Putting Down Roots: Fr. Joseph Muzquiz and the Growth of Opus Dei

by John F. Coverdale

Putting Down Roots by John Coverdale (author of Uncommon Faith) is the exciting story of the beginnings of Opus Dei in the U.S. It tells how Fr. Joseph Muzquiz came to America in 1949 to begin Opus Dei with very little money and only a rudimentary command of the language. At the time, only a handful of Americans had ever heard of Opus Dei. But by the time he passed away in 1983, Opus Dei had put down deep roots in this country.

In Putting Down Roots, we learn many remarkable details about Fr. Joseph’s life including:

• His first meeting with St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei.
• His tireless efforts, first as a layman, then as a priest, to spread Opus Dei in Spain during the 1940s.
• His remarkable faith beginning Opus Dei with Salvador Ferigle in the U.S. with no money, few contacts, and a very rudimentary command of English.
• The many heroic virtues he lived, earning him a reputation as an unusually holy priest.

Today, many people in the United States and in other countries pray to Fr. Joseph, as he was called in this country, and hope that one day the Church will declare him a saint. This book explains why.

Putting Down Roots contains eight pages of photos.

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ralph Wechuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father Muzquiz demonstrated complete submission to divine providence and gave a model of true definition of what God and Daring literal meant. A true son of Saint Josemaria Escriva whose humility was beyond reproach.

[SKYWOLF™ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Awesome, well written. He is an inspiring priest. You can read at every line that God has a hand in his apostolate.

[Davis Haguma]

OK

[Jason Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this so much more on the 2nd read

[Michael Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing...

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first cause for canonization ever in the 200 year history of the Boston Archdiocese is Fr. Joseph, the humble Spanish priest who brought Opus Dei to the United States. John Coverdale, the foremost American historian of Opus Dei, provides a good introduction to Fr. Joseph's life and why he is very likely a saint. Fr. Joseph was in the U.S. from 1949 to 1959, returning in 1976 and remaining until his death in 1983.

I would have been curious, upon his return in 1976, to know his thoughts about how his adopted country had changed since he had last been here in 1959. Perhaps no such information exists.

Of interest to Connecticut residents, one of Fr. Joseph's allies was Bishop Daniel Hart, then an auxiliary bishop of Boston and later the Bishop of Norwich, CT and a good friend of the Family Institute of Connecticut.