On June 22nd, 2024, the Anniversary Mass of St. Josemaria was attended by many lay faithful and friends of Opus Dei at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Raleigh, NC. Fr. Andrew Ogacho Okeyo presided, and in his homily, he emphasized St. Josemaria’s role as the Patron Saint of the ordinary. 

“The universal call to holiness is as simple as breathing and available to everyone regardless of their status in life.” He added, “Our holiness is manifested in our work, in our family and where we are in life.”

In the spirit of St. Josemaria, let’s remember, “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.” 

The Feast Day Mass for St. Josemaria Escriva was a beautiful time to remember the life and work of this “Saint of the Ordinary,” to ask for his intercession for our many intentions, and to thank God for the gift of Opus Dei in our lives and communities.

Following the Mass, families gathered for a light reception in the church hall to socialize and strengthen bonds, both old and new.

On June 22, 2024,  Prince of Peace Church in Greenville, SC hosted the Annual St Josemaría Feast Day Mass organized by the friends of St. Josemaria.

There were over 150 people in attendance and the Mass was celebrated by Fr. Tomlinson. During his homily, he noted, "Today is also the Feast Day of St Thomas More. St. Josemaria had a great devotion to this saint for 'all seasons' making him one of the intercessors of Opus Dei. More’s life was a rare example of a true lay-vocation, a kind of ‘proto"‘ Opus Dei member.”

Following the Mass was the veneration of a relic of St. Josemaria and also a light reception in the Parish Activity Center.

(Article written by Ms. Shannon Watkins and Dr. Fiorella V. Simoni de Cannon)

On September 30, 2023, Oakwood Cultural Center hosted a workshop titled “Fortifying Our Culture,” given by Katie Hinderer, a renowned social media professional.  The topic is prescient for our time. Looking at our world today, it is very tempting to feel afraid and discouraged. Afraid of how the culture’s woundedness might creep into our own homes and discouraged about our ability to help pull others out of the darkness. But during the workshop, we were reminded that the Christian attitude remains the same: being daring and hopeful optimism. 

The path to fortifying our culture might be daunting, but it becomes a fruitful adventure if approached with the right spirit, preparation, and tools. Katie likened our desire to fortify the culture to hiking the Grand Canyon. She explained that a particular trail at the Grand Canyon is incredibly difficult, with lots of uphill on the way back. If not undertaken with the proper preparation and resources, this trail can—and has proven to be—perilous. Katie, who has successfully hiked the trail, teased out several key ways in which our quest to strengthen the culture is similar to tackling this challenging but immensely rewarding trail. Some of the commonalities she highlighted are outlined below. 

Train for the Journey

To safely complete a tough trail, it is critical that the hiker train for months and remain in good physical shape. Likewise, to influence culture positively, we must put time into developing our spiritual health. The following questions can help us identify how we’re doing spiritually. Are we connecting regularly with God? Do I put my family first? Do our homes and family lives reflect a close connection with God? Are we discerning in prayer about what we see or hear about on the internet? 

Pack and prepare for the Journey

A prudent hiker must also anticipate the challenges she may encounter ahead. She will need to study the route to her destination, pack the proper supplies, and, to the best of her ability, she should visualize the experience to prepare for the unknown. Likewise, we must find the “route” and consider the “supplies” we will need to strengthen our culture. That reliable roadmap that will ensure we stay on track consists of establishing and remaining faithful to a concrete daily plan of connecting with God. And in that daily connection with God, He will grant us the necessary spiritual “supplies” to transform culture. 

Focused on the Goal

Mountain climbers have a heightened clarity of mission: to arrive safely to the trail’s end. Our mission should similarly be clear in our minds: to crowd the Heavens. Every person we encounter in this world—including acquaintances, strangers on the street, difficult family members, and impatient drivers—is someone we want to meet in heaven someday. Do we ask God to guide our encounters so that we help Him bring others to Heaven?

The Way Down is Always Easy

The start of this particular Grand Canyon trail is deceitfully easy: it's all downhill. Although less challenging, this partof the trail is still important because it progresses us toward our goal and gives us momentum to help carry us through bumpier terrain. Likewise, we’ve all experienced many natural and fruitful conversations about God with family and friends. Perhaps later, they picked up a book or tuned into a podcast we recommended that helped them on their own spiritual ascent.  

