Opus Dei

Opus Dei is a Catholic organization that helps people achieve happiness by keeping God at the center of their daily lives.

Opus Dei enables people to discover a new Christian meaning in their everyday life: family, friendships, work, and school. The Work, as Opus Dei is commonly known, offers spiritual assistance for those who want it, in order to help them find God in the midst of the world.

The spirituality of Opus Dei stresses the conviction that all people, including lay people, are called to holiness and to help bring others closer to God. It is based upon the Christian teaching of “divine filiation,” that God is our loving Father.

The Founding of Opus Dei

Opus Dei was founded in Madrid, Spain, on October 2, 1928, by Saint Josemara Escriva. After the end of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and World War II in 1945, it began to spread throughout the world in the late 1940s. The history of Opus Dei in the United States began in 1949, when some of St. Josemaria’s followers came over to this country.

Its headquarters are now in Rome (Viale Bruno Buozzi, 73), very close to the Vatican, the heart of the Church.

The worldwide head of Opus Dei is its prelate, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz. He encourages all the faithful and friends of Opus Dei to be closely united to the Pope, to pray for him, and to faithfully follow his teachings.

Apostolic Initiatives

St. Josemaria Escriva and his successors have always encouraged the promotion of initiatives in education, health care and attention to the poor. The Prelature of Opus Dei is responsible for providing pastoral care and for ensuring that these initiatives are carried out in a way consistent with Catholic teaching. The material and financial management of these projects is the responsibility of the people – both members and non-members of Opus Dei – who run them. These initiatives are open to people of all faiths.

The spiritual and doctrinal activities at Schuyler Hall are entrusted to Opus Dei.