Is Opus Dei safe? (Newbie to Catholicism)

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SyroMalankara said:
Opus Dei is neither a cult nor secretive (except for the Sacrament of Confession). I am not a member, but have seen the group uplift a church parish from being closed in an economically depressed area of the City. They have and continue to do very good work for the people and the Catholic Church as a whole, and in my opinion show high regard for the Eastern Catholic Churches.
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Isn’t it pretty much the Catholic version of the Freemasons, i.e. visibly good works but kind of weird reputation?
 
onegirlinchrist said:
Thanks for all the advice given thus far. I think the concept of getting involved in RCIA first and general parish life is a good one. This woman presented Opus Dei as a great way to learn about the faith, (it helped her return to Catholicism back in the day). I’ll have to find a tactful way to say that it’s not a good fit for me right now.

On a side note, I will say that just because an organization does good works, doesn’t mean the theology is sound. As a former Mormon, for example, I can attest that the Mormon Church does many wonderful things for families and community, and Mormons are very nurturing and well-intentioned people, but that doesn’t make the theology of their secret temple ceremonies sound. Just a warning to those on this thread who have found Opus Dei members to be incredibly kind, helpful, etc. There are well-intentioned (and sometimes misguided) people everywhere!

You all have said that Opus Dei is orthodox, and I don’t want to offend. Just throwing that out there!
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Just tell your friend you first need to learn to walk before you run.
 
phil19034 said:
Opus Dei is very orthodox. Their theology is no different than any other Catholic. However, some of their disciplines can be very different. Also, remember, whatever you see the in movies is not accurate. The practice of mortification is not required, but also not discouraged. Mortification is a disclipline, not theology. As their website says:
St Francis of Assisi, St Thomas More, St Therese of Lisieux, Pope Paul VI, St Padre Pio and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The motivation behind these voluntary mortifications is to imitate Christ and to join him in his redemptive sacrifice (cf. Matthew 16:24), and they can also be a way to suffer in solidarity with the many poor and deprived people in the world.

Again, it’s very orthodox, but not for everyone. Just like Knights of Columbus, becoming a Religious Brother or Sister, joining a 3rd Order, etc are not for everyone. Doesn’t mean that someone is more or less Catholic because they are part of these groups.

Hope this helps and God Bless.
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“Opus Dei” as I understand it means “Work of God” and Father Escriva founded it in an effort to teach that all honest labor can be “Gods work” and can be offered up as prayer. Someone correct me if I’m not right about this.:confused:🤷
 
Not a member of Opus Dei but have friends (in USA and Rome) in Opus Dei and have had an Opus Dei Confessor in the past - very good and yes orthodox. Thinking with the Church.

vatican.va/latest/documents/escriva_pontefici_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20020112_opus-dei_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20021006_en.html

vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20021006_index_escriva_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/april/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060410_univ-2006_en.html

Such is the attitude of the Popes and the Church towards Opus Dei.

Quite good and orthodox

But remember it is also a vocation-though one can benefit from the works of the Saint and Opus Dei without being a member - such is part of the gift to the Church.
 
Sabacthani said:
Isn’t it pretty much the Catholic version of the Freemasons, i.e. visibly good works but kind of weird reputation?
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Absolutely not. Though this image is understandable given the media.

Opus Dei is founded by a SAINT. The freemasons are demonic (no, that is not an exaggeration) and condemned by the Church.
 
Not a member of Opus Dei but have friends (in USA and Rome) in Opus Dei and have had an Opus Dei Confessor in the past - very good and yes orthodox. Thinking with the Church.

From the Vatican (Popes et al):

vatican.va/latest/documents/escriva_pontefici_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20020112_opus-dei_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20021006_en.html

vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20021006_index_escriva_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/april/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060410_univ-2006_en.html

Such is the attitude of the Popes and the Church towards Opus Dei.

Quite good and orthodox

But remember it is also a vocation-though one can benefit from the works of the Saint and Opus Dei without being a member - such is part of the gift to the Church. They aim at helping Christians live as Christians - in the midst of the world and for its sanctification.
 
