PRIESTLY SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CROSS AND OPUS DEI. - It is the first secular institute of pontifical right, approved according to the norms of the constitution Provida Mater Ecclesia of 2 February 1947, and it is composed of persons of every class, men and women, celibate and married, who, living in the world, aspire to evangelical perfection and to bringing the light of Christ into their own environment.

The women's branch is separate from the men's, so as to form a distinct institute with its own hierarchy. The men's section was founded in Madrid on 2 October 1928 and the women's on 14 February 1930 by Msgr. José

Maria Escrivá de Balaguer. The decree of praise on the part of the Holy See is dated 24 February 1947 and that of definitive approval 16 June 1950. The members of the O. D. are not religious, they do not have common life, public vows, or a special habit: they take only private vows which in the Institute have juridical effects. Those called to the priesthood wear the ecclesiastical habit upon receiving the sacred Orders, when they have already completed their theological studies and have obtained academic degrees. At present the Institute is spread through numerous nations of Europe, Africa and America with a considerable number of members.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: J. Escrivá de Balaguer, Societas sacerdotalis S. Crucis et Opus Dei, Rome 1948; id., La Constitucion apost. «Provida Mater Ecclesia», y el O. D., ibid. 1949.

Alvaro Del Portillo

@incollection{ec11_societa_sacerdotale_della_sant, author = {Del, Portillo Alvaro}, title = {Società Sacerdotale della Santa Croce ed «Opus Dei»}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XI}, pages = {869--870}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/societa-sacerdotale-della-santa-croce-ed-opus-dei} }

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Priestly Society of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei

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