"Sanctifying one's work is no fantastic dream, but the mission of every Christian - yours and mine." Saint Josemaría
Opus Dei in the U.S.
Personal prelature
Prelature of Opus Dei
Personal prelature 11/28/2022
On 28 November 1982, St. John Paul II erected Opus Dei as a Personal Prelature by means of the Apostolic Constitution "Ut sit." Here are some videos and texts on its juridical structure and apostolic mission.
Monsignor Mariano Fazio
Auxiliary Vicar of Opus Dei since 2019, Mariano Fazio was born in Buenos Aires on April 25, 1960. He has been rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and was an invited expert at the Latin American Bishops Conference in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007.
Why is the Prelate of Opus Dei called "Father"?
An article by Guillaume Derville on why the faithful in the Prelature of Opus Dei call the prelate "Father."
What is a personal prelature?
Msgr. Ocáriz: "Opus Dei Opens its Doors to Everyone"
Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz is a theologian and is also the Vicar General of Opus Dei. This Zenit interview was held on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Opus Dei as a personal prelature.
Video: Bishop Alvaro del Portillo receiving the bull "Ut sit"
In 1982, with the Apostolic Constitution, "Ut sit," John Paul II erected Opus Dei as a personal prelature. The following video records the first Prelate, Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, receiving the bull "Ut sit" in the Basilica of Saint Eugene in Rome.
How is a personal prelature created?
It is the Church itself, represented by the Pope, that makes the decision to create a personal prelature, after consulting the Bishops' Conferences, in order to serve souls more effectively. Naturally this decision requires the existence of the elements that constitute a personal prelature: a community of faithful, presided over by a prelate, with a clergy that assists him in his pastoral task, and a specific ecclesial purpose.
How is it financed?
The prelature of Opus Dei is financed in the same way as the dioceses and other future prelatures, that is, above all by the contributions of its own faithful and of other people who provide financial assistance for its mission.
Do the laity belong to the prelature, or only the priests?
Both belong equally to the prelature.
Opus Dei and the dioceses
At the institutional level, what is Opus Dei's relationship with the dioceses? Is its pastoral work carried out in accord with religious institutions and other ecclesial entities?
Statutes of Opus Dei
The Statutes of Opus Dei were promulgated by Pope St John Paul II in 1982. Written in Latin, they define precisely the juridical configuration of the Prelature, its organization, and its aims.
Biography of Rev. Jorge Gisbert
Jorge Gisbert was born in Alcoy, Alicante (Spain) in 1969. He was ordained a priest in 2004. In 2019 he was named Central Vicar Secretary of Opus Dei.
Monsignor José Javier Marcos
Monsignor José Javier Marcos has been Central Vicar Secretary of Opus Dei since 2010.
Place in the Church
Opus Dei's work of spiritual formation complements the work of local churches. People who join Opus Dei or attend its activities continue to belong to their local dioceses.
Opus Dei in the Church
On March 19, 1983 in Rome, the handing over of the Bull "Ut Sit" took place. This document from John Paul II erected Opus Dei as a personal prelature. Opus Dei's only purpose, as the Founder said, "is to serve the Church".
What was Opus Dei before it became a prelature? How did the 1950 statutes differ from the present ones?
From its foundation on October 2, 1928, Opus Dei was already in essence, although in an embryonic state, the same as we see it today: a part of the Church, made up of faithful and structured hierarchically around a head who was at first the founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, a priest.
Does Opus Dei have greater autonomy now that it is a prelature. Can one speak of Opus Dei as a church within the Church?
No part of the Church constitutes "a church within the Church."
Upon whom does the prelate of Opus Dei depend? Who appoints him?
The prelate of Opus Dei and the prelature itself depend—as do all ecclesiastical circumscriptions—on the Holy See, that is, on the Roman Pontiff and the organ that assists him in what refers to dioceses and prelatures, the Congregation for Bishops.
What is the difference between an ordinary Catholic who tries to practice his faith, although he may not always succeed, and someone in Opus Dei?
How many personal prelatures are there at present? Why aren't there more?
The only personal prelature currently existing is Opus Dei. The fact that others have not yet been erected is due to the newness of personal prelatures, which have to offer guarantees of ecclesial solidity and be harmoniously inserted into the dioceses in which they operate. Besides, there are other ecclesiastical circumscriptions, such as the military ordinariates, with the same type of configuration, that is to say, one that is both personal and that complements the dioceses.
Biography of Rev. Antoni Pujals
Rev. Antoni Pujals i Ginebreda was born in Terrassa, Spain, in 1955. Ordained a priest in Rome in 1985, he is the Vicar General of the Prelature.
Organization of the Prelature
The Prelature of Opus Dei is governed by a Prelate, in accord with canon law and its own statutes. The Prelate and his vicars always carry out their work assisted by councils, made up largely of laity. The council for women is called the Central Advisory and the council for men is called the General Council; both are based in Rome.
Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz
Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, was born in Paris on October 27, 1944.
To Serve the Church
Opus Dei was born in the Church and exists in the Church to serve the Church. In this year marking the 25th anniversary of the Work's being erected as a personal prelature, we offer an article explaining the relevance of this event.
A Brief History of Opus Dei's Canonical Path
A new edition of the short book, The Juridical Mind of St. Josemaria Escriva, by canon law professor, Ernest Caparros has been published on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Opus Dei becoming a personal prelature.
How is it possible that it requires a specific vocation to be a member of a prelature?
Naturally this vocational requirement is not essential to personal prelatures, which could be based on very diverse circumstances, usually linked to social bonds among its faithful.
What is the mission of the prelature of Opus Dei? What is special about this mission that is not found in other Church entities?
The mission of the prelature of Opus Dei is the same salvific mission as that of the whole Church, carried out in conformity with a specific charism of sanctification and apostolate in professional work and in the context of ordinary life.
How does the diocese benefit from the work of the faithful of Opus Dei?
The work and entire life of the members of Opus Dei, to the extent to which they are loyal to their vocation, constitutes a part of the spiritual and apostolic good of the diocese.
What commitments are made by a person who is incorporated in Opus Dei?
Incorporation in the prelature of Opus Dei is essentially united to the personal vocation of that individual.
How long have personal prelatures existed in the Church?
Although similar personal hierarchical structures already existed (such as military vicariates), the juridical figure of the personal prelature is the result of an apostolic desire of the Second Vatican Council that later took form in the present Code of Canon Law. The first to be erected was the prelature of Opus Dei, in the Apostolic Constitution Ut sit of John Paul II, on November 28, 1982.