Opus Dei facts for kids
Seal of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
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| Formation | 2 October 1928 |
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| Type | Personal prelature |
| Purpose | Spreading the universal call to holiness in ordinary life |
| Headquarters | Viale Bruno Buozzi, 73, 00197 Rome, Italy |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Membership
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95,318 (2018) |
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Founder
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St. Josemaría Escrivá |
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Prelate
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Fernando Ocáriz Braña |
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Main organ
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General Council Central Advisory |
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Parent organization
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Catholic Church |
Opus Dei means "Work of God" in Latin. It is a part of the Catholic Church that helps people find holiness in their everyday lives. A Catholic priest named Josemaría Escrivá started it in Spain in 1928.
Opus Dei helps its members, who are mostly regular people (not priests or nuns), to live out their Christian faith. They learn how to make their daily work and family life a way to connect with God. While it has faced some questions and discussions, Opus Dei is an important group within the Catholic Church.
Most members of Opus Dei are lay people, meaning they are not priests. A smaller number are priests who are led by a special leader called a prelate. This prelate is chosen by some members and approved by the Pope. As of 2018, there were over 95,000 members in more than 90 countries. Many members live normal lives with their families and jobs. Opus Dei helps them by offering training in Catholic spirituality and by supporting schools, universities, and hospitals.
Contents
What is Opus Dei?
Opus Dei is a special kind of organization within the Catholic Church. It's called a "personal prelature." This means its leader, the prelate, guides members wherever they live, not just in one specific area like a diocese. This unique structure was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1982. More recently, in 2022, Pope Francis made some changes. He moved Opus Dei's oversight to a different Church department and said its leader should not be a bishop.
The main goal of Opus Dei is to help people understand that everyone can become a saint. They believe you don't have to be a priest or nun to be holy. You can find God and grow closer to Him in your daily activities, like doing homework, playing sports, or helping at home.
How Opus Dei Started
Early Years and Growth
Opus Dei was founded by Josemaría Escrivá on October 2, 1928, in Madrid, Spain. Escrivá said he had a special vision where he "saw Opus Dei." He chose the name "Opus Dei" (Work of God) to show that he believed it was God's plan, not just his own idea.
At first, only men could join Opus Dei. But in 1930, Escrivá felt that God wanted women to be part of it too. After the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, Opus Dei began to grow. It spread throughout Spain and then to other countries after 1945.
In 1939, Escrivá wrote a book called The Way. It has 999 short sayings about how ordinary people can live a spiritual life. In the 1940s, Opus Dei moved its main office to Rome, Italy. In 1947 and 1950, Pope Pius XII officially approved Opus Dei. This approval allowed married people to join and priests to become part of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.
Later Years and New Leaders
Josemaría Escrivá died in 1975. His successor was Álvaro del Portillo. In 1982, Opus Dei became a "personal prelature," which gave it its special structure within the Church.
Many bishops around the world asked for Escrivá to be made a saint. He was beatified (the step before sainthood) in 1992 and then canonized (declared a saint) by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Rome for this event.
Other members of Opus Dei are also being considered for sainthood. These include Ernesto Cofiño, a doctor; Montserrat Grases, a student; and Dora del Hoyo, who worked in domestic services.
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a statue of Saint Josemaría Escrivá at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This shows the importance of Opus Dei's founder.
In 2014, Pope Francis beatified Álvaro del Portillo, Escrivá's first successor. He said that del Portillo showed how we can find holiness in our simple, everyday lives.
After Javier Echevarría Rodríguez died in 2016, Fernando Ocáriz Braña became the new prelate of Opus Dei in 2017. In 2019, Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri, one of the first women in Opus Dei, was beatified. She is the first lay woman from Opus Dei to be honored this way.
Pope Francis and the "Charism"
In 2022, Pope Francis issued a special letter called Ad charisma tuendum. This letter aims to protect the original spirit of Opus Dei. It changed how Opus Dei is organized within the Church. For example, it said that the head of Opus Dei will no longer be a bishop. This change helps Opus Dei focus on its original mission of helping lay people find holiness in their ordinary lives. Pope Francis said these changes were made to help Opus Dei stay true to its founding spirit.
What Opus Dei Believes
Finding God in Daily Life
Opus Dei follows all the main teachings of the Catholic Church. It especially focuses on a few key ideas. A very important idea is the "universal call to holiness." This means that everyone, no matter who they are or what they do, is called to be a saint. Jesus taught us to "Love God with all your heart" and "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Opus Dei believes that becoming holy is possible for everyone, because God helps us.
Opus Dei does not have monks or nuns. Most of its members are regular people with jobs and families. They try to "sanctify ordinary life." This means they try to make their work, family time, and hobbies a way to serve God and others. Pope John Paul II even called Escrivá "the saint of ordinary life."
Opus Dei also teaches that work is very important. They believe that doing your best at your job and serving society through your work is a way to offer something to God. They say that work is not just for earning money, but it can also be a "path to holiness."
This idea comes from the Bible, which says God created humans to work. Jesus himself worked as a carpenter. Escrivá taught that Christians are children of God and should try to be like Christ in everything they do. Other important ideas in Opus Dei are freedom, taking personal responsibility, and loving God and others.
Prayer and Self-Discipline
All members of Opus Dei follow a "plan of life." This plan includes traditional Catholic devotions like daily prayer. They believe that praying regularly helps them stay close to God throughout the day.
Opus Dei also practices something called "mortification." This is a way of offering small sacrifices to God and growing in self-control. Examples might include fasting, sleeping without a pillow, or staying silent for certain hours. This practice has a long history in many religions, including the Catholic Church. It's seen as a way to follow Jesus, who suffered and told his followers to "deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me."
