June 14th Comments (174) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts, The Da Vinci Code

Somewhere between the reality on the ground and the printed pages of Dan Brown and Time Magazine, a new creature has appeared under the sun: a fantastic beast known as the cloistered Opus Dei numerary. Certainly, one of the tougher things to communicate about Opus Dei is what it’s like to live as a numerary [...]

June 7th Comments (240) / RSS Post Filed under Life of Jesus Christ, On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts, The Da Vinci Code

Never have I read and heard so much about Opus Dei as in the last year. First came the novel The Da Vinci Code, then all the articles and television programs. Then the movie. Although much of the coverage has been quite good, I’m left with the sensation that, in the move from the reality [...]

April 12th Comments (24) / RSS Post Filed under Art, John Wauck, Life of Jesus Christ, Mortification, On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts, The Church, The Da Vinci Code

For the fortunate few who haven’t read it, here’s a brief summary of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, somewhat re-arranged for clarity’s sake.

February 21st Comments (44) / RSS Post Filed under Mortification, On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts, The Church, The Da Vinci Code

After reading the book and seeing the movie trailer, I think it’s safe to say that this – “oh yeah, the guys who use cilices and whip themselves bloody” Рwill be the impression of Opus Dei that most people take away from The Da Vinci Code. When all is said and done, what sticks [...]

February 11th Comments (148) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code, What others said

One curious side-effect of the Da Vinci Code phenomenon is the scholar-novelist Umberto Eco’s recommendation of the official Opus Dei website. Exhausted by continuous questions about the veracity of The Da Vinci Code, Italy’s best-known former-Catholic tells his readers, “Besides, if you want up-to-date information on all the matters in question, go to the site [...]

February 9th Comments (2) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code

On February 9, ABC¬¥s “Good Morning America” did a segment on Opus Dei and the Da Vinci Code movie. They interviewed me and John Allen, among others. Here¬¥s a link to the video segment Good Morning America

February 7th Comments (2) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code

On February 7th, the NYTimes ran an article that includes a photo of the real “Silas” in Opus Dei, who turns out to be not an albino monk, but rather a married Nigerian supernumerary member. The article can be read here: Opus Dei and the Da Vinci Code

January 31st Comments (15) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts

The Da Vinci Code offers a surprising array of definitions of Opus Dei. The author can’t seem to make up his mind, and in the end never manages to get it right. 1. “Vatican prelature” – the “Fact” page. 2. “Catholic sect” – same page, same sentence. One would have imagined that there might be [...]

January 26th Comments (1) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei

Murray Hill Place is the US headquarters of Opus Dei. Mr. Brown misidentifies the Lexington Ave. entrance as the “main” entrance, reserved, he says, for the men, and claims that the women enter around the corner on a “side street.” In truth, Murray Hill Place houses two distinct but connected facilities, each with its own [...]

January 25th Comments (7) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei

Monks are members of religious orders. They ordinarily take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Opus Dei is not a religious order. The faithful of Opus Dei are ordinary lay Catholics and secular priests (ie., like diocesan clergy). They do not take any vows. An “Opus Dei monk” is, therefore, an ecclesiastical contradiction in terms [...]

January 24th Comments (5) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei, Recommended Posts, The Church, The Da Vinci Code

Despite its apparent hostility to Roman Catholicism, in the long run, The Da Vinci Code will, I suspect, end up doing much more good than harm, both for the Church and for Opus Dei. Of course, it is a great pity that a book of negligible literary value which seems to call into question the [...]

January 23rd Comments (2) / RSS Post Filed under On Opus Dei

World Headquarters The world headquarters of Opus Dei are, as one might expect, in Rome, in the building, Villa Tevere, where its founder St. Josemaria Escriva lived and worked from 1946 until his in 1975. (In fairness to Mr. Brown, it should be said that he does at least contradict himself on this point, since [...]