Opus Dei

This infographic provides a visual representation of the way Opus Dei is governed centrally and in each of the countries in which it is present. It also includes some current data about the number of people in Opus Dei and distribution by continent.

M. Julia Prats was born in Terrassa (Spain) in 1964. She is an industrial engineer, with a doctorate in Business Administration, and a professor specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation. She has been Central Secretary of Opus Dei since April 2025.

Fr. Javier del Castillo, an American priest, was born in Mexico in 1975 and grew up in various cities in Mexico and the United States. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 2005. He has been the Vicar General of the Prelature of Opus Dei since April 2025.

Msgr. José Andrés Carvajal was born in Murcia (Spain) in 1970. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 1999. He has been Central Secretary Vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei since April 2025.

In May 1935, Josemaría Escrivá and Ricardo Fernández Vallespín made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Sonsoles in Ávila, and the custom of the May pilgrimage was born in Opus Dei. In this episode, historian Alfredo Méndiz comments on some details from a text written after their experience.

Six days before his death, the Pope wrote a letter to the young people of UNIV. In this video, they thank him for 12 years of closeness. This year, nearly 3,000 students gathered in Rome for Holy Week in the Jubilee year. The 57th edition of UNIV also included a series of cultural events reflecting on this year’s theme: “Citizens of Our World.”

The 2017 Ordinary General Congress approved a number of conclusions, outlined in the Prelate’s letter on February 14 that year, which set the course for the governance of Opus Dei over the following eight years. This page highlights some of the initiatives carried out during that time, impacting all the circumscriptions.

Pope Francis made his first Apostolic Journey to Africa from the 25th to 30th November 2015. He first visited Kenya, then Uganda and finally the Central African Republic. We include links to all the speeches he made during his trip.

St. Josemaría was very devoted to our Lady of Montserrat, and it was on her feast, 27 April, in the year 1954, that he was cured of diabetes, after a dramatic attack in which he almost died.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. (Rome time), the funeral Mass for the eternal repose of Pope Francis will be celebrated in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica. It will be broadcast on the Vatican's official YouTube channel, the link to which can be found in this article.