Javier Echevarría Rodríguez (14 June 1932 – 12 December 2016) was a Spanish

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Until his death, he was the head of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei. He held doctorates in both civil and canon law. Within the Roman Curia, the governing body of the Catholic Church, he was a member of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

and the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

. He wrote a number of books on spirituality: ''Paths to God: Building a Christian Life in the 21st Century'', ''Para servir a la Iglesia'', ''Getsemaní'', ''Eucaristía y vida cristiana''. He also wrote his reminiscences of

Josemaría Escrivá Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Spanish Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic priest. He founded Opus Dei, an organization of Catholic Laity, laypeople and Priesthood (Catholic Church), priests ...

: ''Memoria del beato Josemaría.''

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

said on the fiftieth anniversary of Echevarria's ordination in 2005 that his pastoral work "provides effective help to the Church in her urgent evangelization of present-day society" and noted the prelate's concern for "culture and the sciences...the defense of life, the family and marriage, and the formation and pastoral care of young people."

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

lauded his "constant service of love to the Church and souls", underlining his "fatherly testimony of priestly and episcopal life".

Formation

Echevarría Rodríguez was born in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, on 14 June 1932. He began work as the

personal secretary ''Personal Secretary'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Otis Garrett and written by Betty Laidlaw, Robert Lively and Charles Grayson. The film stars William Gargan, Joy Hodges, Andy Devine, Ruth Donnelly, Samuel S. Hinds and Franc ...

of Josemaría Escrivá before being ordained a

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 particu ...

Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work a ...

on 7 August 1955. In 1954 Echevarría earned a

Doctorate in Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum''. Echevarría was appointed the Secretary General of Opus Dei in 1975, upon the succession of Escrivá by

Álvaro del Portillo Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano (11 March 1914 – 23 March 1994) was a Spanish engineer and Roman Catholic bishop. He served as the prelate of Opus Dei between 1982 and 1994 as the successor to Josemaría Escrivá. Church leaders Pope ...

as prelate, or head, of Opus Dei. Echevarría later became

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

in 1982, when Opus Dei became, on the pope's initiative, a

personal prelature Personal prelature is a canonical structure of the Catholic Church which comprises a prelate, clergy and laity who undertake specific pastoral activities. The first personal prelature is Opus Dei. Personal prelatures, similar to dioceses and mi ...

Prelate of Opus Dei

With the death of del Portillo on 23 March 1994, a period of mourning followed. Rodríguez was elected by Opus Dei's General Council as the second prelate of Opus Dei. He was subsequently confirmed by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

on 20 April 1994, and was then appointed

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of ''Cilibia'' by

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 ...

on 21 November 1994. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

by the pope, with Bishops

Giovanni Battista Re Giovanni Battista Re (born 30 January 1934) is an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church whose service has been primarily in the Roman Curia. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001. He was prefect of the Congregation for Bishops ...

and

Jorge María Mejía Jorge María Mejía (31 January 1923 – 9 December 2014) was an Argentine cardinal of the Catholic Church (Roman Rite). Early life and ordination Mejía was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and ordained to the priesthood for the Metropolitan ...

as co-consecrators, on 6 January 1995. When he became prelate he stated that his pastoral priorities were evangelization in the areas of the family, youth and culture. During his term of office, the Opus Dei Prelature began stable formational activities in sixteen countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. He "helped steer Opus Dei toward a period of normalization after the controversies surrounding the canonization of Escrivá in 2002 and then the turbulence of the ''Da Vinci Code''." Echevarría Rodríguez served as the chancellor of the

University of Navarra , image = UNAV.svg , latin_name = Universitas Studiorum Navarrensis , established = 17 October 1952 , type = Private, Roman Catholic , chancellor = Fernando Ocáriz Braña , president = María Iraburu Eli ...

in Spain, the

University of Asia and the Pacific The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P; Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Asya at Pasipiko'') is a private university in the Philippines. It traces its beginnings to the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which was established on August 1 ...

in the Philippines, and various other universities under the spiritual care of Opus Dei. He participated in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

in 1997 and of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

in 1999, and also of the

General Ordinary Assembly In the Catholic Church, the Synod of Bishops, considered as an advisory body for the pope, is one of the ways in which the bishops render cooperative assistance to him in exercising his office. It is described in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as "a ...

of 2001 and 2005. On Tuesday, 18 September 2012, he was appointed by

to serve as one of the papally-appointed Synod Fathers for the October 2012 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New

Evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...

