In Phatmass:
Opus Dei is incredible, it helps you to ferret out the weaknesses in your spiritual life and make them stronger, and at the same time you get good advice for life in general.
I would really recommend Opus Dei for anyone who is well-grounded in their faith, but wants to go deeper, or anyone who wants to become a saint . . . Yes, I know, I just included *any* good Catholic, but I think it's a good enough group that those are the people i would recommend it to.
The really unfortunate thing is that they aren't available everywhere yet.
Peace,
Joe
Opus Dei: Reality, Experiences and Myths
Monday, August 25, 2025
Incredible
Wonderful group of people in the heart of the Church
From Korean Brother in Reddit:
Opus Dei is truly the work of God. They are orthodox Catholics who strive to grow in holiness in their state of life according to the Gospel message and the guidance of Holy Mother Church.
The methods and practices they utilize in their spiritual life are nothing new, but reflect traditions and practices of the Church in place for a very long time.
I have received spiritual direction from Opus Dei priests for numerous years now and attend their catechetical programs as well as their Day of Recollection.
Wonderful group of people who exist in the heart of the Church.
Things in Opus Dei I like the most
From StrikeThatEd in Reddit:
I’m going to point out the things in the Opus Dei that I like the most:
They are high achievers and put their most in anything they do. They tend to be people you can rely on since they make it their own purpose to do their very best.
I love how they understand that male and female spirituality is different and they adapt all their activities to those differences.
I like how they promote the idea that you can sacrifice yourself through your daily activities and life.
I like the way they are very strict with detail, especially regarding liturgy, prayer, confession, cleanliness and beauty of holy places etc. In my experience, all the centres, parishes and sanctuaries they run are always immaculate and super clean and functional.
The Opus Dei outside of Spain seems to me way more “normal” than the Opus Dei in Spain, or at least that’s been my experience. I’ve been to centres in France, and the UK, and also attended Mass at a parish in the US. However, my exposure outside of Spain has been limited.
I hope this gives an insight, and feel free to ask me any more questions regarding my experience with the Opus Dei.
Phenomenal people
From Reddit:
I'm heavily involved with them. They have been a major part in my spiritual formation over the few years particularly.
Personally, everyone I have met from Opus Dei (and I'm talking those well known among the members, and also those within our local level, some nationally as well) have been phenomenal people.
I attend montly circles, doctrine classes, get spiritual direction, and attend recollections and retreats. I cannot say I've seen a single thing that had turned me off to them, or anything that makes me pause and say, nah - run.
I'm well aware of the controversy around them. And just like anything (and everything) in the church, in the midst of beauty and reverence is always wolves in sheep's clothing because humans are flawed. Jesus CHOSE Judas among the 12 to teach us a lesson that even those in the inner circle can be tainted by evil.
So that's to say that I don't condemn those who have had truly bad experiences. The Spirit of Opus Dei ain't for everyone, and some people may well have been wronged by those they trusted.
But I also think that those who have had incredible life changing experiences with The Work should not be ignored or silenced either.
My faith has deepened and I have a special love and devotion to St Josemaria that has drawn me and my family closer to Christ and Our Blessed Mother. So for me, Opus Dei is an important part of my faith life, and I encourage others to seek them out on their own and make up their mind from there.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
L'Opus Dei : enquête sur le "monstre"
L'Opus Dei : enquête sur le "monstre" (English: Opus Dei: Inquiry into the "Monster") is a French-language journalistic and historical work of Patrice de Plunkett about Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church. Plunkett was the editor of the French magazine Le Figaro. His book was released on 17 May 2006, the debut of the film The Da Vinci Code which portrayed Opus Dei in a negative light.[1] The purpose of the book is to inform the public about the Catholic Church, Christianity and Opus Dei,[2] and to understand the black legend against Opus Dei.[3]
Purpose[edit]
According to Plunkett, the purpose of his book was to "re-inform our contemporaries" because "We are entering an era where Christianity is not known to the public."[4] He sees that The Da Vinci Code sends the following message:[3][4]
- Opus Dei is a monster
- Opus Dei is a product of the Church
- The Church makes monsters
He believes that Opus Dei is a "concentrate" of what our times accuse the Roman Catholic Church of. By casting light on the daughter (Opus Dei), he said, he was casting light on the mother (the Catholic Church).[4]
Plunkett begun his research when he found out that 31% of French readers believed in the contents of The Da Vinci Code, although he already had an initial idea of conducting an investigation when there was media consensus against the beatification of Josemaría Escrivá in 1992.[2]
Content[edit]
The poor image of Opus Dei, Plunkett concluded, is due in part to the Opus Dei strategy of silence or "discretion".[3][4] He is certain that members and officers of Opus Dei committed mistakes that contributed to this poor image.[4] "But nothing, in fact, corresponds to the charges (even hugely improbable) that circulate against Opus Dei," he stated.[3] The error of Opus Dei was to extend its system of "discretion" (born of the Spanish situation) beyond the borders of Spain.[3] This gave Opus Dei an image of a secret society. The reason it fells into this error was its great confidence in the universality of its form of organization. And it took The Da Vinci Code for Opus Dei to understand how this discretion has harmed it.[4]
Plunkett asserts that his investigation has led to surprising discoveries.[3] "It is not the left that opened hostilities against Opus Dei but the extreme wing of the Francoist government in Spain of the 1940s, because Josemaria Escriva refused to integrate with the official ideology of the time! "Holy Mafia", "White freemasonry': all these terms which our present-day media make use of today when they speak of Opus Dei, have been forged in Spain for over sixty years by the newspapers of the Falange."[4]
As to the reason why the black legends against Opus Dei ran across the decades, Plunkett provides this explanation:[3][4]
- From 1970 to the present, society projected its successive fantasies on Opus Dei, according to the "needs" of every era.
