Remembering St. Josemaria Escriva

Remembering St. Josemaria Escriva | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report

As the 20th anniversary of Escriva's beatification approaches, a former colleague discusses the life and legacy of the Opus Dei founder.

John Coverdale is a law professor at Seton Hall University Law School in New Jersey and has been an Opus Dei numerary (celibate member) for more than 50 years. He worked for Opus Dei in Rome from 1960-1968 and had regular contact with St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei.

Coverdale wrote Uncommon Faith: the Early Years of Opus Dei, and is considered the leading American expert on Escriva’s life and work. He was contacted for input for the 2011 film There Be Dragons, which he said offered a “quite accurate” depiction of Escriva.

May 17 will mark the 20th anniversary of Escriva’s beatification, and the 10th anniversary of his canonization is this coming October. In light of these coming events, Coverdale reflected on his time as a member of Opus Dei, and shared stories of its founder.

John Coverdale

CWR: How did you get involved with Opus Dei?

John Coverdale: I lived in Milwaukee in the mid-1950s, at the time when Opus Dei was first getting started there. At the invitation of a friend, I began attending Opus Dei activities. Although the events were held in modest homes in not-particularly-nice neighborhoods, the priests and people I met had an attractive faith, which I found appealing.

Like most Catholic organizations, Opus Dei had a world headquarters in Rome. I studied…there, and earned a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Lateran University. After I completed my studies, I was asked to work in our public relations office, and I agreed.

CWR: How did you get to know St. Josemaria, and what was he like?

Coverdale: I saw him at the public relations office daily. I found him to be a man of great faith, who loved God, loved Our Lady and those around him. He had a great personal concern for each person with whom he interacted, which surprised me, considering that we were a large international organization.

He was also quite funny. It wasn’t so much that he told jokes, but had that particular turn of phrase or lifting of the shoulders and eyebrows that could get the room laughing. If you watch old movies of him talking to groups, you’ll notice that people laugh a lot.

CWR: And didn’t he remain cheery despite having some significant health problems?

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