First Prelate of Opus Dei

On time

blogeditor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:50:33 +0000

Lagos as expected is a metropolitan city and sometimes getting to a destination on time could be quite bad because of unpredictable traffic. I have always gone to his intercession in these circumstances and have arrived very much on time as well.

At other times it is getting a cab or bus to destinations that had been rather difficult – Don Alvaro has never failed after going to his intercession!

In the same way, I’ve gone to his intercessions severally when it was obvious that it would rain; well a simple prayer: “Please, Don Alvaro, pray for me that this rain would not fall, at least let me get home first”. Those words had always worked it out – the heaven kept still; the dark cloud soon disappears being blown by heavy winds! Even when it had already started to drizzle, it only continues in such manner until I got to my destination – and as a sign that he had intervened, I’ve witnessed heavy downpour just after reaching my destination.

He likes to be challenged in very difficult situations; at least that is what I’ve made out from experience of dealing with him. I’ve met him personally when he came toNigeria(ov. 1989) and he received me in an audience – he had a great aura of Holiness; all his life is testimony of it. Try him.

V.P.,Nigeria

Filed under: Favours

Don Alvaro always helps me

blogeditor — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:59:02 +0000

Here is to describe the details of the events that led me closer to Don Alvaro, but also to share with you the intercession that he did for my husband G. and I.
March 2010 – the washing machine in our apartment in Vancouver, BC, Canada overflowed, causing water leak into the apartment below us (we found out because the resident knocked on their ceiling/our floor to bring the leak into our attention). My husband G. went downstairs to check with them, and the residents in that unit simply told him “oh, it’s okay”. So, we left it at that and didn’t think much of it after (although G. was quite worried that we’ll be in trouble somehow, I reassured him to stop worrying especially because our unit didn’t face any structural damage, and that the residents in the apartment below us said they were fine).
July 2010- I got a call from our landlord (surprisingly!). He asked if I knew about a water leak that originated in the washer area of our unit in March 2010. I told him “Yes, the washing machine leaked water while it was being used.” I also told him that G. checked with the residents and they said it was fine. I also added that we subsequently used the machine without further incident. Then the landlord said, “Yes, uhuh.. Because there is a bill now from the strata charging us of the damage repairs made to the unit below as a result of this water leakage. And the bill is quite big, it is $7,200cdn”. Terrified by the news, I replied shakingly, “Well, as far as I know we didn’t do anything different when we used the machine that day. Additonally, the machine is fine now.” Again he said, “Well… Okay we’ll have to see.” And that’s how our telephone conversation that day ended.
After receiving this news, I became worried that G. and I may have to pay for this bill in the end. Later, G. mentioned to me that his worries back in March 2010 was stemming from the fact that something like this would happen. And there it was.
I immediately shared our predicament with my sister M., who back then was living in Toronto, and she advised, without hesitation or whatsoever, that I start praying to Don Alvaro… to pray to him and make a deal with him on conditions such as:
that if we didn’t have to pay this bill, then the money that we would’ve used
otherwise, will be donated towards the projects of Opus Dei instead.
She also said to perhaps tell him this: “Look Father, instead of paying for this damage repairs, we will instead give the money to fund your projects (…).”
I said, “Well, okay. That’ll be good!” It was a win-win situation.
August 2010- I received a letter in the mail from our landlord stating the water leak incident as I described above, and with the statement: “We are informing you that this [payment of $7,200 to the strata] is the responsibility of the tenants.”
September 2010- with the help of my father, G. and I wrote a letter back to the landlord stating to re-direct their claim to their insurance company (continuing to pray to Don Alvaro that this will be the end of this ordeal. And that if not, to remember “our deal”)
November 2010- our landlord wrote back saying that they do not have insurance coverage; adding also that even if they had insurance, they will not necessarily cover the expense, because the person found liable for the incident would have to incur the cost (referring to us, in that we are liable, and so we should be paying).
In that letter, the landlord also informed us that they submitted a “resolution hearing case” to the housing ministry. And that the case hearing is set for — March 11, 2011 at 0900h (yes, March 11 – Don Alvaro’s birthday).
Again, I informed my sister M., who was already in Rome at that time, about this. She advised that I continue to pray, and remind Don Alvaro of the deal we made back in September, which was,
1. to use the money instead to fund his projects – although this time specifically in the building of Britannia Beach Conference Centre in Squamish, BC;
But also adding that we would also be able to use some of the money to
2. visit her (ie. M. herself) in Rome, and to, most importantly,
3. Thank Don Alvaro personally during our visit there.
So since November 2010, much more so, I continued to pray (hard) to Don Alvaro. I also already donated a small amount of money (…) despite the full deal not being completed yet. G. and I also decided to move out of the apartment and live in my father’s condominium (…).
March 11, 2011 – at 0850h- I pulled out Don Alvaro’s card, greeted him Happy Birthday, and prayed to him with the full intention of asking for his help (which was critically needed in that next hour or so during our case hearing). I also showed the card to my husband G., and asked him to pray it. I then put the card on the table in front of us during our hearing.
The hearing started right at 0900h… and after much deliberation from the landlord and us, the tenants, it ended half an hour later. At the end, the judge said, “Ok. Both parties should hear about the decision by next week, Friday the latest.”
Ahhh! More waiting. I really just wanted to finish this ordeal!
Well, as has been going on already, my daily prayer to Don Alvaro continued. Perhaps this was a way for me to get closer to him (rightly so, because as I recall now, I mentioned to a member of Opus Dei that I seem to be more “connected” and drawn closer to Don Alvaro these past few months).
March 16, 2011 – Wednesday, 5:30pm. G. came home with a letter from the judge/housing ministry on his hand. A letter that he had been waiting to open until he saw me. So, we opened the letter together, and slowly he flipped the pages, and I, out of my anxiousness, said “Oh Don Alvaro” then, clumsily and more hastenly scanned and flipped through the pages, looking for what the verdict was from the judge.
Ultimately, the judge stated that she was not convinced that the water leak from the washing machine was due to our negligence. Therefore, we cannot be held liable for it. She pretty much dismissed the case of our landlord against us—meaning we wouldn’t have to pay for the $7,200!!!!
All thanks to the intercession of Don Alvaro!
M.L.L., Richmond, (Canada)
March 28, 2011.

