 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Josemaria Escriva was born in Babastros, Spain in 1902.
Escriva's father was a priest and raised the family religiously, yet Escriva
spent most of his youth without any unique desire to follow his father's
vocational path. But Escriva reconsidered his future plans right before his
sixteenth birthday when he received a spiritual calling.
While walking through the snow covered streets, "...suddenly something
powerful drew his attention: the tracks left in the snow by the bare
feet of a Carmelite brother. He felt something like a loud knocking
in his soul: is there someone who confronts the cold for the love of
God, and I, what am I doing for Christ? The thought pierced his soul
and it urged him on." (as stated in Saints & Schemers, p 46.) This symbolic
event was the spark that lit Escriva's fervent religious beliefs and his
interest in becoming a priest. He took the event to be a personal calling from God.
Conservative Catholic Influence in Europe
Opus Dei-The Unofficial Webpage Opus Dei Awareness Network Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei The Pope and Opus Dei
Created by Corey Hanson
I. Group Profile
Commonly known as "Opus Dei." (Latin for "Work of God")
II. History
Soon after this first spiritual calling, Escriva entered the priesthood
and began preaching in small rural churches throughout Spain.
Then, on October 2, 1928, while on a retreat in Madrid, Escriva suddenly
received another divine message from God while working at his desk.
At that moment, Escriva knew that the Lord had created the Work, or Opus
Dei as it would later be known. Escriva believed that his purpose
was to spread the spirit of Opus Dei around the world. He believed
that God wanted him to create an organization within the Catholic
Church that emphasized lay people, instead of focusing solely on the
spirituality of clergy 1.
From that day forward,
Escriva began to spread the vision of Opus Dei to anyone that would listen.
In the group's beginning, Escriva targeted the Work to only men. But in
1930, God spoke to him again and made Escriva realize that Opus Dei was
a spiritual opportunity for both sexes. 2
. Soon after this, he established separate branches of Opus Dei for
men and women, which was the beginning of the frequent separation of the sexes
within Opus Dei. 3
. The group began with only a small
following of dedicated priests, men, and women 4
.
and was put on hiatus during the Spanish Civil War when Escriva was forced
to go into hiding. But after Escriva came out of seclusion, he immediately
set up a few Opus Dei residential centers and academies for members, which
helped make Opus Dei flourish.
Then, in 1943, the sphere of Opus Dei widened even more when the Priestly
Society of the Holy Cross was formed. This association allowed diocesan
secular priests to participate in Opus Dei activities and spirituality
without being part of Opus Dei's prelature. 5
.
Over the course of almost fifty years, Opus Dei spread to every corner
of the world. The progression of the group received a huge boost when
the conservative John Paul II became Pope. John Paul II had always highly regarded
the conservative and somewhat strict beliefs of Escriva and Opus Dei's followers.
Pope John Paul II would eventually be instrumental in helping Opus Dei
receive more attention and influence within the Vatican. In 1982, the Pope
made Opus Dei a personal prelature. This enables
the prelate (or leader) of Opus Dei, and not local bishops, to
have complete authority over all Opus Dei activities around the world.
6
Opus Dei is the only lay organization within
the Catholic Church with this special distinction.
Immediately after Escriva's death in 1975, supporters of Opus Dei
and its founder began a campaign for Escriva's canonization, or the
process of becoming a saint. To further display his support for
Opus Dei, Pope John Paul II beatified Josemaria Escriva in Rome in
1992. Beatification is an important step towards canonization in the Roman
Catholic Church. 7
Critics of Opus Dei
were unhappy with this decision because they felt that beatification, a
typically lengthy process, came entirely too quickly after
Escriva's death and because they questioned the practices of Opus
Dei. (See Issues and Controversies)
Today, Opus Dei has spread from a tiny order within Spain during the 1930s to the
rest of the world. Since 1980, branches of Opus Dei have been started in Zaire,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Cameroon, New Zealand,
India, and Israel, to only name a few. 8
III. Beliefs and Practices of the Group
The Message
When Escriva received the vision of "the Work", he imagined
a group of lay people who, through their everyday profession and the guidance
of Opus Dei, would be able to find God in their work and reach holiness
through the life of the laity. At the time of Opus Dei's creation, the
road to holiness was commonly perceived to be reserved for clergymen
and other religious workers. The concept of the work of the layperson
being just as important in the eyes of God as that of a priest was a new concept,
which is now celebrated by followers of Opus Dei.
