Opus Dei in society
Encyclopedia
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
..
Mission in society and general strategy
According to Catholic officials and scholars, Opus Dei is God's Work performing a divine operation in society which mobilises Christians to sanctify secular realities from within. Opus Dei does not act as a group, they say. It is a spiritual, catechetical agency of the Catholic Church in charge of forming people so they can act with personal responsibility "to put Christ on top of all human activitites," as their founder says.Escriva said that Opus Dei evangelises people of all social classes: "Out of a hundred souls, we are interested in one hundred." http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/furrow/point/183 Opus Dei’s Statutes says that the goal of Opus Dei is to bring about that persons of all walks of life, first of all the intellectuals, practice Christianity through the sanctification of their work "so that all things will be put in order according to the Will of the Creator." (2.1 and 2.2; See Fuenmayor 1994, p. 610-611)
According to Vittorio Messori in his book Opus Dei: Leadership and Vision in Today’s Catholic Church, Opus Dei’s manner of influencing society is based on the principle that "there is no way of improving humanity other than improving human beings—one by one, and profoundly." Thus it has what it calls apostolate of friendship. Also, it follows the strategy of emphasising the evangelisation of the intelligentsia because, he says, "society arrives at the majority of its ideas and modes of behavior by way of the intellectuals." (p. 111; 177)
So that the sanctification of society can take place through sanctification of work, the Opus Dei provides "professional formation." This stresses hard work, cultural and professional development, human warmth and refinement, ethical behaviour, respect for freedom and pluralism, personal and collective humility, and personal prayer as the highest priority in one's daily schedule.
The main strategy, according to Escrivá's teaching, is that each Christian must strive to become a "canonizable saint", another Christ redeeming all men and women, and thus also a responsible citizen who works for the common good. Because if Christians are not well ordered from within, he says, if they do not put God first through a life of contemplation, they will be merely spreading their disorder to other people. "These world crises", he says, "are crises of saints." Thus, evangelization in Opus Dei is done one-on-one through its "apostolate of friendship and confidence."
Peter L. Berger
Peter L. Berger
Peter Ludwig Berger is an Austrian-born American sociologist well known for his work, co-authored with Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge .-Biography:...
and Samuel Huntington
Samuel P. Huntington
Samuel Phillips Huntington was an influential American political scientist who wrote highly-regarded books in a half-dozen sub-fields of political science, starting in 1957...
calls the attempt of Opus Dei an "alternative modernity," a work towards a modern world which is "faithful" to the Christian traditions, as distinguished from other secular interventions in modernity. (Many Globalizations: Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World 2002)
Activities and work
The largest part of the apostolic activity of the prelature is what the individual members do with their friends and colleagues in their respective communities and workplaces. Collective formative activities consist of religious retreats, recollections, and classes in Catholic doctrine.A big percentage of the undertakings of members of Opus Dei, if not the majority, are youth development centres: schools, youth clubs, study centres. There are also a good number of training centres for women.
In Spain, Saint Josemaría Escrivá himself founded the University of Navarra
University of Navarra
The University of Navarra is a private pontifical university based at the southeast border of Pamplona, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei as a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei....
in 1959 which confers 27 degrees and administers more than 300 post-graduate programs and includes a teaching hospital.
For more information regarding corporate works of Opus Dei and apostolic initiatives of members of Opus Dei all over the world, please see Corporate Works of Opus Dei.
Opus Dei Universities
Universities operated by or related to Opus Dei are- University of NavarraUniversity of NavarraThe University of Navarra is a private pontifical university based at the southeast border of Pamplona, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei as a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei....
, Pamplona, Spain http://www.unav.es/ - IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain http://www.iese.edu/en/home.asp
- Pontifical University of the Holy CrossPontifical University of the Holy CrossPontifical University of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic university under the Curial Congregation for Catholic Education, which it has entrusted to the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, or more commonly called Opus Dei...
, Rome, Italy http://www.pusc.it/ - Università Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy http://www.unicampus.it/
- Universidad AustralUniversidad AustralUniversidad Austral may refer to:*Universidad Austral *Universidad Austral de Chile...
, Buenos Aires, Argentina http://www.austral.edu.ar/ - IAE Business School, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad de MontevideoUniversidad de MontevideoThe Universidad de Montevideo is a private university located in Montevideo, Uruguay. It opened in 1986, and obtained the right to be legally named a university in 1997.-Departments:It has seven departments:...
