Courtney McGrailOpus Dei Prelate Echevarria dies in Rome
The Opus Dei community in Ireland is mourning the passing of the congregation’s prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarria, who died in Rome on December 12. According to Paul Harman, spokesperson for the prelature, “the Irish community takes a small measure of comfort from the fact that Bishop Echevarria passed on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to whom he had a particular devotion”. The prelate’s death, Mr Harman added, was “the end of an era”, given that he represented the living link to Opus Dei founder St Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.
Born in Madrid, Spain, in 1932, after ordination he served as secretary to St Josemaría from 1953 to 1975. He was later appointed secretary general for Opus Dei and in 1994 was elected prelate.
On January 6, 1995, he was ordained bishop by St John Paul II.
Competition winners
The winners of The Irish Catholic’s competition for tickets to the premiere of Martin Scorcese’s Silence on Tuesday, December 13, were Mrs Philomena Massey from Firhouse, Dublin 24, Mr Willie O’Loughlin from Aughrim, Co. Wicklow, and Fr Andy Leahy from Tullow, Co. Carlow.
The answer to the question “In what country is Silence set?” is Japan.