Comments at Pinoy Exchange Forum. By Ziggyboy from Sydney. This is a slightly edited version of the original posts which can be found here and here.
I also studied in a PAREF school back in grade school and some years in high school. I did not graduated though ha ha.
Opus Dei is actually a "Personal Prelature", which is almost synonymous to a diocese; and definitely not to be compared to El Shaddai. It's actually the only personal prelature in existence. They have a bishop who heads them but that's for the whole of Opus Dei in the world. Unlike a diocese which is bound by geographical borders, a personal prelature has only their members as their limits. In effect, Opus Dei members worldwide recognize the Opus Dei bishop also as their bishop and not just (for example) the Cardinal of Manila.
Actually, there is a reason why Opus Dei somehow focuses on prominent people (although they would deny they do--they also have programs for the poor--they run a school for farmers too! Not to mention the Southridge Night School!). Opus Dei believes that one can achieve becoming a true Christian by just doing what you normally do without doing anything extraordinary...because everyday life can be a prayer in itself!
Somehow we get the notion that when you are rich, you're supposed to give away our riches to fully follow God; and when you're poor, you're more likely to enter Heaven. Touching the hearts of the rich and making them do what is moral and just will make more impact to more people because they are influential. For example: There is a cruel rich man with 50 workers in his factory. Evangelize the workers and they might end up sacrificing more or complain less, but evangelize the cruel rich man and you will also help the 50 workers as a result.
Well some of the ideas here are my personal point of views especially the last ones, so please, don't flame Opus Dei.
Opus Dei has programs for the poor, and the Southridge Night School is an excellent one. They offer scholarships for the top students of public schools only. Did you know that the night school actually has a better passing rate at the University of the Philippines more than the day school (the free night school has a higher rank in DECS NSAT compared to the day school and Woodrose, http://www.decs.gov.ph/topnsatncr.htm they are ranked number seven! They do better than Ateneo and Xavier high schools. But the Night School cannot operate without the existence of the day school because it is the "expensive tuition" of the day school that finances them. So by actually studying in Southridge you indirectly sponsor a night school student.
Night high school students use the same facilities and have the same teachers as day school and...for FREE! The only problem is that their grade requirements are very high and you have to come from a public school. Let's see a lowly financed school offer that quality of education to public school students. Would you think it would be possible to do all these without the help of the rich? To have most of their programs for the poor would shoo away the rich and will have dramatic loss of money. Who would fund the newly started programs for the poor? Remember that rich people would only fund organizations they do not benefit from only once in a while. But those they are a part of would benefit greatly from their generosity.
Let's see Ateneo, LaSalle GH/Zobel, Colegio San Agustin, Assumption, Poveda, St. Scholastia's or any religious-run high schools produce great public school student graduates and give it to them for FREE! To me, the night school of Southridge is the best chance that a public school student can ever have in this whole country!
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