, Montevideo, Uruguay http://www.um.edu.uy - Centro de Extensão Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
- ISE - Instituto Superior da Empresa, São Paulo, Brazil
- University of the Andes, Santiago, Chile http://www.uandes.cl/
- Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Colombia http://www.unisabana.edu.co/inicio.htm
- Universidad Panamericana, Mexico http://www.up.mx/principal.php
- Universidad Bonaterra, Aguascalientes, Mexico
- Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE), Mexico D.F., Mexico
- Strathmore UniversityStrathmore UniversityStrathmore University is a private university based in Nairobi, Kenya. Strathmore College was started in 1961, as an Advanced level sixth form College offering science and arts subjects, by a group of professionals who formed a charitable educational trust...
, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.strathmore.edu/ - Lexington CollegeLexington CollegeLexington College is a women's college with a Catholic inspiration located in Chicago, Illinois. The curriculum is focused entirely on hospitality management studies. , the college had 56 students....
, Chicago, USA http://www.lexingtoncollege.edu/ - University of PiuraUniversity of PiuraThe University of Piura is located in Peru, the Latin American country with the highest levels of economic growth in recent years. Founded in 1969 by Josemaría Escrivá, UDEP provides quality education, promotes research and trains professionals capable of transforming society.One of the ten best...
, Piura, Peru http://www.udep.edu.pe/ - PAD: Escuela de Alta Dirección de la Universidad de Piura, Lima, Perú http://www.pad.edu
- University of Asia and the PacificUniversity of Asia and the PacificThe University of Asia and the Pacific is a private research university in the Philippines. It traces its beginnings to the Center for Research and Communication , which was established in 1967 as a private think-tank that conducted economic and social research and offered graduate courses in...
, Pasig City, Philippines http://www.uap.edu.ph/ - Universidad MonteávilaUniversidad MonteavilaUniversidad Monteávila is a private university in Caracas, Venezuela....
, Caracas, Venezuela http://www.uma.edu.ve/ - PAREF Southridge SchoolPAREF Southridge SchoolThe PAREF Southridge School, also known simply as Southridge, is a private school for boys in Hillsborough, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. It was a set up by the Parents for Education Foundation , a group of parents who aims to provide an education geared towards the total development of children...
, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines http://www.southridge.edu.ph/ - PAREF Woodrose SchoolPAREF Woodrose SchoolPAREF Woodrose School, also known as Woodrose, is a private school for girls in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is not owned or under Opus Dei, despite belief, but the founders of PAREF were Opus Dei members. It is accredited by the Philippine Department of Education....
, Muntinlupa , Metro Manila, Philippines - PAREF Springdale SchoolPAREF Springdale SchoolPAREF Springdale School, Inc. is a single-gender Primary, Intermediate, High School and a little of college in J. Solon Street, Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines. Its executive director is Ric R. Ampiloquio. The spiritual formation of the families in Springdale is provided by priests of the Prelature...
, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines - PAREF Westbridge School, Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines
- PAREF Rosehill School, Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines
Opus Dei Publishers
While Opus Dei does not own or operates these publishers, they do print work related to Opus Dei- Scepter Publishers http://www.scepterpublishers.org/
- Quadrante, São Paulo, Brazil http://www.quadrante.com.br/
- Sinagtala Publishers, Inc., Makati City, Philippines
Membership profile
The Vatican Yearbook indicates that Opus Dei has 85,000 members about 1,900 of whom are priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s. Of these 1,900 priests, 25 are bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s working in various dioceses. Members are distributed as follows: Africa 1600; Asia and the Pacific 4700; Americas, North and South 29,000; Europe 48,700.
In terms of educational level, income and social status, V. Messori says that there is a predominance of middle-to-low levels among the members of Opus Dei. In Spain and Latin America, for example, Opus Dei is predominantly popular among laborers and campesinos. (1997, p. 84) Gomez Perez, in Opus Dei: Una Explicación, says that Opus Dei's social composition shows a correspondence with the local situation, because, he says, all honest trades can be sanctified. He also says that there are more teachers and professors among its ranks than the normal social composition because of Opus Dei's emphasis on the intellectual apostolate.
Critics, however, accuse Opus Dei of elitism. They say that Opus Dei has amassed both power and wealth. On the other hand, John Allen in Opus Dei: Secrets and Power in the Catholic Church, says that Opus Dei's assets in the World are estimated to be at $2,800 million minimum, compared with an annual revenue for the Catholic Church in the US of $102 billion. By comparison, General Motors has assets of $455 billion. The worldwide revenue of Opus Dei is that of a mid-sized American diocese. He also says that Opus Dei has only 39 bishops out of the 4,564 in the world. And there are only 20 members out of 3920 working in the Vatican. http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/book_review.cgi?past-00255 As to real estate holdings, Opus Dei's holdings are notably inferior to those of the religious orders, says V. Messori. "Monks live in communities that require houses, while the great majority of Opus Dei members continue to live their everyday lives in their own homes." For more information on the financial matters of Opus Dei, please see Information Handbook on the Opus Dei Prelature.
