My experience of Opus Dei

By David in Methodist Preacher. David is a preacher in the Birmingham West and Oldbury Circuit of the Methodist Church (UK).

The long planned resignation of Transport Minister Ruth Kelly has once again seen her alleged membership of the Roman Catholic group Opus Dei bought into the spotlight.

I must admit when Ruth was first appointed a Minister I felt uncomfortable with the implication in some quarters that her strong Catholic faith ruled her out from political office in a Labour government.

Now I'm no expert on the Catholic side of things but I'm aware that Opus Dei has always had something of a reputation and few years ago I was surprised to find myself providing a short training session for them.

A small part of my professional life is providing public speaking and media training. It isn't my main business but it brings in a few days work here and there, always useful.

One day I got a phone call and was asked if I could provide an afternoon's public speaking session to a woman's church group conference. I gather they had been let down and needed someone at short notice. By one of those astonishingly strange coincidences I had an appointment in the same city that morning.

Perhaps I should have asked a few more questions but was delighted that a church organisation was prepared to use my skills and halved my fee. On reflection the lady who telephoned me was a little vague.

Eventually I arrived just after lunch at a massive house in a suburb of Glasgow. My immediate impression was that there was a lovely atmosphere about the place and I felt welcomed.

What interested me about the thirty or forty people at the conference is that they genuinely spanned all age groups. I think of the words "woman's church group" and my Methodist mind defaults to a gathering of women in their late fifties and beyond. There were women in their 50s and 60s but there was also a strong representation of women in their late 20s and 30s. They seemed really nice, kind people.

Anyway I did my presentation, took a few questions, and joined them for afternoon tea. It was only when I was handed my fee that the organiser explained that this was an Opus Dei conference and offered me some literature about the controversial founder of the group Josemaria Escriva recently canonised by John Paul II.

I must admit I was a bit taken aback but certainly didn't feel I was meeting a group who were in any way sinister or fanatic. I haven't been asked to do anymore work for them but I now question the knee-jerk reaction of many who immediately denounce Opus Dei. I can understand how it provides the same sort of support that Bible study and house groups provide in a Methodist context. I feel sad that Ruth Kelly's alleged links have been used against her.

By David, a Methodist preacher in UK.