Saint Josemaría Escrivá

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Effigy of Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of the Opus Dei Prelature, inside the San Miguel Arcángel Cathedral Parish, in the town of San Miguel.

The 26th of June is the feast day of Saint Josemaria Escriva (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975). He is also known as Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás. He is the patron saint of Opus Dei.

Saint Josemaria Escriva lived between 1902 to 1975 and was born in Spain to a devout Catholic family and was one of their six children. However, three of their children died, and they experienced financial setbacks. When he was a teenager, he saw a path of bare footprints left in the snow by a Carmelite friar and decided his vocation was in the priesthood. He gave up his intended career as an architect and entered into the seminary. He earned a doctorate in civil law and theology and spent most of his life teaching in universities and studying. He founded Opus Dei, “The Work of God, which was an organisation of laity and priests that dedicated their lives to the universal call of holiness. Opus Dei now has over 80 000 members world wide. He wrote a book “The Way” which is now famous, and is a collection of spiritual and pastoral reflections. On June 26 1975 he died of a cardiac arrest after glancing at an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his office in Rome. He was canonised by Pope Saint John Paul II.