Filed under: Favours

15 Anniversary of Death: Alvaro del Portillo – Marian Humility

blogeditor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:55:17 +0000

By Rev. Robert A. Connor. New York, N.Y., United States.

What characterized D. Alvaro was his humility. St. Josemaria had the inscription placed over his door: “vir fidelis multum laudabitur.” His fidelity consisted in being completely transparent to the charism St. Josemaria received on 2 October 1928. So much was this so that after his election as successor to Escriva at the head of Opus Dei, he commented that the Electors “have voted unanimously, not for Alvaro del Portillo, but once again for the Father.”

The significance of this remark comes to light in Joseph Ratzinger’s Christology where the Being of the Person of Jesus Christ is pure relation to the Father, and therefore nothing in Himself. “My doctrine is not mine but his Who sent me” (Jn. 7, 16). Ratzinger remarked: “Word never stands on its own; it comes from someone, is there to be heard, and is therefore meant for others. It can only subsist in this totality of ‘from’ and ‘for.’”[1]

This Christological dimension of D. Alvaro – that everyone is called to achieve as “another Christ” – comes from his assiduous devotion to our Lady. Constrained by time, I can only refer you to Salvador Bernal’s book: “Alvaro del Portillo” (Little Hills Press, Scepter Publishers 1999), Chapter 24, pp. 276-288, which gives a rich mine of remarks that disclose the Marian source of his spirit that became the common doctrine of the Church in the Second Vatican Council. He himself remarked that the Second Vatican Council “had assimilated and promulgated as common doctrine for all Christians the substantial lines of the charism of Opus Dei.” And it was he who was the conduit of this charism into the Council. Consider his involvement:

