Portico Books is a bookstore in Sydney that is inspired by the message of Opus Dei. In the past year, visits to Portico by bishops, priests, catechists, high school teachers and librarians has increased considerably. Many of the contacts result from the “website,” which gives access to ample bibliographic information about spirituality and the raising of children. Many persons decide later to visit the bookstore; others stay in contact by telephone or e-mail.

Visits to the bookstore are an opportunity to help people understand their faith better at all levels, whether it is a bishop asking about the Commentary on the Code of Canon Law of the University of Navarre, or a mother in search of a present for her child’s First Communion.

In the majority of cases this initial contact leads to a lasting relationship. A priest from the northern part of New South Wales found the bookstore on the internet and discovered the possibility of buying books on line. In the space of one hour Portico received four orders from him, each time with a new request. A few days later he came in person and spent a long time looking everything over. During a promotional visit to Brisbane, Portico set up a stand in his parish and spoke to many people about good reading. The priest, for his part, passed on the word to other priests and to catechists and librarians, who were happy to discover a supply of good material.

Other priests have invited Portico to put stands in their parishes, seeking to introduce their parishioners to spiritual reading. Among other things, this provides an opportunity to speak to many people about the message of the founder of the Work: the search for holiness in ordinary life. A woman from one of the rural parishes bought a book of homilies, and since then has remained in contact, happy to have discovered St. Josemaría. Portico also offers many other popular publications: books on mental prayer and the sacraments, the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, commentaries about the liturgy applied to one’s spiritual life, etc. In addition, the public is invited to attend “book parties” in private homes. Thus non-Catholics and non-Christians, or Christians who do not practice their faith, have been reached. A non-Catholic mother in the northern part of New South Wales was happy to buy books about the sacraments so that her Catholic husband could explain his faith to their children.

Due to the books he found at Portico, an Anglican with a great love for reading became for a while a member of the Orthodox Church and was received into the Catholic Church this past Easter. One of the experiences gained is that people with a good library are not always up to date on new titles, especially for children and parents. They find at Portico guides for examining one’s conscience, illustrated books on the history of devotion to the Holy Eucharist, questions and answers on the teaching of the Church about love and matrimony, publications with credible arguments for adolescents on the existence of God, etc.