Opus Dei

Any one have any information on the mysterious Catholic order known as Opus Dei? Supposedly Mel Gibson is a member.

I tend to find that doing a "Google" search sometimes helps

Originally posted by Agent Orange
Any one have any information on the mysterious Catholic order known as Opus Dei? Supposedly Mel Gibson is a member.

The book that introduced Opus Dei to me was the 'DaVinci Code'. What an average book it was! I wonder why all the hype...the other book of Dan Brown, the 'Illuminati', was much more exciting, much better written, had much more plot, it was a truly captivating adventure. The 'DaVinci Code' was mediocre, at best.

Historical overview

1928. On October 2, while on a spiritual retreat in Madrid, St. Josemaría Escrivá, under divine inspiration, founded Opus Dei as a way of sanctification for people from all walks of life, in their daily work and the fulfilment of their ordinary duties as Christians. The name “Opus Dei” came later and was not used until the early 1930’s. However, from the outset, in his writings and conversations about what God was asking of him, he would talk of the Work of God.

St. Josemaria with Bishop Eijo y Garay of Madrid
1930. On February 14 in Madrid, while celebrating Mass, St. Josemaría saw that God meant Opus Dei to include women as well as men.

1933. The first center of Opus Dei was opened in Madrid: the DYA Academy, mainly for students, where classes in law and architecture were given.

1934. DYA became a residence for college students. From that base the founder and the first members offered Christian formation, and spread the message of Opus Dei among young people. An important aspect of this work was the teaching of the Catholic faith to children, and looking after the poor and sick in the outlying neighbourhoods of Madrid. Fr. Josemaría made his activity known at all times to the bishop of Madrid, who from the very beginning granted his approval and blessing. Consideraciones espirituales, the forerunner of The Way, was published.

1936. The Spanish Civil War: religious persecution was unleashed and Fr. Josemaría was obliged to hide in various different places. This interruption of his apostolic work temporarily delayed the plans of the founder to expand the apostolic work of Opus Dei to other countries.

1937. The founder and some members of Opus Dei completed a harrowing escape over the Pyrenees through Andorra and made their way to an area where the Church was not being persecuted (Burgos).

1938. Renewal of apostolic work in Burgos, Spain.

1939. Fr. Josemaría returned to Madrid. Expansion of Opus Dei to other Spanish cities. The beginning of World War II prevented expansion to other countries.

1941. On March 19, the bishop of Madrid, Leopoldo Eijo y Garay, granted the first diocesan approval of Opus Dei.

The founder of Opus Dei (middle back row) in a photo taken after the escape into Andorra
1943. On February 14, again during Mass, God let Fr. Josemaría see the juridical solution that would enable priests to be ordained for Opus Dei: the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.

1944. On June 25, the bishop of Madrid ordained three members of Opus Dei as priests: Alvaro del Portillo, José María Hernández de Garnica, and José Luis Múzquiz.

1946. The founder of Opus Dei moved to Rome. In the years that followed, he would travel from Rome throughout Europe to prepare the beginnings of the work of Opus Dei in several different countries.

1947. On February 24, the Holy See granted the first pontifical approval.

1948. On June 29, the founder established the Roman College of the Holy Cross, where from that time on, numerous members of Opus Dei would study and receive a deep spiritual and pastoral formation, while taking courses at various pontifical teaching establishments in Rome.

1950. On June 16, Pius XII granted the definitive approval to Opus Dei. This approval enabled married people to join Opus Dei, and secular clergy to be admitted to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross.

1952. The University of Navarre was begun at Pamplona, Spain.

1953. On December 12, the Roman College of Our Lady was established to provide an intense spiritual, theological and apostolic formation for women of Opus Dei from all over the world.
The founder of Opus Dei with the first three members who were ordained priests

1957. The Holy See entrusted the prelature of Yauyos, a mountainous region of Peru, to Opus Dei.

1965. On November 21, Paul VI inaugurated the ELIS Center, a vocational training center for young people located in an industrial sector of Rome, together with a parish entrusted to Opus Dei by the Holy See.

1969. A special general congress of Opus Dei met in Rome to study the change of Opus Dei’s legal status in the Church to that of a personal prelature, a juridical structure introduced by the Second Vatican Council and ideally suited to the pastoral characteristics of Opus Dei.

1970. The founder of Opus Dei travelled to Mexico. He prayed for nine days at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and addressed large groups of people on topics affecting their Christian life. This was the first of what he called his catechetical journeys.

1972. Msgr. Josemaría Escrivá traveled throughout Spain and Portugal on a catechetical journey lasting two months.

1974. Catechetical journey of the founder to six South American countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.

1975. Catechetical journey of the founder to Venezuela and Guatemala.

1976.

On June 26, Josemaría Escrivá died in Rome. Some 60,000 people belonged to Opus Dei at that time.

March 19, 1983 at S. Eugenio's Church
On July 7, the new shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad was inaugurated in Huesca, Spain.

On September 15, Alvaro del Portillo was elected to succeed the founder at a congress of Opus Dei members called for that purpose, as required by canon law.

1982. On November 28, John Paul II established Opus Dei as a personal prelature, a juridical structure more accurately reflecting Opus Dei’s theological and pastoral nature, and appointed Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo as prelate.

