Romana

On the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the death of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the Prelate of Opus Dei celebrated a solemn Mass in suffrage for his soul in the Church of Blessed Josemaría.

Masses were also held in many other cities for the first successor of Blessed Josemaría. For example, in St. Pantaleon’s church in Cologne; in the church of St. Peter, in Vienna; in that of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Paris; in the Spanish cathedrals of Valladolid, Salamanca, Leon and Burgos, among other Spanish cities; in the shrine of Torreciudad in northern Spain; in the Basilica of Saint Ambrose in Milan; in Lisbon, Amsterdam, and many other European cities.

In Guatemala, the Mass in suffrage for Bishop del Portillo took place in the Church of Our Lady of Peace. Presiding was Archbishop Rudolfo Quezada Toruño. Members of the various bishops’ conferences presided over the anniversary Masses in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic; in Medellín and Bogotá in Colombia; in Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador; in Lima, Chiclayo, Cañete, Piura, and Arequipa in Peru.

In Sydney, Australia, the Mass was celebrated in the parish church of Saint Mary in Strathfield. In his homily, Father John Flader recalled his meetings with Bishop Alvaro del Portillo and spoke of his deep humility.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the celebration was held in the cathedral of Notre Dame du Congo, presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Nlandu of Kinshasa.