- The 70s media brought back the idea of Opus Dei rightist mafia that was opposed to the ideas of 1968.
- The 80s saw Opus Dei as representing the "cult" which was an enemy of individualistic hedonism and consumerism.
- The 90s decided that the conservative shift of John Paul II can only be explained by a conspiracy hatched by Opus Dei.
After September 11, 2001, the media dressed up Opus Dei again into something else: "the secret network that is plotting the victory of the Christian West." European opinion leaders were threatened by Islam but didn't want to deal with it, and so they posed as critics of all fundamentalism in religion. They attribute this fundamentalism in the Catholic Church to Opus Dei.[4]
Between 2001 and 2006, the myth of Opus Monster was fed by the appearance of Christianophobia or Catholic phobia in the wealthy Western societies, especially France. After September 11, our opinion leaders decided that all religions are dangerous.[3] They searched among the Catholic groups what would embody the fundamentalism that they saw in Islamic groups. And they chose Opus Dei. This is the latest mutation of a virus containing a black legend.[3]
Thus, Plunkett said that from age to age, society uses the myth of the Opus Dei monster for different reasons, even contradictory to each other. Opus Dei, the "enemy of today's values" for the Falange is still the "enemy of today's values" for the liberals.[4]
Enquête sur le « monstre » explains the success of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code on the popular image which has been carved through the decades, an image to which Dan Brown can easily add another layer, even darker and scarier, because the public has already been accustomed to see Opus Dei as a monster. Thus, Plunkett dedicates a chapter on conspiracy theories throughout the centuries: Jesuit conspiracy, Masonic conspiracy, Jewish conspiracy.[4]
Plunkett is perplexed whether the monstrosity that scares both the rightist Spaniard of the 1940s and the contemporary journalist is really monstrous or it is Opus Dei's vision of life, the Catholic vision of life, something that escapes the "politically correct" of each era, i.e. those who are behave in ideologic conformity to an orthodox authority of a specific time.
Today, Plunkett sees Opus Dei has learned the lessons of The Da Vinci Code. It has learned that its traditional discretion has backfired, and that in this day and age transparency is security. "It is essential for people to understand who we exactly are, and what we do, and why we do what we do."[4]
As to the nature of Opus Dei, he described it as a "service station", providing members and other active people some spiritual services which they ask for, providing advice, methods of prayer, study, evenings of reflection in small groups.[3] Some of the "users" make a special contract to make a permanent bond between themselves and the service station.[3]
Many of the members of Opus Dei are engaged in schools, universities, clinics, hospitals, and welfare centers.[3] He also investigated the accusation on whether there is a financial octopus in Opus Dei, and also the well-known companies created by the laity of Opus Dei, managed by them according to its culture.[3] He concluded that these companies do not belong to Opus Dei: the money from these corporations - charitable donations, the potential benefits - is not sent to Rome.[3] If money was sent to Rome, these companies would go bankrupt, he said.[3] One of the surprises in his investigation is that there is no evidence that Opus Dei functions as a "money pump".[3]
Research process[edit]
According to Plunkett, Opus Dei was at first cautious about cooperating with the investigation but later on cooperated willingly when it was seen that the investigation was to their advantage due to the success of The Da Vinci Code.[2]
He also investigated about Opus Dei in other sectors of the Catholic Church, including the Vatican and the dioceses with secular and anticlerical historians. He placed special emphasis on the younger generation of Spanish researchers. He also went to various countries of Europe and Latin America.[2]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Rendez-vous manqué avec l'Opus Dei in Libre
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d Interview with Plunkett in the Opus Dei page
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Interview exclusif de Patrice de Plunkett, auteur d'une nouvelle enquête sur l'Opus Dei Par Pr. Youri Davincikof
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l Entretien avec l’auteur de L’Opus Dei – Enquête sur le « monstre », Zenit
References[edit]
- Interview exclusif de Patrice de Plunkett, auteur d'une nouvelle enquête sur l'Opus Dei
- Zenit interview with Plunkett
- Interview in the Opus Dei page
- Entretin avec l'auteur de L'Opus Dei: enquete sur le monstre, Catholique.org
- Rendezvous Manque avec L'Opus Dei, La libre.be
External links[edit]
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Ding Capitin: a hero who died on National Heroes Day
ARMANDO M. CAPITIN
Date of birth: 9 September 1951
Date of death: 30 August 2021
This article puts together accounts of several people about Ding Capitin.