. On 9 July 2005, Pope Benedict XVI greeted Echevarria on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, expressing his "esteem and affection":

Late life and death

In 2014, at age 82, he appointed priest Fernando Ocáriz as Auxiliary

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

, considering an "increase in the work of government required of the Prelate", as well as his age. The Auxiliary Vicar is a position to be filled when needed, holding executive authority, foreseen in the statutes of Opus Dei. On 5 December 2016 he was admitted to the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital due to a

respiratory infection Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are infectious diseases involving the respiratory tract. An infection of this type usually is further classified as an upper respiratory tract infection (URI or URTI) or a lower respiratory tract infection (L ...

, where he was treated with

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

. On 12 December his condition aggravated leading to a

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

that ultimately caused his death at 21:20 CET. The day after Echevarría's death,

wrote Ocáriz giving condolences to him and all members of Opus Dei, thanking God for his "constant service of love to the Church and souls", underlining his "fatherly testimony of priestly and episcopal life" Javier's remains was buried inside the crypt of the Prelatic Church of Our Lady of Peace, next to his predecessor, Blessed Alvaro del Portillo.

Works

He wrote works on spirituality such as: *''Memoria del beato Josemaría'' – reminiscences of Blessed Josemaria *''Itinerarios de vida cristiana'' – reflections around the turn of the millennium on the ways of Christian life *''Para servir a la Iglesia'' – a homily on serving the church *''Getsemaní'' – about praying in union with Christ in his passion *''Eucaristía y vida cristiana'' – about the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of a Christian *''Por Cristo, con Él y en Él: escritos sobre san Josemaría'', Madrid, Palabra, 2007, 1ª, 234 pp. *''Vivir la Santa Misa'', Madrid, Rialp, 2010, 1ª, 196 pp. *''Creo, creemos: textos procedentes de las Cartas pastorales dirigidas a los fieles de la Prelatura del Opus Dei durante el Año de la fe (2012-2013)'', Madrid, Rialp, 2014, 1ª, 127 pp. *''Dirigir empresas con sentido cristiano'', Pamplona, Eunsa, 2015, 1ª, 103 pp.

Some excerpts from his works

*Christianity is God's nearness to man. It is a close friendship and an intimate relationship between God and man. It expresses the familiarity of a beloved son welcomed with indescribable joy, music, celebration and a great banquet (cf. Lk 15: 22–24).— from ''Eucaristia y vida cristiana'' *Love is the substance of happiness. To love and to know oneself loved is the only true response to the ultimate anxieties of the human heart...Augustine of Hippo briefly expressed this in writing: “Pondus meus, amor meus”. My love is my weight, that which gives me solidity, attracts me and exalts me. It transmits to me height and depth, it is the origin of my peace. *"To all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God" (Jn 1:12). For a Christian, this is not just a way of speaking or calling. Awareness of divine filiation is rooted in a divine gift that transforms a person from within. St. John puts it this way: "See what love the Father has for us, that He has called us sons of God, and so we are!...We are truly children of God" (1 Jn 3:1–2). St. Josemaria concludes that "whoever is unaware of this is unaware of his innermost truth;" he has not yet discovered the deepest reality of his being, nor the meaning of his existence on this earth. *The secret of the apostolic zeal of a disciple of Christ is rooted in his love for the Master. This is what moves him to give his life for others, to spend it in helping them know the divine Word and to live according to the imperatives of the Love of God. His zeal for souls is born from a love for Christ, which like all true love, implies identification with the person loved. *On 10 October 2012, during the Seventh General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops he offered this intervention:Holy See Press Office in https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_25_xiii-ordinaria-2012/02_inglese/b12_02.html#-_H._Exc._Rev._Mons._Javier_ECHEVARRÍA_RODRÍGUEZ,_Titular_Bishop_of_Cilibia,_Prelate_of_the_Personal_Prelature_of_Opus_Dei_(SPAIN)_

References

External links

Mons. Javier Echevarría: Prelado del Opus
– a brief biography and video (in Spanish)
Monthly letter of the Prelate of Opus Dei to the faithful of Opus Dei and cooperators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Echevarria Rodriguez, Javier 1932 births 2016 deaths Clergy from Madrid Spanish people of Basque descent Spanish Roman Catholic titular bishops Prelates of Opus Dei Academic staff of the University of Navarra 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Spain 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Spain Members of the Apostolic Signatura Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni