After St. Josemaría Escrivá died in 1975, the future of Opus Dei was placed into the hands of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo. He was a remarkable priest and bishop, whose holiness was recognized by the Church when he was beatified in 2014.
Bl. Álvaro’s beatification was triggered by a miracle that occurred in 2003. Catholic News Agencyexplains that, “The miracle involve[d] the August 2003 healing of Chilean newborn Jose Ignacio Ureta Wilson. A few days after his birth, the boy suffered a 30-minute period of cardiac arrest and a major hemorrhage. The medical team treating the baby thought he had already died, but his parents prayed for healing through the intercession of the bishop. The baby’s heart started to beat again and he recovered to live a normal life.”
While that miracle paved the way for Bl. Álvaro’s beatification, the Church requires a second miracle before an individual can be canonized a saint.
That day may have finally arrived, as the Vatican reviews a second miracle proposed by Opus Dei.
The official website of Opus Dei explains how, “The possible miracle consists of the speed and integrity of the recovery, without rehabilitation, of Juan Carlos Bisogno, who suffered severe traumatic brain injury” in 2015.
Bisogno gives a full account of the accident and the miraculous healing on the Opus Dei website.
The Vatican will now employ their own team of experts to review the alleged miracle and if it is found to be truly miraculous, Bl. Álvaro del Portillo will likely be canonized a saint.
And today we celebrate...