Profiles of the Prelates
Main Features

Characteristics and mission

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. It was founded in Madrid on 2 October 1928, by Saint Josemaría Escrivá. Currently over 80,000 people from every continent belong to the prelature. Its headquarters, together with its prelatic church, are in Rome.

The Second Vatican Council taught that all the baptised are called to follow Jesus Christ, by living according to the Gospel and making it known to others. The aim of Opus Dei is to contribute to that evangelising mission of the Church, by promoting among Christians of all social classes a life fully consistent with their faith, in the middle of the ordinary circumstances of their lives, especially through the sanctification of their work.

In order to achieve this aim, the prelature offers spiritual formation and pastoral care to its members, as well as to many others.
With the help of this pastoral attention they are encouraged to put into practice the teachings of the Gospel, through exercising the Christian virtues and sanctifying their work. For the faithful of the prelature , sanctifying work means working according to the spirit of Jesus Christ: with the greatest possible competence, for the glory of God and the service of others, thus contributing to the sanctification of the world, by making the Gospel present in all human endeavours.

The faithful of the prelature carry out their individual task of evangelisation in the different sectors of society in which they live and work. Their apostolic work is not limited to specific fields such as education, care for the sick, or other forms of direct social aid. The prelature seeks to remind people that all Christians, whatever their secular activity, must cooperate in solving the problems of society in a Christian way, and bear constant witness to their faith.

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Historical overview

1928. 2 October: While on a spiritual retreat in Madrid, Saint 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 fulfillment 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.

1930. 14 February: In Madrid, while celebrating Mass, God enabled Saint Josemaría to understand that the message of Opus Dei was addressed to women as well.

1933. The first centre 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. 19 March: The bishop of Madrid, Leopoldo Eijo y Garay, granted the first diocesan approval of Opus Dei.

1943. 14 February: 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. 25 June: 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. 24 February: The Holy See granted the first pontifical approval.

1948. 29 June: 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.

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1950. 16 June: 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 Navarra was begun at Pamplona, Spain.

1953. 12 December: 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.

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

1965. 21 November: Paul VI inaugurated the ELIS Centre, a vocational training centre 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. Mgr. Josemaría Escrivá travelled 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.

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1976. 26 June: Josemaría Escrivá died in Rome. Some 60,000 people belonged to Opus Dei at that time.

7 July: Inauguration of the new shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad in Huesca, Spain.

15 September: 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. 28 November: 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. 19 March: Formal execution of the apostolic constitution establishing Opus Dei as a personal prelature.

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

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

1992. 17 May: Beatification of Josemaría Escrivá in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

1994. 23 March: Death of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in Rome just hours after his return from a trip to the Holy Land.

20 April: Mgr. 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. 6 January: Mgr. Javier Echevarría was ordained bishop by John Paul II.

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