The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mentorella, which Dora liked to visit.

Amaia Mintegui met Dora in Rome, and lived with her until her death.  She recalls that Dora “never made a show of her piety, but…she prayed the different parts of the Holy Rosary every day, often remaining for a long time on her knees before the Tabernacle. She had great devotion to the Blessed Virgin and she frequently asked others to accompany her on pilgrimages to Marian shrines in and near Rome.”

“She appeared very recollected when she received Holy Communion and when making a thanksgiving after Mass…. Many times she mentioned the great urgency she felt to pray for specific intentions which had been entrusted to her.”

My parents have been planning to come and visit me here in Barcelona for months now. The last time I saw them was over a year and a half ago. They are due to arrive in ten days and they are coming from Toronto. A few days ago the government called my father to tell him that he is being called for jury duty and his presence is requested on a day that coincides with the planned trip to Barcelona. Earlier on in the year he was called for the same thing but was able to get out of it because he had to take care of his mother who was very sick at the time. The lawyer told my father that they are usually not very lenient especially because this is the second time and a vacation is not a good excuse get out of public civil  service. In any case my father submitted documentation to show that the plane tickets are already bought and the hotel is already booked, and I started to pray to Dora who always helps me. Sure enough, yesterday the government called my father to tell him that his jury duty is being postponed to September. Thank you Dora!!!

C. L.
Spain.  7th March 2012

In the nick of time

It is Thursday, 5th January, the eve of the Epiphany, and as I leave the house I walk into reception to check whether the much awaited package has arrived, although by this stage I am beginning to lose faith in its timely arrival. On the 17th of December my parents, who were visiting my brothers in London, prepared a box of presents and Christmas goodies with the hope that they would arrive in time for Christmas; but what with the usual Christmas back-log and postal delays, Christmas Day came and went with no sign of the package. Since here inRomewhere I am studying we traditionally open our presents sent by the three Kings on the eve of the feast of the Epiphany, I began praying to Dora so that the package would arrive in time. I knew that it would make my parents very happy to know that the presents were received, so I encouraged my mother to pray to Dora as well. Seeing as Dora spent her entire life attentive to the needs of those around her, I was sure that she would be the best person to whom I could entrust this consignment. I began the novena. Now I think I really should ask her for more things because she is an amazing intercessor: not only did the present arrive just in time, but was the cause of great joy to others – something I am sure Dora would have liked.

C. R.
Rome, Italy.

All were clear

A few weeks back, a bag of a friend of mine was stolen while she was in her furniture shop. Inside the bag were her documents (driver’s license), her credit cards and some money. By the time she realized it, an hour had already passed. She immediately called to inform us of what had happened. We told her to call the banks to stop the credit cards and told her to pray to Dora that the ones who stole the bags have not made any purchases or transactions using the credit cards (since this is the first thing they do). We prayed to Dora for this intention and after a few minutes, she told us that the banks have checked if transactions were made using these cards and she was told that all were clear.

The day after, this same friend of mine went to the pier to check if the shipment of their ordered furniture from Chinahad arrived. Before going there, she passed by a market to buy some things. Seeing that her shoes were new and that it would be sullied, she decided to buy a pair of slippers in the market place. Going back home from the market and the pier, she noticed that she did not have her new pair of shoes. She told us of what had happened and said that she will only be able to go back to the marketplace the following day since she had other things to do. We told her to pray to Dora again that she be able to find the store and the pair of shoes. The next day, she called us up to say that she did find the store and that the girl in the store recognized her as the one who left the shoes. She is now starting to have a devotion to Dora.

T. S.
Cebu,Philippines. 22th November 2011

Her biography.

On the hospitality staff at Shellbourne Conference Center in Indiana, Ms. Feehery talks about her vocation as a numerary assistant, how she joined Opus Dei, and the reactions of her friends.

