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johnshelby
Guest
Opus Dei recruits children?? are you sure?
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DavidB
Guest
The articles I’ve read describe children as young as 14 being asked to be members and vow celibacy for life. They provide youth programs to attract much younger children and use them to introduce the children to the Opus Dei and it’s beliefs without any commitment to membership. These programs start off anything from music lessons to sports as a way to attract younger children. As far as I know, they don’t do anything wrong with the younger children, in fact, they provide healthy alternatives for faithful Catholics to take advantage of. It’s just that they are also used as recruiting vehicles designed to teach and condition the kids to the Opus Dei way leading to the request for commitments when they are teenagers.Opus Dei recruits children?? are you sure?
David
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Lalia_Mackay
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Please provide the articles that you have read.
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DavidB
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Lalia Mackay:
http://www.rickross.com/reference/opus/opus21.html
http://www.odan.org/
http://www.odan.org/testimonies_and_writings.htm
http://www.rickross.com/groups/opus.html
David
It’s not possible to provide the articles I have read. I have read many articles and testimonies and forum postings over the years and have repeatedly heard the same thing which I’ve stated here. I have no intention of trying to go back and provide all of them to you as “proof”. I will provide one or two example articles via internet links since not everyone apparently seems capable of using google. The first link is an article from MSNBC. The other links provide all kinds of information including confirming testimonies of Opus Dei recruiting practices targeted at children and posing children against their parents. Happy reading.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/opus/opus21.html
http://www.odan.org/
http://www.odan.org/testimonies_and_writings.htm
http://www.rickross.com/groups/opus.html
David
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johnshelby
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Fiat
Guest
DavidB:
While you may have read this sort of information, it is purely fiction. The statutes of Opus Dei expressly forbids anyone from becoming a member of Opus Dei until at least 18 years of age and even then the individual must have received for a year-and-a-half a detailed education in the mission and spirituality of Opus Dei. Even in light of this, the commitments can only be made for one year at a time until after at least five years. Therefore, a life-long commitment in Opus Dei cannot be made until a person is at least 23.
I am sorry you have once again been so terribly misinformed.
Fiat
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johnshelby
Guest
the story on msnbc’s site is a lot different from the one on the
other sites… i pray the woman who founded ODAN, has found
peace… and her daughter…
but, i still have seen nothing to make me feel anything but
good about Opus Dei… i have to agree, it’s not for everyone…
it’s like any other vocation… who would lightly make a vocation
to become a nun?? a priest?? both of these require chastity… Opus Dei is a vocation also, one that requires unmarried
people to be chaste… (( now where have i heard that??
oh yeah… the CCC ))
and i don’t think things are helped by the word ‘mortification’…
it sounds so… mortal… lol people hear it and shudder…
in the book The Way, there is a section on mortification…
one of the passages i like is…
The Way
205
We were reading — you and I — the heroically ordinary life of that man of God. And we saw him fight whole months and years (what ‘accounts’ he kept in his particular examination!) at breakfast time: today he won, tomorrow he was beaten… He noted: ‘Didn’t take sugar…; did take sugar!’
May you and I too live our ‘sugar tragedy’.
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Cesaria
Guest
David,
I see that in your profile you list yourself as a Charismatic Episcopalian. Did you know that you don’t even have to be a Christian to be a Cooperator in Opus Dei? Why don’t you give it a closer look and keep an open mind to it instead of wanting to believe the lies you have heard or read? BTW, ODAN is out to get OD in case you didn’t figure that out yet. Oh, also, I’m a Cooperator with Opus Dei and proud to say it!
St. Josemaria, pray for us.
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bear06
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AquinasXVI
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DavidB:
You might as well hear it from the horse’s mouth. I am involved in youth activities with Opus Dei. We have summer camps and friday evening events. For the Friday evenings we play sports, have dinner, give a short talk about the virtues or catechism (H. Eucharist, Confession, Purity, Order, Perseverance, etc.). Then work on projects like building bridges that will hold weights until they collapse. Confessions are available throughout if they desired to go.
We think it’s a good alternative to TV or computer all night.
As for recruitment of them. No. Friendship. As a lay organization, it’s just as important to have well formed conscientious adults as to have holy priests. So the goal is in the activity itself. Not a device to lure as some people might suspect. Simply ask the parents of these kids and why they keep bringging them back year after year after year.
Hope this sheds a little light of what this lay org. does with its time.
in XT.
You might as well hear it from the horse’s mouth. I am involved in youth activities with Opus Dei. We have summer camps and friday evening events. For the Friday evenings we play sports, have dinner, give a short talk about the virtues or catechism (H. Eucharist, Confession, Purity, Order, Perseverance, etc.). Then work on projects like building bridges that will hold weights until they collapse. Confessions are available throughout if they desired to go.
