Opus Dei#
Opus Dei (Latin: "God's Work"), conservative Catholic organisation founded in Spain in 1928 by the Blessed (since 1992) Josemaría Escríva de Balaguer. It exhorts its members to seek personal Christian perfection and strive to implement Christian ideals in their chosen professions. Roughly 76,000 members (1993), including 1,500 priests. In Austria approximately 350 men and women are members. There are centres of Opus Dei in Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Piesting (Lower Austria). In 1982, Opus Dei was raised to the rank of an international papal personal prelature.
Literature#
Gespraeche mit Msgr. Escrivá de Balaguer, 1992; P. Berglar, Opus Dei, 1983; D. le Tourneau, Das Opus Dei, 1987.