Opus Dei: A Historical Timeline shows the historical development of Opus Dei.

History of Opus Dei

*1902: ''9 January.'' Birth of the founder, St.

Josemaría Escrivá Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest. He founded Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness ...

, in Barbastro Spain *1917: According to Escriva, he received "inklings" of a "special call", after seeing "footprints in the snow," sign of the generosity of a monk who walked barefooted in winter *1925: ''28 March.'' St.

is ordained as a priest. *1928: ''2 October.'' Founding of Opus Dei. Having "no plans nor project" of his own, Escriva "saw Opus Dei." "On this day," he wrote, "our Lord started His Work. He founded Opus Dei". *1930: ''14 February.'' Founding of the Women's branch of Opus Dei. *1933: The first center of Opus Dei was opened in Madrid: ''Derecho y Arquitectura'', an academy teaching law and architecture. This would later become a residence for students, the base for giving catechesis to children and for taking care of the poor and sick in the area. *1936: Start of

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

which unleashed an aggressive persecution of

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s and Catholic laity by the

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

Republicans and their stalinist allies. *1939: ''The Way'', Escriva's best-selling spiritual considerations, was first published. Opus Dei started to expand to other cities outside of Madrid. *1941: Opus Dei is granted first diocesan approval by the Bishop of Madrid. *1943: ''14 February.'' Founding of the

Priestly Society of the Holy Cross The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an association of Catholic diocesan priests which is integrally united to the Prelature of Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature-members of the priesthood ...

, an organization for the sanctification of secular priests through their pastoral work. According to Escriva, God showed him during Mass the juridical solution to enable priests to be ordained for Opus Dei. *1946: Beginning of Opus Dei in Portugal, Italy, and England. Escriva moves to Rome to establish the headquarters of Opus Dei there. *1949: Opus Dei begins spreading overseas, starting in Mexico and the United States. *1950: ''16 June.'' In 1950 with the first constitutions Pope Pius XII grants Opus Dei definitive approval. *1962: Start of the Second Vatican Council, which proclaimed the universal call to holiness and initiates the legal framework called the personal prelature. *1975: ''26 June.'' Death of St.

. Father Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Solano elected as his successor. *1975: ''7 July.'' Consecration of the Shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad in Aragon, Northern Spain. *1982: ''28 November.'' Establishment of Opus Dei as a personal prelature. Pope John Paul II appoints Monsignor Álvaro del Portillo as Prelate of Opus Dei. *1985: Inauguration of Roman Academic Center of the Holy Cross which in 1998 would become the

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Pontifical University of the Holy Cross ( la, Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis, it, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce) is a Roman Catholic university under the Curial Congregation for Catholic Education, now entrusted to the Prela ...

. *1991: ''6 January.''

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

ordained Monsignor Álvaro del Portillo to the Episcopate as Titular Bishop of Vita and Prelate of Opus Dei. *1992: ''17 May.''

Beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

of Escriva. One third of the world's bishops asked for the beatification. *1994: del Portillo dies. Monsignor Javier Echevarria was appointed prelate. *1995: ''6 January.''

, with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and Monsignor Jorge Mejía, Titular Archbishop of Apollonia, consecrated Monsignor Javier Echevarria a bishop. *2002: ''6 October.'' Canonization of St.

. *2014: ''27 September.'' Beatification of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Solano.

Sources

* —A study of Opus Dei based on the life story and work of its founder written by a professor of history at the University of Cologne *Salvador Bernal, ''Msgr. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer: a profile of the Founder of Opus Dei'', Veritas 1978. * Dennis Helming, ''Footprints in the snow. A pictorial biography of the founder of Opus Dei.'' Scepter 1986. - the first biography written by an American. * Andres Vasquez de Prada: ''The Founder of Opus Dei. The Life of Josemaria Escrivá'', Scepter Publishers 1997. * Pilar Urbano, ''El hombre de Villa Tevere: los años romanos de Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer,'' Plaza & Janés, 1995.
Personal Prelature of Opus Dei at Catholic Hierarchy Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opus Dei, Timeline of 1928 establishments 1928 in Christianity

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