In the first six months of 2004, 264 faithful of the Prelature and 16 members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross passed away.
The suffrages stipulated by Saint Josemaría have been offered for these deceased. As we continue to pray for them, let us thank God for the example they left us through their fidelity in striving to transform their professional work and the ordinary circumstances of their lives into an occasion for loving God and serving the Church and all souls. Their love for God constitutes the meaning and value of their lives, whether outstanding in the eyes of others, or whether quite ordinary, as was true in most cases.
In addition to the names of all who have died during this period, we have gathered a few biographical details about some of the deceased, which give an idea of the variety of circumstances and situations in which the faithful of Opus Dei live. For reasons of space, we are not including this data in the other cases, but we must not forget that we have a debt of gratitude towards all of them for the example of fidelity that they have left us. But these brief sketches will help us live the Communion of Saints better with those who have preceded us to heaven.

Juan Aznar Ferreres was born in Valencia, Spain, on August 10, 1924, and died of a heart attack in San Salvador, on the morning of March 28, 2004. A physician, he requested admission to Opus Dei in 1941 and was ordained a priest in 1955. During his years in Rome he served as one of St. Josemaría’s doctors, carefully checking the blood tests required by the diabetes he then suffered from. He moved to El Salvador in 1959, and later to Guatemala and Costa Rica before returning in 1985 to El Salvador. He carried out his pastoral work and his tasks of government with a supernatural spirit and constant concern for the good of souls.

Ana Maria Boza de Souza-Ferreyra was born in Peru on October 11, 1938. A member of Opus Dei since 1946, she met St. Josemaría in Rome in 1959. In 1960 she moved to Washington D.C. and in 1964 helped start of the administration of Arnold Hall, a retreat center near Boston. She received her doctorate in Domestic Science at the School of Institutional Administration in Mexico in 1976, and the following year moved to Chicago where she worked in what is now Lexington College. Her life was characterized by faithful dedication and generous and hidden service. In 2001 she was diagnosed with leukemia, which led to her death on March 10, 2004, in Boston.


Rufino Briones Matute was born in Viniegra de Abajo, Spain, on July 23, 1923. A lawyer and specialist in forestry, he asked for admission to Opus Dei in 1958 and was one of the first Supernumeraries in Logroño. In 1978, together with other members of the Work, he helped to start Alcaste high school, whose fund-raising board he headed for many years. A person of great serenity, he transmitted peace and optimism to those around him. He worked intensely until shortly before he entered the hospital where he spent the last days of his life. He treated everyone with affection and brought many people to God and many vocations to the Work. He died in Logroño on January 3, 2004.

José María Casciaro Ramírez was born in Murcia, Spain, on November 1, 1923. He asked for admission to the Work in 1940. His experiences alongside St. Josemaría during those years are recounted in a book entitled It is Worth While.. He studied philology at the Complutense University of Madrid, where in 1949 he was awarded the Extraordinary Prize for Doctorates upon presenting his doctoral thesis. In 1954, having been ordained a priest, he received his degree in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome, and later received a doctorate in the same field. He was professor of Sacred Scripture in Madrid’s diocesan seminary from 1955 to 1967, when he moved to Pamplona to begin the Institute of Theology at the University of Navarre. There, at the express request of St. Josemaría, he directed the project of preparing a translation of the Bible with introductions and exegetical notes. He died in Pamplona on March 8, 2004. He was active in pastoral work right to the end of his life, and preached several meditations on the day before he died.

Francisca Castilla Hidalgo was born in Cazorla, Spain, on November 22, 1936. She belonged to Opus Dei since 1954. In her profession as a household employee she was well-known for her special abilities in producing baked goods and deserts. In 1962 she moved to Rome. A woman in love with God, joyful and optimistic, she had a great devotion to our Lady and to St. Joseph, to the Holy Eucharist and to the Most Holy Humanity of our Lord. She felt responsible for transmitting by her example what she had learned directly from St. Josemaría during her years working in Rome. She died on April 2, 2004.

Manuel Colón Vargas was born in Moca, Puerto Rico, on September 15, 1930, and died in San Juan on February 9, 2004. Married and the father of three children, he belonged to Opus Dei since1987. A psychiatrist by profession, he kept working until shortly before his death. He took advantage of his dealings with patients to transmit to them a firm grasp of the supernatural meaning of life. During his extended illness, he tried to bring his children, grandchildren and other family members, and also his friends and professional associates closer to God by his encouraging words, and later, when he could no longer speak, by his behavior. During his last weeks various means of formation were held in his home. Throughout this period he was always accompanied by other faithful of the Prelature.

Roberto Jesús Díaz Galante was born in 1920 and died on March 28, 2004, in the city of Rosario, Argentina. He belonged to Opus Dei since 1974.In his last years he endured several painful sicknesses. He was well-known for his good humor, cheerfulness and concern for others. He never failed to attend daily Mass as long as he was able to. The day before his death he received Communion and the Anointing of the Sick.

