Romana

On June 26, the feast of St. Josemaría, his liturgical memorial was solemnly celebrated in many cities around the world.

In Rome, the Prelate of Opus Dei concelebrated with six other priests in a crowded Basilica of St. Eugene. The text of his homily is reproduced in the Prelate section of this issue of Romana. In 108 other cities in Italy, at least one Mass for St. Josemaría was celebrated on June 26.

The founder of Opus Dei was also widely remembered in Spain on the occasion of his liturgical feast. The archbishop of Seville, Archbishop José Ángel Díaz Meneses, celebrated the Mass of St. Josemaría in the cathedral for some 2,500 faithful. In the neighboring diocese of Merida-Badajoz, Bishop Celso Morga celebrated the Mass for St. Josemaría first in Almendralejo, on June 25, and then in Merida, on June 26, while his coadjutor, Bishop José Rodríguez Carballo, who was to succeed him in office three days later, celebrated it in the co-cathedral of Badajoz.

News of other Eucharistic celebrations on the feast of St. Josemaría also arrived from Warsaw, where the main concelebrant was the nuncio of His Holiness, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi; in Prague, Bishop Stanislav Přibyl, bishop of Litoměřice, presided; in Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Farrell, titular archbishop, presided. Many other European cities also had Masses for the feast.

Outside the Old Continent, bishops and archbishops also presided at the concelebrations in honor of St. Josemaría that were to take place in their dioceses. In Mexico, for example, Masses were held in Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Culiacán and Mexicali, among other cities.

In Nigeria, according to the local Opus Dei website, more than 400 Masses were celebrated in honor of the founder of Opus Dei. Hundreds of Masses were also celebrated in the Philippines, where the parish of St. Josemaría in Leyte was able to celebrate its patron for the first time with the title of parish, since in February of this year the local bishop elevated the former mission of St. Josemaría to the rank of parish. In the Philippines there are two other parishes of St. Josemaría: one in Tarlac and the other in Catanduanes.