Find men and women of good will among the harvest of the world,
at the service of others, had been conceived on October 2, 1928, in a special moment, by the Spanish diocesan priest, José María Escriva de Balaguer y Albas. Who today is a saint of the Catholic Church. And his work, as it is also named, is officially called the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei.
Towards the 1950s, I was studying Law at the Faculty of Jurisprudence of the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, in Bogotá, and a dear friend of mine, associated with that Institute, believing me to be a man of good will, He linked me to his training circles.
In the month of August 2003, I invited that friend, Álvaro Mendoza Ramírez, who was the rector of the University of La Sabana, to accompany me to Valledupar, with the purpose of inviting a group of people who wanted to receive a relevant religious training. A good number of us met at my house and we continue to do so periodically. Now I don’t observe any of those. Years later, perhaps a decade or more ago, I decided to gain the friendship of Rodolfo Campo Soto para la Obra, then director of Incoder. My patience and insistence paved the way and clarified their initial uncertainties, and here is the second member of the Work in Valledupar. Several have entered after him. And also women.
To Rodolfo, intelligent, organized, methodical, versed in dealing with men, little by little I delegated functions, typical of the activities of the Work in Valledupar, the meetings here, the spiritual retreats in Pueblo Bello, all of which It makes me remain calm in my necessary detachment from life.
For about 4 years, the priests and instructors, who visit us every month and since 2003, my wife Josefina and I, with so much pleasure hosted them in our house, today with equal affection welcome them Rodolfo and his family .
I want to remember priests and lay people who throughout this quarter of a century have worried about coming to Valledupar to instruct in the Work of God, the first; Father Giovanny, then diocesan parish priest of Aracataca, incorporated into the Priestly Society of La Santa Cruz del Opus Dei; priests of Opus Dei, Eduardo Arango (RIP), Juan de Dios, Don Juaquín (from the Commission of the Work), Jorge Mario Posada, Monsignor Ugo Pucini Banfi; Father Javier Abad Gómez, for the last 10 years. Laymen, Rafael Hoyos, Arturo Sánchez, Germán Murcia.
Father Javier, my old classmate, on the night of June 4, in the Cañahuate Room of the Valledupar Social Club, surrounded by a large audience, presented his book, María, la maestro de Dios. Then we gave him a magnificent dinner in the club’s dining room, to show him our affection and thank him for his work in Valledupar, and to say goodbye to him, since he was replaced by the priest Lope Carvajal, and at which event Dr. Rodolfo spoke some affectionate words on purpose. God save Father Javier. [email protected]
Rodrigo Lopez Barros