· May 2, 1959: named Consultor of the congregation of the Council;
· August 10, 1959: named President of the VII internal Commission De laicatu catholico;
· Named member of the pre-preparatory Commission on the states of perfection;
· August 12 elected member of the III Commission of the Congregation of the Council encharged to study the so-called peculiaria nostrae aetatis apostolatus media.
· October 4, 1962: named conciliar “Peritus.”
· November 4, 1962: named “Peritus” of the Commission for the Discipline of the Clergy and Christian People;
· November 8, 1962: named Secretary of this organism
· Named Consultor of the Commissions for the Bishops and the regime of the dioceses, the Religious and the Discipline of the Faith.
· September 29 – December of 1963: during the Second Session of the Council, the Commission for the Discipline of the Clergy and the Christian People, of which D. Alvaro was Secretary, was encharged to synthesize into a single conciliar decree (to become “Presbyterorum Ordinis). He had to coordinate the work of the members of the Commission which became a conciliar text of a single chapter subdivided into 10 parts.

“To some extent, it as Don Alvaro’s decision that a text be drafted. He argued persuasively that the priesthood was so important in the Church that it well deserved a decree of its own, rather than just a handful of propositions with a concluding message (a suggestion made at some point in the proceedings).

“The drafting of the decree was very hard work, especially because of all the tension there was at that time over the issue of priestly celibacy. That conflict, in fact, got so bad that Pope Paul himself had to intervene. Also, the commission had to reach conclusions regarding the spirituality of priests. One of its decisions was to defend centuries-old traditions against those who regarded them as mere pietism. It discussed the presence of the priest in the world, and why he needed a good formation in the basic human virtues in order to serve the men and women of his time. But it also warned that priests should not adopt lay lifestyles, much less take on commitments of a partisan political nature. Finally, it asserted the freedom to join associations which in one way or another could help them achieve personal sanctification in the carrying out of their priestly ministry.”[2]

“Not a week had gone by after the close of the Council when Cardinal Ciriaci, president of the commission of which Don Alvaro had been secretary, sent him a note expressing heartfelt gratitude and congratulations for the happy conclusion of a great achievement.” The note said: “You steered to a safe harbor your decree, which is by no means the least important of the decrees and constitutions of the Council.” The vote on the document was 2390 to 4, a nearly unanimous approval after thorough debate, on December 7, 1965. Ciriaci said: (History would regard this decree as) “a fresh, and practically unanimous, confirmation by the Second Vatican Council of ecclesiastical celibacy and the exalted mission of the priesthood.” Pope Paul VI said: “I am well aware of the extent to which this is a result of your prudent, tenacious, and courteous efforts. Without failing to respect the freedom of others to have and to express their own opinions, you never swerved from the track of fidelity to the great principles of priestly spirituality.”[3]

[1] J. Ratzinger, “Introduction to Christianity,” Ignatius (1990) 155.
[2] Salvador Bernal, “Alvaro del Portillo,” Scepter (1996) 130-131.
[3] Ibid. 126-128.

Posted in Articles

The Cause of canonization of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo: beginning of the diocesan phase of the canonical investigation into the life and virtues of Saint Josemaría’s first successor

blogeditor — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:31:20 +0000

Of great significance for the Prelature was the beginning of the diocesan phase of the canonical investigation into the life and virtues of Saint Josemaría’s first successor as head of Opus Dei, the Servant of God, Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, who died in Rome on March 23, 1994.

The opening of a Cause of canonization always stems from spontaneous devotion rooted in the living faith of the people of God. The Church, by her investigation, seeks to establish that this devotion is authentic and well-founded.

As Bishop Javier Echevarría recalled on March 20, 2004, during the opening session of the Prelature’s tribunal, “Bishop Alvaro del Portillo has truly left behind him ‘a particular legacy of admiration and affection’ (Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis, no. 25),” which very quickly produced “eloquent signs of a wide-spread reputation for sanctity,” especially in the form of thousands of signed statements attributing spiritual and material favors to his intercession.

