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Opus Dei: A Historical Timeline shows the historical development of Opus Dei.

History of Opus Dei

  • 1902: 9 January. Birth of the founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, in Barbastro Spain
  • 1917: According to Escriva, he received "inklings" of a "special call", after seeing "footprints in the snow," sign of the generosity of a monk who walked barefooted in winter
  • 1925: 28 March. St. Josemaría Escrivá is ordained as a priest.
  • 1930: 14 February. Founding of the Women's branch of Opus Dei.
  • 1939: The Way, Escriva's best-selling spiritual considerations, was first published. Opus Dei started to expand to other cities outside of Madrid.
  • 1946: Beginning of Opus Dei in Portugal, Italy, and England. Escriva moves to Rome to establish the headquarters of Opus Dei there. This has been identified as one strand of a wider phenomenon of influence from Francoist Spain in Chile.
  • 1975: 26 June. Death of St. Josemaría Escrivá. Father Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Solano elected as his successor.
  • 1985: Inauguration of Roman Academic Center of the Holy Cross which in 1998 would become the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
  • 1991: 6 January. Pope John Paul II ordained Monsignor Álvaro del Portillo to the Episcopate as Titular Bishop of Vita and Prelate of Opus Dei.
  • 1992: 17 May. Beatification of Escriva. One third of the world's bishops asked for the beatification.
  • 1995: 6 January. Pope John Paul II, with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re and Monsignor Jorge Mejía, Titular Archbishop of Apollonia, consecrated Monsignor Javier Echevarria a bishop.
  • 2002: 6 October. Canonization of St. Josemaría Escrivá.
  • 2014: 27 September. Beatification of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo y Díez de Sollano.
  • 2019: 18 May. Beatification of Bl. Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri Fernández de Heredia.