2002 Conference

Finding God In and Through Everyday Work
A Centennial Conference

November 1 & 2, 2002
Union League Club
38 East 37th Street (at Park Ave)
New York City

In the year marking the centennial of his birth, the founder of (Work of God), Saint Josemaría Escrivá, was canonized a Saint in Rome on October 6, 2002. The conference theme sprang directly from the revolutionary thought of this man: the sanctifying value of all honest human work. Conference participants heard from women who have already discovered that, as Saint Josemaría put it, "work is not only the context in which they should become holy: it is the raw material of their holiness." In this way work becomes a means to finding both God and meaning in one’s life. This and other messages drawn from truths that Saint Josemaría presented to the contemporary world formed a backdrop for the breakout sessions that focused on the vocational dimension of work.

The Greatest Revolution of All Time
Maria Valdeavellano
Rosemoor Foundation

After a stay in Rome in 1959 where she met Saint Josemaría Escrivá, and at his request, Ms.Valdeavellano came to the United States. Since that time, she has been working to help establish and direct educational endeavors inspired by the lay spirit of Opus Dei. She has been instrumental in starting projects run by and for women such as schools, inner-city achievement centers, conference centers, and student residences. From 1959 until 1975, the year of Saint Josemaría’s death, Ms. Valdeavellano had many opportunities to talk directly with the founder of Opus Dei about his vision of the role of women in society, and specifically, in the United States.

Faith, Work, Culture: The possibility of a Christian Modernity in the message of Saint Josemaría Escrivá
Ana Marta González
University of Navarre

Ana Marta Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Ethics at the University of Navarre. In addition to sitting on the Directive Board of the Philosophy Department, she has also been the leader of an interdisciplinary group on Bioethics and chaired their conference entitled, Bioethics and Dignity in a Pluralistic Society.

Dr. Ana Marta Gonzalez' research interests include History of Ethics, with a special focus on Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume and Kant, as well as Morals, Politics, Law, Virtue Ethics, Natural Law Theory, Bioethics and the Social Sciences. She has written numerous books, monographs and articles including Morality, Reason and Nature: An Investigation of Thomas Aquinas and was the chief editor of To Live and Die with Dignity: Fundamental Themes of Bioethics in a Pluralistic Society.

Dr. Gonzalez served on the Scientific Commission for the conference on "The Greatness of Ordinary Life" held in Rome in January 2003. This conference marked the centennial of the birth of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.

She is currently a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard's Department of Philosophy, doing research on Kant's moral philosophy.

Work: A Way to Holiness
Janne Haaland Matlary, Ph.D.
Professor of International Affairs, University of Oslo, Norway

Janne Haaland Matlary is currently head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo, Norway, and adjunct senior researcher in security policy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Between 1997 and 2000 Dr. Matlary served as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Norway. Along with the daily leadership functions in the ministry, she was responsible for security policy, Norwegian negotiations for membership in the United Nations Security Council, and international human rights negotiations. She is married and the mother of four teenage children.

Due to circumstances beyond her control, Ms. Matlary was unable to present her paper personally at the conference. We are happy to make her paper available here.

Passionately Loving the World
Ann M. Brach, Ph.D., P.E.
Senior Program Officer in Policy Studies
Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.

As Senior Program Officer, Ann Brach advises the federal government on issues related to strategic planning and program development for transportation research. Dr. Brach holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from M.I.T. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia.

Work as Vocation
A Panel Speaking on Work as seen by single and married professionals
Panelists:
Debbie Bonafede, General Manager, Marriott International
Jeannette Kendall, President, Success In Style, Inc.
Caitlin McLaughlin Raiger, D.D.S., Practicing dentist

Click here to download papers