Having completed the requirements foreseen by the Normae servandae in inquisitionibus ab episcopis faciendis (February 7, 1983), nos. 10-14, and having verified the solidity of the evidence for the Christian exemplariness of Bishop Del Portillo’s life, the Prelate decided to begin the juridical investigation into his life and virtues. Several of its points are worth highlighting here.

First of all, we can note the rigor with which the requirements of the first phase of the investigation were carried out, and the decision to work in an unhurried manner, allowing ten years to pass since Bishop Del Portillo’s death before beginning the investigation, rather than being governed by the five-year waiting period foreseen by the canonical norms. During these years, publications have been prepared on his reputation for sanctity while still living, on favors granted after his death, on the biographical details of his life, and on his spiritual personality.

Secondly, Bishop Echevarría decided to ask his eminence Cardinal Camilo Ruini, the Vicar of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, to designate a tribunal from the Vicariate to hear certain witnesses, among them the Prelate himself, various members of the Prelature, and persons attached to the Roman Curia. Cardinal Ruini, after examining the documentation gathered during the past decade, in his address at the opening session of the Vicariate’s tribunal expressed his conviction that “this Cause of Canonization is well-founded. Bishop Del Portillo’s reputation for holiness, which gave all indications of being solidly based, precluded the need to wait any longer. Therefore I have given my approval to this project without any hesitation. The Bishop’s Conference of the province of Lazio, which I consulted, also gave its unanimous approval.”

On November 21, 2003, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints authorized that the diocesan investigation would be carried out aequaliter, that is to say, with the same degree of competence, by the Vicariate of Rome’s tribunal and that of the Prelature. This explains why there were two opening ceremonies for the work of the tribunals: the first for the Vicariate’s tribunal, on March 5, 2004, in the Lateran Palace, and the second for the Prelature’s tirbunal, on March 20, in the Palazzo dell’Apollinare.

Since many of the witnesses reside far from Rome, other tribunals will also be called upon to intervene. Thus tribunals from dioceses throughout the world will take part in the inquiry, which will make evident another characteristic note of Bishop Del Portillo and his work: that is, his services to the entire Church and his spirit of communion. In this regard some words of Cardinal Ruini in the address just mentioned are quite relevant: “We can highlight here the multi-faceted activity carried out by Bishop Del Portillo in the service of the Holy See. His deep pastoral experience gained at the side of Saint Josemaría, his proven human qualities, and his theological and juridical competence fitted him for multiple tasks. Thus, as far back as the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, he was named Consultor to the Sacred Congregation for the Religious. Pope John XXIII named him Consultor to the Sacred Congregation of the Council (1959-1966) and Qualifier of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office (1960). During the Council he was chosen as one of the first ‘peritos’ or experts. He was Secretary of the Commission on the Discipline of the Clergy and the Christian People, which drafted the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, and Consultor for other Conciliar Commissions.

“Paul VI named him Consultor to the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of Canon Law, and later Consultor and Judge of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, in addition to confirming him as a Consultor to the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy. Pope John Paul II name him Consultor to the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of the Saints and to the Pontifical Counsel for Social Communication, as well as a member of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops in 1983. As a Pontifical appointee, he participated in the ordinary general assemblies of the Synod of Bishops ‘on the vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and in the world’ (1987) and ‘on the formation of priests’ (1990) . . . Another notable aspect of the work of Bishop Del Portillo in the service of the Church is the activity that he carried out during his numerous pastoral trips all over the world.”

We can be sure, as the Prelate of Opus Dei stated, that “the Cause of canonization of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo will bring many tangible benefits to Christians,” and that “through his life many people will discover the fatherly face of God, smiling on them, encouraging them, forgiving them.” This is the deepest significance of any Cause of canonization: the edification of souls, the good of the Church. This Cause will enable us to better appreciate the one who, as Cardinal Ruini said, was “the most faithful son” of Saint Josemaría, and who transformed his daily life into a continuous offering to God.