Thomas Bacha, who graduated from an Opus Dei school,
succinctly states the basic message of Opus Dei: "It taught me a way
of living. They teach that work is important. But it's not just about
making money. The end goal is spiritual. The end goal is to dedicate
your work to God." (As stated in Lynn Neary's NPR interview.)
Practices of Opus Dei
Followers of Opus Dei meet for a group meeting weekly to converse about
their participation in the movemment. They also are required to speak
frequently to their Opus Dei director about spiritual matters and are
expected to regularly go to an Opus Dei priest for confession. Opus
Dei members who are highly involved in the organization usually follow a strict
schedule of daily prayer, spiritual readings, and mortification. (See Numeraries below.)
One of the most controversial practices of some Opus Dei members is their
regular self-mortification, which involves fasting, self-flagellation, and
their frequent wearing of a type of cicile (a spiked leg band.) 9
Self-mortification
was once common in the Church, but has become fairly rare in Catholic
practices. Followers of the Work feel that self-mortification is a way to
be reminded of what the Lord endured. 10
Critics believe that these practices are dangerous
and similar to cult-like behavior.
Many members of Opus Dei live in the group's residential houses.
In the United States, the group has 64 centers in 17 cities. 11
These residences are separated into men's and women's quarters. The separation of the
sexes is an important aspect in the practices of Opus Dei. Men and women "numerary" members
(see definition below) are allowed very little contact with one another.
12
"Assistant numeraries" are women whose role in Opus Dei is to do the domestic
work around the residential centers. No men are
assigned these duties. While critics argue that this is an
example of how some beliefs of Opus Dei are demeaning to women, supporters
of the group do not believe that this is true. These people feel that the
women perform domestic chores gladly and are able to find God in these
tasks, which is the true message behind Opus Dei.
Like all religions, finding new dedicated members is imperative to the group's success.
In Opus Dei, a person does not apply for membership, but is recruited by the
order, which is called "fishing." 13
A high proportion of "fishing" takes place at Catholic secondary schools
and universities. 14
Opus Dei has formed several colleges around the world that help to spread
Escriva's message. Opus Dei receives a lot of criticism
for its recruitment tactics.
Structure and Membership
In reality, although almost entirely a lay organization, Opus Dei still has
its own set of priests who help guide the group members. In fact, the highly
conservative group is surprisingly hierarchical for its status as a lay organization.
There are several different divisions of members and each group's involvement
and knowledge of Opus Dei varies, depending on their commitment.
Providing "about 30% of the total membership, (numeraries) make commitments
to lifelong celibacy and obedience, turn over their secular incomes, live in
communities and take all the course work needed to be priests, although few
are ordained." (as stated in Time, Ostling.) Numeraries practice regular
self-mortification. These members are also expected to have a university
degree. (Some critics argue that Opus Dei recruits well-educated members purposely
in order to infiltrate industries such as politics and the media.) Numeraries make a
commitment to Opus Dei once a year, and after five years, they may choose to
form a lifelong pact with the group. 15
(20%) These members are not required to live in
Opus Dei residency, yet they also commit to celibacy. 16
They often have other committments that prevent them from living
in the Opus Dei houses.
(50%) Supernumeraries are
not committed to celibacy, and are often married or starting a family.
These members follow modified committments.