Alvaro D’Ors Pérez-Peix was born in Barcelona, Spain, on April 14, 1915, and requested admission to Opus Dei in 1949 as one of the first Supernumeraries of the Work. In 1943 he was awarded the chair of Roman Law at the University of Granada, and the following year he moved to Santiago de Compostela. Starting in 1961, he taught at the University of Navarre. Although he retired in 1985, he continued working and advising students and disciples in his specialty, as professor emeritus of the School of Law. Because of his exceptional academic standing and his human and Christian qualities, his death was noted in many articles and commentaries in the media. One of his closest collaborators described him as “an outstanding intellectual, an original thinker, and an exceptional humanist.” The father of a large family, with eleven children, he died in Pamplona on Sunday, February 1, 2004.

Ignacio Echeverría Recabeitia was born in San Sebastian, Spain, in 1923, and belonged to Opus Dei since 1940. During the first years of his vocation, he had the opportunity to receive formation directly from St. Josemaría. Throughout his life he tried to be very faithful to the spirit of the Work and to live and teach it integrally through the circumstances of his ordinary life. Ordained a priest in Madrid in 1948, he moved to Argentina in 1951 where he carried out a broad priestly labor among persons of all walks of life and especially with other priests. Orderly, hard working, demanding on himself, he displayed great humanity in dealing with people. His advice was always clear and on target, as he strove to be faithful to the teachings of the Church and the spirit of Opus Dei. He bore with serenity the successive stages of his final sickness, and died on April 28, 2004.

Pilar Fernández de Córdova y Sánchez de León was born on August 5, 1935. She joined Opus Dei in 1956, and that year moved from Spain to Colombia, where the apostolic work of Opus Dei had just started. At the beginning of the seventies she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. With her strong and optimistic character she fought to rehabilitate herself and was able to overcome her physical limitations in an extraordinary manner. She was inspired in this effort by her love for God and her eagerness to work for others. She carried out a wide-ranging apostolic and professional work as the director of the philosophy department at the Sabana University. She died on February 16, 2004.

Manuel García Galindo was born in Parral, Mexico, on November 26, 1928. He left his birthplace to study law in Monterrey, where in 1952 he asked for admission to Opus Dei. He was the first principal of the Instituto Chapultepec school, in Culiacán, the first corporate work of Opus Dei in Mexico. Throughout his life he combined absorbing professional work with the faithful fulfillment of time-consuming apostolic tasks. He bore with supernatural outlook and cheerfulness the hemiplexia that he suffered from after 1979 as a result of surgery to remove a tumor. His great affection and concern for others led him to express his gratitude for all the services that, because of his incapacity, it was necessary to provide for him. He died on January 25, 2004.

Francisco González Berenguer was born in Casillas, Murcia, Spain, on June 1, 1935. While still a youth he had to leave his place of birth to begin working. He learned accounting and after a while worked as a manager. He asked for admission to Opus Dei in 1955. After his return to Murcia, he worked at the Monteagudo high school. He was very attentive to his students and helped many of them to plan a career. For years he worked with dedication in tasks of formation for the other faithful of the Prelature. He accepted the news of his sickness with serenity, often repeating that he was in God’s hands. He died on April 24, 2004, accompanied by a number of faithful of the Prelature at his center.

Dora del Hoyo Alonso was born on January 11, 1914 in Boca de Huérgano, Spain. She met Opus Dei at the age of 29 in Madrid, in the administration of the La Moncloa Residence. She was the first woman to ask for admission to Opus Dei in order to dedicate herself professionally to domestic tasks in the centers of the Work. At the request of St. Josemaría, she moved to Rome in 1946. Since that time she assisted in the formation of those who had to learn to carry out the tasks of administration in a professional way. She was noted for her competence and for the self-sacrifice she showed in her work. She died on January 10, 2004. Her mortal remains are interred in the Crypt of the Prelatic Church of Our Lady of Peace in Rome, close to those of St. Josemaría and Bishop Álvaro del Portillo.

James E. Kerrigan was born in Leadville, Colorado, on February 1, 1935. He requested admission as a Supernumerary in 1961, while studying engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He combined a demanding professional work, which required frequent trips to other parts of the world, with attention and dedication to his wife and ten children. He was also very active in helping to begin the apostolic work of Opus Dei in Colorado. He died on February 5, 2004, following a long illness that he bore joyfully with good humor and supernatural outlook..

Ercole La Barbera was born on July 12, 1912. A member of Opus Dei since 1957, he was one of the first Supernumeraries in Palermo. The father of five children and an ophthalmologist by profession, he was greatly esteemed for his professional seriousness and for his efforts in the promotion of apostolic initiatives in Palermo. In his final years, despite his physical limitations, he was an example for everyone because of his fidelity, his apostolic zeal and his assiduous participation in the means of formation. He died in his native city on February 19, 2004.

Raúl Lanzetti López-Paredes was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, in 1947, and joined Opus Dei in 1967. A graduate in Industrial Psychology, he worked as an administrative adviser in the Interior Ministry. He moved to Rome to study theology and in 1977 was ordained as priest. He became a theology professor at the University of Navarre and at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He was a member of the commission for the publication of the critical edition of the Roman Catechism. He also worked as a theological expert in three synods. In 1997 he returned to Argentina, where he carried out an intense pastoral work with all sorts of people. He stood out for his good humor and human warmth, as well as for his profound intelligence that helped him to grasp and transmit the message of St. Josemaría. He died unexpectedly of a heart problem on January 25, 2004.

