Holiness in the Ordinary: Denver Catholics Celebrate the Legacy of St. Josemaría Escrivá
Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez will celebrate an anniversary Mass on Oct. 24, honoring the founder of Opus Dei and his enduring message that everyday work and family life can become paths to holiness.
By Veronica Ambuul
Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez will join Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Denver this month to celebrate a truth that has shaped generations of families: everyday life can be a path to holiness.
That teaching is at the heart of Opus Dei — and for Light of the World parishioner Kathy Fisher, it carries deeply personal meaning. She will never forget being in Rome on Oct. 6, 2002 — the day Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, before hundreds of thousands of people who had traveled from around the world.
“St. Peter’s Square was filled to overflowing all the way to the Tiber River and adjoining side streets,” said Fisher, who attended the canonization with her parents and siblings. “Pope John Paul spoke beautifully of St. Josemaria’s contribution to the Church, mainly that all people — including lay people — are called to holiness and they can do this best through their ordinary lives. He called St. Josemaria ‘the saint of the ordinary.’”
The event was especially meaningful to Fisher because her mother had met St. Josemaria in Rome in 1966.
“That meeting solidified her lifetime love of ‘The Work,’ as many people call it, and she passed on this love and knowledge of him to all of her children and grandchildren,” Fisher said, adding that the spirituality of Opus Dei was a great support as she and her husband raised their own large family. St. Josemaria was one of the first to describe marriage as a vocation, teaching that all the joys and sorrows of family life had supernatural value and, if embraced with love, could make couples truly holy.
Born to a middle-class family in Spain, St. Josemaria was only 26 years old and a newly-ordained priest when God gave him the vision for Opus Dei (“Work of God”) on Oct. 2, 1928. It was clear to him that Opus Dei’s primary purpose would be to help lay people embrace their ordinary life and work as paths to holiness and union with God. Although canon law had no framework for such an organization at the time, St. Josemaria immediately set out to fulfill the mission to which God had called him. He began working with college students and young professionals living in Madrid, teaching them how to practice contemplative prayer, frequent the sacraments and evangelize while remaining fully in the secular world.
The Spanish Civil War temporarily hindered Opus Dei’s growth and forced St. Josemaria to flee Madrid, but he never abandoned his apostolic efforts and went to great lengths to keep his fledgling group together. In 1943, the first three men were ordained to the priesthood for Opus Dei. One of the three, Father Joseph Musquiz, arrived in Chicago in 1949 and helped establish a residence near the University of Chicago. The apostolate quickly spread to other Midwest cities, such as Milwaukee and St. Louis, as well as to the East Coast in places such as New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.
By the time Pope St. John Paul II designated Opus Dei as a personal prelature in 1982, lay members of Opus Dei were already living in Denver and helping to spread St. Josemaria’s teachings through personal apostolate, with priests making regular visits to preach days of recollection and retreats.
“I’ve been with Opus Dei for more than 65 years, starting in Madison, Wisconsin,” said Mary Jo Kerrigan of Arvada. “In 1975, my husband and I, along with our family of 11 children, moved to Colorado, where we became the first members of Opus Dei in the state. Over the years, we’ve encouraged many of our friends and family members to explore their spiritual paths through days of recollection, retreats, etc.”
Join Bishop Rodríguez for the anniversary Mass on Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. at Christ the King Parish in Denver, then stay for a reception in the parish hall. All are welcome, including families and children. To explore how Opus Dei can support your own path to holiness, visit alpineskies.org for men’s activities in Denver or contact Veronica Ambuul at vambuul@comcast.net for women’s activities.