Sabacthani said:
I know little about either group; that’s just the comparison that I’d heard from other Catholics. catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php?topic=1151957.0 Can you fill me in on the difference? What’s your response to the linked article. Thank you!
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-Freemasons are a secret organization with secret ceremonies and practices. Opus Dei is not. A better comparison in this regard would be the KoC.
-The “weird reputation” of Opus Dei is mainly due to Hollywood (i.e. Dan Brown’s movies), while the “weird reputation” of Freemasonry is mainly due to it’s secretive nature.
-The only real commonality between the two is that both have conspiracy theories about them.
-I don’t use that site and have no desire to visit it so I will be unable to read the linked article.
 
Brendan_64 said:
Opus Dei is a legitimate Catholic organisation. But for someone like yourself who is just starting out on the steps towards joining the catholic Church, it would probably be best to get to know the Catholic faith more fully, and through more mainstream channels, than going to Opus Dei.

Join the RCIA programme of your local parish, attend Mass, get involved in mainstream parish life, and then get to know your faith. Jumping into Opus Dei (or any similar organisation) before you even know about your faith, would seem to be a very peculiar (and probably unwise) thing to do. If I was you I would politely say, “Thanks, but no thanks” and concentrate on RCIA and on regular, mainstream Catholic parish life.
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I have to respectfully disagree. What isn’t “mainstream” about opus dei meetings? The meetings I used to go to had 40+ parishioners in attendance on any given night. There is nothing weird or “peculiar” about the group and it certainly wouldn’t be “unwise” to check them out. I really don’t understand this stigma. It’s as if you’re afraid the meetings will scare people off or something. If the mass doesn’t scare you, neither will Opus Dei.
 
tomgosse said:
The one thing that I would add is this: when someone converts to the Catholic Church and inquire about becoming a priest or being ordained, they are usually asked to wait three years. I would apply the same to joining a group like Opus Dei. Not that they are bad, just give yourself time to settle in.
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This makes sense, and is the same advice I got from a friend when I was in the process of conversion. There is so much to learn, expeireince, and absorb in just Catholicism itself and the first year or two might be best spent discovering the faith and findng your niche in your local parish and in “regular” Catholicism. Gettiing involved in another group isn’t a bad thing but it could end up overshadowing and distracting you from that.

That said, I have a ton of respect for Opus Dei and the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva were instrumental in my journey to the faith and in building my faith and life since becoming Catholic. If I lived in an area with more of an Opus Dei presence, I would look into joining in a year or two (only waiting because I’m still a pretty new Catholic myself and feel like I’m still working on the basics). You could still read “The Way” and other writings by their founder and incorporate pracitces like waking early and on time, making a Morning Offering, daily mental prayer, spiritual reading, rosary, etc, daily Mass if/when possible, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, an examination of conscience at bedtime, and
frequent Confession. Any/all of those are beneficial and could give you an idea as to if that sort of spirituality is a good fit for you and give you insight on how to fit it into your plan of life.

Opus Dei is simular to the 3rd orders that you asked about in some ways, but I will let a person with more knowlegde or expereince than me explain the difference between a Third Order, Personal Prelature, and Oblate because I don’t really grasp it yet. One main difference I do see is that Opus Dei is mostly laity, with only a small percentage od clergy, while Thrid Orders seems to be smaller groups of laity attached to or supporting (not sure of the right word) a larger group of Religious (monks, nuns, & priests).

As far as corporal mortification, Opus Dei is far from the only group to practice or allow it and it doesn’t seem to be required of all, especially not to the extremes you hear about in the lives of some saints. The more common advice for mortifications that I’ve heard of are things like getting up when the alarm rings instead of sleeping in, skipping salt on food or sugar in your coffee, being cheerful even when you are stressed or upset, and things like that. More strenuous would be things like sleeping on the floor or without a pillow. The use of other types of corporal mortifcation is allowed but everything I’ve seen stresses that it not be taken to extremes and performed with the guidance and permission of a good spiritual director.
 
IYou’ve gotten lots of good advice. I will add my suggestion to wait a bit before joining Opus Dei or any other such Catholic organization.

I certainly don’t mean to imply there are any problems with Opus Dei. But I would suggest you go slowly with ANY Catholic practices or spiritual exercises that are not required for Catholics.