We think it’s a good alternative to TV or computer all night.
As for recruitment of them. No. Friendship. As a lay organization, it’s just as important to have well formed conscientious adults as to have holy priests. So the goal is in the activity itself. Not a device to lure as some people might suspect. Simply ask the parents of these kids and why they keep bringging them back year after year after year.
Hope this sheds a little light of what this lay org. does with its time.
in XT.
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MaryLiz410
Guest
I believe Opus Dei members are being persecuted at this time. I know of one holy priest who is a member and I admire him very much. He is holy and loyal to Catholic teachings and I am sure that many people grow in their spiritual lives with the help of his work. By his example, numerous people have come home to the Catholic Church. His name is Fr. John C. McCloskey of Washington DC. Do you know him?
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johnshelby
Guest
ODAN is out to get Opus Dei, and Rick Ross is out to get
all “bible bangers”…
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maesoph
Guest
I am relatively familiar with Opus Dei and it seems that Opus Dei has a relatively large contingent of former Protestants. Personally, I have met several former Evangelicals and one former Amish at the Pittsburgh Center of Opus Dei and it’s not a very large Center at all.
BTW, it seems as if these former Protestants found Opus Dei (not vice-versa) for the most part, I don’t think Opus Dei actively goes out recruiting Protestants. I attend a monthly Evening of Reflection and I have found it to be a worthwhile investment of my time even though it’s about a 1.5 hour commute each way.
BTW, it seems as if these former Protestants found Opus Dei (not vice-versa) for the most part, I don’t think Opus Dei actively goes out recruiting Protestants. I attend a monthly Evening of Reflection and I have found it to be a worthwhile investment of my time even though it’s about a 1.5 hour commute each way.
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Asking
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I just wanted to say that Opus Dei has always been controversial, it didnt suddenly get controversial because of the da vinci book.
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Libero
Guest
Ooooh, however I am in the suburbs of Manchester, we are only considered Manchester as the main transport metro system line starts in our town, technically we should be ‘cheshire’. I’m not really that bothered to go and find an opus dei priest, I barely speak to my own, I have no reason to hunt out an Opus Dei priest, it would take ages aswell. Thanks for the info though… fascinating.
Also by some strange act of coincidence, this is in the tablet this week:
thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/book_review.cgi/past-00255
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Asking
Guest
I live in a latin american country, and here common people are suspicious of “Opus Dei” because all its members are wealthy powerful people, they see it as some kind of sect for wealthy catholics.
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TPJCatholic
Guest
Instead if wondering about Opus Dei, simply contact a local center and attend a night of recollection. It is much better to actually experience things on your own, then it is to “guess” about it. There are few groups better suited for lay Catholics who desire a traditional following of the faith.
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Cesaria
Guest
This is what I did and I’ve never been happier about my decision .
With regard to what another poster said about having to be wealthy to join simply isn’t true. I live paycheck to paycheck like so many of the others … There are rich and poor alike in Opus Dei.
I always think it rather laughable when OD is accused of this, since the Founder, St. Josemaria, wanted this so much for the common ordinary people.
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DavidB
Guest
So you’re saying MSNBC lied in their story and that former members of the Opus Dei are lying or are you prepared to admit you’re once again inadequately informed about the practices of the Opus Dei? Must be one or the other. I’ve quoted 2 strong sources of information that have yet to be refuted, criticized for their “anti” stance, but the accuracy hasn’t been proven wrong.
As I said before, I have no objections to Opus Dei practices as it pertains to adults, they may be misguided in areas such as mortification and spiritual control of their members via spiritual directors, but if that’s what you want, go for it. But I have heard repeated storied over the years of the impact of young recruiting. Spiritual directors counseling young teens about their “calling” and pressing them for commitments at too early an age. If that’s the exception rather than the rule, then I can understand individual’s getting carried away. I would hope that’s not the universal practice.
David
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DavidB
Guest
Thanks for the invitation, Cesaria, but no thank you. While I admire any group who devote themselves to God in such a complete way and focus on good works and holiness. I also believe that the mortification practices of the Opus Dei are seriously misguided, and yes that would include practices by some of the saints who did similar destruction to their own flesh. Fasting for days and even weeks? Yes. That has profound spiritual benefits. Physically inflicting wounds on yourself? No, absolutely not. Also, from what I’ve heard, the authority structure and spiritual director roles in the lives of individuals is also out of line. Reminds me of the old shepherding/discipleship movements of the early charismatic movement in the 70’s.
David
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