The cause for the beatification of Dora del Hoyo, one of the first collaborators of the founder of Opus Dei, has been announced in Rome on June 18, reports the Catholic News Agency.“Dora was of great importance for Opus Dei, for her fidelity and her work perfectly finished, which was always accompanied by her humility of passing unnoticed. This is why she was so effective until the end of her life,” said Bishop Javier Echevarria, the Prelate of Opus Dei, who announced the cause at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Born in Spain in 1914, Dora del Hoyo first came into contact with Opus Dei’s founder, Saint Josemaria Escriva, at the age of 29 when she was employed as a member of the domestic staff in a Madrid student residence run by the Catholic organization.
In 1946 she became the first woman to join Opus Dei as a “numerary assistant.”
Such members principally dedicate themselves to the domestic responsibilities within centers of Opus Dei.
In same year Saint Josemaria asked Dora if she would move to Rome in order to help in the development and expansion of Opus Dei.
She remained in the Eternal City until her death in 2004.