1. Who are you, what makes you so knowlegeable about Opus Dei, and why should I trust what you say?
My name is Matthew Collins. I'm happily married with 3 children, live in Baltimore, MD and work at a hospital in Baltimore as a computer programmer.
I was a supernumerary member of Opus Dei for almost 27 years. I left Opus Dei on my own initiative for personal reasons, but remain friendly toward the organization, and am now a cooperator.
Why should you trust what I say? Well... read this FAQ, and if it seems to you I'm being open and honest, then believe me. If not, then don't.
Besides, I'm staking my reputation on it, and I'm putting everything I say out there for the whole world to see.
I promise to tell the truth about Opus Dei according to my perspective, and to acknowledge other perspectives. I don't apologize for it. I'm not embarassed by it. I'm just telling it like I see it.
One reader noted that because I live in Baltimore, where there is no center of Opus Dei, I may not be aware of some of the more subtle abuses Opus Dei is accused of. He has a valid point. However, I believe that over the 28 years I have known the Work (as Opus Dei is often called) I have received enough formation and been close enough to get a pretty good feel for how things work.
2. What is Opus Dei?Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by a Spanish priest, Josemaria Escriva. Escriva died on June 26, 1975. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 2002 amid some controversy.
Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, composed of both laity and priests, whose purpose is to fulfill a specific pastoral mission under the jurisdiction of its own prelate, who may or may not be a bishop. Personal prelatures are sort of like dioceses, but they consist of people rather than territory. Opus Dei may operate in dioceses around the world, but only with the express permission of the diocesan bishop. Opus Dei reports directly to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.
Personal prelatures are discussed in Canon Law, canons 294-297.
Personal prelatures were foreseen by Vatican II, largely through the efforts of St. Josemaria, who wanted a juridical structure in the Church which he believed suited Opus Dei better than the old structure of a secular institute. Currently Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in the Church. It was given this status by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will make use of this relatively new and flexible organizational structure in the church and inspire the church to create other personal prelatures to address the various needs of the apostolate.
The specific pastoral mission of Opus Dei is to spread knowledge of the universal call to holiness and to offer its members and others who wish to take part in its activities the assistance they need to become saints in the middle of the world according to Opus Dei's spirit and practice.
One of the specific characteristics of Opus Dei is its emphasis on one's work, whatever it is, as a means of sanctification. We are encouraged to see all the circumstances and events of our lives as opportunities to grow in love for the Lord and to serve the Church.
In Opus Dei we are taught (and teach others) that holiness is not only for priests and nuns. It is the obligation of all Christians to seek holiness. And for lay Christians, we have to seek it right where we are, in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We don't seek holiness despite the activities of our ordinary life as lay people, but precisely through those activities. The "stuff" that goes into being a lay person is the very "stuff" that can make us holy. As part of this path to sanctity, members of Opus Dei follow an intense "plan of life" which focuses on traditional methods of prayer, such as the Rosary, mental prayer, daily Mass, etc.
3. What's Opus Dei all about?
In a nutshell, and following up on the ideas in the previous question, Opus Dei is about spreading the universal call to holiness.
One of the basic responsibilities of ALL Christians is to spread the Good News. Opus Dei encourages its members and all Christians to take this responsibility seriously. The work people do in service to the Gospel message is called "apostolate". In Opus Dei, our apostolate is a "directed apostolate." That is to say, it is supervised by the directors of Opus Dei and is discussed with the member as part of his or her spiritual direction. The director may suggest topics to bring up with specific friends, ask us to invite someone to become a cooperator or member, suggest we invite someone on a retreat, etc.
Opus Dei emphasizes that members are ordinary Catholics. In terms of Canon Law (i.e., the law of the Church) this is true. Nevertheless, members of Opus Dei do have a contractual bond with the prelature that other Catholics don't have, which obliges them to perform certain duties and give obedience to the prelature in all that relates to the prelature's aims.
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