How Opus Dei is Organized
Governance
Opus Dei is the only "personal prelature" in the Catholic Church. This means it's like a diocese, but instead of covering a specific area, its leader (the prelate) guides members all over the world. Opus Dei follows the general laws of the Catholic Church and its own special rules.
The highest meetings in Opus Dei are called General Congresses. These happen every eight years. Members chosen by the prelate meet to give advice about the future of Opus Dei. They also help choose the next prelate when the current one dies. The prelate is the main leader and is helped by two councils, one for men and one for women. The current prelate is Fernando Ocáriz Braña.
Who are the Members?
As of 2018, Opus Dei had over 95,000 members. Most of these (about 93,000) are lay people, and about 2,100 are priests. Most members (about 60%) live in Europe, and 35% live in the Americas. More women (57%) are members than men. Many members come from middle or lower social classes.
There are different types of members in Opus Dei, depending on how much they can help with the organization's activities:
- Supernumeraries: These are the largest group, about 70% of members. They are usually married people with jobs and families. They pray daily and attend meetings. They support Opus Dei financially and in other ways when they can.
- Numeraries: These make up about 20% of members. They dedicate themselves fully to Opus Dei's activities. They live in special centers run by Opus Dei and often contribute most of their income to the organization.
- Numerary Assistants: These are women numeraries who focus on taking care of the domestic needs of Opus Dei centers.
- Associates: These members take on specific tasks for Opus Dei but do not live in Opus Dei centers. They continue to live in their own homes and have their own jobs and families.
- Clergy of the Opus Dei Prelature: These are the priests who are directly under the prelate of Opus Dei. They make up about 2% of the members.
- Priestly Society of the Holy Cross: This group includes the priests of the Opus Dei prelature and also other priests who belong to their local dioceses. These diocesan priests receive spiritual training from Opus Dei but report to their own bishops.
- Cooperators of Opus Dei: These are people who are not members but help Opus Dei in some way. They might pray for Opus Dei, donate money, or offer other help. They don't have to be Christian. In 2005, there were about 164,000 cooperators.
What Members Do
Opus Dei sees itself as a teaching organization. Its main job is to train Catholics to live their faith in the world. They do this through classes, workshops, and retreats. They also offer "spiritual direction," which is like one-on-one coaching to help people grow in their faith.
They teach members how to connect their faith with their daily work, family life, and social activities. The goal is to help people become holy by living out Christian values in every part of their lives.
Opus Dei also runs many non-profit projects around the world. These are called "Corporate Works of Opus Dei." In 2005, members had helped set up over 600 social projects. These include schools, university residences, technical training centers, universities, and hospitals. For example, the University of Navarra in Spain and Austral University in Argentina are connected to Opus Dei. These universities are often highly ranked internationally.
Opus Dei and Church Leaders
Many Catholic leaders have supported Opus Dei over the years. Leopoldo Eijo y Garay, the bishop of Madrid where Opus Dei started, defended it in the 1940s. He said that Opus Dei was truly "God's work."
Pope Pius XII called Escrivá "a true saint." Pope John XXIII said Opus Dei opened up "unsuspected horizons" for spreading the faith. Pope Paul VI praised Opus Dei for its "vigorous expression of the perennial youth of the Church." He admired its desire to do good and its strong love for the Church and its leader.
Pope John Paul I wrote that Escrivá was special because he taught that the work itself, not just prayer, could be a path to holiness.
Some people have criticized Opus Dei, leading to discussions and debates. However, Catholic scholars and leaders often say that these criticisms are a "sign of contradiction," meaning that important religious movements often face challenges. Cardinal John Carmel Heenan said that being a "sign of contradiction" is a sign of God's favor.
One of Opus Dei's strongest supporters was Pope John Paul II. He said that Escrivá founded Opus Dei because he was "led by divine inspiration." He also said that Opus Dei's goal of making everyday activities holy was a "great ideal." John Paul II canonized Escrivá in 2002 and called him "the saint of ordinary life." He believed that Opus Dei's message helped people understand that their Christian faith should inspire them to build up the world.
Some critics have worried that Opus Dei's special status gives it too much independence. However, Church officials say that its status as a prelature actually means it is very dependent on the Pope. The quick process of Escrivá becoming a saint was due to improved Church procedures and John Paul II's desire to share Escrivá's message. Other saints, like John Paul II himself and Mother Teresa, were canonized even faster.
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Pope Benedict XVI was also a strong supporter. He said that Escrivá simply allowed God to work through him. Benedict XVI praised Opus Dei for being both very loyal to the Church's traditions and open to the challenges of the modern world. He believed Opus Dei's message helps people understand that God is still actively working in the world today.
Pope Francis has also shown support for Opus Dei. He called Saint Josemaría a "precursor of Vatican II" for teaching about the universal call to holiness. Pope Francis dislikes "clericalism" (when priests have too much power) and admires Opus Dei's focus on the importance of lay people. He has prayed before Saint Josemaría's relics and beatified Álvaro del Portillo. He also appreciates Opus Dei's work for the poor and its efforts to help priests become holier.
Images for kids
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Seal of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
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Escrivá surrounded by working people, in a Filipino painting called Magpakabanal sa Gawain (Be holy through your work)
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Fernando Ocariz, the current prelate of Opus Dei
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Central building of the University of Navarra
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Pope John Paul II: Opus Dei was founded "led by divine inspiration".
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Pope Francis: "St. Josemaria is a precursor of Vatican II in proposing the universal call to holiness"
