Opus Dei

What events shaped young Josemaría’s life before 1928? How did he discover his priestly vocation? In this article, José Luis González Gullón takes us into the early years of St. Josemaría Escrivá’s priesthood, a key stage in his spiritual journey, when he had not yet founded Opus Dei but already intuited that God was asking something great of him.

“As the eyes of a maid watch the hands of her mistress, even so our eyes look upon the Lord our God until he have mercy on us. Have pity on us, O Lord!” With such words, the Book of Psalms speaks about trusting in God’s mercy. No matter how harshly we may have been denounced for guilty deeds, no matter how shameful the deeds were, no matter how low we has fallen, we should never despair.

The path to the Centenary has sparked a process of reflection, seen in the recently concluded Regional Assemblies held around the world. In this conversation with Isabel Sánchez, secretary of the Central Advisory, she shares some of the key topics discussed.

Valentine’s Day gets its name from a bishop who died on this day centuries ago. The martyr meekly submitted himself to torture rather than renounce his faith in Jesus. How a day famous for someone’s death became an occasion for lovers to exchange Valentines is a long story someone else can tell. Let’s focus instead on the connection between Christian faith and the mystery of romantic love between a man and a woman.

On 14 February, St Josemaría understood that God was also calling women and priests to be and to do Opus Dei. Some resources to celebrate the double anniversary of the foundation of the women's branch of Opus Dei (14 February 1930) and the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross (14 February 1943).

In this episode of Fragments of History, historian Constantino Ánchel traces the history of the first associate of Opus Dei and describes how the vocation to the Work as an associate spread through various Spanish cities over the next few years.

In 2024, the Regional Assemblies of Opus Dei were held, bringing together several thousand people in nearly 70 countries over the course of a year to reflect on the theme "On the Road to the Centenary of the Work." The contributions gathered will help prepare for the Ordinary General Congress of 2025, scheduled for April and May.

Lidia Via has been working in the Regional Advisory of Opus Dei in Spain since 2019, overseeing activities with young people. In this interview, she talks about the formational activities carried out by the Prelature with young people and the support offered in the process of discerning any vocation to celibacy.

Opus Dei Information Office is launching an initiative to promote the sacrament of Forgiveness.

What do you want for your friends when you say, “Happy New Year!” Maybe you’re just happy to be alive. You’re ready for whatever the new year brings. Maybe the last few months were difficult because both you and your friend had a rough time, and you’re hoping things will work out better.