Álvaro del Portillo
Catholic bishop, Beatus, 2nd Prelate of the Opus Dei
Feast: 12 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 5 July 2013 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2013)
Who they were
Álvaro del Portillo was born in Madrid on 11 March 1914 into a large, devout family. A civil engineer, he joined Opus Dei in 1935, became the closest collaborator of its founder, St Josemaría Escrivá, and was ordained a priest on 25 June 1944.
He succeeded Escrivá at the head of Opus Dei and later became its first prelate and a bishop, starting its work in twenty new countries. He died at dawn on 23 March 1994 in Rome, a few hours after returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The miracles
José Ignacio Ureta Wilson — Chile — 2003
A newborn baby in Chile suffered a massive haemorrhage and a cardiac arrest that lasted more than thirty minutes; the medical team believed he had died. His parents had been praying for Bishop Álvaro del Portillo's intercession. Unexpectedly his heart began to beat again, and ten years later he was living a normal life.
He was beatified in his home city of Madrid on 27 September 2014. One more approved miracle is needed for canonisation.
Why that counted as sanctity
The case of José Ignacio Ureta Wilson was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 5 July 2013, opening the way to beatification. Beatification followed on 27 September 2014 by Cardinal Angelo Amato, for Pope Francis.
Connected on this site
- John Paul II Saint“Church leaders Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Carlo Caffarra have praised Portillo as a faithful servant of God.” — Wikipedia
- Josemaría Escrivá Saint“A civil engineer, he joined Opus Dei in 1935, became the closest collaborator of its founder, St Josemaría Escrivá, and was ordained a priest on 25 June 1944.” — this site's research
- Dora del Hoyo Servant of God“From 1946 until her death, she lived in Rome, Italy where she collaborated first with Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, Opus Dei's founder, and later on with his successors Álvaro del Portillo and Bishop Javier Echevarría, in the domestic management of the first Opus Dei center there, later the movement's headquarters.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography of Blessed Álvaro del Portillo
- Romana (Opus Dei) - interview with the parents of José Ignacio Ureta Wilson
- National Catholic Register - Opus Dei bishop to be beatified after newborn's miracle cure
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q251479 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Álvaro del Portillo (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.