Revolutionary or conservative?
Opus Dei's influence in society, said Escrivá, is not socio-economic but ethical: rich and poor work together to build a society that is more human, just, and progressive.
Neocatechumenal Way
The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, NC Way or, colloquially, The Way or The Neocats is an itinerary within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults...
, Focolare, Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
, Community of St. John, Charismatic Renewal, and Communion and Liberation
Communion and Liberation
Communion and Liberation, or CL, is a lay ecclesial movement within the Catholic Church.-Overview:CL grew out of the educational and catechetical methods of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, who founded the movement...
, among Catholic groups having "neoconservative or fundamentalist moral and political beliefs," "extremely traditionalist," and "pre-enlightenment" messages for society.
In contrast, Benedict XVI praises the catechetical work of these lay organizations and commented on the profile of Opus Dei as "this surprising link between absolute fidelity to the great tradition of the Church and to her faith, with a disarming simplicity and unconditional openness to all the challenges of this world, in the academic world, in the world of work, in the world of economics, etc." There are also modern historians, many of whom are non-Catholics, who are now stating that the Catholic Church supports reason and progress, putting it "at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilization," in the words of Paul Legutko of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in his review of Thomas Woods
Thomas Woods
Thomas E. "Tom" Woods, Jr. is an American historian, economist, political analyst, and New York Times-bestselling author. He has written extensively on the subjects of American history, contemporary politics, and economic theory...
' book How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.
The debate about Opus Dei and its role in society continues. The two diametrically opposed positions are reflected in how one interprets point 353 of Escrivá's The Way :
- Nonsectarianism. Neutrality. Those old myths that always try to seem new. Have you ever bothered to think how absurd it is to leave one's Catholicism aside on entering a university, or a professional association, or a scholarly meeting, or Congress, as if you were checking your hat at the door?
Critics say this type of counsel makes it impossible for Opus Dei members to be free in political matters, since it creates ideologies such as "National Catholicism," says Alberto Moncada, or "Catholic Totalitarianism," says Argentine Marxist historian Emilio Corbiere, or "Catholofascism," as self-described "militant anti-theist" Johann Hari
Johann Hari
Johann Hari is an award winning British journalist who has been a columnist at The Independent, the The Huffington Post, and contributed to several other publications. In 2011, Hari was accused of plagiarism; he subsequently was suspended from The Independent and surrendered his 2008 Orwell Prize...
describes Opus Dei. Thus, Opus Dei members are placed squarely on the political right, becoming a conservative influence in world affairs, promoting the Vatican's traditionalist policies against divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, gay marriages, contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, etc. http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/011802/011802f.htm. “The claim that Opus Dei is merely a humanitarian organization with no political agenda is simply not credible,” said Frances Kissling
Frances Kissling
Frances Kissling is scholar and activist in the fields of religion, reproduction and women's rights. She was President of Catholics for a Free Choice from 1982 until 2007 when she turned over the reins to Jon O’Brien. She is now a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Bioethics at the University of...
, president of Catholics for a Free Choice. Opus Dei, according to its critics, serves as the Vatican's instrument to oppose the liberal and secular thought expressed by John Stuart Mill's classic statement: "The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way," and lately put into American jurisprudence in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey 1992, “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life."
On the other hand, while espousing respect for each person's freedom of religion and search for truth, Ratzinger says that when there is rebellion against the light of truth revealed by Christ on man's origin and purpose, man is imprisoned in a meaningless existence. The "attempt to be our own god, creator and judge," he stated in The Way of the Cross (2005), leads to self-destruction. The "choice of error does not liberate," says Escrivá, and brings instead the "slavery of sin." His supporters say that the Catholic Church per se is beyond earthly power struggles and is engaged in a fundamental struggle for the peace and happiness of each soul: the battle between the powers of evil and the God-man Jesus Christ who, in the words of Opus Dei's founder, "never loses battles." http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_forge/point/102
According to Escrivá, "face-to-face with God, there is no room for anonymity: either one decides to be his friend or his foe." http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/friends_of_god/36 He also states in a key teaching: "Many great things depend — don't forget it — on whether you and I live our lives as God wants." http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way/point/755 His supporters say that if Christians throughout the world are completely faithful to the Beauty of Truth, Jesus Christ, then "the greatest revolution of all time would take place," according to what they see as the prophetic vision of Opus Dei's founder—a vision altogether dismissed by its many critics.