Any Opus Dei members or experience?

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Brooklyn

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I find myself being drawn more and more to Opus Dei, but it has gotten such a bad rap in the media. I’ve been reading Josemaria Escriva’s books, and I think they are wonderful. I live in New York City, so I’m actually not far from the US headquarters for Opus Dei.

Just wondering if anyone can give me their experiences or thoughts on this organization. Thanks.
 
I don’t have much experience with them, but the experience I’ve had is very good. I would recommend checking them out. Anyone I’ve ever met who has been in any way affiliated with them have been rock solid Catholics.

Scott Hahn wrote a book on Opus Dei, too. It’s called Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace.

Poor Opus Dei. They got turned into the “villain” in that stupid “Da Vinci Code” and it will take some time before they can live that down.
 
Meeting Opus Dei was the best thing that ever happened to me. Friends introduced me in the late 1970’s. In the ensuing years, I have received wonderful doctrinal formation and spiritual direction. I’ve been on great retreats and been to confession with priests who all seemed to have the Holy Spirit speaking directly through them.

Brooklyn, why not give a call to Murray Hill Place and see what activities they have coming up. I’d say start with an Evening or Morning of Recollection. This includes a couple of meditations preached by the priest, a talk by a lay member, opportunity for confession and benediction. Sometimes there might be Mass, especially in the morning. It’s like a mini-retreat, so there might be a more silent aspect to it than you expect. Some people misinterpret this as unfriendliness and are put off by it needlessly.

You can attend the means of formation without becoming a member or making any commitment at all for as long as you like. Being a member is truly a vocation, as much as being a priest, brother or sister, and requires a similar discernment.

Red Meg will probably be along soon with some guidance for you. In the meantime, I’d be happy to answer any questions I can for you.

Betsy
 
Though I have only one encounter with an Opes Dei priest as a spiritual director, he was very practical and discerned to encourage my vocation in this world and how to apply it. Too bad he was moved, but they are commited to serve in the light of this world. A very traditional practioner of the faith.
 
John Allen, a journalist with the National Catholic Reporter, wrote a book entitled Opus Dei which is supposed to be very fair.

Don’t commit yourself to anything in a hurry. Take your time to get to know some OD members and ask all the questions which your reading has raised. If you send me your email address I can send you a FAQ written by an ex numerary; this was on the internet but something happened to the website.

In my state of Australia if I had any serious questions about the Church I would go to an OD priest because they are the only ones I could be sure of being totally faithful to the Magisterium and completely orthodox.
 
Lo and behold, here I am, Betsy! 😃

I’m also running around like a headless chicken today. I’ll try and come back and write up something “real” tomorrow when things are a mite more settle down around here. In the meantime, though, if you could mention any specific concerns you have, it would make it easier for myself and others to address them…

Best,

Margaret
 
Sorry, this may be a stupid question, but what bad press was given them? I am not familiar with the DaVinci Code and whatever is in it. Also, what does the Opus Dei do?

God bless,
Jesse
 
JPayne said:
Sorry, this may be a stupid question, but what bad press was given them? I am not familiar with the DaVinci Code and whatever is in it. Also, what does the Opus Dei do?

God bless,
Jesse
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Let’s let Opus Dei explain it for you. www.opusdei.org

Don’t bother with the DaVinci Code - the book and the movie cast Opus Dei in a villainous role, and both are full of misinformation.

Betsy
 
Back in the late 1980s I met a woman who was a numerary in Opus Dei. Her life example amazed me. After getting to know her better I began to convert to the Catholic Church, with her as my sponsor. Then I moved away and my conversion process stopped.

I never forgot her, and I still have the Bible she loaned me. Finally, this past year, I seriously went back to converting to the Catholic Church. I am devoted to Saint Josemaria Escriva. His book “The Way” has been a part of my life since my first “attempt” at conversion so long ago.

I hope that once I am Catholic (or sooner!) I will find some Opus Dei members in my area. There is nothing sinister about Opus Dei. Saint Josemaria is called “the saint of the ordinary.” I can’t think of a much more effective way to live one’s faith than to LIVE one’s faith. Opus Dei-ers live their faith.
 
Thank you all for your answers and affirmations. I am looking for true spiritual discipline in my life, and this definitely seems like a good way to go.
 
Rather than starting a new thread, I will ask this here.

Does anyone have information on Opus Dei in the Cincinnati Ohio Area??
I would be interested in learning how active they are here and possibly some contact information.

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Does anyone have information on Opus Dei in the Cincinnati Ohio Area??
I would be interested in learning how active they are here and possibly some contact information.
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James, not being from the area, I don’t have first hand information, but you can always go to the Opus Dei website and click on “contact us” right at the top of the page. If you send them an email with your location, they will respond with information about the activities closest to you.