Posted in News

He never lets me down

blogeditor — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:41:47 +0000

I had a growth on the uterus that had to be extirpated. Not only might it develop into a cancer, but it was causing me to become anemic because of frequent hemorrhages. On the day I was supposed to have the operation something unexpected occurred which prevented the operation from taking place. I prayed to Don Alvaro that the growth would simply disappear. Within a month the symptoms stopped, and when I went back to the doctor for a scan, he gave me the good news that the growth had vanished. From that day on I have felt perfectly well. I know that it was Don Alvaro who healed me.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus. It was a great shock to the whole family, because the doctors could not tell how far the cancer had spread. Once again I prayed through Don Alvaro’s intercession. My mother had a CAT scan, which showed clearly that there was no metastasis. I am very grateful to Don Alvaro and pray the prayer-card to him every day before I start work. He never lets me down.
P.C.V., Portugal
October 17, 2006

Posted in Favours

St Josemaria’s book The Way of the Cross

blogeditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:47:40 +0000

St Josemaria’s book The Way of the Cross – Foreword by Bishop Alvaro del Portillo.

“Enter into the wounds of Christ Crucified.” When Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer proposed this way, to those who asked him for advice on how to deepen their interior life, he was doing no more than pass on his own experience, pointing out the short cut he had been using throughout his life, and which led him to the highest peaks of spiritual life. His love for Jesus was always something real, tangible and strong; it was tender, filial and very moving.

The Founder of Opus Dei used to say, with such encouraging persuasiveness, that being a Christian comes down to following Christ: that is the secret. And he would add: “We must accompany him so closely that we come to live with Him, like the first Twelve did; so closely, that we become identified with Him.” That is why he advised people to meditate constantly on the passages of the Gospel, and those who had the good fortune to hear him comment on some of the scenes of the life of Christ, have felt themselves reliving those scenes, actually there, and they have learned to take part in those passages as just one more person there.

Among all the Gospel narratives, Msgr. Escrivá used to dwell with special attention and love on those which tell of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. There, among many other considerations he made, he would contemplate the Sacred Humanity of Christ, who—in his great yearning to come close to each one of us—reveals himself to us with all the weakness of men and with all the magnificence of God. “That is why,” he would say, “I have always advised people to read books on Our Lord’s Passion. Such works, full of true piety, bring to our minds the Son of God, a Man like ourselves and also true God, who in his flesh loves and suffers to redeem the world. Truly, a Christian matures and becomes strong beside the Cross, where he also finds Mary, his Mother.”

The Founder of Opus Dei prepared this Way of the Cross as a result of his contemplation on the scenes of Calvary. His desire was that it should serve to help people meditate on the Passion of Jesus, but he never wished to impose it on anyone as a text with which to carry out this very Christian devotion. This was because of his great love for the freedom of people’s consciences and the deep respect he felt towards the interior life of each soul, so much so that he never obliged even his own children to adopt specific ways of piety, except, naturally, those which form an essential part of the spirituality that God has wanted for Opus Dei.

This new posthumous work of Msgr. Escrivá, like the previous ones, has been prepared to help people to pray and, with the grace of God, to grow in a spirit of reparation —of love-sorrow— and of gratitude to Our Lord, who has rescued us at the cost of his Blood. For this same reason, there have been included, as points for meditation, some words of Msgr. Escrivá, taken from his preaching and his conversation which reflected his zeal to speak only about God and about nothing but God.

The Stations of the Cross is not a sad devotion. Msgr. Escrivá taught many times that Christian joy has its roots in the shape of a cross. If the Passion of Christ is a way of pain, it is also a path of hope leading to certain victory. As he explained in one of his homilies: “You should realise that God wants you to be glad and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, very happy, although you will never for a moment be without the Cross. But that Cross is no longer a gallows. It is the throne from which Christ reigns. And at his side is his Mother, our Mother too. The Blessed Virgin will obtain for you the strength that you need to walk decisively in the footsteps of her Son.”

