He was met at the airport of Galeão by Monsignor Vicente Ancona Lopez, regional vicar of Opus Dei in Brazil, and a small group of faithful of the Prelature. They went from the airport to Icatu, the center of the delegation of Opus Dei in Rio, where he greeted a number of people.
Regarding the reason for his trip, he said that a year-and-a-half ago he was invited by the bishops to give a cycle of classes in Brazil. Although he thought that his abundant work in Rome made the trip inadvisable, the then Prelate of Opus Dei, Bishop Javier Echevarría, encouraged him to accept the invitation. “So you owe my visit here to Don Javier,” he said.
Later, after listening to a song being sung, he remarked: “The time for loving is brief. We need to take advantage of time. And taking advantage of time means filling it with love for God and, as a result, service to others.”
In the afternoon, after greeting several families, Monsignor Ocáriz made his way to the Sumaré Center of Studies, where the Course for bishops is taking place and where he will be giving some classes until Friday the 26th of January.
Course for bishops, a decades-long tradition
The Prelate was invited by Cardinal Dom Orani Tempesta to take part in the 27th course for bishops. The topic this year is: “Atheism. Current-day forms and challenges for evangelization.” Along with the Prelate, others giving classes include Father Rafael José Stanziona de Moraes, Professor Francesco Botturi and Fray Francisco Patton, OFM. At the end of the course, the Prelate will spend time with the faithful of Opus Dei in Rio de Janeiro (26-30 January) and São Paulo (30 January to 4 February).
The archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro has been organizing the course for bishops in Brazil since 1990. The inaugural address was given by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The annual gathering aims to offer bishops the opportunity to share a week of study, prayer and rest in a fraternal atmosphere.