Betsy
 
Unfortunately, the writings of St. Josemaria and the reality of his organization are often two different things.

True, the DaVinci Code was full of disinformation and fantasy. However, that does not detract from real concerns of the faithful regarding the practices of Opus Dei. If it were me I would stay clear. You can find the same spiritual discipline without the baggage and strings of Opus Dei, by finding a good Traditional priest, reading good Traditional Catholic books/ lives of Saints and attending the Traditional Mass. A lot of what St. Josemaria teaches regarding acts of piety/ plan of life are simply Traditional spiritual practices.

Before getting involved I would read these critiques. Good luck and God Bless.

sspx.org/miscellaneous/opus_dei.htm

catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/jopus.htm

odan.org/
 
Lamentabili said:
Unfortunately, the writings of St. Josemaria and the reality of his organization are often two different things.

True, the DaVinci Code was full of disinformation and fantasy. However, that does not detract from real concerns of the faithful regarding the practices of Opus Dei. If it were me I would stay clear. You can find the same spiritual discipline without the baggage and strings of Opus Dei, by finding a good Traditional priest, reading good Traditional Catholic books/ lives of Saints and attending the Traditional Mass. A lot of what St. Josemaria teaches regarding acts of piety/ plan of life are simply Traditional spiritual practices.

Before getting involved I would read these critiques. Good luck and God Bless.

sspx.org/miscellaneous/opus_dei.htm

catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/jopus.htm

odan.org/
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I’m afraid I can’t accept any of these links. One is from the Society of St. Pius X, which, even though Pope Benedict XVI has reached out to them, is still considered heretical, and your other two links seem very critical of the post Vatican II Church. I agree there are a lot of problems in the Church, but I wonder if you are one of those who doesn’t believe there has been a valid pope since Pius XII.

Our Lord promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. The organizations associated with the links you posted to do not believe that. Therefore, since they reject the words of Christ, I must reject them.
 
Brooklyn,

Those who believe there has been no valid Pope since Pius XII are called sedevacantists. I am not a sedevacantist and neither are the SSPX or the people who run the websites of the other two links I sent you. We have a right as Catholics to express our concerns regarding Vatican II and the reforms issued in its name. By doing this we are not saying the gates of Hell have prevailed over the Church. In fact we are doing the opposite by trying to restore the Church by changing the direction we are currently headed in.

The Pope has never declared the SSPX to be heretical. A heresy is a denial of a Catholic dogma. Regardless of the Society’s present canonical status, they have never denied any Catholic dogma, thus there is no question of heresy. Thus one could read the article from the Society website on its own merits and let its arguments stand or fall regardless of who it is that is making them.

The Catholic Apologetics website is Traditional Catholic, but I’m not aware that it is affiliated officially with the Society. I don’t think it is.

The ODAN website is definitely NOT affiliated with the SSPX or any Traditional Catholic organization. That website consists of the testimonies of former members of Opus Dei. Anyone who is considering getting involved with the organization, I think, should at least hear these people out as they were in the organization themselves.

In addition, here is another article written by a modern day Jesuit priest (hardly anti-Vatican II) critical of Opus Dei.

americamagazine.org/content/articles/martin-opusdei.cfm
 
Brooklyn said:
I find myself being drawn more and more to Opus Dei, but it has gotten such a bad rap in the media. I’ve been reading Josemaria Escriva’s books, and I think they are wonderful. I live in New York City, so I’m actually not far from the US headquarters for Opus Dei.

Just wondering if anyone can give me their experiences or thoughts on this organization. Thanks.
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By their fruits you shall know them. My daily spiritual reading is IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, 7 volumes worth. Written by an Opus Dei Priest, it is intended for those who, like me, desire to livre a holy life dedicated to God, while living in the secular world as a lay person. About three pages a day. You can read the three sections in one gulp, or just a page worth three times a day. In any case, this has become my daily, and probably lifetime, spiritual nourishment.
 
Boy, busy thread!

In response to your original query, Brooklyn, I came into contact with Opus Dei as a college freshman back in 1989. At the time, I was a terribly-catechized Catholic inching my way out of the Church. I met a numerary through the campus Pro-Life group. To give you an idea of how far out there I was, I very cheekily informed her that the only thing the Pope and I agreed on was abortion. Everything else-- women priests, gays, contraception, etc-- I was really drinking the cultural Kool-Aid at the time, and bought into it wholeheartedly.

