Today is Saint Josemaría Escrivá (June 26): who was this saint

Today, June 26is Saint Josemaría Escrivá of Balaguerand we will tell you who this character was for the Catholic saints.

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer is known for being the creator of Opus Dei and was born in 1902 in Barbastro, Huesca. He died in 1975 in Rome.

He was canonized in 2002 by the Pope John Paul II.

Life and work of Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer was a Spanish priest, founder of Opus Dei in 1928 and a saint of the Catholic Church. The controversial Opus Dei is a prelature, an institution within the Catholic Church, founded in 1928 and considered very conservative, often also labeled as a sect.

was doctor in Law and Theology. His best-known publication is ‘Path‘, a work translated into dozens of languages and with several million copies sold. He was ordained a priest in 1925 and began to exercise ministry in several rural parishes and then in Zaragoza, with preference in the church of San Pedro Nolasco, then governed by jesuits. In 1927 moved to Madridwhere he cared for the sick and helpless children in the poor neighborhoods of the capital.

In 1928, according to his testimony, He saw that God was asking him to spread his holiness and that opened a new path within the Church, which is why he promoted the creation of Opus Dei, in Spanish “Work of God”, to transmit to all men that they could sanctify themselves through work. At first he only counted on men, but God would have made him see that it was also intended for women.

The 2 wars

When the Civil war In 1936, Josemaría was still in Madrid as a priest and continued to do his work clandestinely so as not to be persecuted. Finally, he managed to leave the city in 1937 using false documentation and after fleeing to his land, he passed through the south of France and later moved to Burgos, from the rebellious area. There he continued to exercise his priestly work.

After the war, he returned to Madrid, but although he resumed the expansion of Opus Dei throughout Spain, the outbreak of the Second World War prevents him from taking it to other countries. It is after the conflict when she moves to Rome and manages to have influence in the Vatican. In 1947 he obtained the approval of Opus Dei as a Secular Institute of pontifical right, giving way to its international expantion: United States, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Japan…

Death and legacy

He died in Rome on June 26, 1975, after suffering a sudden heart attack. After his death, the Vatican received thousands of letters from around the world requesting the process of beatification and canonization. In 1992, the Pope John Paul II beatified Escrivá de Balaguer for his “universal call to holiness and apostolate.” In 2002 he was also canonized.

This process was not without controversy and opposition because his detractors criticize that his canonization was too fast and that there was irregularities.