Jack Valero, Opus Dei's spokesman in the United Kingdom for the past 25 years, has just published "El Opus Dei sin filtros. Por qué me hice de la Obra" ("Opus Dei Unfiltered: Why I Joined the Work").
In the book, he presents the apostolate founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer in 1928 through the experiences and testimonies of some 20 members. "Opus Dei" in Latin means the "Work of God," commonly referred to by members of the apostolate as "the Work."
Valero has spent many years answering questions about this institution, which has nearly 100,000 members across almost 70 countries worldwide.
Speaking with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, he noted that "sometimes, answering the way I used to — 'from the top down' — makes it harder to explain" what it actually means to belong to the Catholic Church's only personal prelature.
Thus, when he was offered the chance to write the book in late 2025, he decided to tackle the challenge "from the bottom up."
"It is the people themselves who speak about their lives. Having done it that way, I think it is far more effective, because it's more real. Or rather, it doesn't explain everything to you, but what it does explain, it explains very well."
The book's pages feature a range of members: supernumeraries (men and women with a vocation to marriage); numeraries like Valero and associates (both groups being celibate for apostolic reasons); and assistant numeraries.
The role played by this latter category of members has recently been the subject of controversy due to allegations made by 43 assistant numeraries in Argentina who claimed to have been "victims of trafficking." Valero said his approach to this specific vocation within Opus Dei "has been a major learning experience."
"I realized it's not up to me to explain what that vocation is, but rather for them to explain it, and they do so very well. I was deeply impressed," explained the spokesman, who has included the testimonies of two assistant numeraries in his book. "One at the beginning and one at the end. To make it clear that this is very important within the Work," he indicated.
'It's a privilege to speak about the things I love'
Throughout his work in communications for Opus Dei as an institution, Valero has navigated periods of intense media activity, such as during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom or the release of books like "The Da Vinci Code."
In the first chapter of the book, where he recounts his own vocation, he notes that Opus Dei "doesn't promote a political program or a structured project to transform society." During the conversation with ACI Prensa, he added that the Work "has no program to improve the world, but rather to improve people."
He further noted: "We have many formation programs to help people become like Jesus Christ — to be in the world, respond to God, sanctify everyday realities, etc., and to encourage and inspire them so that they change the world."
Thus, Valero argued, trusting in the use of freedom, they can work together on their initiatives to change the world. "It's an idea we need to develop further because, obviously, we haven't communicated it entirely well, as many people don't understand it. We need to communicate better about that."
Reforming the statutes: 'The Work changes with the Church'
With the centennial of the founding of Opus Dei approaching in two years, the prelature is undertaking the process of modifying its statutes, as directed by Pope Francis in the 2022 motu proprio Ad Charisma Tuendum.
In June 2025, Opus Dei submitted a proposal for modification and is awaiting the decision of Pope Leo XIV.
"They say the Church is 'semper reformanda' ['always reforming']. The world changes, the Church changes, and the Work changes along with the Church, because the Work is part of the Church," Valero explained.
He acknowledged that within the institution, "the way directors govern today is very different from how things were done 40 years ago."
"Governance in the Work is about accompanying and supporting people. It's not about giving them orders. I haven't given any order nor received any order," he emphasized.
Regarding the statutory reform, the spokesman stated that "we are seeking to refine the legal framework" with the same spirit that guided its founder in the beginning: "Everything that comes from God through the Holy See, we accept with great love. We see that it's something that God wants and that gives us great peace."
"We want to imitate Christ and sanctify the world and bring God's love to people. That's what we are doing now. If the legal framework needs to be changed in some way, well, that's what needs to be done, and there's no problem with that," he added.
Reality versus myths
Finally, Valero expressed his hope that the book would be read by Opus Dei members "to appreciate the variety of ways this vocation is lived out" and also by others "so that they might see, instead of the abstract myths they have heard about, the reality of the people themselves."
"I am really hopeful that many people will read it and that this will lead to a greater understanding of what Opus Dei is," he concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
