“I don’t want to go to Purgatory!”

In her book El Hombre de Villa Tevere, Pilar Urbano tells of the visit St Josemaria made to Sofia Varvaro, a young Italian who died after enduring a very serious sickness. In May 1972 Mercedes Morado told Monsignor Escriva that Sofia Varvaro, a young Italian of [...]
Tags: Charity, Heaven, Sickness, Optimism

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A picture that never fades from my memory

“I have on my conscience,” St Josemaría used to say, “many hours spent hearing children’s confessions in the poorest districts of Madrid. I would have liked to go and hear the confessions of all the children in all the saddest, most destitute neighbourhoods in the [...]
Tags: Charity, Sickness, Youth, Madrid, Poverty

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Saint Josemaria speaks to doctors and nurses

When Saint Josemaria talked with healthcare professionals, he always expressed appreciation for their work, and encouraged them to improve their professional training so as to be able to serve their patients more effectively. The following is a selection of quotations from Saint Josemaria, founder of [...]
Tags: Joy, Charity, Spiritual guidance, Sickness, Priesthood

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Suffering, a divine subject of study

St Josemaria underwent several serious illnesses in the course of his life, and so he was able to speak of pain and suffering out of his personal experience, to encourage and console the afflicted, and help them to take a positive view of sickness and [...]
Tags: Suffering, Sickness

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Decree recognizing a miracle. December 20, 2001

DECREE SUPER MIRO (on the miracle) of Blessed Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer Blessed Josemaría Escrivá was born in Barbastro (Spain) on January 9 1902. In 1925 he was ordained a priest in Zaragoza. On October 2 1928, by divine inspiration, he founded Opus Dei, opening up [...]
Tags: Canonization, Sickness

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In the hospitals and poor districts

José Manuel Doménech de Ibarra writes: “Opus Dei was born in the hospitals and poor districts of Madrid and I, albeit in a tiny way, was a witness to this fact.” Much has already been said about the Founder of Opus Dei’s abundant activity in [...]
Tags: Sickness, Opus Dei, Poverty

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The Experience of Suffering

Saint Josemaría Escrivá’s experience of suffering in his own family was a very practical way of attaining the maturity that others reach only after many years. Even though pain is one of the most common experiences in life, it always surprises and it continually requires us [...]
Tags: Charity, Suffering, Sickness

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Where can I find the Novena for Work and the Novena for the Sick?

The web address for the Novena for Work is: http://www.josemariaescriva.info/docs/novenaforwork.pdf The web address for the Novena for the Sick is: http://www.josemariaescriva.info/docs/novenaforthesick.pdf They are available in pdf format. Either copy and paste the following web addresses into your web browser, or click on them to follow the link
Tags: Sickness, novena