ALVARO DEL PORTILLO
Rome, 14 September 1980, feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Posted in Articles

Adventures in a Mimosa Tree

blogeditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:46:20 +0000

My Mother suggested I cut some generous branches of mimosa in bloom to take home to my house as the scent is very beautiful. So I climbed a ladder to cut some branches off the tree, but was a bit too ambitious and I slipped and fell off the ladder landing in a bush, which broke my fall. I wasn’t badly hurt, but as I fell a branch brushed against my eye, dislodging a contact lens. The gardener had been working the day before and had covered the ground underneath the tree with little wood chips and other stuff, so I knew from the start that it would take a miracle to find my lens again, especially as I could only see out of one eye – I’m practically blind without my lenses! I thought, ‘Don Alvaro, this is your chance!’ and said as much of his novena as I could remember, while I was searching for it. I promised him I would write it down if he helped me. Within about one minute, I found I was looking straight at the lens, just in front of my feet. I am truly grateful to Don Alvaro. I know this is just another contact-lens story, but for me it is a real miracle.
E. C., England 1 March 2009

Posted in Favours

A faithful man

blogeditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:45:54 +0000

Alvaro del Portillo, St Josemaría’s first successor at the head of Opus Dei, was born March 11, 1914.

A “good and faithful servant” – words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, that Pope John Paul II applied to Bishop Alvaro del Portillo.

Bishop Javier Echevarria says:

In the telegram John Paul II sent me ten years ago upon receiving news of the unexpected departure of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the Pope applied to my predecessor Jesus’ words in the Gospel: “a good and faithful servant.” With gratitude to God, the Holy Father recalled “the diligent life of Don Alvaro as priest and bishop, his constant example of courage and trust in divine providence, his fidelity to the See of Peter and his generous service to the Church.”

A few days before being called into God’s presence, Bishop del Portillo reflected on this virtue. He was undertaking days of prayer in the Holy Land, where he followed the footsteps of Jesus with great piety. Among the greetings he sent from there to various persons was one addressed to Msgr. Stanislaw Dziwisz, the secretary of John Paul II. Reading it today takes on a special meaning for us. I cite this episode with the explicit authorization of the recipient of the postcard.

Don Alvaro wrote: My esteemed friend: in these holy places, I have prayed—we have prayed—a great deal for you, vir fidelis, with the request that you present to the Holy Father our desire to be fideles usque ad mortem, faithful unto death, in the service of the Church and the Holy Father.

Fidelity to God in the first place. Born and educated within a deeply Christian family, Don Alvaro learned from his parents a conduct in full conformity with the faith he had received. With naturalness, without sanctimoniousness, he combined the normal activities of a young man—study, sport, friendship, etc.—with a sincere and deep piety. Thus God prepared him for his encounter with St. Josemaría Escrivá, which took place when Don Alvaro was twenty-one, and which was to give full meaning to his life.

From then on, with the help of grace, under the direct guidance of the Founder of Opus Dei, Don Alvaro strove with all his strength to carry out the mission providence had chosen for him: to learn the spirit of Opus Dei from St. Josemaría, to make it the marrow of his life, and then to transmit it with extraordinary faithfulness to many other people.

Don Alvaro’s earthly path could be defined as a constant progress in fidelity to God, which means a daily struggle for personal conversion. This invitation is addressed to us as well, especially during the liturgical period of Lent. With words from St. Josemaría, and taking as a backdrop the words of my predecessor cited above, we can ask ourselves: “Am I advancing in my faithfulness to Christ, in my desire for holiness, in a generous apostolate in my daily life, in my ordinary work among my colleagues? Each one of us, silently, should answer these questions, and he will see that he needs to change again if Christ is to live in him, if Jesus’ image is to be reflected clearly in his behavior.” (St. Josemaria, Christ Is Passing By, no. 58).

