Centennial of Saint Josemaría Escrivá's birth

The year 2002 marks the 100th anniversary of Saint Josemaría Escrivá's birth. Various events and projects have been organized to commemorate this centennial.

Exhibitions

A centennial office in Chicago is offering exhibit materials for parishes and schools, including videos, posters, and books. Exhibits have been on display from Alaska to New England and many places in between. Similar exhibits have been on display in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. At and around the time of the canonization, an exhibit will be displayed at the Basilica of St. Eugene in Rome at 10, Viale delle Belle Arti. Details on hosting exhibits can be found at www.escriva.info.

Service Initiatives

To commemorate the centennial, Opus Dei members and friends have launched or will soon establish a number of new service initiatives around the world, including:

· The Institute for Industrial Technology, Lagos, Nigeria;

· Moluka Medical-Social Clinic, Kinshasa, Dem. Rep. of Congo;

· Anauco Medical Dispensary, Caracas, Venezuela;

· Ciudad de los Niños Medical Clinic, Monterrey, Mexico;

· Guatanfur Family Farm School, Temza, Colombia;

· Los Pinos Educational Center, Montevideo, Uruguay;

· Braval Occupational Program, Barcelona, Spain; and

· Dworek Center for the Advancement of Rural Women, Siennica, Poland.

International Congress

From January 7-12, 2002, a congress was held in Rome entitled “The Grandeur of Ordinary Life,” attended by 1200 people from 57 countries. The congress featured more than 100 lectures and roundtable discussions on the impact of the life and writings of Escrivá in areas such as education, the arts, family, business, ethics, scientific research and communications. Members of other religious groups and denominations also participated in the conference, showing the interest generated by Escrivá’s message in the Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities.

Conferences

Conferences considering Escrivá's life and teachings have been organized around the world in commemoration of the centennial. In the U.S., they include, among others:

· "The Christian in the Secular World," Washington, D.C., June 26;

· "The Teachings of Blessed Josemaría Escrivá: Implications for a New Millennium," Chicago, June 28;

· "For a Christian Life Lived to the Full," Chicago, June 29;

· "Finding God In and Through Everyday Work," New York, Nov. 1-2;

· "A Tribute to the Life and Teachings of Josemaría Escrivá," St. Louis, Nov. 8;

· "Exploring the Divine Paths of the Earth," San Francisco, Nov. 9;

· "The American Legacy of a New Saint," Boston, Nov. 16; and

· "Josemaría Escrivá: A New Saint," Minneapolis, Nov. 16.

In other countries, conferences on Escrivá's life and thought include among others:

· "Today’s Challenges to the Family" (Kenya)

· "The Life, Message and Writings of Blessed Josemaría Escrivá" (Hong Kong)

· "Citizenship in the Teachings of Josemaría Escrivá" (Spain)

· "The Christian Materialism of Josemaría Escrivá" (Belgium)

Books and Videos

The centennial year is being marked by several new books and videos in English:

· "The Greatness of Ordinary Life" – a documentary on Escrivá's impact on ordinary people;

· "Sowers of Peace and Joy" – a documentary on service projects inspired by Escrivá;

· "Uncommon Faith" – a history of Opus Dei's early years, by John F. Coverdale;

· Five new videos of Escrivá speaking at gatherings (the first such videos offered for public distribution in English); and

· Centennial editions of Escrivá's published works.

Information is or will be available at www.scepterpublishers.org.

Other Commemorations

In January, Masses for the centennial were celebrated by, among others, Cardinal Francis George in Chicago, Archbishop Justin Rigali in Saint Louis, and the Vatican nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, in Washington, D.C. In March, a new searchable website was launched containing Escrivá's published works, www.escrivaworks.org. Other commemorations of the centennial include parishes, streets, buildings, and stamps named after or dedicated to Saint Josemaría in a number of countries.