Opus Dei, << OH puhs DAY ee >> , is an international Roman Catholic organization dedicated to spreading Christian doctrine (teachings) and virtues throughout all areas of social and professional life. The members of Opus Dei pledge to sanctify (make holy) their daily work, seek personal perfection as Christians, and try to achieve Christian ideals in their lives. The organization’s name is Latin for work of God.
Opus Dei is conservative in its theology (system of religious beliefs). Members obey the Roman Catholic Church as the supreme teaching authority in matters of faith and morals. Most members are lay people—that is, they are not members of the clergy. Opus Dei has no restrictions on a lay member’s occupation or secular (nonreligious) life. Some priests, bishops, and cardinals also belong to the organization.
Opus Dei has separate branches for men and women. Every candidate for membership must serve a period of probation—that is, a testing period. Most lay members are called supernumeraries. They may be married or unmarried. Some members, called numeraries, must remain celibate (unmarried). They are expected to devote much of their free time and contribute money to the organization. Some numeraries live together as a community in Opus Dei centers. There are also numerary assistants, who cook and clean for the communities; associates, who are celibate and live in their own homes; and cooperators, who are friends, but not members, of the organization. Some disciplinary practices of Opus Dei are controversial. Critics view these practices as harsh or controlling.
Opus Dei was founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albas, a Spanish priest who was canonized (declared a saint) in 2002. Escrivá’s best-known book, The Way (1934), is a strong influence on the organization. It is a collection of 999 short sayings on living a spiritual life.
Since 1982, Opus Dei has been led by a church official called a prelate << PREHL iht >> and appointed by the pope. In that year, Pope John Paul II established Opus Dei as a personal prelature, which has the same status as a diocese (district led by a bishop). The organization received the title of Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei. Its headquarters are in Rome.
Opus Dei has established several high schools and universities, notably the University of Navarre in Spain and the University of the Holy Cross in Rome. The organization also operates cultural and social facilities throughout the world. These include conference centers, publishing houses, training programs, charitable establishments, and medical clinics.
