On the doorstep of a historic moment, Opus Dei prepares to celebrate its first centenary with its eyes on the future and its feet rooted in daily life. In this exclusive interview, Claudio Caruso converses with the Prelate of the Work, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, in a profound dialogue that covers the challenges of the contemporary family, the true impact of the institution in its first one hundred years of life, and the vitality of the Church in continents like Africa.

With an approachable warmth and a markedly supernatural vision, Don Fernando also analyzes the deep meaning of the upcoming and historic visit of Pope Leo to Spain under the motto “Lift up your eyes.” This is an indispensable conversation to understand how the message of Saint Josemaría—finding God in work, rest, and daily relationships—remains a vibrant and transformative response to the challenges of today’s society.

“My hope for the coming years is that the Work will be a great catechesis to help make holiness a reality in everyday life.”

San Josemaría was born into a practicing family. He began his apostolate among young people, many of whom came from Catholic families. But during his lifetime, the Work expanded to other countries where the reality was different. He even spoke of the apostolate “ad fidem” (towards the faith). What do you see as the key to the apostolate in environments where the family not only does not contribute much to the faith, but is even broken? In this sense, how could families be promoted in society as “luminous and joyful homes,” as Saint Josemaría used to say?

From the very beginning, Saint Josemaría attached great importance to friendship as a privileged setting for evangelization, because it is there where we share the Gospel from heart to heart. Through those bonds of friendship, faith expands to families, colleagues, neighbors… and opens new horizons for everyone. This is how he imagined the role of the early Christians, who naturally showed their friendship with Christ through a contagious joy. And this remains true today. The encounter with Jesus lays the foundations for building one’s own life project: it helps people believe in lifelong love, recognizes children as a blessing, and gives strength to care for the elderly and the sick. Christian families are also called to help many other families.

San Josemaría used to say that the Work exists to serve the Church. What do you consider to be the main service that the Work has rendered to the Church in these first one hundred years?

The main contribution of Opus Dei is connected to the essence of the spirit that God wished to spread through the Work since 1928: a multitude of people who want to love God in their day-to-day lives, seeking ways for the Gospel to imbue their work and rest with meaning, as well as their relationships with relatives and colleagues. This contributes to humanizing—and Christianizing—the small and large sufferings of life, as well as the joys and challenges that come their way, transforming daily work into a generous service, a sowing of Christian peace and joy in all environments.

It would be easier to approach this question from the perspective of institutional projects and point out the inspiration that the message of Opus Dei has provided for so many educational, formative, solidarity, and welfare initiatives in many parts of the world. Various examples could be given, such as Strathmore College in Kenya—the first interracial school in Africa, which began in 1961 driven by the spirit of Saint Josemaría—vocational training centers in South America, a business school in Mexico, or a university residence in Spain. Being here in Rome, the work of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross is well known; it is a center for ecclesiastical studies that has trained students from 129 countries coming from more than 1,200 dioceses.

However, without detracting from this, it has filled me with gratitude to confirm once again—after listening to more than 50,000 voices from 70 countries—that the most faithful path to serve the Church from our spirit is to identify ourselves with Christ in such a way that we have his very same feelings, so as not to be indifferent to the vicissitudes of our world and to involve our own lives in responding to the hopes and needs of everyone.

The one hundred years of the Work are a time for thanksgiving, reflection, and looking forward. How do you see the Work projected in the coming years?

My hope for the coming years is that the centenary of the founding of Opus Dei will be an occasion for each and every one of us to be renewed interiorly. From that interior renewal—which also implies recognizing errors and rectifying them—we can better serve God, the Church, and all people, inspiring the transformation of the world according to the heart of Christ. I hope to see people of Opus Dei supporting those united families because they have known how to ask each other for forgiveness. I hope there will be journalists who tell the truth; teachers committed to teaching with humility and courage; joyful elderly people and supportive youth; married couples who inspire their children in the faith; sick people who bear their pain with serenity; doctors who treat their patients with humanity; and engineers who invest their best skills in solving the problems of the most vulnerable, even if it is not the most profitable business. This is my hope for the coming years: that the Work will be a great catechesis to help make holiness a reality in everyday life and contribute to ensuring “that Christ’s love and freedom may preside over all the manifestations of modern life” (Saint Josemaría, Furrow, no. 302).

The Pope has made a ten-day trip to Africa, visiting several countries. What were, for you, the main themes of that visit?

The intense ten-day apostolic journey through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea has been an eloquent manifestation of the care of the Pope and the Church for all humanity and, in a particular way, for the African continent—a land of equally great hopes and challenges. At the same time, it is an opportunity to renew our gratitude, filial affection, and constant prayer for the fruits of his pontificate.

On every journey, the Holy Father is a witness to the Gospel and to God’s closeness to the people who welcome him. He has reiterated his message of peace and reconciliation as a Christian response to conflicts. His pilgrimage to the land of Saint Augustine reveals his own identity as a spiritual son of the Saint of Hippo and invites us to search in Jesus Christ for the answers to our existential anxieties. The massive and joyful liturgical celebrations—such as the moving closing Mass in Malabo—demonstrate that the Church in Africa overflows with vitality. The Pope has reminded us all that this continent is an authentic spiritual lung and a treasure of faith for the entire world.

And what does the Work expect from the apostolates on that continent?

The short answer is that we expect a great deal, both in terms of formation projects and personal fidelity to Jesus Christ. Both aspects are important, but in Opus Dei we place primary importance on the apostolic spontaneity of each individual, on their free and responsible initiative, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Saint Josemaría dearly loved Africa, with its vast variety of cultures and peoples, and he foresaw the immense good that its men and women would bring to society and to the building up of the Church. He frequently invited us to dream of great ideals. What excites me most about the work of Opus Dei in Africa is the lives of the Africans who live the spirit of the Work. Opus Dei is not in Africa as something external; rather, for nearly 70 years, there have been Africans from different countries living the spirit of Opus Dei with their own style, in their own reality. Opus Dei is African because it is Catholic, universal, just like the message of the Gospel. And we are already seeing how Opus Dei is expanding from Africa to other parts of the world, carrying a vibrant testimony of faith and joy.

This coming June, Pope Leo will visit Spain for the first time. How do you think we should prepare for this event in the country where the Work was born?

The motto of the trip—”Lift up your eyes”—is an invitation to look at our reality by stepping outside of human logic and entering into this supernatural vision given to us by the love of God. By drawing closer to Him in those in need, through gestures and works of mercy, we prepare our hearts to receive Jesus in them: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).

Saint Josemaría, echoing Saint Catherine of Siena, used to call the Pope the “sweet Christ on earth.” Another fundamental way to prepare for the Holy Father’s visit is by praying for him personally and for the fruits of the journey, so that everyone’s hearts may be open to listen to his words, receive them with devotion, and later echo them in every corner of society. The Christian faith has major social implications, and that is usually present in a journey of a Roman Pontiff, which is also a state visit. However, the main, central point is that the Pope helps us encounter Jesus Christ. Only in Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ does life make sense, and the challenges of humanity can be looked upon with hope.