Dora del Hoyo

Olga Medina worked with Dora del Hoyo for five years. She describes what she learned from watching Dora in action, and how Dora helped her approach her own work in a new, more profound way.

Reactions from people who knew Dora personally, or who know of her life from other channels... all of them agree on one thing: Dora was somebody who was close to others, through her friendship and in her work.

A trailer for the documentary of Dora del Hoyo presented by Betafilms, which offers a summary of her life, and personal testimonies from those who lived and worked with her.

Dora del Hoyo Alonso, whose cause of canonization opened on June 18, 2012, dedicated her life to the work of the home. According to Dora, it was through her own family that she first learned to love caring for the home and to value working hard and well. Her example helped many to value ordinary work as a means of growing closer to God.

This novena offers nine prayers to help us talk to God about what makes us happy, worries us or upsets us, in the light of different features that shone forth in the life of Dora del Hoyo, whose cause of canonization has been opened.

"Daily work has the same dignity whether you are a neuro-surgeon or the lady dedicated to ironing clothes at home," writes Álvaro Sarmiento on the occasion of International Worker's Day, celebrated on May 1st.

Dora del Hoyo, whose cause of canonization has been opened, recalls her first memories of Saint Josemaria, in this interview done in 2000, four years before her death at the age of 90.

​"Dora: Rozpalony płomień" is the title of Dora del Hoyo's biography in Polish, recently published by Editorial Apostolicum. The book, originally in Spanish and written by Javier Medina Bayo, is now available in five languages. It tells the story of the first woman in Opus Dei to dedicate her life to the work of the home, a woman who is now in process of Canonization.

​Scepter Publishers has recently published "Dora del Hoyo, A Lighted Lamp", an English translation of a biography of Dora (original title: "Dora del Hoyo, Una Luz Encendida") The book, written by Javier Medina Bayo, tells the story of Dora's life, based on the testimony of her family and those who lived with her.

On June 18, 2012, the Prelate of Opus Dei opened in Rome the Canonization Cause of Dora del Hoyo.

Dora del Hoyo, whose canonization cause recently advanced, grew up on a farm amid a warm family atmosphere.

"Diligence is a virtue that especially characterized Dora," recalls Ma. Carmen Cominges, "She really knew how to maximize her time. It was typical to hear her say, 'As I have a few minutes to spare, I'm going to take advantage of them.'"

The stories of Dora del Hoyo and Blessed Alvaro del Portillo - both in process of canonization - are very much connected. Both responded with fidelity to God's call to spread throughout the world the message that all of us can be saints in ordinary life, through ordinary work.

Dora del Hoyo Alonso was born in Boca de Huergano (Leon, Spain) on January 11, 1914. She was the first numerary assistant in Opus Dei.

Dora del Hoyo died on January 10, 2004, just a day before turning 90 years old. Here are some examples of people who have received favors through her intercession.

Dora del Hoyo's example is an inspiration for the young people working in the Jahazi Conference Centre in Mombasa, Kenya. The first phase of Dora's cause of canonization was recently concluded in Rome.

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.

The first issue of the newsletter about the Servant of God Dora del Hoyo is now in print and available for download. Its title is "Dora del Hoyo: A Professional Homemaker."

People who knew Dora and who worked alongside her talk about how they habitually pray to her intercession.

“Dora once said that she thought she was the happiest woman in the world,” remembers Ezia Mucciarelli, who worked with Dora for 25 years, from August of 1971 until March of 1996.

Isabel Garcia Martin knew Dora and worked with her from 1991 until Dora's passing on January 10, 2004. “In life we get to know a lot of people, and we value and remember them. But there are some people who are unforgettable because, doing things that no one notices and without calling attention to themselves, they make a deep impression on us. We ask ourselves what it is about them...and we begin to discover the heroes of the world, the ones who know how to make us happy in little things."

On March 14th, 1946, Dora del Hoyo became the first to join Opus Dei as an assistant numerary. She has inspired thousands of women all over the world to dedicate themselves to spreading the universal call to holiness through their professional work of caring for the home.

The third issue of the newsletter about the Servant of God Dora del Hoyo is now available for download. Its title is "The simplicity of holiness"

The profession to which Dora del Hoyo dedicated her entire life is now the topic of an international study involving 94 countries. The Global Home Index seeks to measure the value and repercussion of domestic work.

On October 24 in Rome, at the closing of the first phase of the Servant of God's cause of canonization, Bishop Javier Echevarria summed up her life with these words: "serenity, peace, desires to be faithful."

I met Dora in 1995, when domestic work was far from my life and even farther from my mind. Dora and I happened to coincide on two occasions in particular in a period of about two months time. This however was enough for me to realize how she was, how she lived, for whom and why she had spent her days giving of herself to the full. There was no need for long explanations to grasp the meaning of her existence. Dora knew the meaning of her life and the path to achieve it to the full.

A new video with testimonies from people who worked with Dora, and who talk about how she sought to find God in every task that she did, inspiring them to do their work better and in service of others.

For a ceremony held in Boca de Huergano to mark the centenary of Dora del Hoyo’s birth, the Prelate of Opus Dei sent a message and Pope Francis sent his apostolic blessing.