How did Opus Dei begin in the Philippines?

Two young Filipinos, Bernardo Villegas and Jesus Estanislao, returned to the Philippines in 1964 from their studies at Harvard University in the US. While at Harvard, the two of them attended activities organized by Opus Dei at the Elmbrook University Center… and later on joined Opus Dei.

In 1964, the apostolate of Opus Dei started in a small house on C. Ayala Street in Singalong, Manila, close to some colleges where some of the first members of Opus Dei were studying… By April 1965, the apostolic activities moved to a bigger house in Malate where the Maynilad Study Center became a venue for education and training of both university students and professional men.

In October 1965, Sole Usechi, Lali Sastre and Maria Teresa Baron arrived from Spain to start the work of Opus Dei with women. Through the help of Doña Luisa Lorenzo, whom they met in Madrid, a modest house was acquired on Leon Guinto Street in Singalong, Manila. Rina Villegas was the first Filipina student to join Opus Dei in December of that year. When the Mayana School of Home and Fine Arts for women was established in 1966, the apostolic activities with married women and house helpers began…

In August 1967, Jesus Estanislao and Bernardo Villegas established a business and economic think tank called the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which would later on develop into a full-blown university, the University of Asia and the Pacific, in 1995… In the mid-1970s, members of Opus Dei encouraged parents to put up schools for their children with the idea of participating further in the evangelizing and sanctifying mission of the Church… The first ones were Woodrose School for girls in 1977 and Southridge School for boys in 1979…

Members of Opus Dei have cooperated with other men and women of good will in trying to apply the social doctrine of the Church, especially the preferential option for the poor. Together they have established training centers for out-of-school youth and rural girls…

The expansion of the work of evangelization of Opus Dei outside of Metro Manila started in 1971 when the Makiling Conference Center… The expansion to the provinces continued when the first centers in Cebu opened in 1981, followed by Iloilo, and Bacolod…

There are approximately 3,000 members of Opus Dei in the Philippines.

To learn more about Opus Dei, visit www.opusdei.org.