By the grace of God, this gal put up with my blathering ignorance and invited me to go on a retreat. I did, and it truly brought about a profound conversion in my life. To this day, I am astounded at God’s grace and mercy towards me in that moment. He is unbelievably patient and generous.

After the retreat, I realized how much catching up I had to do. I was actually kind of angry that 12 years of Catholic education had left me so poorly informed as to what the Church actually taught, and why. Thankfully, the center near my college offered weekly catechism classes, at a truly college level, not the usual watery, “let’s share our opinions” stuff I’d gotten all through high school. I took advantage of as many activities as I could-- catechism, as I said, plus evenings of recollection, confession, loans of spiritual reading books, etc. I was and am still so grateful that God put Opus Dei in my path.

Fast foward several years-- I married, moved across the country, and had three very young children. I still remained in touch with the Work, attended as much as I could given the kiddies, and made an annual retreat, but wasn’t really clear on whether or not I had a vocation. One day it finally hit me-- the priest who preached that very first retreat I made, and who was the celebrant at my wedding, passed away. On the day of his funeral (couldn’t attend from across the country) I was praying for him at Mass and realized very clearly that I had a vocation to Opus Dei. So I trotted off to the center after breakfast and wrote a letter requesting admission.

The rest, as they say, is history. I’m deeply thankful for the ongoing formation and support (really important, that!) in trying to pursue holiness and really live as a saint in the midst of all the bedlam that is my life. I have eight children now, and my ninth is on the way. It is so terribly helpful to me that I’ve had this habit of prayer ingrained in me over these months and years, because prayer is honestly not my first natural impulse, especially when the going gets tough. But I know down to my inmost being, when one of my kids throws me a curve ball (and one of my teens has been throwing them thick and fast lately!) that I am not alone in this struggle, and that my Father God is really the one in charge, and that He does not lose battles. (Divine filiation is the cornerstone of Opus Dei spirituality.)

That’s it in a nutshell. But look-- you need to really try this on for size yourself. You can read about it all you want, but it’s really the living of it that will give you a better sense. Go visit a center. Meet some people. Attend a couple of recollections or talks or whatever. If anything bothers you or strikes you as “off,” ask some direct questions. That’s not rude, it’s sensible. Opus Dei is not for everybody, but for those who have the vocation, it’s a perfect fit.

Best of luck to you,

Margaret
 
baltobetsy said:
James, not being from the area, I don’t have first hand information, but you can always go to the Opus Dei website and click on “contact us” right at the top of the page. If you send them an email with your location, they will respond with information about the activities closest to you.

Betsy
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Thanks

Peace
James
 
Lamentabili said:
Brooklyn,

Those who believe there has been no valid Pope since Pius XII are called sedevacantists. I am not a sedevacantist and neither are the SSPX or the people who run the websites of the other two links I sent you. We have a right as Catholics to express our concerns regarding Vatican II and the reforms issued in its name. By doing this we are not saying the gates of Hell have prevailed over the Church. In fact we are doing the opposite by trying to restore the Church by changing the direction we are currently headed in.

The Pope has never declared the SSPX to be heretical. A heresy is a denial of a Catholic dogma. Regardless of the Society’s present canonical status, they have never denied any Catholic dogma, thus there is no question of heresy. Thus one could read the article from the Society website on its own merits and let its arguments stand or fall regardless of who it is that is making them.

The Catholic Apologetics website is Traditional Catholic, but I’m not aware that it is affiliated officially with the Society. I don’t think it is.

The ODAN website is definitely NOT affiliated with the SSPX or any Traditional Catholic organization. That website consists of the testimonies of former members of Opus Dei. Anyone who is considering getting involved with the organization, I think, should at least hear these people out as they were in the organization themselves.

In addition, here is another article written by a modern day Jesuit priest (hardly anti-Vatican II) critical of Opus Dei.

americamagazine.org/content/articles/martin-opusdei.cfm
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Just as a comment from one with little experience with Opus Dei or any other “spiritual” group (third orders etc.) I expect that Opus Dei like any other group in the church will have it’s adherents and detractors, it’s zealots and it’s critics. Opus Dei is an organization promoting a deeper spritual life. The techniques used will appeal to some and not appeal to others.
I think it is good to look over critical information as well as information supporting an organization so one can determine if a particular course of spirituality fits them well.

Such reading and discerning neither adds or detracts from an organizations validity - especially an organization approved by Christ Himself though His Church.

Peace
James
 
Brooklyn, I just have to point this out. If a group is receiving criticism from the SSPX on the one side and America magazine on the other side, that means they’re probably right where they need to be! 👍 The fact that both groups criticize them only makes me think more highly of Opus Dei.
 
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