work as an academic. "I tackle polarisation from a statistical perspective, with data. Not everything is black and white," she says.

Pedro is an architect specialising in NGOs. He is currently studying for a master's degree in Urban Economics. He will marry Ine next May. The path of his vocational discernment brought him closer to Opus Dei, an institution to which he belonged for a few years, and which he remembers with gratitude: "I don't regret being who I am today, and I am who I am today because of the whole journey I've been on," he says.

Raquel Escudier, a mother of two from San Fernando (Spain), sought peace and balance. Her life took a dramatic turn when a Buddhist lama told her she needed to go to Mass every day.

"Do you realize that you're like Jesus? More like him than other children: you have an adoptive father too," Mar and Andrés tell their adopted children. Their explanation of how God changed their plans to form their family is both natural and supernatural.

Dora met her husband at the radio station where she works. They have four children, two of whom, Pedro and Afonso, are twins. Both sons decided to enter the diocesan seminary, and will be ordained deacons on November 28 in Lisbon.

What's the secret of happiness? Google gives you 501,000,000 results in 0.84 seconds. Everyone is looking for the answer. Juan has been working as a construction worker for fifty years and lives in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico. He claims to have found his answer. This is his secret.

Maria is studying medicine at the university. She is cheerful, enjoys life, has many siblings, and many more friends. At first glance, it seems a life to envy. Nevertheless, like everyone, Maria also has her Achilles heel.