What is Opus Dei?

Opus Dei in latin means “Work of God”. It is an institution of the Catholic Church founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá on 2 October 1928. Its task is to spread the Christian message that everybody is called to holiness and that daily work and ordinary life is the normal way to achieve this.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Opus Dei’s founder, Pope John Paul II said, “From the beginning of his priestly ministry, St. Josemaría Escrivá put at the very heart of his preaching the truth that all the baptized are called to the fullness of charity and that the most direct way to attain this goal is to be found in the midst of normal daily life. The Lord wants to enter into a loving communion with each one of his children, right in the midst of their daily occupations, in the context of everyday life” (Rome, 12 January 2002).

Were we to look for a phenomenon similar to Opus Dei in the history of Church, we would, as St. Josemaría Escrivá suggested, have to look at the early Christians. They were ordinary people who tried their best to live consistently their Christian commitments in the midst of their ordinary occupations, taking the Gospel message to all environments. This is what is meant by seeking sanctity in the middle of the world that is, trying to be like Jesus Christ, converting daily life into an occasion to love God and others for his sake.

Opus Dei and LBS

The founders of Pan-Atlantic University were inspired in beginning this educational project by the teachings of St Josemaria Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. St Josemaria had taught that work well done was an important means of finding fulfilment in one’s life, a means of developing an ever closer friendship with God as well as helping one’s contemporaries find joy. In addition, St Josemaria had encouraged members of Opus Dei who wished to do so to come together with other citizens of their community to commence projects of a social nature where work done with the spirit of service can serve the needs of their communities. In some such projects, Opus Dei enters into an agreement to provide suitable assistance to the organisation. Specifically, in LBS, the Prelature of Opus Dei provides the spiritual and pastoral means necessary for the School to sustain and develop its Christian identity. The Prelature of Opus Dei takes responsibility for guaranteeing that all teaching, publishing and research activities in LBS are inspired by the Christian view of the person, the world and society, and seeks a coherent union between faith, thought and life. The Christian inspiration of Lagos Business School moves it to promote student participation in social activities aimed at service and teaches them to dedicate part of their time to those most in need. In this way, they gain consciousness of their responsibility to serve society with their future work.

The Saint Of Ordinary Life

Josemaría Escrivá, priest and founder of Opus Dei, spread the universal call to holiness. He preached: “Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ.”
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The Prelate of Opus Dei

Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz was born in Paris on October 27, 1944, in a Spanish family exiled in France due to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The youngest of eight children, he graduated from the University of Barcelona with a degree in Physical Sciences in 1966. He received a licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in 1969 and a doctorate in Theology from the University of Navarra in 1971, the year he was ordained a priest. In his first years as a priest he was especially involved in ministry to young people and university students. He is a consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (since 1986), as well as other departments of the Roman Curia: the Congregation for the Clergy (since 2003) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (since 2011). He has been a member of the Pontifical Theological Academy since 1989. In the 1980s, he was among the professors who began the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, where he was a tenured professor (now emeritus) in Fundamental Theology.
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Opus Dei in Nigeria

Our Works in Nigeria

Halls of Residence for young men and women close to some university campuses

The Imoran University Centre for girls in Ibadan; the Irawo University Centre for boys also at Ibadan and the Afara Leadership Centre for girls in Akoka, near the University of Lagos.

Schools

The Wavecrest Monotechnic of Catering and Hospitality Management in Surulere, Lagos; the Institute for Industrial Technology in Ikeja, which trains youths and workers to get good jobs; The Lagoon School for girls and the Whitesands School for boys, both in Lagos; Roseville nursery and primary school in Enugu; The Wavecrest

Youth Centres that run programmes to help build the character and academic excellence of students

Helmbridge Study Centre, Surulere for boys and the Lattice Club, Lekki for girls.

Hospitals and Rural Clinics

The Niger Foundation Hospital in Enugu and Health Clinics in various locations such as at Abidagba in Iloti village of Ogun State and at lwollo in Enugu State.

Two Conference Centres

One in Ogun State (Iroto Conference Centre) and the other in Enugu State that offer courses of formation, retreats and seminars; the staff of these centres also engage in rural development activities to serve the needs of the local people in the area.

Useful Links

The Communications Office of Opus Dei in Nigeria

35 Adeola Hopewell Street,
Victoria Island,
Lagos, Nigeria
Email: info@opusdei.ng

On the web