September 29th, 1946 Ordination of don Pedro Casciaro

On the 8th of November of the same year, St. Josemaria returned to Rome and left don Pedro as Vicar for Spain. When hearing this, someone not in the work commented: "And now he's off to Rome, and leaves the Opus in the hands of four meddlers..." The person listening answers with a more supernatural outlook: "If that Opus is actually Dei, it will stand regardless of where the founder is present. And if it isn't a Work of God, with or without a founder it will fall apart".

Want to know more about Don Pedro? http://turningthewaterwheel.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/don-pedro-casciaro-dies-natalis.html

September 30th, 1928: st. Josemaria starts the retreat where he 'saw' Opus Dei

Sunday. St. Josemaria starts the retreat at the St. Vincent de Paul convent wherein he "saw" the Work on Tuesday the 2nd of October. The retreat finished on October the 6th. On November 1927 the founder had moved from the Priests' residence on Larrea street to an apartment he rented on 'Fernando el Catolico' street to live there with his mother and siblings, who came from Zaragoza. The financial support of that apartment came fully from St. Josemaria's income. His brother Santiago remembered that St. Josemaria used to give classes at the apartment. He also used to give classes at the Cicuendez Academy, in Roman Law and Canon Law. He was also chaplain of the Foundation of the Sick and confessor of the schools of the Apostolic Ladies. When the September extraordinary exams in the university and academies were finished, the founder had a break of two weeks. Then, he decided to to a period of Spiritual Exercises making the most of those holidays. That Sunday, he came to the Paules' convent with a bunch of papers and loose leaflets. In these he had been collecting, among other things, the extraordinary graces given to him by Our Lord throughout ten years, mainly in the form of inspirations. On October 2nd he received that supernatural light regarding the Work while he was reading all those papers, papers which before that he hadn't been able to put together.

September 28th, 1922: St. Josemaria receives the tonsure

St. Josemaria is given the tonsure by Cardinal Soldevila in a chapel of the Episcopal palace. St. Josemaria then was appointed as Inspector of the San Carlos Seminary, a position he held until the day of his ordination to the priesthood. Back then, the Inspectors of the Seminary were all ordained priests - St. Josemaria was the first one to obtain this title prior to his ordination.

September 28th, 1920: st Josemaria enters the seminary

Four and a half years went by until he was ordained to the priesthood, and during this time he was in the San Carlos seminary. On his arrival, he gave the doorman of the seminary his tobacco and pipes and never smoked again.

for St. Josemaria it was a very drastic change of life and environment: "When I entered the seminary, I used, as I've always been, to wear my shoes and clothes very clean: I don't understand why but, for whatever reason, for some there (...) I was the "señorito" (a pejorative term meaning "rich kid", "snob"). Another reason for astonishment (...) came from the fact that I showered every day: again, the epithet of "señorito".

Soon after, the mocking was about his piety: the daily visits to the Basilica of the Pillar earned him the nickname of "mystical rose". He would also be called "the dreamer", due to his enthusiasm with which he used to speak to his classmates about the apostolate that they could do.

Ten days after entering the seminary he was put in charge of the Association of the Apostolate of Prayer for the course 1920 - 1921, quite likely because from the first moment, it was seen in him a solid life of piety. One of his classmates mentioned "He was the only one of the seminarians that I knew who would come down to the Church in his free time". 

September 23rd, 1942: Death of Father Jose Miguel

Father Jose Miguel de la Virgen del Carmen was the carmelite whose footprints on the snow St. Josemaria saw when he was in his teenage years: young Josemaria was deeply impressed by seeing the marks of the carmelite's bare feet after that heavy snowfall in January. This meant a turning point in the founder's life. Soon afterwards, father Jose Miguel became st. Josemaria's spiritual director for a short period of time, until st. Josemaria realised his vocation was to be a diocesan priest rather than that of religious life suggested by father Jose Miguel. He went on to have spiritual direction with another priest, but remained in contact with father Jose Miguel.

September 22nd, 1931: "Abba, Pater"

St. Josemaria was at that moment travelling in a streetcar in Madrid when he suddenly felt a joyous clarity about his divine filiation. This is the date of his annotation regarding divine filiation, when st. Josemaria wrote:(Apuntes, 296):

"Full of interior joy, I would have gone shouting, as for the whole world to see my joyful filial gratefulness: 'Father, Father!' - and even if I didn't shout, at least quietly I was calling him constantly that, 'Father', certain that I was pleasing Him!".

September 21st, 1931: First Mass at St. Isabel

On this date, St. Josemaria celebrated Mass for the first time in the Church of the Foundation of St. Isabel. There is where he wrote, in one go, the book "Holy Rosary" (on a different day).

Also the anecdote of John the Milkman, naming St. Nicholas as one of Opus Dei's intercessors, and other events are related to his post to this place.

September 19th, 1898: st. Josemaria's parents' marriage

The wedding was in the Chapel of the Holy Christ of Miracles, in the Barbastro Cathedral.

13/9/1933: Death of Maria Ignacia Garcia Escobar

13/9/1933: Death of Maria Ignacia Garcia Escobar at King's Hospital (also known as The Incurables' Hospital). Was severely ill with Tuberculosis. Had asked to be admitted to the Work on April 9, 1932. Was what at. Josemaria called the first expiatory vocation. She used to offer all her pain and suffering for the Work. St. Josemaria met her through don Jose Maria Somoano. During the time she was in the Work - and even before - she had been offering all her suffering for the Work. 

Want to know more about Maria Ignacia: http://turningthewaterwheel.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/march-9th-1932-maria-ignacia-garcia.html

September 12th, 1932: a submission to become a Carmelite

On this date, St Josemaria goes to the convent of the Carmelites in Madrid, to submit an application to be admitted to the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites. The date of admission to the 3rd Order was on 2/10/1932. (According to his "Apuntes Intimos", he became tertiary Carmelite "to oblige more to my Immaculate Mother and offer suffrage for the souls in purgatory".)

1/9/1991: For the first time blessed Alvaro ordains to the Priesthood agroup of members of the Work

The group comprised 20 men. Bl. Álvaro had arrived on the 29th of August in Torreciudad to spend some time with those being ordained. During his homily, among other things, he said: "My thoughts, more than the usual, go to our beloved founder, who with his exemplary attitude of self-giving towards God, has made possible this what we're now contemplating". Towards the end of the homily, he said: "Allow me now to go, to remember, that 25th of June 1944, when the first three of us were ordained to the priesthood. On that day, our founder commented that, when years had gone by and people asked us what did the father say on that occasion, we should respond that he reminded us the usual: prayer, prayer, prayer; mortification, mortification, mortification; work, work, work. And on this joyful day, under the loving eyes of our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad, I tell you that the father, in this day when he, for the first time has ordained of group of his children,he would ask for them and for all the faithful of the premature, just one thing: fidelity, fidelity, fidelity."

September 1st, 1934: #50, Ferraz street

On this date, st. Josemaría and the other members of the work took possession of the Residence at Ferraz street, no. 50 to start the renovation works.