Romana

The seminar 50^th Anniversary of Saint Josemaría in Brazil was held at the Casa do Lago Sul in Brasilia on June 7 and 8. Geilza Diniz, a judge for the Federal District Court of Justice, opened the sessions with an introductory conference. This was followed by a presentation of various educational initiatives inspired by St. Josemaría’s teachings. There was also a panel on the main aspects of these teachings, such as the sanctification of work, love for freedom and the vocation to marriage. In addition, the program of events included talk-show interviews with two women who were with St. Josemaría on various occasions during his 1974 trip to Brazil, and a literary debate on the book São Josemaria no Brasil, by Father Francisco Faus. A screening of the documentary Um Santo entre Nós, by Lumine TV, was also offered. At the end of the two-day seminar, the Gaudete choir provided a musical performance.

On June 11, the University of the Andes in Santiago, Chile, presented the book St. Josemaría in Chile – Speaking about God and the Concerns of God. It is a collection of quotes from St. Josemaría’s get-togethers in 1974 with various audiences in Chile (with young people, adults, faithful of Opus Dei, friends, etc.), arranged according to topics. The book presentation coincided with an exposition at the same university in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of St. Josemaría’s arrival in Chile. The regional vicar of the Prelature, Fr. Alvaro Palacios, opened the session, followed by a conversation between the editors Maria Teresa Álamos and María José Lecaros, together with the priest José Miguel Ibáñez, who shared anecdotes of that trip. After this, the rector of the Universidad de los Andes, José Antonio Guzmán, encouraged people to think about how to incarnate this message of holiness in their own life in order to make a contribution to the country during the next half century.