As mentioned in several media reports and articles, Roland Joffé agreed to directing the film “There Be Dragons” after seeing a video of Escrivá answering a question from a Jewish girl who wanted to convert to Catholicism. Escrivá told her that she should not convert, because it would be disrespectful to her parents. “I thought this was so open-minded,” Mr. Joffé said.

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Roland Joffé, whose works include “The Killing Fields” and “The Mission”, shot the movie in Argentina.  The film, “There Be Dragons,” set during the Spanish Civil War, weaves fictional characters created by Mr. Joffé with the story of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei.

At the request of the film’s producers, the communications office of the Prelature of Opus Dei provided historical information and other audiovisual materials regarding Saint Josemaria, as it does in response to similar requests for news stories, books and documentaries…

For details, visit:

• Official film website: therebedragonsfilm.com,
• Interview With “There Be Dragons” Movie Director Roland Joffé,
• Statement regarding “There Be Dragons“,
• Facebook group ‘There Be Dragons”,

• New York Times article, 21 August 2009,
• Zenit.org ‘Josemaría Escrivá, Civil War, and forgiveness’,
• WATCH video by RomeReports.com,
• Slide presentation ‘There Be Dragons, by R. Joffe’,
• Compilation of news & articles (Spanish) on the movie,
• Other blogs.

Video of get-together with Josemaría Escrivá in which he answers Jewish girl

Official movie trailer

On this link you’d find a selection of texts from the discourses and public appearances in which the founder of Opus Dei spoke concerning the value of university education.  This work was produced by the University of Navarre on the occasion of the beatification of its Founder and first Grand Chancellor. In this volume you’d find, among others, the speeches delivered by the Founder during the investiture rites conferring doctorates honoris causa upon eminent and prestigious persons, in recognition of their valuable contributions in various areas: scientific research, defense of life from its origins, human resources training and development, etc.

We have attempted a freelance translation to English of excerpts of a few chapters of this volume:

• Prologue (by Bishop Alvaro del Portillo): The University in the thought and apostolic action of Msgr. Josemaría Escrivá
• 1974, conferral of doctorates honoris causa: In defense of life
• 1965, inauguration of Centro Elis: Educational and pedagogical value of Freedom
• 1967, conferral of doctorates honoris causa: The value of human resources

We would appreciate you telling us if you find on the web the official translation to English of these texts, and we shall replace this post…  These texts (in Spanish) are also found, divided up into separate .pdf files, on the University of Navarre site.

Here’s a link to a video: St Josemaria and the University:

On the St Josemaria iPhone App, if you shift the language setting to Spanish, you’d find an article entitled “La Virgen del Pilar” (no English equivalent is found).  The piece is at once a loving, filial homage to Our Lady –a treatise on the Marian privileges: her Divine Maternity, her Immaculate  Conception and Assumption into Heaven, her being Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of all Graces, etc.–  and an exposition of the love-filled Christian tradition that has enveloped this special devotion which is intimately linked to the evangelization of Spain.

Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar. Saint Josemaría said of it: “My devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar began from the time when my parents infused it into each of their children with their Aragonese piety. Later on, while I was studying for the priesthood, and also when I was studying for a law degree at the University of Saragossa, I visited the shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar every day…”

He went every day to the nearby basilica where Our Lady of the Pillar is venerated in accord with an ancient tradition. He entrusted himself to her while waiting for a definitive answer regarding the will of God. “And I, half-blind, was always waiting for the answer. Why am I becoming a priest? Our Lord wants something: what is it? And in Latin — not very elegant Latin — … I kept repeating Domine, ut videam! Ut sit!  Domina: Ut sit! What is it that you want and that I don’t know?”

–o–o–o–

To our friends in Spain for whom October 12th is a ‘National Day’, we greet you: ¡FELICIDADES!

]]> http://opusdeitoday.org/2010/10/our-lady-of-the-pillar/feed/ 1 http://opusdeitoday.org/2010/08/st-josemaria-news/ http://opusdeitoday.org/2010/08/st-josemaria-news/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:28:28 +0000 Aliza Racelis http://opusdeitoday.org/?p=760

St Josemaria news – Animated film on his childhood, new book on ‘The Way’

• There’s a new animated film on the childhood of the Opus Dei founder, “San Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer“, available at librerías TROA.  We provide here a trailer:

• Russell Shaw, columnist at Catholic Herald, has written a book “Writing the Way: The Story of a Spiritual Classic”. Because Shaw only gradually grew to value the book, he is able to address obstacles readers might encounter when reading The Way for the first time.
• For updates on the Roland Joffé film “There Be Dragons”, you might want to sign up for the Facebook group ‘There Be Dragons’.

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Here’s the account of St Josemaría’s death:  On June 26, 1975, Msgr. Josemaría died suddenly in Rome. The previous month he had made his last visit to Spain, where he received the gold medal of his native town, Barbastro, and visited the nearby shrine of Torreciudad, which had been built at his request, and was about to be inaugurated. His death marked the end of the foundational stage of Opus Dei and, in the words of his successor, the beginning of the “stage of continuity and fidelity”. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, then Secretary General of Opus Dei, acted as its head until the elective congress was held. (Excerpts from Immersed in God: Blessed Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei, as seen by his successor Bishop Alvaro del Portillo)

• All the works of St Josemaría Escrivá available at escrivaworks.org;
• You may send images/photos/representations of Josemaría Escrivá that you may have to josemariaescriva.info (press “Write Us” on the upper right of the page).

A selection of images from the Holy Masses celebrated on the liturgical feast of St Josemaria:

Happy Feastday!