Romana

On June 26th, the liturgical memorials of St. Josemaría, many Masses were celebrated throughout the world. Notably, for the first time the Mass of St. Josemaría was celebrated in Greece, in Saint Paul’s Church in Athens. Rev. Alberto Paima concelebrated with other priests who traveled there for the occasion. Families attended from various parts of Greece, including the Peloponnesus and Thessalonica. The memorial of St. Josemaría was also celebrated for the first time in Lusaka, Zambia, with the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Julio Murat, concelebrating on June 30. Around the 26th of June many bishops throughout the world celebrated the Mass of St. Josemaría in the cathedrals of their respective dioceses.

Cardinal O’Malley of Boston: the theology of work

“St. Josemaría gives us a theology of work that comes from his insights into the scriptures and the inspiration of grace. He saw that the world is good. The world is God's creation, and the fruit of his love, as the Holy Father in his latest encyclical underscores,” Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley said in his homily at the Mass held in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, on June 20.

The Maronite Archbishop of Beirut: working for peace

In Beirut, Lebanon, Maronite Archbishop Boulos Youssef Matar thanked Opus Dei for the work of evangelization carried out in the country in close union with the local ecclesiastical hierarchy, and prayed to St. Josemaría for peace throughout the Middle East. Some 300 people took part in the Holy Mass held on June 26, including many families.

Archbishop Vian of Guatemala City: holiness in marriage

In Guatemala City, the metropolitan Archbishop, Oscar Julio Vian, emphasized the teachings of St. Josemaría on seeking sanctity in marriage and family life. He asked those attending to pray for the Synod on the Family, convoked by Pope Francis for October 2015.

Kenya: the role of the laity in evangelization

The bishop of Malindi, Kenya, Most Rev. Emmanuel Barbara, encouraged the faithful to carry out a wide-reaching apostolate, and to counteract certain social initiatives opposed to the family that sometimes reach Africa from more developed countries. In another part of the country, the ordinary of Nakuru, Kenya, Bishop Maurice Muhatia, stressed in his homily how the Church, through the laity, should reach people and places that are far from God.