Just as there are multiple ways that people can exercise physically, there are many “spiritual exercises” that Catholics practice. Someone who is just beginning an exercise regimen might want the freedom to explore hiking, swimming, playing basketball, and weight training rather than immediately structuring her life around practicing for a marathon. It’s been my experience that devotees of certain forms of exercise cannot fathom why you don’t think their way is the only way worth pursuing. That attitude can show up in Catholicism too.

God may have placed this woman in your life because Opus Dei IS the route for you. But it will still be there after you’ve had some time to grow in your new Faith.
 
Yes - follow Christ - learn and live more and more the Christian life -then after one is Catholic - slowly become aware of the many varied ways of living as a Christian (different spiritual approaches or associations or vocations that are orthodox - within the Church).
 
Great response and solid answers. And very reasonable questions.

I am a member of Opus Dei. I was attracted to it because of the solid formation freely offered to anyone (without membership, one doesn’t need to be a Catholic or Protestant to take advantage of the help offered by Opus Dei).

Meditations, talks on various practical topics, spiritual direction, Confession, retreats. All good stuff. Doctrinal classes.These are called means of formation.

My reaction initially was why has it taken me this long to find such good formation, all without strings.

“Membership” is about the last thing you will typically hear from any member when you begin to attend to the “means of formation” above.

Where will you hear a short practical talk on “using your summer well” (incredibly good and solid points for helping your family sanctify the summer).

Or a talk on “cheerfulness”. Great and practical things.

The best part is it gives you help on building a lively interior life with God. How to do this hour by hour.
 
oldcatholicguy said:
-Freemasons are a secret organization with secret ceremonies and practices. Opus Dei is not. A better comparison in this regard would be the KoC.
-The “weird reputation” of Opus Dei is mainly due to Hollywood (i.e. Dan Brown’s movies), while the “weird reputation” of Freemasonry is mainly due to it’s secretive nature.
-The only real commonality between the two is that both have conspiracy theories about them.
-I don’t use that site and have no desire to visit it so I will be unable to read the linked article.
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Is that a bad link? I thought it was a Catholic site. Forgive me if I erred. Would someone please let me know if the whole site is bad? It came up on a topic search.

The conspiracy theory thing is what I meant. Organizations with a track record for charitable works (lists of hospitals and so on), plus conspiracy reputation.

I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Know some good people who belong to both.
 
Sabacthani said:
Is that a bad link? I thought it was a Catholic site. Forgive me if I erred. Would someone please let me know if the whole site is bad? It came up on a topic search.

The conspiracy theory thing is what I meant. Organizations with a track record for charitable works (lists of hospitals and so on), plus conspiracy reputation.

I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Know some good people who belong to both.
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-In that general regard (both do good works, both have conspiracies attached to them) than you are correct in the comparison. In a less “big picture”/general regard the comparison is faulty for the reasons I stated.
-It is a Catholic site, but not one I use based on my personal views regarding the orthodoxy of the content on the site. As for the whole site being good or bad or for others to use or not use it, I’m not qualified to speak on that.
 
I can’t quote everyone, but these posts really resonated with me.
ToTheHeights said:
Just to reiterate what others have said, Opus Dei is great. Forget all the nonsense in the media about it.

I used to attend their meetings in college and the priest there was the best confessor I ever went to. I’m not sure how every group is formatted since I only attended that one, but the one I went to was Benediction, Confession, a talk by one of the members (which were always good), then socialization.

Also, there is absolutely nothing secretive about it.
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I attended evenings of recollection and they were exactly what you describe. Opus Dei priests have a charism for confession and spiritual direction. And the combination of confession, benediction and a short talk is kind of perfect.
SMHW said:
IYou’ve gotten lots of good advice. I will add my suggestion to wait a bit before joining Opus Dei or any other such Catholic organization.

I certainly don’t mean to imply there are any problems with Opus Dei. But I would suggest you go slowly with ANY Catholic practices or spiritual exercises that are not required for Catholics.

