Canonization cause opened for first U.S. Opus Dei priest
The cause for canonization for the priest who established Opus Dei in the United States has been opened:
Fr. Joseph Muzquiz
The Archdiocese of Boston has opened the cause for canonization of Father Joseph Muzquiz, a priest of Opus Dei who established the personal prelature in the United States and worked for many years in the greater Boston area.
Some 150 people, many of whom are local members of Opus Dei, gathered June 2 at the archdiocese’s pastoral center for the formal opening of Father Muzquiz’s cause, reports The Pilot newspaper of the archdiocese.
“All Christians are called to be saints and we are deeply grateful that the Archdiocese of Boston is undertaking this effort to see whether Father Joseph Muzquiz indeed truly lived a holy life,” said Opus Dei spokesman Brian Finnerty.
Father Muzquiz was born in Spain in 1912. He joined the Nationalist army during the Spanish Civil War after his city was taken over by Nationalist forces. In 1941, he was admitted to Opus Dei.
Father Muzquiz was one of the first three men ordained as priests for Opus Dei and helped start Opus Dei not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Japan and Venezuela. During the 1960s and 1970s he worked in Europe and pressed for the canonization of the order’s founder, Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.
He returned to the United States in 1981, and remained in the country until his death in 1983.
If you are interested in the life of Fr. Muzquiz, I would highly recommend his biography Putting Down Roots by John Coverdale. It is an amazing story of faith and perseverance!
