In just a few weeks, Pope Francis will canonize Popes John Paul II and John XXIII. On the same day on which he approved the canonization of these two predecessors, Pope Francis also approved the beatification of someone who is perhaps less well-known, but no less heroic: Bishop Álvaro del Portillo, successor of Opus Dei founder Saint Josemaría Escrivá.

The third of 8 children, Don Álvaro was born in Madrid on March 11, 1914. Don Álvaro earned high marks as a young student, developing a reputation for being pious from an early age. Don Álvaro eventually went on to earn doctorates in civil engineering, philosophy and Canon Law. He was a 19 year-old university student when he met St. Josemaría Escrivá, who had founded Opus Dei—Latin for “Work of God”—only a few years earlier. Don Álvaro was deeply moved by this encounter and decided to join Opus Dei in 1935.

In 1935, the thought of a layman in the middle of the world becoming a saint was farfetched. Opus Dei’s mission, however, said it was possible: Everyone is called to be holy in his given place in society by sanctifying the ordinary tasks of each day. As an engineer who desired to help others grow close to God in the middle of the world, Don Álvaro found his vocation in living and spreading that message, first as a layman and later as a priest.

Not only was Don Álvaro faithful to his vocation in Opus Dei, but his fidelity was of a heroic degree. The Decree on the Virtues for Don Álvaro states that his “most characteristic virtue” was fidelity. “He lived an unquestioned fidelity to God, carrying out his will promptly and generously; fidelity to the Church and the Pope, fidelity to his priesthood, and fidelity to his vocation as a Christian in every moment and circumstance of his life.”

There are books full of examples of Don Álvaro’s virtue, but here are a few to consider. The fact that St. Josemaría chose Don Álvaro as his confessor the very day he was ordained—June 25, 1944—is itself a testimony of the founder’s complete confidence in his loyalty. Don Álvaro worked next to St. Josemaría from the time he joined Opus Dei in 1935 until the founder’s death in 1975. Soon afterwards, Don Álvaro became head of Opus Dei until his own death in 1994.

At a family gathering in 1974, St. Josemaría advised, “I would like you to imitate [Don Álvaro] in many things, but above all in loyalty. In the long years of his vocation, there have been many occasions—humanly speaking—for getting angry, for becoming irritated, for being disloyal. But he has always had a smile and an incomparable fidelity—for supernatural reasons, not because of human virtue. It would be very good for you to imitate him in this.”

In addition to being a faithful son and successor of St. Josemaría in Opus Dei, Don Álvaro carried out many different tasks for the Holy See, including making substantial contributions to the Second Vatican Council, held under Pope John XXIII. While carrying out these tasks, Don Álvaro developed many deep friendships with priests and bishops in Rome.

In a conversation with Monsignor James Kelly, former vicar of Opus Dei who lived with Don Álvaro for a number of years, I asked him to share stories of their friendship. Monsignor Kelly remembered how Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, a close friend of Pope John Paul II, “suffered a stroke just at the time of the election of Pope John Paul II, and he was partly paralyzed the rest of his life. Don Álvaro continued to visit him for as long as he himself lived (Cardinal Deskur died just a few years ago).”

In an article written on March 11, the 100th anniversary of Don Álvaro’s birth, Reverend Juan Vélez notes that Don Álvaro had company on his first visit to Cardinal Deskur: “To his surprise he met the Pope, who was also visiting his friend. The Pope gave Álvaro a big embrace. The friendship and affection between Venerable Álvaro and Blessed John Paul II quickly grew.”

When Don Álvaro died in Rome on March 23, 1994, following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Bl. John Paul II sent a message to the faithful of Opus Dei expressing his deep sorrow for the loss. The pope recalled “with gratitude to God the deceased’s life filled with the zeal of a priest and bishop, his constant example of strength and trust in Divine Providence, as well as his fidelity to the See of Peter and his generous service to the Church as the closest co-worker and well-deserving successor of … Josemaría Escrivá.”

The beatification of Don Álvaro del Portillo will take place in Madrid on September 27, 2014.

C. James Herrick IV is a sophomore in St. Edward’s Hall from Herndon, VA who is studying civil engineering. He runs, sings, writes music and poetry, and comes from a long line of military veterans. He plans to attend the beatification in September. Contact him with questions or comments at cherrick@nd.edu.