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First Church dedicated to Saint Josemaría in Mexico

October 31, 2003

Tags: Church of St Josemaria
Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez has consecrated the first Church dedicated to Saint Josemaría in Mexico. The church is in Guadalajara, of which he is the Archbishop.

The Mass of Dedication, at which around 1,100 people were present, was concelebrated by Cardinal Sandoval, Mgr Francisco Ugarte, Vicar of the Opus Dei Prelature in Mexico, Fr Pablo Palomar, Delegation Vicar of Opus Dei in Guadalajara, and several other priests.

In his homily, the Cardinal recalled that churches are a means and an instrument for Catholics to build their spiritual church. “May this church be a holy place dedicated to the celebration of the divine mysteries, prayer and the Word of God. May Saint Josemaría’s spirit of sanctifying daily life and work, of lay-people finding holiness in the world, here find constant spiritual nourishment in the Word of God and the Sacraments.”

The architect in charge of the project, Alberto Suarez, explained that the church’s three roofs are a “symbol of the three booths which Saint Peter wanted to make at Jesus’s Transfiguration”. The altarpiece, designed by the architect Arturo Guerrero, is 12 metres high and is divided into three sections. The top part shows Christ as the Cornerstone, and the lower part shows Saint Josemaría blessing people’s daily work and family life, with the city of Guadalajara in the background. The centre of the altarpiece features a carved recess displaying the tabernacle.

Saint Josemaría came to Mexico in May and June 1970 on a catechetical journey. He spent several days in Guadalajara and met all sorts of people: workers, students, priests, families, and many more. He also had a gathering with the seminarians from the city.


Banners of Saint Josemaría and Blessed Ceferino Giménez hung in Lourdes shrine

At a ceremony at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, two banners, one with a portrait of Saint Josemaría Escrivá and the other showing Blessed Ceferino Gimenez, were blessed and hung in the basilica.

The project was initialised by the diocese of Barbastro-Monzon in Spain, birthplace of both Saint Josemaría and Blessed Ceferino, and was carried out in partnership with the Lourdes shrine.

During the ceremony, referring to his two countrymen, Bishop Omella of Barbastro-Monzon touched on a feature both had in common: “their deep love for our Lady and for the Eucharist, which led them to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes repeatedly.”

Mgr Antoine de Rochebrune, Vicar of the Opus Dei Prelature in France, then gave an outline of the life and work of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, and recalled the many times he had visited Lourdes, “a place where he especially loved to recollect himself in prayer. He spent long periods praying at the grotto, simply to tell our Lady that he loved her, and very often without asking her for anything in particular. For him they were the loving visits of a son to his Mother. Nobody could hear him speaking about the Mother of God without being moved, or at least without being convinced that he loved her to distraction. His words combined filial love with theological wisdom.”

Fr Dumas spoke in memory of Blessed Ceferino Gimenez, recalling the main events in his life. “El Pelé”, as he was known, was a Gypsy and a Christian who was martyred in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. “He was arrested after standing up for a young priest who had been treated unjustly. In his pockets they found a rosary, which he refused to give up, and which he was holding in his hands when he was shot. The Pope said in the homily at his beatification that his life shows how Christ is present in different nations and races, and that all are called to holiness, which is achieved by keeping the commandments and remaining in his love.”