Inmaculada Alva and Mercedes Montero have just published a new book in the monograph collection of the Istituto Storico San Josemaría Escrivá (link). The book is titled: “The Unexpected Event. Women in Opus Dei (1930-1950)”.
On February 14, 1930, José María Escrivá realized that the foundation he had begun in 1928 should also be extended to women. He started to work towards this goal which was not an easy task and it was successfully achieved until only on the third attempt: on July 16, 1942, the first women’s center was opened in Madrid.
The book focuses on the distinct phases of the consolidation of the work of Opus Dei among women during its first twenty years of existence, and the different apostolic activities developed by them. The tasks undertaken with the purpose of making Opus Dei happen were varied and innovative – taking into account the role of women in society at the time – such as the establishment of the Minerva publishing house and the management of the Zurbarán university residence.
Inmaculada Alva holds a PhD in History and Theology, she is a researcher at the Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer Center for Documentation and Studies and a lecturer at the University of Navarra. She specializes in feminism and women’s history and is a member of the WINN Network.
Mercedes Montero is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the School of Communication of the University of Navarra. She holds a PhD in Communication and History and she is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Berkeley (USA). In addition, she is a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Bergen (Norway) and Piura (Peru).