Ding Capitin worked as a swimming instructor and lifeguard in the US Embassy, then later as a salesman of Japanese cars. His experience in both institutions honed his training and interpersonal relationship skills. With this, he had the makings of an apostolic hero: friendly, confident and faithful to God.
Ding got in touch with Opus Dei in an unusual way. A famous columnist writing negatively against some known members of Opus Dei led Ding to discover the truth. As a result, he joined the Work on 7 December 1992 in Sangandaan Cultural Center in Makati, the financial hub of the Philippines.
From the beginning of his vocation to Opus Dei, he strove to live the spirit of the Work well, striving to sanctify his daily activities and do the norms of piety—a heroism in little things of each day. A triathlete and fitness buff, he brought the spirit of struggle into his Christian life. He pinpointed points of struggle, then prayed to God and worked on these areas until he overcame them.
At Sangandaan, he joined the center’s Tagalog group, where he became one of the elder brothers who always brought fun and laughter to the group and who regularly shared his wisdom and his apostolic and professional adventures.
This group took charge of dealing with blue-collar workers such as drivers, technicians, janitors, guards, etc. Ding knew that to be an effective formator, he cannot give what he does not have. Thus, he ensured on-time attendance and prioritized his means of formation: recollections, talks, circles, etc. He always arrived early. Oftentimes, you would hear him say that the only time you cannot attend is when you are already dead. He continued on in Sangandaan until the end of his life, even when the traffic worsened.
He brought this same dedication and fighting spirit into his professional development. When he retired from the US Embassy, he started to work at Dualtech Training Center, a technical-vocational school that prepares young people for employment in industrial firms. He would bike to and from Dualtech. Despite the inconveniences of a starting school in a new Industrial Park, he would bike through the mud trail every day.
Because of his apostolic heroism, he also helped in the PAREF-Southridge Afternoon School and the Dagatan Family Farm School. After some years, he became full-time in Dualtech while continuing as a peer coach for new fathers in Southridge Afternoon School.
In Dualtech and Southridge, he made many friends and did a lot of apostolate. As someone who took his formation seriously, he was able to give very good advice to the people around him, guiding them to live a Christian life in their daily lives.
He was among the team of Industrial Coordinators of Dualtech until his retirement when he became Dualtech’s consultant for community relations. He represented Dualtech in its campaigns to schools and parishes. With tireless enthusiasm, he went to nearly all the regions of the Philippines, from Cuyo in Palawan to Mindanao to Ilocos to Bicol and so on.
Ding was proud of Dualtech. He offered Dualtech to poor families and students as hope and an opportunity for transformation. He guided the younger Dualtech employees in their life goals and in the pursuit of their careers. He connected well with young and old, employees and students. He instilled the highest possible degree of discipline among students by ensuring to toughen them up. And he found ways to follow up. Despite the age gap and the busy schedules, he found time to chat with each mentee assigned to him.
He was also an advocate of exercise and keeping fit. He coached his friends in swimming and running. Dualtech people joined marathons and fun runs because of his influence and eventually Dualtech itself became an organizer of local running events because of his expertise.
Ding enjoyed seeing people happy in any gathering. He would initiate stories or jokes—no matter how “corny"—just to make sure people feel comfortable and enjoy each other’s company. He also loved to take pictures and post happy memories on Facebook.
One of the secrets of Ding’s cheerful disposition is his family. He loved his wife, Caridad, whose nickname is Ying, and brought her along to get-togethers, parties and gatherings. The Capitin couple was always on courtship mode even after more than 30 years of marriage. After years of prayer, God gifted him with Angelo or Gelo, his only son.
On 23 August 2021, Monday, Ding started not feeling well and asked for prayers. Ding said that he was offering his pains for everyone and praying for them.
On 25 August, as he said that his condition has improved, he still prepared a video of a talk for the recollection that was shown the following day. He also attended a meeting at Dualtech on 27 August, Friday.
His health took a sudden turn for the worse on Sunday, 29 August. That night his test indicated that he had Covid. While two ambulances (one sent by a supernumerary friend, Ed Tan, and the other by Dualtech) were on their way to his home the following morning, Ding passed away.
Ding’s son, Gelo, said that since his dad is a hero, he fittingly died on National Heroes Day. Then he posted every day on his Facebook page the lessons his dad taught him: not to dwell on problems, but to solve them; to be always cheerful, as you can cure someone else’s sorrow; to listen to others, even though you don’t understand everything, as it is a way of showing love; how to swim and float by relaxing and not being stiff; to do home duties that can be enjoyed to build character and maturity; to maintain a strong bond of connection with your child as the most powerful means to realize the father’s hope for the child; to make your child curious, by explaining things and always answering his questions, no matter how many they were; to be steadfast, since being firm is your weapon so as not to lose hope.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Our Mommy, Montse: A Eulogy for Montse Cuervo
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Eulogy by granddaughter Marina for Montse Cuervo
---------------------------------------------------------------