Serve: My Lost Years at the Heart of Ireland’s Opus Dei

by Anne Marie Allen

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2025

Reviews

[Tony Cinque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wretched, ruthless example of someone coerced into believing they have a spiritual vocation when, in fact, they are simply and cruelly being recruited and exploited. And at an age when they should be still learning how to blow their nose and pull up their socks.

A lie is only a lie if it’s someone else doing the lying.

“Oh, but you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears -
Bury the rag deep in your face
for now's the time for your tears” (Bob Dylan)

Shameful.

[Lisa Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Marie is so brave to share her story and I thank her for it. I really felt for her and her friends who were lied to, manipulated, disrespected, treated like slaves and lured into the cult, Opus Dei.

Anne Marie writes colloquially about her experiences, being a young and impressionable teenager with high hopes of becoming a chef in London, and turning her dreams into reality in Ireland where jobs were hard to come by (and that’s why the Opus Dei ‘course’ seemed too good to be true for these students and their parents- promising not only a free course, accommodation and a wage while ‘studying’).

Anne Marie’s account is raw and heartbreaking. You can sense the anxiety and uncertainty in Anne Marie’s voice on every page. It’s worth a read to gain insight into this terrible secret world of Opus Dei. What’s hiding behind the glossy facade of this cult’s (empty) promises is truly disturbing and criminal, and Anne Marie lifts the curtain to reveal its ugly truth. It’s very disturbing and degrading how they treated these girls and how they looked upon the lay person as lesser than them. I commend Anne Marie in sharing her journey and happy she’s living a fulfilled life outside Opus Dei.

Recommended!

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how to give this book the justice it deserves.

Thank you, Anne Marie, for your bravery in speaking out against the atrocities you and other young women faced at the hands of Opus Dei.

The people manipulating, grooming and abusing their power are adults. They know exactly what they're doing, preying on vulnerable children, under the guise of education and religion. They should be ashamed of themselves.

This cult is driven by their ego, their lust of power. There is nothing Godly about it.

Opus Dei seem to prey on good, hardworking people. People who truly want to serve God and each other. People who are trusting, with big hearts and lots of love to give. People, who I hope, ultimately learn that they are inherently good because they came from God. My wish is that everyone trapped in Opus Dei or other cults realise that they don't need Opus Dei or a man made source to validate their worthiness. We are born worthy.

May Opus Dei be held fully accountable for their abuse and the countless lives they have destroyed.

And let's always remember to listen to that little voice inside us, our intuition, our knowing, our spirit.

[Karen Gunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maybe I go back to Ballyglunin because each time I do, I leave again.”

This one hit hard.

Serve is a raw, deeply unsettling account of a young girl’s entrapment in Opus Dei. It reads like a nightmare unfolding in real time — subtle, slow, and suffocating. What stood out most was the way coercion was dressed up as care, how completely Anne Marie was isolated and indoctrinated, and just how vulnerable she truly was. It’s an uncomfortable read — and that’s what makes it so important.

What she experienced was spiritual and emotional abuse. It was gaslighting, control, and manipulation on every level — and it was allowed to flourish behind closed doors under the guise of faith. The complete lack of autonomy, the shame instilled around wanting a future, a family, a husband, or simply a life beyond the “vocation”… it’s heartbreaking. And infuriating.

Reading her return home was gut-wrenching — the guilt, the confusion, the Opus Dei presence still all around her. And when she wanted to go back? That was possibly the most devastating moment of all. The psychological hold they had on her was terrifying.

Her later decision to work in the prison service really struck a chord — because she had lived through her own form of imprisonment. And her being able to leave Ballyglunin of her own volition, again and again, shows just how far she’s come. There’s power in that.

💬 In brief:

Disturbing but necessary

Incredibly brave and honest

Needed just a bit more on life afterwards

Will stay with me a long time


📚 A difficult but powerful read. Not one I’ll forget.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gripping read. From the first page, I was pulled into Anne Marie's experience with Opus Dei in Ireland. It is enough to make your vision red with fury. If you're looking for a reason to read this book, let it's function as a mouthpiece for the downtrodden and the oppressed be enough.

How much human suffering is 'acceptable,' in your view, balanced against any alleged good the abuser(s) may do?

Some of my favorite quotes are below, but the entire book is a masterpiece of human strength and resilience.

"I was a child when Opus Dei groomed me into their organisation. I was a child when I took vows in Rome without the knowledge of my parents. I was a child when I was put to work, trafficked between institutions, and I was a child when I was encouraged - and at times strong-armed - to commit self- harm. Those things have affected my entire life since."

"For years, I blamed myself, How could I have been S naïve? So weak? But the shame has faded now. Isee clearly: I was young, vulnerable, hungry for purpose - a perfect target. They came armed with their rules, their saints, their lies, and I stood no chance. Their grooming was a trap, and I was ripe for the picking."

"Opus Dei took so much from me. But here's what they can never take: my rage. My grief. My refusal to let them define me forever. What saved me? Life. Life in its messy, glorious noise: music blaring (the good, the bad, the gloriously mediocre!), my son's laughter echoing through our home, friendships that feel like sunlight, and the sacred act of cooking feasts for those I love. Learning, always learning - politics, cultures, the thrill of fresh air biting my cheeks as I walk. Travelling the world in shoes I choose myself-no dogma, no rules, just colour. The radio humming each morning, playing whatever I damn well please. Healing brick by brick, until the girl they buried began to breathe again."

READ THIS DAMN BOOK!🔥

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because the gospel of Christ is central to who I am I find religious extremism in all its guises reprehensible. “Serve” is a memoir of a young woman whose desperation, faith and hope for a different future were weaponized against her. I bristle, but I feel in this particular time in history we are all called to a) listen to the lessons and b) be aware not only for our own sakes for the sakes of the vulnerable around us.

[Andrew Cotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put into words how angry this made me - that a cult like Opus Dei can continue to operate and hasn't been held to account for the thousands of lives they've destroyed. Massive respect to Anne Marie Allen for writing this difficult memoir and for speaking up for others.

[Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work in a toxic workplace or are / have been victim of any abusive relationship, this book will really ring home. The idea that these environments are limited to religious institutions is a fallacy- they are being created and continue to perpetuate everywhere, especially in Ireland. It’s a very simply written book that avoids ‘preaching’ itself or forcing any insights- it’s a searing story of what one woman went through and survived. As I said, much more relatable than I expected (or indeed I think the author ever would have anticipated). A must read.

[Rachel Fullam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - some parts felt unfinished and choppy but it's an admirable account to have put down on paper of what was surely a very traumatic experience.

[Andrew Rynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author spent almost five years slaving as a domestic for Opus Dei for €17 a week. This pittance was directly used for her keep and accommodation, so she ended up with nothing. Her poor parents at home were distraught with worry and not able to do anything for her. Eventually, she does escape. But I won’t spoil the story. I recommend you read SERVE to find out.

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A window into yet another shameful aspect of the Ireland of my childhood - even sadder to think it still continues.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person that struggled so much with the idea of religious indoctrination, this book made me want to scream out of frustration. Religions are supposed to have at least a few good things about them, but I cannot see a single good thing about the Opus Dei and the way they operate. A real story that’s truly hard to listen to