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Opus Dei
On this homepage, you can find official information on Opus Dei, relevant documents, recommended reading, as well as links to international sites and
the opportunity to receive an email newsletter.
Youth Service International
Youth Service International (YSI) organizes and sponsors a variety of programs to assist others in the United States and around the world.
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Who is St.
Josemaria?
Saint Josemaria
Escriva was born in Barbastro, Spain, on 9 January 1902. He was
ordained to the priesthood in Saragossa in 28 March 1925. On 2
October 1928, by divine inspiration, he founded Opus Dei. On 26 June
1975, he died suddenly in Rome, after a final affectionate glance at
a picture of Our Lady in the room where he worked. At the time of
his death Opus Dei had spread to six continents with over 60,000
members of 80 nationalities, serving the Church with the same spirit
of complete union with the Pope and bishops that Saint Josemaría had
always lived.
The Holy Father John Paul II canonized the
Founder of Opus Dei in Rome on October 6, 2002. His liturgical feast
is celebrated on 26 June.
What is Opus Dei?
Opus Dei (Work of
God), whose full name is the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus
Dei, is a personal Prelature of the Roman Catholic Church. Its aim
is to spread, in all spheres of society, a deep awareness of the
universal call to holiness and the apostolate, in the fulfillments
of one’s ordinary professional work.
A central
characteristic of the spirit of Opus Dei, and, to some extent, a
prerequisite for understanding anything about it, is the awareness
that the ordinary Christian, living his life in the middle of the
world, is called to holiness and apostolate, without leaving the
world, or, in other words, precisely through his whole professional,
family and social life.
Saint Josemaria writes:
“We have reminded Christians of the marvelous words of Genesis that God created man that he might work—and we have concentrated on the example of Christ, who spent most of
his life on earth working as a craftsman in a village. We love this human work which he embraced as a condition of life, and which he cultivated and sanctified. We see in
work, in man’s noble and creative toil, not only one of the highest human values, an indispensable means to social progress and to greater justice in the relations between
men, but also a sign of God’s love for all creatures and of the love of men for one another and for God: a means of perfection, a way to sanctity” (Conversations, 10).
What does Opus Dei
do?
Opus Dei helps
ordinary people live up to their Christian calling in their
day-to-day affairs by giving them the spiritual support and
formation they need to achieve this. It promotes an awareness of the
universal call to holiness—the radical idea that every person is
called by God to be a saint—especially holiness in and by means of
one’s ordinary work and daily routine. This goal is pursued through
retreats, mornings/evenings of recollection, courses in philosophy
and theology, personal spiritual guidance, for members first of all,
but also for others who wish to avail themselves of these spiritual
services.
The primary apostolic work of Opus Dei is that carried out by each of its members, as free and responsible individuals acting on their own initiative. There are also
corporate undertakings in which Opus Dei oversees the spiritual and doctrinal aspects. These are always not-for-profit ventures that provide an educational, charitable,
or similar social service, and include conference centers, schools and universities, student residences, youth clubs, farm schools and medical clinics.
May I attend activities of
Opus Dei?
Everyone is welcome to attend the activities of Opus Dei. For further information on the activities of Opus Dei in the Los Angeles Area, you may send email to info@opusdei.org.
Tilden Study Center is one of the Opus Dei centers in Los Angeles. The corporate apostolic works of Opus Dei (schools, hospitals and other social projects) are
open to everyone, regardless of race, nationality, religion or social standing.
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