When people come to my house and they say “your food is amazing, how do you make these things?” And this is from my gran: the best that you put in a recipe is love, do it for love, it does taste different. I’m not joking. Make a big pot of Bolognese sauce, a huge lasagne, cook for lots of people and just because you love the people that you are entertaining, you love the people coming round to your house.

Watch the video

On Monday, October 26, I was given the prayer card for private devotion to Dora del Hoyo. I immediately realized that she was the person who could help me resolve a situation.

I live with my widowed sister who is losing her memory. Her children are not nearby, and they suggested that I look for someone to stay with her for two hours each afternoon so that I could have some time for myself.

Due to my sister’s illness, the woman I hired would have to be very trustworthy. With the help of Saint Josemaria, I found someone who was willing to take the job on the condition that she did not have to do any housework, that her only duty would be to stay with my sister. I agreed to this and hired her. There was a problem, however, because right from the start she brought her husband with her, who was out of work.

When I received Dora’s prayer card I asked her that the woman, with an adjusted schedule, would agree to do housework for one hour twice a week and that her husband wouldn’t come while she was doing the cleaning so that my sister could help with the work as a sort of therapy.

After praying to Dora for three days, I spoke with the woman and she was happy to accept my conditions, saying that she felt uncomfortable not doing anything. I give thanks to God for this favor which I received through Dora.

Pilar Patron Tovar, Caceres  (Spain)

We had the brochures just in time

When opening a file from a flash drive, it wouldn’t print because of a design error. I prayed to Dora, and the computer technician tried opening it using a different program. When he gave it the print command, it completely failed. He said that there was nothing that could be done. I asked Dora again to intercede; the technician tried again and it worked perfectly. We had the brochures just in time.

Elvira Jimenez, Rome (Italy)

“If there is a virtue which especially characterized Dora, it was diligence.She used her time very well. I can still hear her saying, ‘Since I have a few minutes, I am going to use them to do this or that.’ She was heroic right up until the end. She would always ask to be given more work, and when she began to lose some of her physical abilities—her sight, for example—she did simpler things, like darning socks or answering the telephone.

Dora always prayed for the Pope

“She loved people in both a human and a supernatural way. She gave them her time:forming and teaching them professionally, and giving them the benefit of her experience. Occasionally she got angry and scolded—only when someone was careless or lazy at work—but her anger never lasted long, and people never felt hurt. I never knew her to be offended by anyone, or to bear a grudge.

“She loved the Pope very much—whoever he was—and she always prayed for him and for the bishops. I remember how excited she was in December of 1978 to attend the Holy Mass celebrated by John Paul II and to receive Holy Communion from his hands.

“She tried not to call attention to herself and to pass unnoticed, and one time Saint Josemaria pointed this out to us. It was March 24, 1974. The founder of Opus Dei was visiting Albarosa for the first time, a Center of Opus Dei which had just opened in Grottarossa, near Rome. All of us who lived in Albarosa had gathered together in order to be with him, and at one point he noticed that Dora was missing. He asked us, ‘Where is that daughter of mine who always wants to remain hidden?’ Saint Josemaria took advantage of her momentary absence to praise her very affectionately.”

Maria Carmen Cominges

Valencia, Spain

Dora with Ascension and Julia

I am grateful to Dora for this favor which she did for me a short time after she went to heaven.

I was ready to work on the computer using a file that I had saved on a diskette, but I received an error message telling me that it was impossible to open the file. I tried to open it in different ways, but without success. I decided to to change the name of the file, renaming it “Trimester Dora.” From that moment on, I have had no trouble opening that file.
Valencia, Spain

I got my voice back without noticing

On January 12 of this year I had to teach for two hours. At the end of the first hour I started to lose my voice, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to continue lecturing for the second hour. During the break, which was very brief, I tried to find some medication that would help my voice. I couldn’t find anything, so I asked Dora to keep me from losing my voice.
I went back into the classroom and got distracted by a conversation with some of the students. I started the class without realizing that my voice was fine. At the time I didn’t notice, and it was only several hours later that I remembered that I had asked Dora for this favor and realized that she had done it for me, immediately and discreetly.
Silvia Mas
Rome, Italy

 It was a simple dessert that Mrs. Escrivá could prepare on that day only. This made it into something the family looked forward to, although it was very simple.

