May 17th, 1992: Beatification of St. Josemaria

St. John Paul II beatified the founder on this date, in Rome. The cause of canonization was submitted on 19/2/981. Almost 6,000 postulation letters had reached the Holy See. The postulation, presented to the Congregation for the cause of the Saints 1,500 accounts of favours, chosen from more than 40 countries. 

Two processes were carried out: One in Rome and the other one in Madrid, in May 1981. 92 witnesses “de visu” were interrogated (more than 50% were not members of the Work) distributed in 980 sessions. Each one was asked 260 obligatory questions (thos was as per don Alvaro’s wish, as in many causes, not even a third part is asked). Among the summoned witnesses were even some people who knew st. Josemaria and that were totally against the beatification of our father. Everything they wanted to say and all their opinions against the founder were heard. The tribunal (no member of it belonged to Opus Dei) dismissed all those opinions, considering that none of these contributed in any as faithful proof of what they affirmed, and at the same time, declaring that all objections presented by those people had been totally resolved. 

The witness declarations add up to 11,000 pages written in single-space paragraphs. Also, all writings of the founder were handed in: 13,000 pages in 71 volumes to be reviewed by censor theologians. One of them said: “Escriva possesses the strength of the classics: the temper of a ‘Father of the Church’.”. Gathering the unanimous feeling of the Cardinals and Bishops that formed the work commission of the founder's cause, Saint John Paul II promulgated on April 9th, 1990 the decree of heroic virtues. On July 6th, 1991 the miracle attributed to st. Josemaria was read (also, a volume of more than 1,200 pages with the documentation of another 20 healings attributed to st. Josemaria was handed in. In the postulation there were also 75,000 signed submissions of favours attributed to him, from all around the world). 

When the founder died, during those hours that the members of the Work kept vigil of st. Josemaria’s remains in Saint Mary of Peace, don Alvaro had asked God that He let him live until St. Josemaria was raised to the altars. The date the the Pope had chosen for the beatification -among those proposed to him- was made public on September 25th, 1991.