Supernumeraries: Currently
account for about 70% of the total membership. Typically, the
supernumeraries of the Opus Dei prelature are married men and women who
have secular careers and lead traditional family lives. They typically
contribute financially to Opus Dei, and they lend other types of
assistance as their circumstances permit.
Numeraries: They
comprise about 20% of total membership. Numeraries are celibate members
who usually live in special centers run by Opus Dei. Numeraries are
required to be celibate. Numeraries generally have normal careers and
devote the bulk of their income to the organization.
Priests: They comprise
about 2% of the membership. They have typically lived as lay members
for several years before their ordination. At their ordination, they
are incardinated into the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus
Dei.
The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross
is an integral part of Opus Dei, not a separate entity simply
associated with Opus Dei. Part of the society is made up of the clergy
of the Opus Dei prelature and other members in the society are
traditional diocesan priests.
Numerary assistants:
They are unmarried, female members of Opus Dei. They live in special
centers run by Opus Dei. Their professional life is dedicated to
looking after the domestic needs of the centers. Numerary assistants
are required to be celibate.
Associates: They are
celibate members who typically have family or professional obligations.
The associates do not live inside the special Opus Dei centers but they
"surrender their full life to the
Lord in apostolic celibacy in keeping with the spirit of Opus Dei".
Cooperators: They are
those who, though not considered members by Opus Dei, collaborate in
some way with Opus Dei - usually through praying, charitable
contributions, or by providing some other assistance. Cooperators are
not even required to be Christian.
