Wikipedia Deep Dive

Opus Dei

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On October 2, 1928, a young Spanish priest named Josemaría Escrivá experienced what he would later describe as a vision: in that moment, he believed he saw the organization that would transform millions of lives around the world. He called it Opus Dei—the Work of God—not to claim credit for having founded it, but to underscore that the work belonged to God alone. The name was deliberate, almost defiant in its humility.

In a small apartment in Madrid, Escrivá began gathering a handful of students and friends who shared his conviction that holiness could be pursued not only in monasteries and cloisters, but in the midst of ordinary secular life—in offices, factories, kitchens, and classrooms. The organization he founded would eventually spread to more than 90 countries, attract over 70% of its members living in their own homes while maintaining careers, and become one of the most influential yet controversial movements in modern Catholicism.

A Vision Born in Crisis

The Spain into which Opus Dei was born was not peaceful. The organization emerged during the Spanish Civil War, a brutal conflict that pitted brother against brother and saw the methodical destruction of religious institutions across the country. Escrivá himself narrowly escaped death several times, spending three years hiding in Madrid while his movement waited in the shadows.

By 1939, he emerged from hiding and published The Way, a collection of 999 spiritual maxims designed for people living ordinary lives in secular professions. The timing was deliberate—Spain was now entering the Francoist dictatorship, and Escrivá saw an opportunity to spread his message of holiness through daily work to a population desperate for spiritual meaning amid political upheaval.

The movement grew rapidly during these early years, spreading first throughout Spain and then beyond its borders after 1945. Escrivá faced constant resistance from traditionalists who misunderstood the organization's focus on personal freedom in matters of faith—a characteristic he considered essential. He later recalled that his greatest difficulties arose in Spain itself, where enemies of personal freedom twisted his ideas into something they could reject.

The Path to Rome

In 1947, Escrivá moved Opus Dei's headquarters to Rome, placing the organization at the heart of Catholic authority. That move proved strategic: Pope Pius XII granted the organization a decree of praise and approval in 1950, granting it the status of "pontifical right"—meaning it operated under the direct governance of the Pope himself.

This approval was significant. It allowed married people to join the organization and permitted secular clergy admission to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross—the branch of Opus Dei specifically for priests. The movement now had official Vatican recognition, though it remained small and little known outside Catholic circles.

The approval came at a cost. Several members of Opus Dei later became ministers under dictator Francisco Franco in Spain—including Alberto Ullastres—a connection that would later draw criticism and fuel conspiracy theories about the organization's alleged political influence.

A Personal Prelature

In 1982, Pope John Paul II formally affirmed Opus Dei's status as a personal prelature through the apostolic constitution Ut sit. This was a remarkable transformation: an organization born in the chaos of civil war had become one of the Catholic Church's most unique structures.

A personal prelature is unusual in Catholic canon law. Unlike a territorial diocese that governs a geographic region, a personal prelature governs people regardless of where they reside—as long as they belong to the movement, their spiritual status falls under the direct jurisdiction of the prelate of Opus Dei wherever they are.

One-third of the world's bishops sent letters petitioning for Escrivá's canonization—a staggering number that indicated both his popularity and the Vatican's appetite for saints. He was beatified in 1992 despite controversy surrounding questions about his suitability for sainthood—concerns that had arisen from various quarters within the Church.

By 2002, approximately 300,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square to witness his canonization day—a testament to both the movement's growth and its ability to mobilize Catholics around a shared spiritual hero.

Saints and Sinners

The beatification process revealed an interesting cast of characters seeking sainthood within Opus Dei. Among them was Ernesto Cofiño, a father of five children and pioneer in pediatric research in Guatemala; Montserrat Grapes, a teenage Catalan student who died of cancer; Tommy Zweifel, a Swiss engineer; and Dora del Hoyo, a domestic worker.

The organization also produced notable cardinals during Pope John Paul II's pontificate: Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne and Julián Herranz Casado both became cardinals—powerful figures within the Catholic hierarchy.

In 2014, Pope Francis beatified Álvaro del Portillo, Escrivá's successor, saying "he teaches us that in the simplicity and ordinariness of our life we can find a sure path to holiness." By the end of that year, Opus Dei had spread to 69 countries while its members were present in 90.

But controversy continued. In 2005, Opus Dei's first publicly-known sexual abuse case in the United States—against C. John McCloskey—was settled for $977,000. The organization publicly acknowledged this abuse, marking an unprecedented acknowledgment of internal problems. Then in July 2020, it occurred again: a Spanish case involving priest Manuel Coiña.

The Da Vinci Shadow

In 2005, Opus Dei received unexpected global attention through the novel The Da Vinci Code by Daniel Brown, which portrayed both Opus Dei and the Catholic Church itself as antagonists working against the protagonists. The film version was released globally in May 2006, further polarizing views on the organization.

This fictional portrayal—however inaccurate—was not entirely without basis. The organization's secretiveness, its internal discipline, its influence within Vatican corridors, and its controversial history of fighting against modern secularism all contributed to a perception that it existed somewhere beyond ordinary religious boundaries.

Pope Francis himself would later intervene in 2022 with the apostolic letter "Ad charisma tuendum," seeking to protect what he called the "charism"—the original foundational spirit of Opus Dei. The new rules stipulated that the head of Opus Dei can no longer become a bishop, but is granted use of the title of Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotary with the title of Reverend Monsignor.

A Movement in Motion

Today, Opus Dei remains both deeply traditional and radically innovative—a personal prelature that defies conventional Catholic structures while maintaining strict hierarchical control. Its members span from CEOs to nurses, from politicians to teachers—all bound by a common understanding that their ordinary daily lives can become paths to holiness.

The movement continues to expand: in 2019, Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri—one of the first women who joined Opus Dei—was beatified in Madrid, marking the first woman of the group to receive this recognition. Under Pope Francis's reforms, new statutes were mandated to bring Opus Dei's organization into conformity with Church law—reforms that came into effect on August 4, 2022.