The Way Up is Challenging

But both real life and hiking have their uphill moments. The second half of the Grand Canyon hike is a steep incline. Hikers must push through the mental and physical exhaustion to reach the end. Perseverance through each step is necessary and crucial. Likewise, the resolve to live heroically for others will sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Some may not be receptive to our efforts to befriend them. Others may have beliefs so contrary to our own that any possibility of change may feel hopeless. During these moments, we must persevere through prayer, mortification, and — in the last place— action. 

Everyone We Encounter is Hurting

Hiking the Grand Canyon is an arduous process. Everyone undergoes some level of physical pain—made evident by those taking a break to catch their breath and rest their sore muscles. Likewise, every person we meet in our day-to-day activities is carrying some kind of hurt. We may not know what that pain is, but we empathize and pray for them.

Common Starting Ground

No matter how fast or slow someone completes the hike, everyone starts from the same place. The same is true in our life journeys. We all start from the same space, even if our experiences differ. We are all children of God, whom He willed to spend eternity with Him. Our common humanity unites us. 

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty

Each person is innately attracted to truth, goodness, and beauty. The fact that the Grand Canyon receives nearly 5 million visitors each year is a testament to this reality. Beauty, truth, and goodness bring people together. 

Encourage Others on the Journey

Both on the trail and in life, words of kindness, charity, compassion, and encouragement go a long way. Finding small ways to give encouragement and lift others up can make all the difference.

Refuel Along the Way

Just as a hiker needs frequent hydration and healthy snacks to stay the course, our spiritual and emotional resources can become depleted. To serve others, we need frequently to refill and strengthen ourselves with prayer, the sacraments, and little acts of sacrifice. 

Live in the Moment

The challenging conditions of a mountain range demand that she live in the present moment because that is what matters. She must focus on her priorities to get to that next mile marker. Likewise, we must tune out the noise of what might be or has already happened in life and focus on doing the next right thing. 

True Dialogue demands Listening with the Heart

Hiking is more enjoyable when doing it with other hikers. Likewise, we have “walking companions” in life, those in our sphere: those with whom we interact daily or regularly. For true dialogue to take place, it is crucial that we strive really to listen to what the other is saying in all our conversations. Our goal is to understand, not gather up our ideas for our response. When it is time for us to speak, do we remember to speak the truth with charity? We want to guide our friends lovingly to the truth.  

Seek Silence

Throughout our journey, finding moments of silence is pivotal. It is silence that allows the still, small voice of truth to speak. 

We invite you to put these ways into practice. By doing so, you will already be strengthening the culture around you.

By Ana Wendel, Ralegh, NC June 2023

On June 17, 2023, families from far and near gathered at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Raleigh to celebrate the Feast Day Mass of St. Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei. Presided by Monsignor Jeffrey A. Ingham, V. F., the Mass was attended by a large number of lay faithful and friends of Opus Dei.

In his homily, Msgr. Ingham emphasized St. Josemaria Escriva's role as the patron saint of the ordinary. He echoed the notable quote of St. Josemaria, “Either we learn to find the Lord in the ordinary everyday life, or else we shall never find Him,” and encouraged us to seek holiness where we are. Commenting on the Gospel reading from St. Luke, Monsengier reminded us that we must, by answering God’s call, allow the Lord to turn our ordinary work into something powerful and supernatural, as Peter did in the miraculous catch. 

Reflecting on the first reading from Genesis, Monsengior recalled that God created all things good and emphasized St. Josemaria’s teaching on the “unity of life”. We cannot be “schizophrenic” in our lives of faith and our lives of family and work, he said and frequently repeated that St. Josemaria had “no time for such divisions”. Msgr. Ingham went as far as stating that the concept of a secular world is fictitious since God created all the world and has given it to us Christians to cooperate in the “rescue mission” of salvation. Therefore we should never be afraid of the world but seek boldly to sanctify it by bringing all that we encounter and accomplish to the feet of our Lord. Finally, Msgr. Ingham discussed the significance of the Eucharist and how it serves as a source of strength and nourishment for our souls and is the proper place to bring all we do to the foot of the cross.

Following the Mass, families gathered for a reception in the church hall. The reception was a time for people to socialize and strengthen bonds, both old and new. For some participants, it was a way to connect to Opus Dei activities for the first time in North Carolina while one participant just stopped in to thank God for the answered prayers of finding a job through the intersection of St. Josemaria. 

The Mass for the Feast of St. Josemaria Escriva was a beautiful time to remember the life and work of this “Saint of the Ordinary,” to ask for his intercession for our many intentions and to thank God for the gift of Opus Dei in our lives and communities.

Now in the spirit of St. Josemaria, let’s remember, “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.” -St. Josemaria Escriva.