17
Cooperators are not members
of Opus Dei, but they support the group through financial aid
or prayers. There are about 700,000 Cooperators in
Opus Dei. 18
IV. Issues and Controversies
While trying to find information about Opus Dei, a person is likely
to discover a vast dichotomy of viewpoints on the conservative
Catholic group. Some books and articles provide highly complimentary
descriptions of the group and its founder, while other articles accuse
Opus Dei of being cult-like and dangerous. Whether just or not,
Opus Dei is widely considered the most controversial group in the
Catholic Church today. 19
Critics of the group,
including Catholic liberals and disillusioned Opus dropouts,
often refer to the group as "the Holy Mafia" or "Octupus Dei"
20
due to its allegedly secretive practices, aggressive
recruiting tactics, and its ability to seemingly "...exert undue
influence on the Vatican." 21
When anyone is to mention Opus Dei, they will most likely mention the
secrecy behind the organization, or "holy discretion" as Opus refers
to it. Opus Dei publishes no financial statements, no membership lists
and it reports -- once every five years -- only to the Pope (due to its unique
personal prelature stature.) 22
Even the translated
Constitutions of Opus Dei allude to this secrecy, stating the obligation to
"conceal the number of members from outsiders," "to always maintain prudent
silence about the names of other members, and not to reveal to anyone that
you belong to Opus Dei," (as stated in Saints & Schemers, p 349.)
Critics claim that many Opus Dei organizations do not openly affiliate
themselves with the group, preferring to keep that status secret.
23
The aggressive recruitment tactics of Opus Dei are also mentioned frequently
in discussion of the group. This discussion is not limited
to critics alone. Even "...Escriva's writings emphasize at
least the idea of recruiting. In the internal magazine, Cronica, he
wrote in 1971: 'This holy coercion is necessary, compelle intrare the
Lord tells us.' And, 'You must kill yourselves for proselytism.'"
(as stated by Martin in America.)
Allegedly, potential members are not informed of the nature of Opus Dei at first,
but are typically brought to the group by a friend in an informal and
unassuming situation. Former members claim that they are not told about
the numeraries, secrecy, or vows of celibacy when first learning about the group,
often leaving them feeling deceived. 24
When finally told about Opus Dei "...in the
course of recruitment into the order, young people appear
to have been told not to discuss the order with their families, for
fear that they would not understand, and to inform family members only
after joining" which has "aroused fears of 'kidnapping' and brainwashing
among the general Catholic public." (as stated in Saints & Schemers, p xvi)
Once in Opus Dei, former members claim that their director and the
group control their lives severely, cutting members off from their family
and former friends. Numeraries' mail -- incoming and outgoing -- is read by the director,
which numeraries seem to be OK with, 25
although critics wonder
if the supposed "lay" organization attempts to enforce unrealistic
rules and limit members' freedom. For a period of time,
many bishops within the Catholic Church worried about Opus Dei's aggressive
recruitment of young people. In 1981, a cardinal "...instructed Opus Dei not to
recruit anyone under 18, to ensure that parents were informed, not to
exert undue pressure on people to join, to respect the freedom of members to leave
and to allow members to freely choose spiritual directors." (As stated by Martin
in America.) These instructions seem to cover the main problems that
the majority of people had (or have) with Opus Dei and their allegedly
cult-like behavior.
The rapidly growing influence of Opus Dei within the Vatican as well
as in powerful institutions around the world have also caused critics to
worry and become suspicious of the actions of the group.
Some people worry about the high numbers of Opus Dei members who have
infiltrated professional organizations, in particular education and the
media. 26
This criticism may have stemmed from a 1979 Opus
report that stated participation of its members in 197 colleges,
694 newspapers and magazines, 52 television and radio stations, 38 news
agencies and 12 cinema companies worldwide.27
In fact, "members
are urged to aim for influential positions in politics, the economy,
and the arts. They are encouraged to advance to those positions in their
profession that have a multiplier effect and through which
the association could Christianize society in the Opus Dei manner."
