Priestly Society of the Holy Cross

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an association of Catholic diocesan priests which is integrally united to the Prelature of Opus Dei.

Part of the society is made up of the clergy of the Opus Dei prelature—members of the priesthood who fall under the jurisdiction of the Opus Dei prelature are automatically members of the Priestly Society. Other members in the society are traditional diocesan priests--- clergy who remain under the jurisdiction of their diocesan bishop. Technically speaking, such diocesan priests have not "joined" Opus Dei membership, although they have joined a society that is closely affiliated with Opus Dei.

The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross was begun by St. Josemaría Escrivá on 14 February 1943, and received its first canonical approval a few months later. He was always concerned that his message of sanctification of ordinary work be transmitted also to the secular clergy. He even said that he was willing to leave Opus Dei, as Abraham offered up his son Isaac, to be able to help the clergy. But on February 14, 1943, he said he received an illumination from God on how to continue serving both the laity and the diocesan clergy.

During Mass at the women's center of Opus Dei, he was shown the seal of Opus Dei and of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross: a cross embracing the world. He was also shown the juridical solution to put the two together. The priests would be part of a society united to Opus Dei, but the diocesan priests would continue to be priests of their dioceses, and thus there will be no conflict with the bishops.

The first priests of the Priestly Society were the numerary members of Opus Dei, who as such are automatically members of the Society. The first three priests ordained as members of the Society were: Álvaro del Portillo, José Luis Muzquiz and José María Hernández Garnica.

The need for this type of association has been explained in the following way:

According to the Apostolic Constitution Ut sit issued by John Paul II: “From its beginnings, this (Opus Dei) has in fact striven, not only to illuminate with new lights the mission of the laity in the Church and in society, but also to put it into practice; it has also endeavored to put into practice the teaching of the universal call to sanctity, and to promote at all levels of society the sanctification of ordinary work, and by means of ordinary work. Furthermore, through the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, it has helped diocesan priests to live this teaching, in the exercise of their sacred ministry.”

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