Romana

For the liturgical memorial of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, on May 12, Masses were celebrated throughout the world. In Rome, the Prelate of Opus Dei presided over a Eucharistic celebration in the parish of St. Eugene. Bishop Echevarría stressed, among the most characteristic features of Blessed Alvaro’s personality, “his passion for unity, for giving himself to everyone,” which “led him to live in full communion with the Pope and with the other bishops, to encourage everyone to live fraternal unity, and of course to watch over untiringly the unity of this small portion of the Church that is Opus Dei.” He said that Blessed Alvaro was a man faithful to God, and that “his words were addressed not only to the faithful of the Prelature, but also to many others who asked for his advice, for a word of encouragement for their personal life or for the communities to which they belonged.”

In the church of the Holy Spirit in Munich, a Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Reinhard Marx. During his homily he said that “Don Alvaro made known by his own life that Christ is among us, in the midst of the lives of people today.” Cardinal Marx said also that Opus Dei provides “a response to the challenges of a secular and open society.”

“On my occasional visits to centers and initiatives of Opus Dei,” he recalled, “what noticeably called my attention was the various ways in which the Gospel was brought into the real life of people, so that it could be inserted into their daily lives.” Cardinal Marx stressed that “the path to attain this is the sanctification of one’s own life.” The President of the German Bishops Conference continued: “I am happy to see how they make their own the initiatives of Pope Francis and I thank them for that. Harmony with the successor of St. Peter is a characteristic of the Work.”

In Lima, Peru, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani celebrated Holy Mass in honor of Blessed Alvaro in the parish of Santa Maria Reina. “Today, on celebrating the memory of Don Alvaro, let us fix our attention on the features of his holy life, among them his loyalty to the Church. Don Alvaro was a man of prayer who worked diligently; he lived a joyful and prompt obedience.” Cardinal Cipriani also stressed that Blessed Alvaro was a “faithful son of the Church, devoted to the truth. Truly he was a giant in his loyalty and love for the Church.”