1. What is a Saint Raphael boy or girl?
2. What about me? Can I be Saint Raphael?
3. What do Saint Raphael boys and girls do?
4. So what’s the purpose of being Saint Raphael?
5. Does being Saint Raphael make me part of Opus Dei? Does it mean I’m going to join the Work later?
6. Does it cost money? Do I have to pay a fee?
1. What is a Saint Raphael boy or girl?
“Being St. Raphael” means choosing to receive the natural and supernatural formation (or guidance and training) Opus Dei offers young people in different ways, helping them develop their personalities, become souls of prayer, act freely, sanctify work and study, and acquire a Christian desire to serve others.
2. What about me? Can I be Saint Raphael?
If you want to make a commitment to your Christian formation and to grow closer to God – which is holiness – in your study, work, relationships, and effort to build society up, yes, absolutely!
3. What do Saint Raphael boys and girls do?
They do the same thing as any other young person committed to their faith. The point isn’t to do lots of things. Rather, it’s to be a Christian, which means loving God and other people. Since love is expressed in action, St. Raphael people commit to a journey of personal growth in order to give and serve more and better in the future. Here’s how:
- Getting to know the Person they believe in through means of formation like the circle (weekly classes with other young people), meditations (priest-led prayer in front of Jesus in the Tabernacle), and spiritual accompaniment (support in their path of growth in holiness).
- Striving to be with Him by learning to be a soul of prayer and by nurturing the faith in themselves through daily conversations with God.
- Loving Him and being a witness of his love because it’s only natural to share the good we’ve experienced. Christians are passionate about caring for their friends and sharing their joy with all souls, including by teaching others about the faith (catechism classes for younger children), participating in volunteer activities for their community (visiting the poor and lonely), etc.
To complement the formation they receive in other parts of life, they can also participate in cultural activities, professional orientation, and leisure activities like excursions, camps, workshops, etc.
4. So what’s the purpose of being Saint Raphael?
Great question, because checking the boxes (attending the circle and meditation every week, talking with a priest or numerary, going to confession, praying the Rosary, giving catechism classes in a parish…) isn’t the purpose. Those things are neither a menu to choose from nor a one-size-fits-all plan, but means you take on personally, little by little, according to your relationship with God.
Being St. Raphael means having a clear goal: Heaven. God helps us on our path to that goal in many ways, including the means the Work gives young people to love God in and through the environment they’re in, sanctifying themselves in ordinary life.
5. Does being Saint Raphael make me part of Opus Dei? Does it mean I’m going to join the Work later?
St. Raphael boys and girls don’t have “a formal bond with the Work (they are not faithful of the Prelature), they share in its spirit and apostolic dynamism. Therefore they aren’t simply people who receive means of spiritual formation, but rather they see the Work as their own and try to cooperate actively in its apostolic mission” (Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, Prelate of Opus Dei, in a letter on June 8, 2018).
In other words, if you’re St. Raphael, you’re not in the Work, although, as St. Josemaría said, St. Raphael boys and girls are like close family friends(*) and so, naturally, they feel close to the spirit of Opus Dei and they have a lot of affection for the small part of the Church that the Work is.
Being St. Raphael doesn’t mean that you will necessarily become part of the Work later on. In fact, you definitely won’t if God doesn’t give you that vocation. And if He does, your response will depend on you and your freedom, because although God might use other people to help light the way and guide you along your path, ultimately, you choose to walk it with Him.
(*) "There is undoubtedly a very close union of the Saint Raphael boys with the Work. In fact, they are part of this supernatural family, which is Opus Dei: they voluntarily want to receive its warmth, acquire at least its basic spirit, and collaborate in the spiritual task with the members that make up the Work" (Saint Josemaría, Letter 24-X-1942, n. 7c).
6. Does it cost money? Do I have to pay a fee?
In the Work, formation, like love, is free. The only “cost” is your commitment to the desire to be holy. Everything else is an extra.
The commitment isn’t just about receiving, but also giving yourself with passionate love for the world. St. Raphael boys and girls put together a bit of their money on a weekly or monthly basis, freely and at their own initiative, to put it toward different needs, be they material (resources for the poor) or spiritual (flowers to honour our Lady).
Also, anyone who wants to can contribute to the sustainability of the places and tools they use by contributing to their upkeep.
7. Where do I start?
If you think the St. Raphael work might be for you, talk to someone about it. Who? A friend or acquaintance who participates in activities of Opus Dei. If you don’t know anyone, check out our contact info at the bottom of this site.