The recipe for crespillos is one you can make for your family. It’s easy and not expensive. 

Ingredients
(serves 6 – 8 people):

• ½ kilo fresh spinach leaves
• 200 grams self-raising flour
• 1 dessert-spoon sugar (10 g)
• 2 eggs (100g)
• 1.5 decilitres milk (150g)
• Sugar for sprinkling

Method:

• Wash the spinach very well, and leave just 2 or 3 cm of stalk on each.
• Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Beat the eggs and milk together and then add them to the flour, whisking them hard to a smooth batter.
• Dry the spinach-leaves well, and coat them on both sides with the batter.
• Heat a pan of oil to about 170o C and fry the leaves, several at a time, until a light golden brown.
• Drain them on some kitchen-paper and sprinkle with sugar.
• Cover with a white napkin and serve immediately.

How would you describe the message of Opus Dei?

For me the message of Opus Dei is that everyone is called to be a saint, and that everyone can be one. At first I thought “me, a saint…..impossible!” But it’s true, each and every one of us, carrying out our duty every day, working well, or studying well, whatever, can be a saint. With our efforts and with God to help us along the way, with the strength of the Sacraments, it’s possible.

How long have you been in Opus Dei? How did you get to hear about it?

I’ve been in Opus Dei for the last 12 years. I first met the Work in March of 1995, when I did two weeks’ work experience at Lismullin Conference Centre. I loved working there, and loved the atmosphere there, the people, so afterwards I took a summer job there. It was then that I began to realise that there was something special about Lismullin, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what. Mary, one of the Assistant Numeraries working there, began explaining things to me, and started giving me classes in the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Little by little I began to practice my faith again. The more Christian formation I received, the more I began to realise that maybe I had a vocation to the Work. Of course at first I was afraid, because God was asking me to take such a big step forward, but at the same time I felt such a deep happiness inside that I couldn’t explain. I loved everything about Lismullin, the work there, the people, and especially the cheerful family atmosphere that was always part of it. But most importantly I felt that this was all God’s doing, that He brought me there to Lismullin, to get to know the Work, and to see my vocation as an Assistant Numerary, and I realised that this must be His plan for me.

The following year in May, I made up my mind to ask if I could be an Assistant Numerary, and I did. I continued at school as normal; study, homework, classes etc, only that now everything was different! I didn’t find school so boring anymore, I made more effort to study, to get good marks, to be a good student, a good friend of my friends, and in doing all that I tried to talk to God too, to offer him the classes, my efforts to study, and all that. In doing all this I was so happy! I remember one day one of my friends asked me what was happening to me, because I didn’t have all the things she had, but I seemed happier than her. I told her that I was happier because I had God in my life, and I explained that one can have many things in this life, but if God is not part of our lives then we can’t find real happiness.

Why did you ask to join as an Assistant Numerary?

I asked to join the Work as an Assistant Numerary because right from the start, when I began to suspect I had a vocation, it was as an Assistant Numerary, and I didn’t doubt it for a second. Obviously God gave me the light to see it so clearly. Also the work that I was doing in Lismullin, was the work that the Assistant Numeraries were doing, and from them I learned so much. Looking after the residence, cleaning the house, cooking, looking after the dining room, in short making the house into a real home. The idea of serving others fascinated me. To be “the mother of the house” for the others, I thought, “This is for me”.

Is work in the home really a proper professional job? Plenty of people today think nobody needs to work at home full time; it’s better if everyone spends a bit of time on it.

