So the story here is that a Catholic group puts their efforts into turning around a neglected hermitage and over six decades has transformed it into a bustling pilgrimage venue for 200,000 annually. You'd expect anyone in authority whose concern is the care of the faithful to look at that and say "great, wonderful, keep it up, let me know if I can do anything to help." Instead the response is "let's get in there and mess with what's working, and by the way I want my cut."
We have a remarkable capacity in our church for shooting ourselves in the foot.
Thanks for this article, Filipe - I have been reading here and there about this story and was hoping The Pillar would cover it. Thank you for (as always at The Pillar) such a clear and comprehensive-yet-cogent explanation.
Is this situation completely unique to the "shrine" in Spain? Are there no other similar situations for Opus Dei in other parts of the world? What about other prelatures? I know so little about these structures that I hope my questions are even coming across in a useful way.
There’s only one personal prelature, for now. The only thing comparable to Torreciudad that I know of is still in infancy: a shrine/conference center (retreats, etc.) to Mary under the invocation Mother of Fairest Love. Land has been purchased but nothing built yet. Check out https://www.fairestloveshrine.org/
And yes, it’s another project of the people of Opus Dei, to fulfill a wish of the founder that such a shrine be built in Southern California to watch over (do battle with?) the region’s entertainment industry that even in the 50’s had global reach. I don’t know what St. Josemaría would think of Disney+ and HBO Max. 🤯
Uniquely interesting, thank you for following up! As an outsider with very little at stake, I pray that God’s will be done, especially among Christian brothers.
I'm willing to grant that the bishop may feel obliged to actually invest in oversight if it is a diocesan shrine, but putting a prohibitive cost on that--and appointing one elderly priest as overseer--suggests he either wants the arrangement to fail, or hasn't a clue how to administer the thing. Sounds like a losing hand that a more prudent fellow would fold.
But expecting fidelity and competence from the episcopacy is a sucker's bet, these days, so.....
I've been looking for a good Pillar article on this confusing subject, and I'm glad this was written. It really helps. I've been to Torreciudad, albeit 20 years ago, and it's a lovely place...and it's very Opus Dei in character. It's strange to hear about the local bishop trying to assume management.
I cringed a little bit every time I saw Opus Dei referred to as a "movement". I never hear it referred to as a movement--instead I hear "prelature". But maybe I'm wrong, and/or being excessively nitpicky. 😅
I went to Torreciudad over the summer while leading a pilgrimage from Fatima to Lourdes, and it was absolutely lovely. Quiet, prayerful, and surrounded by stunning beauty. Every single pilgrim said it was the best surprise of the trip - only one of them had ever heard of it before we went, and afterwards, we were all trying to figure out how to go back and stay longer. Maybe I should volunteer to move over there and run the shrine... ha!
It's pretty clear to see what has happened here. Opus Dei people have applied their customary high standards of temporal and spiritual works for the love of God and His glory and to honour The Virgin Mary. Envy and greed are trying to steal it away and probably ruin the whole enterprise. Good on Opus Dei for protecting the interests of Our Lady and the pilgrims and most of all, a thing of beauty and hope in this shrine.
So the story here is that a Catholic group puts their efforts into turning around a neglected hermitage and over six decades has transformed it into a bustling pilgrimage venue for 200,000 annually. You'd expect anyone in authority whose concern is the care of the faithful to look at that and say "great, wonderful, keep it up, let me know if I can do anything to help." Instead the response is "let's get in there and mess with what's working, and by the way I want my cut."
We have a remarkable capacity in our church for shooting ourselves in the foot.
Church bureaucracy :-(
Sometimes I feel like the Church is a two thousand year vignette of “humans gonna human” but luckily, the Holy Spirit keeps saving us from ourselves 🙃
Thanks for this article, Filipe - I have been reading here and there about this story and was hoping The Pillar would cover it. Thank you for (as always at The Pillar) such a clear and comprehensive-yet-cogent explanation.
Some questions from reading this article:
Is this situation completely unique to the "shrine" in Spain? Are there no other similar situations for Opus Dei in other parts of the world? What about other prelatures? I know so little about these structures that I hope my questions are even coming across in a useful way.
There’s only one personal prelature, for now. The only thing comparable to Torreciudad that I know of is still in infancy: a shrine/conference center (retreats, etc.) to Mary under the invocation Mother of Fairest Love. Land has been purchased but nothing built yet. Check out https://www.fairestloveshrine.org/
And yes, it’s another project of the people of Opus Dei, to fulfill a wish of the founder that such a shrine be built in Southern California to watch over (do battle with?) the region’s entertainment industry that even in the 50’s had global reach. I don’t know what St. Josemaría would think of Disney+ and HBO Max. 🤯
Uniquely interesting, thank you for following up! As an outsider with very little at stake, I pray that God’s will be done, especially among Christian brothers.
I'm willing to grant that the bishop may feel obliged to actually invest in oversight if it is a diocesan shrine, but putting a prohibitive cost on that--and appointing one elderly priest as overseer--suggests he either wants the arrangement to fail, or hasn't a clue how to administer the thing. Sounds like a losing hand that a more prudent fellow would fold.
But expecting fidelity and competence from the episcopacy is a sucker's bet, these days, so.....
I've been looking for a good Pillar article on this confusing subject, and I'm glad this was written. It really helps. I've been to Torreciudad, albeit 20 years ago, and it's a lovely place...and it's very Opus Dei in character. It's strange to hear about the local bishop trying to assume management.
I cringed a little bit every time I saw Opus Dei referred to as a "movement". I never hear it referred to as a movement--instead I hear "prelature". But maybe I'm wrong, and/or being excessively nitpicky. 😅
I went to Torreciudad over the summer while leading a pilgrimage from Fatima to Lourdes, and it was absolutely lovely. Quiet, prayerful, and surrounded by stunning beauty. Every single pilgrim said it was the best surprise of the trip - only one of them had ever heard of it before we went, and afterwards, we were all trying to figure out how to go back and stay longer. Maybe I should volunteer to move over there and run the shrine... ha!
It's pretty clear to see what has happened here. Opus Dei people have applied their customary high standards of temporal and spiritual works for the love of God and His glory and to honour The Virgin Mary. Envy and greed are trying to steal it away and probably ruin the whole enterprise. Good on Opus Dei for protecting the interests of Our Lady and the pilgrims and most of all, a thing of beauty and hope in this shrine.