(As stated by Steigleder in Free Inquiry .) Some members
hold powerful positions in their countries' governments,
28
which causes critics to have concern over Opus
Dei's increasing influence. The irony of most criticism of Opus Dei is that
the majority of critics agree that the members are basically good people, yet they are people
with dangerously astray intentions.
V. Links to Opus Dei
Opus Dei
This is the official website produced by Opus Dei. It describes the
purpose and outlook of Opus Dei, gives a short background on the history
of the group, and provides a biography of its founder, Josemaria Escriva.
It also describes current Opus Dei activities around the world, and gives
articles about recent occurences within the group. It obviously gives a pro-Opus Dei
outlook on the group.
http://www.opusdei.org
This website is produced by a liberal Catholic group and provides an
informative viewpoint on the power and influence of Opus Dei, without
being exceptionally accusational or angry. This site gives many statistics
on the group including how many members belong to Opus Dei and lists
the names of some of the more powerful members around the world.
http://www.cath4choice.org/opus.html
An anti-Opus Dei site that presents many arguments
as to why Opus Dei is cult-like and dangerous. For the most part,
the site only alludes to evidence of its argument, while rarely
providing concrete details. But an interesting part of
this website are letters written to the person who created the site by people
who have been involved with Opus Dei. These letters typically describe
the person's experiences with Opus Dei while
responding to the site's argument.
http://www.mond.at/opus.dei
A website designed by a group who views some practices of
Opus Dei as cult-like. Provides support resources for "victims" of
Opus Dei or their families, such as access to an ODAN Newsletter. This site
also provides basic information on Opus Dei as a group. It is not a harshly accusational
site, yet it obviously takes an anti-Opus stance on the issue.
http://www.odan.org/index.html
This site gives an article written about Opus Dei and the controversies behind
the group. The article describes why the group is often thought of as a sect of
the Catholic Church and why many people fear that Opus Dei is dangerous.
http://users.skynet.be/sky73819/opusdei.html
This site is an article written by a well-known priest of Opus Dei. It states the basic
beliefs of Opus Dei and its founder, Escriva, and also describes why the Pope supports the
group so strongly.
http://www.catholicity.com/Cathedral/mccloskey/popeandopusdei.html
VI. Bibliography
Footnotes*
*Full references are found in the bibliography. Page numbers
for many items are not given because they have been accessed
from electronic databases. Infotrac Search Bank and
Dow Jones Interactive Publications Library are the two primary
electronic sources utilized on this page. If you are affiliated
with a college or university, your library may have a site license
so that you can access these sites.
1. Ostling, Richard."Building God's Global Castle:
Opus Dei is a Highly Controversial Movement in Catholicism."
2. Fuenmayo, Amadeo. The Canonical Path of Opus Dei. p25
3. Fuenmayo, Amadeo. The Canonical Path of Opus Dei. p32
4. Fuenmayo, Amadeo. The Canonical Path of Opus Dei. p31
5. O'Connor, William. Opus Dei: An Open Book. p30
6. Neary, Lynn. NPR Interview
7. Neary, Lynn. NPR Interview
8. Estruch, Joan. Saints and Schemers.
9. Ostling, Richard. Time
10. Ostling, Richard. Time
11. Martin, James. America
12. Martin, James. America
13. Estruch, Joan. Saints and Schemers. p xvi
14. Estruch, Joan. Saints and Schemers. p xvi
15. Martin, James. America
16. Ostling, Richard. Time
17. Ostling, Richard. Time
18. Ostling, Richard. Time
19. Mendez-Acosta, Mario. Free Inquiry
20. Ostling, Richard. Time
21. Neary, Lynn. NPR Interview
22. Hutchison, Robert. Guardian Features Page
23. Martin, James. America
24. Martin, James. America
25. Martin, James. America
26. Estruch, Joan. Saints and Schemers. p xvi
27. Estruch, Joan. Saints and Schemers. p xviii
28. Lernoux, Penny. The Nation
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Spring, 1999
Last modified: 07/18/01