Inseparably joined to his fidelity to God was Bishop del Portillo’s fidelity to the Church and the Roman Pontiff. In this respect his many years of service to the Holy See, beginning with his arrival in Rome in 1946 and continuing right up to his death, speaks for itself. For almost fifty years, in so many ways, Don Alvaro poured his energy into serving efficaciously the Church, the Pope and all souls.

From his first assignments in the offices of the Holy See, to his intervention in the work of the Second Vatican Council and his participation in episcopal synods, the course of those long years in Rome was characterized by silent and fruitful service to the Church and the Pope. He never said no when his help was requested. He took on everything with a smiling peace that eased the burden of others.

His fidelity to the Church and the Roman Pontiff shone forth with renewed light at particular moments. This was especially so when the Holy Father expressed his wishes in regard to the new evangelization that had to be carried out in countries with an ancient Christian tradition. Or when the same Roman Pontiff manifested his concern for the cause of peace in various parts of the world.

We don’t have time to go into all this here. But we all remember specific deeds by Bishop del Portillo, gestures of support and solidarity with the Holy Father that showed his dedication and loyalty. As I mentioned a few days ago, in the opening session of the Tribunal of the Prelature set up for his cause of canonization, Don Alvaro’s conduct was always inspired by the motto he learned from St. Josemaría: to make the noise of three while doing the work of three thousand.

We see here a shining example of faithfulness to one’s vocation in carrying out the tasks God entrusts to each person. Don Alvaro put all his human and supernatural qualities, and they were truly many, at the service of the mission he had received.

Today, as we recall at the altar this good and faithful servant of God, I invite you to go to his intercession. Our Lord wants the human and Christian virtue of fidelity to shine in our daily life as it did in Don Alvaro’s. This possibility is within the reach of all of us, with God’s help, if we truly decide to make a daily conversion in big things and in little ones, because everything is great when done for God’s love.

So let us follow what St. Josemaría teaches us in one of his homilies: “When you sincerely desire to live by faith, hope and love, the renewal of your commitment is not a matter of picking up again something neglected. When there really is faith, hope and love, renewal means staying in God’s hands, despite our personal faults, mistakes and defects. It is a confirmation of our faithfulness. Renewing our commitment means renewing our fidelity to what God wants of us: it means expressing our love in deeds.” (St. Josemaria, Christ Is Passing By, no. 43)

Let us entrust these resolutions to our Lady, Virgo Fidelis, and to her spouse, St. Joseph. Through their intercession we too will be faithful to our Christian vocation. And we will be happy. For, as St. Josemaría assures us, faithfulness is synonymous with happiness: happiness in this world, within the limits of our present condition, and complete happiness in heaven.

Bishop Javier Echevarria

Prelate of Opus Dei

Read the complete text in Romana – Bulletin of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei

Posted in Articles

Anniversary of the death of Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, St Josemaría’s first successor

blogeditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:43:38 +0000

Early in the morning of March 23, 1994, God called his good and faithful servant to Himself. Bishop del Portillo had returned only a few hours before from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where, with deep prayer and piety, he had followed Jesus’ footsteps from Nazareth to the Holy Sepulcher, and had celebrated his last Mass on earth in the Church of the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Later that day, Pope John Paul II came to pray before Bishop del Portillo’s remains, which now lie in the crypt of the Church of the Prelature, Our Lady of Peace at Bruno Buozzi 75, Rome.

On March 5, 2004 in the Tribunal of the diocese of Rome and on the 20th of that month in the Tribunal of the Prelature, the opening sessions of the “process of instruction” on the life of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo were held, with both tribunals enjoying equal competence.

The first session of the Vicariate of Rome’s process took place in the “Hall of Conciliation” at the Lateran Palace, in the presence of some 400 people, among them the Prelate of Opus Dei, Bishop Javier Echevarría. Cardinal Ruini, Vicar of the Holy Father for the Diocese of Rome, opened the session.

