An ordinary man with an extraordinary challenge

Nicole Joseph Dookie, Trinidad

June 2, 2009

Nicole Joseph Dookie was born in Trinidad, in a Christian family. Moved by the example of her husband, Jerome Dookie, she was received into the Catholic Church in March 2002, and joined Opus Dei as a Supernumerary in October that same year. At about that time she was first diagnosed with cancer, which proved to be terminal. She prepared her children, who were still very young—ranging from 3 to 11—to accept her death serenely.

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I am a Hindu by religion

Nilisha Rao, New Delhi, India

June 1, 2009

I am Indian, a Hindu by religion, and I am interested in everything transcendental. My connection with Opus Dei goes back to the beginnings of its presence in New Delhi, and has helped me in my search for my own spiritual path. Hearing about Josemaria Escriva and his mission motivated me a great deal. I have read nearly all his books: The Way, The Forge, Friends of God, etc. I have a great respect for him and I pray to God through him to grant me his blessing and help me be a better person.

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I couldn’t keep this treasure to myself

Gianni Cuccuzzella, Hairdresser. Milan, Italy

May 2, 2009

When I discovered the greatness of God’s love for me, I realized I couldn’t keep this treasure to myself: I had to share it. I’ve discovered that it is possible to seek holiness in ordinary life. By putting into practice what I hear in the classes and talks, I draw closer to our Lord and his Mother, to God the Father, to the love of the Holy Spirit, and I become a better friend to my children and the people I know.

I am my children’s ‘window’ into the world

Li-hsien Lin, Taipei

May 2, 2009

Yi-yun, my third child, was born on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. We just couldn’t take our eyes off her; her sisters especially were filled with wonder as they looked at her.

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Doing what I have to do, and putting my heart into it

Leticia Greco, Argentina

May 1, 2009

As a teacher and the mother of a large family, my life is a tapestry interwoven of apparently insignificant struggles and little victories; a succession of days which leave no room for boredom, although tiredness often makes itself felt.

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We started calling him Father

Lola Pardo Conde, Spain

April 17, 2009

I remember that I met the Father – that was what we called St Josemaria – after the end of the Spanish Civil War.
He used to come to Valladolid with some other people in Opus Dei, and began to meet university students, among them my brother Adolfo. To start with, they would meet in the various hotels where he stayed, the Hotel Espana, Hotel Castilla, and others. As his apostolic work grew and intensified, they rented an apartment which they called El Rincon – “The Corner” – and on May 2, 1943, the Father blessed the apartment and brought a statue of our Lady, which was placed on the shelf over the fireplace in the living-room. The Father would have get-togethers with the students there, and formed them in the spirit of Opus Dei; he also guided their prayer.

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Dedicating your life to the priesthood is a fantastic thing to do

Father Armando Lasanta, parish priest of Alberite, La Rioja, Spain

March 20, 2009

“Thanks to the formative activities I attend, my love for the Church, the Pope and the magisterium grows constantly greater. The Pope’s faithfulness to Jesus Christ is something I find very moving. I have benefited hugely from the example set by the Founder of Opus Dei. He always used to say, ‘First come the norms of piety, your relationship with our Lord in prayer, celebrating Holy Mass, care of the little details in the way you treat people, looking after the sick…’ I learnt from him how important it is to be constantly cheerful, passing on optimism to others, and being positive in the face of life’s difficulties. ‘Everything is for the best,’ as he said, and he was himself a teacher of good humour.

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At the Service of Others

Raymond Anagboso, Nigeria.

March 5, 2009

Young people have often been accused of being too idealistic, of harboring unrealistic expectations and aiming at unrealizable goals. Perhaps, put this way, I exaggerate a bit. It is nonetheless something commonly believed. This desire to make the world (society, culture, everything) better is common to young people of all times. You only have to take a look at history to acknowledge the fact that young people have always been the proximate cause of major social or political changes, some of which, I must add, have unfortunately not always been positively channeled.

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The sorrows and joys of St Joseph

Palmira Laguens

March 3, 2009

In Torreciudad, a sanctuary of our Lady built in Spain under St Josemaria’s stimulation, there is an old track leading up to the original shrine.

Along the track fourteen tiled pictures have been set up, in pairs, showing “The Sorrows and Joys of St Joseph”. These represent the main moments in the life of St Joseph and the Holy Family. There is an old custom in the Church of preparing for the feast of St Joseph on March 19 by dedicating the seven previous Sundays to the memory of the main joys and sorrows of St Joseph’s life.

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I belong to the generation whose childhood, youth and early adulthood were spent in the Soviet Union era

Irina Sapronova, Lecturer in Russian at Kazakhstan National University

March 2, 2009

In order to understand my generation (and not only mine) you have to bear in mind that we had been robbed of the possibility of learning about God, being with him and believing in him.

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His words give me hope and encouragement

Felicitas Aigbogun, Masters student in Law, SOAS, University of London.

March 2, 2009

I first got to know about Josemaria Escriva while I was an undergraduate law student at a Nigerian university. I was quite conversant with the teachings of the Church and the Bible and was active in Church activities and student social life on campus. Although I was trying to be a good Christian, I had unconsciously come to the conclusion that it was not possible for one to achieve holiness.

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Engagement and marriage are a wonderful adventure

Mariana and German Iramendi, teacher and bank clerk

March 1, 2009

Saint Josemaria is “guilty” of having made our lives, first as fiancés and now as a married couple, into a “wonderful adventure”.

During our engagement we followed his advice: “Love each other, talk to each other, get to know each other; I tell you, respect each other, as though each were a treasure that belongs to the other…”.

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