St. Josemaria Escriva

Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer was born on January 9, 1902 in Barbastro, Spain. He was the second of six children. His parents sent him and his siblings to good Catholic schools and devoutly lived the faith at home. Josemaria experienced sorrow early when three of his younger sisters died. His father’s business went bankrupt and the family had to move to Longrono where his father found a job. Josemaria felt drawn to the priesthood and felt God had a specific task for him. He entered the seminary and along with his theological studies he was granted permission to study civil law. He was ordained in 1925. His father had died in 1924, leaving Josemaria to support his mother, brother and sister. The three went with him when he traveled to Madrid for graduate study in civil law. In Madrid, he supported his family by tutoring law students. During this time he carried out apostolates with the poor, the sick, and young children; he involved professional people, college students, and workers in this ministry. While he was on retreat, God inspired him to found Opus Dei, his life’s work. He began the organization by welcoming male members and soon realized he should also welcome female members. Opus Dei members dedicate themselves to prayer and apostolic works according to the teachings of Father Josemaria which he presented in several works: The Way, The Forge, and others. The Spanish Civil War brought suffering and persecution to the country, but Father Josemaria escaped with his life, unlike many of his fellow clergy. World War II impeded the spread of Opus Dei, but immediately after the war it was able to spread to other countries. In 1943, Fr. Josemaria was inspired to found the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, so that priests could be closely associated with Opus Dei; diocesan priests can be part of the Society. In 1946, the priest moved to Rome so that the running of Opus Dei could be closely supervised by the Holy See. Throughout its history, the organization has met with misunderstanding and opposition from some, but it has striven to work under the authority of local bishops. During Vatican II, Father Josemaria worked closely with some Council fathers discussing the formulation of documents on the universal call to holiness and the role of the laity in the Church. He was also active traveling and speaking to large groups of people about the need to sanctify family life. Throughout this time Opus Dei was spreading and was instrumental in opening colleges, schools, vocational training centers, hospitals and clinics. Monsignor Josemaria died rather suddenly on June 26, 1975. He was canonized in 2002. Opus Dei now has over 84,000 members in sixty nations.