Nature and Mission

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in Madrid on the 2nd of October of 1928 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. The central see - with the prelatic church - is located in Rome. The Vatican Council II recalled that all those baptized were called to follow Jesus Christ, to live, and preach the Gospel. The purpose of Opus Dei is to contribute to this evangelical mission of the Chruch, promoting all Christians to have a coherent life full of faith in both ordinary and special circumstances through the sanctification of work. In order to reach this goal, the Prelature provides spiritual formation and pastoral attention to the faithful and also to many other people. By means of this pastoral attention, the follower can practice the teachings of the Gospel, exercising Christian virtues and sanctifying work. To praise the holy work, for the faithful of the Prelature, to work according to the spirit of Jesus Christ, to finish our tasks for the glory of God and in order to serve others, and to hallow the world, all make present the Gospel spirit.

The activity of Opus Dei can be summed up, mostly, in the development of the faithful in his/her own place in the Church and in the world - an apostolic activity, applying the evangelical work of the pastors and promoting the universal call to holiness. In consequence, the work conducted by the followers of Opus Dei do not limit themselves to a specific field, but branch out into all types, such as education, the caring of the sick, and the help of the disabled. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds all Christians, that whatever secular activity we dedicate our service to - secular service being the tasks of the Opus Dei laypersons - we have to work toward a Christian solution to the problems of society and we should give constant testimony to our faith.

Principal characteristics of the spirit

Opus Dei, since its creation in 1928, spreads the message of the call to holiness by all those baptized, in the compliment of their work and their own personal obligations. "An essential characteristic of the spirit of Opus Deiis that it does not take anyone out of his place. Rather, it leads each person to fulfill the tasks and duties of his own state, of his mission in the Church and in society, with the greatest possible perfection." Opus Dei, with its essencially secular spirit, serves the Church and society by encouraging the sanctity and the personal apostolic compromise of the faithful, helping them to discover and assume the baptismal demands each is given. The followers of Opus Dei are common citizens who never distinguish themselves from their equals; all of them living and learning together. Some features of the spirit of Opus Dei are the following:

Divine affliation: The Christian is a child of God through the process of baptism. This basic truth of Christianity occupies a fundamental place in the spirit of Opus Dei, as said by Saint Josemaría Escrivá, "Divine affiliation is the fundamental aspect of the spirit of Opus Dei." The formation provided by the Prelature incites trust in the divine providence, the agreement with God, the profound feeling of human dignity, and the brotherhood between men, an example of true Christian love, full of serenity and optimism with the creations of the Lord.

Ordinary Life: The Christian is called to find sanctity, which is to say, the identification with Jesus Christ, through means of life´s circumstances and the activities that develop over time. In the words of the founder of Opus Dei, the ordinary life can be "holy and full of God;" "the Father calls us to sanctify the ordinary work, because this is also part of Christian perfection." Therefore, all virtues are important for a Christian: faith, hope, charity, generosity, industriousness, justice, devotion, happiness, sincerity, etc. With the exercise of these virtues, the Christian becomes more like Jesus Christ. Another consequence of the value of ordinary life is the transcendence of the small things that fill us with a common Christian existence. "The greatest holiness is in fulfilling the small duties of each moment," stated the founder of Opus Dei. They are small things, for example, service details, a good education, respect for others, physical disposition, preciseness, etc.; when we live for the love of God, these things are very important for the Christian life.

Sanctifying Work, Sanctifying Oneself within Work, Sanctifying with Work: The sanctification of ordinary work is a very important part in the spiritual lives of Christians. Sanctification in work can only exist with the best examples of human perfection (professional competence and honor) and with Christian perfection as well (through the voluntary love of God and service to others). Satisfying the spirit of Opus Dei, which exists in any type of honest work and is important and humbling in the eyes of men, is the occasion of giving glory to God and serving everyone else. "We are men of the street, ordinary Christians, participating in the circulatory torrent of society and the Lord wants us to be holy, apostolic, and to dedicate half of our professional lives to santifying our work toward Him and helping others to do the same."

Charity and Preaching: The faithful of Opus Dei make an effort to give testimony of their faith by taking part in ordinary activities and life´s relationships. Their preaching is directed to all men, without distinction, and is carried out, first with the personal sacrifice, and afterward with the word. The eagerness to disclose information about Christ comes about as a direct consequence of the act of charity (which is to say that the love we show toward God, above all things, and to our neighbors, is the same thing), which is the inseparable wish of helping to resolve the problems of material necessity and other societal problems as well.

Love of Freedom: The followers of Opus Dei are citizens which enjoy the same rights of others and are subject to the same obligations as others as well. In their professional, familiar, political, economic, and cultural activities, the faithful act with freedom and personal responsibility, and without involvement of the Church, in their decisions, which they present as constistent factors of their faith. This idea implies respect to both liberty and the opinions of others.

Life of Prayer and Sacrifice: The spirit of the Opus Dei organization moves to serve one with a life a prayer and penance, in order to make each day holy. Through this, the faithful incorporate into their lives some regular practices: prayer, daily participation in Holy Mass, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the reading and the meditation of the Gospel, etc. Moreover, devotion to the Virgin Mother, occupies an important place in the hearts of the followers. In order to be like Jesus Christ, they aquire the spirit of penance through the sacraments, especially those that facilitate the loyal fulfillment to work toward a life of service to others, and so as to renounce the small satisfactions in life by fasting, giving alms, etc.

Unity of Life: Friendship with God, the daily occupations and personal apostolic efforts of each Christian, can be simplified into the "unity of a simple and strong life", an common expression used by Saint Josemaría in his vision of the Christian existence. The "unity of life," taught Saint Josemaría, "is an essential condition for those trying to sanctify the ordinary circumstances of their lives, in aspects of work, family relationships, and social relationships." As the founder of Opus Dei explained, the ordinary Christian should not "live a double life: the first interior, with their relationship to God, and the other, distinct and separate, full of familiar, social, and professional matters." On the contray, he argues, "one life, made of flesh and spirt, is what has to be present - in body and soul - holy and full of the presence of the Lord."