José María Larrondo Iribarren was born in Pamplona, Spain, on July 3, 1919. A labor lawyer, he enjoyed great prestige among his colleagues. He was very apostolic with those who came to his law office, trying to become their friend and helping them to get closer to God. Without detracting from the good tone and elegance appropriate to his social position, he was very temperate and his life was filled with small mortifications and self-conquests. He died in Logroño on January 2, 2004.

Joan Masià Mas-Bagà was born in Barcelona, Spain, on August 23, 1919, and joined Opus Dei in 1942. In 1944 he went to Madrid, and in 1946 to Granada, where he was in charge of the Albaycín university residence. In 1949 he moved to Rome, and from 1950 to 1952 he lived in the first center of the Work in Milan. Returning to Rome, he was in charge of getting the International University Residence (RUI) underway and later the Centro ELIS. In 1959 he was put in charge of developing various apostolic initiatives in England and the United States. He was noted for his good humor and his apostolic zeal. In 1974 he returned to Barcelona, where he became part of the managerial team of the IESE business school. With a very enterprising spirit, he oversaw many social development projects. He died in Barcelona on February 12, 2004.

Edwin Monteil was born on January 27, 1916. He was one of the first Supernumeraries in Trinidad and Tobago, asking for the admission in 1980. He worked intensively to further the apostolic work Opus Dei in its first years on the island, living his vocation faithfully and bringing many friends to God with his cheerfulness and good humor. After suffering a long sickness, he died on February 10, 2004.

Maricruz Ortiz de Medina was born on February 9, 1935. She met Opus Dei in 1967, when she began working at Chapultepec High School, in Culiacán, Mexico, where she remained until her death. She was married and had seven children, who she raised courageously as Catholics after becoming a widow. During the weeks of her final illness, which lasted 49 days, she suffered intense pain which she bore with supernatural outlook and abandonment in God’s hands. She died on January 5, 2004.

Manuel Pérez López was born on March 25, 1931. He requested admission as a Supernumerary in Seville in 1953. Soon thereafter he moved to Jaén, where the apostolic work of Opus Dei in that city had just begun. He was the father of an exemplary family. Together with his wife he strove to make his home a bright and cheerful one. God sowed many vocations to the Work among his eight children. Without neglecting his many family and work obligations, he always tried to put his dealings with God in first place and he took advantage of every opportunity to speak about God and the Work. He treated everyone with affection and knew how to spread peace to those around him. During his last weeks, when hospitalized with severe breathing difficulties, he showed his concern for the other patients who shared his hospital room. He died on February 6, 2004. .


Fernando Pons Ibáñez was born in Logroño, Spain, January 19, 1907. He was the first Supernumerary from La Rioja, requesting admission to the Work in 1956. A physician with great prestige, he always kept up to date in his specialty, by reading reviews, publishing and studying. With the help of his wife, he gave a deep Christian formation to his eight children. His apostolic zeal led him to maintain many friendships. He was exemplary in his attendance at the means of personal and collective formation right to the end. He died in Logroño on February 10, 2004.

María José Ruano Fernández-Corredor was born in Águilas, Spain, on June 25, 1947. A biologist by profession, she requested admission to Opus Dei in 1964. She was noted for her optimistic outlook and her efforts to spread Christian doctrine in all environments through the professional work that she carried out for years in the communications media. She took advantage of every opportunity to bring the people in touch with her closer to God. She died on January 14, 2004.

Pedro Juan Rullán Marín was born on August 10, 1919, in Yauco, Puerto Rico and died in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on June 22, 2004. The father of six children and a surgeon by profession, he was noted for his refined professional and human demeanor marked by simplicity, humility, loyalty and dedication to his patients. He belonged to Opus Dei since 1975. He expended great energy in advancing the apostolates of the Prelature in Puerto Rico, serving on various fund-raising boards with great generosity and dedication.

Francisco Salvador Aznar was born in Valencia on February 22, 1919. In 1939 he starting coming to the first center of the Work in Valencia, and there met St. Josemaría. He requested admission to Opus Dei as a Supernumerary in 1953. He enjoyed great professional prestige as a lawyer, and for years served as the Secretary of the Governing Board of Lawyers of Valencia. He took advantage of his prestige to carry out a broad personal apostolate. He died in Valencia on January 16, 2004.

Ana Vásquez Hernández was born in Huelva, Spain, on February 7, 1922. She belonged to Opus Dei since 1953. In 1954, St. Josemaría asked her to help begin the apostolic work of Opus Dei in Peru. She was a great help there because of her faithfulness, joy and good humor. Accepting with serenity a long and painful illness, she died in Lima on April 5, 2004.

Agata Yasuko Yamada was born in Nagasaki, Japan, on February 5, 1954, and died on January 30, 2004, after a long illness. She requested admission as a Supernumerary in 2003, and offered her life for the Church, the Pope and the apostolic work in Japan.