Blessed Alvaro del Portillo

The Madrid Years (1914-1946)

Álvaro del Portillo was born on 11 March 1914 in Madrid into a Christian family of class average -high. He was the third of eight children. His father, a lawyer, worked in an insurance agency. He studied at the high school Nuestra Señora del Pilar, in Madrid. In 1934 he finished the courses of teaching assistant de Obras Públicas, continuing on to degree program de Ingeniería de Caminos. From January 1935 he worked as a Public Works teaching assistant in official bodies.

On 7 July 1935 he requested his Admissions Office in Opus Dei. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, Josemaría Escrivá appointed him secretary general of Opus Dei on 10 October 1939, and he became his closest friend partner . In the early 1940s he made many weekend trips to various Spanish cities to spread Opus Dei among young people. Before his ordination to the priesthood on 25 June 1944, he studied theology at programs of study and doctorate at Philosophy y Letras (History section), on the "Discoveries and Explorations in California", which he published in 1947.

In Rome with the founder of Opus Dei (1946-1975)

He made several trips to Rome on behalf of the founder of Opus Dei. He moved there permanently in 1946. In Rome, some time later, he obtained his doctorate at Canon Law with a thesis entitled "A new juridical state of perfection. The secular institutes". He was Consiliary of Opus Dei in Italy (1948-1951) and President of the high school Romano della Santa Croce (1948-1954). During these years he was in charge of obtaining the financing to pay for the works at Villa Tevere. He also promoted the activities of Opus Dei in Rome and other Italian cities, as well as accompanying the Founder on his travels in various European countries.

Pope Pius XII made him a Knight of the Order of Malta. During the Second Vatican Council he participated as an expert in the work of several ante-preparatory and preparatory commissions, and acted as secretary of the conciliar commission De discipline cleri et populi christiani. In 1964 he was appointed consultant of the Commission in charge of the reform of the Code of Canon Law, and in 1966 of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Between 1972 and 1975 he accompanied St. Josemaría on several trips to Spain, Portugal and the Americas.

Successor of Saint Josemaría (1975-1994)

After the death of the founder, he was elected president general of Opus Dei in 1975. He brought to completion the juridical path of Opus Dei as a Prelature staff in 1982. One of the tasks he promoted was the process of canonisation of the founder. He published two books of recollections on the figure of Saint Josemaría. He continued to direct the spread of Opus Dei to new countries and made pastoral trips throughout Europe and to various countries in America, Asia and Africa, where there were Opus Dei centres.

He succeeded Saint Josemaría as Chancellor of the University of Navarra and the University of Piura. Between 1975 and 1994 he promoted the creation of other universities, such as the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico, 1978), the Universidad de la Sabana (Colombia, 1979), the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome, 1984), the Universidad de Los Andes (Chile, 1989) and the Universidad Austral (Argentina, 1991).

He was a synod father at the Extraordinary Synod of 1985. In 1991 he was ordained a bishop. He died in Rome on 23 March 1994. Pope John Paul II prayed before his mortal remains on the day of his death. In June 2012, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints conferred on him the degree scroll of "Venerable". In September 2014 he was beatified in Madrid.

bibliography about Álvaro del Portillo