Just as there are multiple ways that people can exercise physically, there are many “spiritual exercises” that Catholics practice. Someone who is just beginning an exercise regimen might want the freedom to explore hiking, swimming, playing basketball, and weight training rather than immediately structuring her life around practicing for a marathon. It’s been my experience that devotees of certain forms of exercise cannot fathom why you don’t think their way is the only way worth pursuing. That attitude can show up in Catholicism too.

God may have placed this woman in your life because Opus Dei IS the route for you. But it will still be there after you’ve had some time to grow in your new Faith.
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Wise words. There are many movements in the Church; something for everybody! People do tend to be very enthusiastic about the thing that was life changing to them. I’ve tried on several movements on for size and I will say that the Opus Dei people seemed to be the most down to earth or low key. The women’s group I was involved with seemed very diverse and the conversation after the meeting was lively in contrast with the reverence and quiet during benediction and the talk the priest gave. I wanted to say something about the warm interaction with the other women lest I make Opus Dei sound dull or boring.
Edward_H said:
Great response and solid answers. And very reasonable questions.

I am a member of Opus Dei. I was attracted to it because of the solid formation freely offered to anyone (without membership, one doesn’t need to be a Catholic or Protestant to take advantage of the help offered by Opus Dei).

Meditations, talks on various practical topics, spiritual direction, Confession, retreats. All good stuff. Doctrinal classes.These are called means of formation.

My reaction initially was why has it taken me this long to find such good formation, all without strings.

“Membership” is about the last thing you will typically hear from any member when you begin to attend to the “means of formation” above.

Where will you hear a short practical talk on “using your summer well” (incredibly good and solid points for helping your family sanctify the summer).

Or a talk on “cheerfulness”. Great and practical things.

The best part is it gives you help on building a lively interior life with God. How to do this hour by hour.
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Yes! I was composing my answer in my head while I was busy with something and I thought of the word “practical.”

I also liked that I didn’t feel like I was being recruited; I was welcomed.
 
onegirlinchrist said:
Hi All,

I’m looking into Catholicism and have really enjoyed the journey thus far. Have not yet been through RCIA. Started attending weekday morning mass and was approached by a very friendly woman who started talking with me about Opus Dei. We’ve exchanged phone numbers and she wants to meet up with me outside of mass to discuss her positive experience in the organization and get me connected with other Opus Dei members. She sort of implied that Opus Dei is seen by some as not being totally orthodox, so she assured me that recent Opus Dei leaders have been sainted. I was very interested in the concept of dedicating my ever day profession to God; apparently, Opus Dei is all about helping lay people consecrate their time and talents to God.

The official website looks wonderful…

But then I saw other things online which scared me a bit. Some see Opus Dei as a secretive organization, with “cult like” tactics of expanding and retaining membership. Something about corporal mortification raised alarm bells!

How concerned should I be?

I come from an originally Mormon background and am extremely sensitive to any religious denomination that makes use of “secrecy” in any way. I’ve already given my heart to too many denominations since (floated about Protestantism for awhile), it’s safe to say that I’m spiritually exhausted, and am looking for a completely safe and orthodox spiritual experience.

Thoughts or advice?
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Yes, Opus Dei is safe. It is approved by the Church and was founded by a canonized saint, St Josemaria Escriva. It is also very orthodox and true to the teachings of the Church and the Pope. You will get solid catholicism from Opus Dei.
Bad things you may have read online about Opus Dei such as it being secretive and other things are untrue. This is from people who want to slander Opus Dei just as people slandered Christ when he was on earth.
As you mentioned, Opus Dei has a wonderful spirituality for lay people, i.e., the sanctification of ordinary life and the universal call to holiness. I have been wonderfully inspired by the life and writings of St Josemaria Escriva in trying to sanctify ordinary life.
Other posters have mentioned that since you have not been through RCIA to not jump into some organization of the Church such as Opus Dei. This does not mean though that you cannot talk with that friendly woman who introduced you to Opus Dei or that you shouldn’t go to any of their functions such as days or evenings of recollections. You do not have to be a member of Opus Dei to participate in these kinds of functions. I have been to quite a number of such functions and I’m not a member of Opus Dei. And as I said, you will get solid catholicism as well as solid spirituality to help you sanctify your daily life.
 
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