When the first session of the process was concluded with the signing of the minutes, Cardinal Ruini addressed those present. After giving a brief sketch of Don Alvaro’s life, he spoke of the prestige he enjoyed in the Roman Curia. “We can highlight here the multi-faceted activity carried out by Bishop Del Portillo in the service of the Holy See. His deep pastoral experience gained at the side of Saint Josemaría, his proven human qualities, and his theological and juridical competence fitted him for multiple tasks.” And he continued: “The occasions that I had of meeting with Bishop del Portillo convinced me that I was in the presence of an exemplary pastor: the firmness of his adhesion to the doctrine of the Church, his union with the Pope, his pastoral charity, his humility, his balance, all clearly evinced an interior richness that was not at all common.”

He concluded by saying: “to guarantee the success of the work we are beginning, let us call upon the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the principal cause of holiness in the Church. Let me also call upon the intercession of St. Josemaria, of whom Bishop Alvaro del Portillo was the most faithful son and afterwards his first successor. The service that Don Alvaro always provided to the Church of Rome, the prompt diligence with which he supported the Holy Father’s pastoral initiatives for the diocese, were part of the love for the Church that he had learned from St. Josemaria.”

On March 20, there took place in the Höffner Auditorium of the Palazzo di Sant’Apollinare, seat of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, the opening session of the Tribunal of the Prelature for the process of canonization of Bishop del Portillo. The ceremony was very similar to the one that had taken place two weeks earlier in the Lateran. At the end Bishop Javier Echevarría, as President of the Tribunal, addressed those present.

He recalled how “one week before his departure for heaven, Don Alvaro, during his prayerful trip to the Holy Land, sent a post-card from Jerusalem to the Pope’s personal secretary, Msgr. Stanislaw Dziwisz, in which among other things he told him, ‘I would greatly appreciate it if you would let the Holy Father know of our desire to be fideles usque ad mortem, faithful unto death in the service of the Church and the Holy Father.’ Today, Bishop Echevarría continued, “the reading of this brief hand-written text of Don Alvaro takes on special relevance because of what happened a few days later. One might say that our Lord listened closely to those words, usque ad mortem. Because a few days after his return, this good and faithful servant, as John Paul II described him, was called into God’s presence. This episode provides a very fitting framework for the ceremony that has brought us here today. For it has as its protagonist a shepherd who, right to the end of his life, left us an unequivocal testimony of faithfulness.”

The Prelate then referred to various paragraphs of the apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, in which the Pope speaks of the “pedagogical value” of holiness (see nos. 29-41). And he said that “they constitute an invitation, directed to the shepherds of the Church, to set before the faithful the example of so many Christians who, even in recent times, have known how to put their faith into practice in a heroic manner, in environments and situations that are close to us. Their lives are, at the same time, a sign of hope.” He added, “I also trust that the Cause of canonization of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo will bring many tangible benefits to Christians. I am sure that through his life many people will discover the fatherly face of God, smiling on them, encouraging them, forgiving them.” Bishop Echevarría concluded by saying: “At the end of his address at the opening ceremony for the diocesan part of the investigation to be carried out by the Vicariate of Rome’s Tribunal, Cardinal Ruini invoked the protection of St. Josemaría for the Tribunal’s work. With all my heart I also entrust the work of this Tribunal to the intercession of the one of whom Bishop del Portillo was the most faithful son.”

Posted in Articles

I’ve been chosen to be an altar-server, and what’s more, I went to Confession!

blogeditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:41:54 +0000

After getting back from a day retreat in Marilauquen, bringing with me some prayer-cards of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, I thought of praying to him for my son who didn’t want to go to confession, which made me very sad. I prayed the prayer-card not more than once when my son Tomas arrived home from school and told me, ‘Mom, I’ve been chosen to be an altar-server at Mass tomorrow, and what’s more, I went to Confession!’ Thank you, Don Alvaro! God’s grace is so infinite that Tomas feels really happy – and so do we!
Alejandra R. A., Argentina
November 14, 2008

Posted in Favours