History: Short history of Opus Dei in these places.
Government: The Regional Vicar is Msgr. Ramon Lopez.
Initiatives: Youth Centers, schools.

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History

Four laymen and two priests came from the Philippines to begin the apostolic work in 1982. The first Center of the Prelature of Opus Dei was established in October of that year. Less than a year later, in August of 1983, it was followed by another one for the women of the Prelature.

The apostolic work was part of the Region of the Philippines established in 1964. Encouraged by the vision of St. Josemaría Escrivá, some faithful came to Singapore. Since then it has become a focus for apostolic expansion to the neighboring countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The successor of St. Josemaria, Most Rev. Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, whose process of beatification has already started, visited Singapore in January of 1987, during a long pastoral visit to Asia and Australia, giving a new impulse to the apostolic work done in and from the city.

The gradual growth of the apostolic work done by the faithful of the Prelature, prompted the present Bishop Prelate of Opus Dei, Most Rev. Bishop Javier Echevarria, to create in 1996 a new circumscription based in Hong Kong on which the local Centers and those in Singapore, Macao, Taiwan and Malaysia depend, and likewise the regular apostolic activities carried on in Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and the spiritual attention of those members scattered all over these and other countries around for professional reasons.

Soon after the erection of this new circumscription, Bishop Javier Echevarria came for a pastoral visit (1996) and had gatherings with faithful of the Prelature and friends leaving in them a great faith and optimism in their apostolic mission.

Government

The present Regional Vicar is Msgr. Ramón López, MD, PhD.
He holds office in 2B 7 Shiu Fai Terrace, Hong Kong.

Initiatives

Retreats, seminars, evenings or mornings of recollection, theological courses, classes of Christian doctrine, catechumenal initiation courses, study circles for college and university students, clubs for younger boys and girls, and so on, are some of the regular means of formation provided by the Prelature open to whoever wishes to profit from them.

The main apostolate of Opus Dei is that which each faithful of the Prelature does in his home and his place of work. Nonetheless, members may come together with other members and their friends (some of them non-Christians and non-Catholics) to establish or run projects with a social impact.

A few corporate undertakings of Opus Dei have been established in the Region, like the Hac Sa Conference Centre in Macao, and student residences for men (He Shan) and women (Wen Shan) in Taipei.

Though not officially run by Opus Dei, many other initiatives have been undertaken by the zeal and desires of servicing social needs of some persons of the Prelature together with their friends. Among them a primary, secondary school and kindergarten in Hong Kong, family education programs in all those cities, family conferences and youth clubs run by the parents themselves.