< BACK

Holy Rosary to mark Blessed Josemaria Escriva’s birth

By LAUREEN McMAHON

Members of Opus Dei in the Vancouver Archdiocese are anticipating joining dioceses across Canada to mark the centenary of the birth of their founder, Blessed Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

All are welcome as Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, offers an anniversary Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 with Opus Dei priests Father Joseph Soria and Father Gonzalo Chocano concelebrating.

Masses will also be offered in Toronto’s St. Michael’s Cathedral and Notre Dame Basilica in Ottawa. Cities celebrating later in the month include Kingston, Edmonton, Montreal, and Quebec City.

A special international congress entitled The Greatness of Ordinary Life is being convened this month in Rome by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross to mark Blessed Josemaria’s birth, Father Soria told The B.C. Catholic.

The conference title, he said, is inspired by Blessed Josemaria’s message that rich treasures are hidden in daily life.

On Dec. 20, Pope John Paul II ordered the publication of a decree to clear the way for the canonization of Blessed Josemaria, who was beatified in 1992, 17 years after his death.

Papal approval was given to a miracle credited to him, the healing of a Spanish doctor from skin cancer after he prayed to Blessed Josemaria for a cure. Many other medical cures as well as mental and emotional healings have also been testified to by followers of Blessed Josemaria.

Born in Barbastro, Spain, Jan. 9, 1902, Blessed Josemaria Escriva founded Opus Dei in Madrid on Oct. 2, 1928. Since then, nearly 80,000 people around the world have become faithful of the prelature, or a sort of diocese without physical boundaries. International headquarters are in Rome; Canadian headquarters are in Montreal.

The name Opus Dei means “work of God.” It was the first personal prelature established by the Holy Father. The aim is to help the laity achieve the goal of sanctity and the mission is to promote among Christians of all social classes a life which is fully consistent with their faith and to contribute to the evangelization of every sphere of society.

Spanish-born Father Soria became an Opus Dei priest after completing medical training and practising as a family physician in Spain and Italy. He also holds a degree in canon law.

He first went to Montreal in 1976 and then about 15 years later came to Vancouver to serve the faithful of the prelature.

Opus Dei priests, he explained, commonly practise another profession before becoming committed as priests to the faithful of the prelature. There are currently about 1,600 Opus Dei priests around the world.

“We are chaplains of the centres of Opus Dei in a diocese. Some are also hospital chaplains. Where we have to help, we also help. The main task of Opus Dei is to provide the members of the faithful of the prelature, as well as friends and others, with sound doctrinal apostolic and spiritual formation, with sound knowledge of the faith, knowledge of papal documents, and instruction on sanctifying family life.”

Opus Dei, he said, provides this formation through days of recollection, retreats, seminars, and doctrine classes.

“Blessed Josemaria insisted on what he called ‘the unity of life.’ You cannot be one person at church and a different person at work or when shopping or driving a car. It is not easy, but once you understand it, you find help in the presence of God. The awareness of God as Father helps, as does the awareness that I have to sanctify each day.”

The men’s and the women’s centres of Opus Dei in Vancouver host study programs and seminars to help members become more informed on issues of faith as they relate to happenings in the world. For instance, they have held public lectures on cultural and social topics such as medical ethics, the right use of freedom, and legal issues.

Opus Dei offers days of recollection each month, seminars, and retreats. For information about activities, call 738-0780 (men) or 228-8317 (women). Opus Dei has a Web site at www.opusdei.org.