Opus Dei

For other uses, see Opus Dei (disambiguation).

Opus Dei
Formation2 October 1928; 96 years ago (1928-10-02)
TypePersonal prelature
PurposeSpreading the universal call to holiness in ordinary life
HeadquartersViale Bruno Buozzi, 73, 00197 Rome, Italy
Coordinates41°55′18″N 12°29′03″E / 41.9218°N 12.4841°E / 41.9218; 12.4841
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
95,318 (2018)[1]
Founder
St. Josemaría Escrivá
Fernando Ocáriz Braña
Main organ
General Council
Central Advisory
Parent organization
Catholic Church

Opus Dei (English: Work of God) is an institution of the Catholic Church that claims to have been initiated by divine inspiration,[2] and was founded in Spain in 1928 by Catholic priest Josemaría Escrivá. Its mission is to help its lay and clerical members to seek Christian perfection in their everyday occupations and within their societies. Opus Dei is officially recognized within the Catholic Church, although its status has evolved. It received final approval by the Catholic Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.[3] Pope John Paul II made it a personal prelature in 1982 by the apostolic constitution Ut sit; that is, the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei's head covers members wherever they are, rather than geographical dioceses.[3]: 1–9  On 14 July 2022, Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter Ad charisma tuendum, which transferred responsibility for the Opus Dei from the Dicastery for Bishops to the Dicastery for the Clergy and decreed that the head of the Opus Dei cannot become a bishop.[4] While Opus Dei has met controversies, it remains influential within the Church.

Lay people make up the majority of its membership; the remainder are secular priests under the governance of a prelate elected by specific members and appointed by the Pope.[5] As Opus Dei is Latin for "Work of God", the organization is often referred to by members and supporters as "the Work".[6][7] As of 2023, there are 95,890 members of the Prelature: 93,784 lay persons and 2,106 priests.[1] These figures do not include the diocesan priest members of Opus Dei's Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, estimated to number 2,000 in the year 2005.[8] Members are located in more than 90 countries.[9] About 70% of Opus Dei members live in their own homes, leading family lives with secular careers,[10][11] while the other 30% are celibate, of whom the majority live in Opus Dei centers. Aside from their personal charity and social work, Opus Dei members organize training in Catholic spirituality applied to daily life; members are involved in running universities, university residences, schools, publishing houses, hospitals, and technical and agricultural training centers.

  1. ^ a b "Opus Dei (Personal Prelature) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Apostolic constitution 'Ut sit' – Opus Dei".
  3. ^ a b Berglar, Peter (1994). Opus Dei: Life and Work of Its Founder, Josemaria Escriva. Translated by Browne, Bernard; Chessman, Stuart; Junge, John; Gottschalk, Mary. Princeton, NJ: Scepter Publishers, Inc. p. 189. ISBN 0-933932-64-2. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Press Office of the Holy See 2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Upon whom does the prelate of Opus Dei depend? Who appoints him?". Opus Dei.
  6. ^ "Decoding secret world of Opus Dei". BBC News. 16 September 2005. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  7. ^ Bill Tammeus (19 October 2005). "Bishop confirms connection to group". Kansas City Star.
  8. ^ John Allen (2005). Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. Doubleday Religion. ISBN 0-385-51449-2.
  9. ^ "Opus Dei to produce Italian cartoon and mini-series on St. Josemaria Escriva". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Opus Dei". BBC Religion and Ethics. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  11. ^ Terry Mattingly. "'Da Vinci Code' mania opened up Opus Dei". Albuquerque Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2007.