I think that we have to try to help people see that work in the home is a professional job. Of course, it’s different than other jobs in the sense that it doesn’t require an interview or exams, but it is a job in itself. Making and maintaining a home takes a lot of time and dedication, and more so if children are involved. We all know the expression that “a woman’s work is never done”, and we all know how true it is. Running a home and looking after a family requires a lot of dedication.

Do young people ever think of home-making as a career? In most countries it is unrecognized as a job, and unpaid, so it is not an attractive choice for many people.

No, I don’t agree that this type of work is one with little future. I actually think that as time goes by, people are beginning to change their opinions about this type of work. Of course, each country is different and in some it’s more recognised than in others. But when we think about it, people will always need to eat, rest, have all the basic human needs, have somewhere they call home. So therefore there will always have to be people to provide these basic needs. Now too in many countries there are Catering or Hospitality Schools promoting this type of career, and I think that this is a big help in making it better known.

What did you want to do before you thought of being an Assistant Numerary?

Before I joined the Work, I didn’t really know what I wanted to study after I finished school. I had never really thought too much about it. In school my two favourite subjects were Music and Home Economics, but having a career in either of them hadn’t crossed my mind at all. I was open to whatever, and I thought too that I had still plenty of time to make up my mind, as I was only in 4th year. That’s also why I did the Transition Year Programme, so that by doing a wider range of subjects and more project work, I could have more options to help decide what career to choose. So until I met the Work and began to work in Catering, only then I decided that this was the career I wanted to take.

What do you specialize in?

My profession I would say is still in the “growing” process, as I find myself always learning, and there’s always time for learning more. But up to now, I have achieved many Certificates, and a Diploma in Guesthouse Management. That was a 3 year course which I did when I finished school, and it included Cookery Skills, Dining-room Service, Typewriting, Computer Classes, Accounting, Spanish, Reception Skills, and Hygiene. Later on I did another short course called “Train the Trainer”. It’s a course where one learns the skill of giving classes. At the moment I’m working with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). These are work based qualifications that assess an individual’s competence to do a job, and this can be any type of job, for example in the kitchen, food service, accommodation etc. I’ve just got a Certificate as a level 2 Assessor in the Food Service Area, and at the moment I am starting to work on getting a Certificate in Professional Cookery. This course, I’m really enjoying a lot, as it’s a great way to learn more as I work, get more experience, and of course learn to do what I do more professionally.

Plenty of people work in building maintenance, laundry, and food service departments in hotels, restaurants, shopping-centres etc. But when it is done in the home, this same type of work does not carry the same remuneration, or have the same value in people’s eyes. Why is that?

I think that people don’t see all these jobs as the same when carried out in the home, mainly because of economic reasons. It’s different when you get paid for it, or if it means as a result of this work you get a certificate etc. How many mothers do this work and don’t get paid! Also I think the work of the home is often seen as a hidden job, that many people don’t acknowledge it, and it’s a task people may often look down upon. But people have to see that it’s a very important role, that it’s a service to the family and to society. For this reason I also think that it should be well paid.

I remember once having worked alongside school girls, and how they were delighted to learn the different tasks of household administration, and how one girl said that in her house she’s the one to tidy up the kitchen everyday and to clean the bedrooms, and that after learning how to do it well she said it’s something that she doesn’t mind doing, that now she enjoys it!

Also on waitressing, many people are impressed by how the meals are presented on the dishes, and I have often been asked for recipes. I think that looking after little details, and doing things well, as best we can, reaches to many people even though we might not realise it sometimes.

Does the fact of being in Opus Dei make a difference to your work?

The fact that I’m in Opus Dei gives much more meaning to my work. I don’t see it as just work, or tasks that I have to do. But instead I see that by doing my work well each day I’m serving God and serving others. Also the work of an Assistant Numerary is exactly that; working in the household administration, making it a home for the others, caring for people’s needs, creating a family atmosphere in the centres, and all that with professionalism.

Fuente: www.opusdei.us