1983. On March 19, the apostolic constitution establishing Opus Dei as a personal prelature was formally executed.

1985. Inauguration of the Roman Academic Centre of the Holy Cross, which in 1998 would become the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

1991. On January 6, John Paul II ordained Mgr. Alvaro del Portillo as bishop.

1992. On May 17, the Holy Father beatified Josemaría Escrivá in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

1994.

On March 23, Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in Rome died hours after his return from a trip to the Holy Land.

On April 20, Msgr. Javier Echevarría was appointed as prelate of Opus Dei by John Paul II, confirming the election carried out by the general elective congress held in Rome.

1995. On January 6, Msgr. Javier Echevarría was ordained bishop by John Paul II.

2002. On October 6, St. Josemaría Escrivá was canonized in St. Peter's Square by Pope John Paul II.

Dates on which Opus Dei began its work in different countries

1928 Spain
1946 Portugal, Italy, Great Britain
1947 France, Ireland
1949 Mexico, United States
1950 Chile, Argentina
1951 Colombia, Venezuela
1952 Germany
1953 Guatemala, Peru
1954 Ecuador
1956 Uruguay, Switzerland
1957 Brazil, Austria, Canada
1958 Japan, Kenya, El Salvador
1959 Costa Rica
1960 Holland
1962 Paraguay
1963 Australia
1964 Philippines
1965 Belgium, Nigeria
1969 Puerto Rico
1978 Bolivia
1980 Congo, Ivory Coast, Honduras
1981 Hong Kong
1982 Singapore
1983 Trinidad and Tobago
1984 Sweden
1985 Taiwan
1987 Finland
1988 Cameroon, Dominican Republic
1989 Macao, New Zealand, Poland
1990 Hungary, Czech Republic
1992 Nicaragua
1993 India, Israel
1994 Lithuania
1996 Estonia, Slovakia, Lebanon, Panama, Uganda
1997 Kazakhstan
1998 South Africa
2003 Slovenia, Croatia
2004 Latvia

www.opusdei.org...

hope that helps

Study and learning is a must.

It would be best to do your own research.

Good luck.

Bikereddie might take a lesson.

Of course I've googled, and I've read the usual BS. Opus Dei are an organization of ultra conservative 'catholic freemasons', run by the Jesiuts, and dedicated to a "New World Order". Their members have a 'missionary commission', are in every dioscese in North America, and can be recognized by the hair shirts that they wear under their civilain clothes.

I was wondering if you guys had anything origional to add. Although jukyu
was very informative!

"Pacem & Bonham"



[edit on 1-3-2005 by Agent Orange]

By thwe way, they say that Mel Gibson is an Opus Dei, and produced "The Passion under their blessing.

I very much doubt that Gibson is a member. His father apparently is a 'tradionalist' catholic unaligned with the pope, apparently its a movement that is gaining some steam since the papacy has 'liberalized' the church.

Also, is the order so mysterious?

Originally posted by Agent Orange
Opus Dei are an organization of ultra conservative 'catholic freemasons', run by the Jesiuts, and dedicated to a "New World Order".

Since when?

I was wondering if you guys had anything origional to add.

Wouldn't it have been a rather good idea to state what you already know so there is no need to rehash stuff then?

Originally posted by Nygdan

Originally posted by Agent Orange
Opus Dei are an organization of ultra conservative 'catholic freemasons', run by the Jesiuts, and dedicated to a "New World Order".

Since when?

I was wondering if you guys had anything origional to add.

Wouldn't it have been a rather good idea to state what you already know so there is no need to rehash stuff then?

Well I only know what I read in the supermarket tabloids, and "The DaVinci Code".


OPUS Dei is a hard-line, secretive Catholic organisation made up of professionals who are admitted by invitation only.

Members promise to spread the word of God through their professional work, although critics accuse them of being manipulative.

It is regarded with suspicion for a number of reasons, including its recruitment methods, its opposition to contraception and abortion and its alleged links with fascism.

Founded in 1928 by Spanish priest Josemaria Escriva, who was recently canonised, Opus Dei has 80,000 members world-wide, including hundreds in the UK.

Members - some of whom wear a spiked garter around their thighs to remind them of the world's sins - attend monthly meetings, where they take part in spiritual readings.

They pray every morning and evening and attend a daily mass.

Opus Dei is said to wield a lot of power in the Vatican and was famously portrayed as a sinister sect in the recent best-seller The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

I am wondering and thinking if this opus dei is some secret society of some sort is there any relation between them and the Jesuits Priests?

Originally posted by crusader
I am wondering and thinking if this opus dei is some secret society of some sort is there any relation between them and the Jesuits Priests?

Oh please the Opus Dei is not a secret society, neither are the Jesuits. I am not a member and I know of no members so I cant really speak for them but it seems the Opus Dei are groups of catholics that want to improve their communities and their lives. Now has for the Jesuits, they are an order for priests just like the Dominicans and the Vitatorians for example. They are not out to take over the world. They took extra vows of chastity and celibacy (and others). For non Catholics out there you can almost say there are 2 types of priest, a diocesan priest and a priest of an order.

You know, the more I read about all of this stuff with Opus Dei and Masons and other groups that are supposed to be "secret" the more it always appears that people are just going to believe what they want to despite evidence. There is always the belief that if one digs a little bit further then you'll find out what they "really believe" so no matter what these organizations do to turn themselves bare to the public they can't win.