Opus Dei

The founder of Opus Dei was ordained a priest in the chapel of his diocesan seminary. Two days later, he celebrated his first Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, at the feet of the beloved Madonna he had prayed to so often.

A long-standing tradition in the Church is to prepare for the feast of Saint Joseph by dedicating the seven Sundays before March 19 to Saint Joseph, in memory of his seven sorrows and joys.

In May of 1970, St. Josemaría announced his desire to cross the Atlantic to prostrate himself at the feet of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast we celebrate on 12 December.

10 December is the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, established by Pope Francis. Saint Josemaría considered himself especially indebted to Our Lady of Loreto for a very serious need that he placed under Our Lady's mantle on 15 August 1951.

October is the month of the Rosary. In this video from 1974, St. Josemaria speaks about praying the Rosary as a family.

On 6 October, 2002, John Paul II canonized the founder of Opus Dei, who he called the "saint of ordinary life."

August 21 is the feast of St. Pius X, the intercessor to whom St. Josemaria entrusted the Work's relation with the Holy See. In this excerpt, Miguel De Salis Amaral writes about St. Josemaria's lifelong devotion to this Pope.

As a young priest, Saint Josemaria grasped with new depth a truth he had always known. “Yesterday I discovered another Mediterranean: if I am a son of my Father God, then I am also a son of my Mother Mary.”

The Athanasian Creed – also known by its first words “Quicumque vult” – is a summary of truths of the faith about the Most Holy Trinity and the Incarnation. Saint Josemaría used to pray and meditate on this text on the third Sunday of each month, to grow in his love for the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

July 25 is the feast of Saint James the Apostle. Here is the story of several trips Saint Josemaria made to Santiago de Compostela, where the Apostle's remains are preserved, including his first pilgrimage there in 1938 during the difficult days of the Spanish civil war.