By Gundhramns Hammer
December 29, 2013
God does not need money but men do. And the vast majority of men "need" a lot of money because money gives them power in the present economic global structure. A "sick man-made pyramid of corruption and rotting flesh", according to some experts.
Most men will not settle for a few bucks. They want more and more and more.
When it comes to money most men function like black holes, with an event horizon full of millions of dollars and an ever sucking money machine in the centre.
Why settle for little when you can have it all? is the current philosophy practiced by those who want climb to the top of this pyramid, people who frequently have made a pact with the leader of the nine interdimensional demiurges that control Earth.
Money is power. And power is an addictive potion that drives humans absolutely insane.
This insanity pushes some humans to build empires which in the end are nothing but vain efforts to sustain that which cannot be sustained.
Unsustainable empires that are only dreams that can be dreamed and can be contained only in dreams because people may dream and fulfill some of their dreams but they are not made of dreams even though they could be just dreams of someone superior who is dreaming them to sustain his own dream in a multidimensional Universe of dreams of whoever is dreaming everything there is to be dreamed.
Man´s history is full of stories of dreams of empires, enterprises that rose and fell along the wheel of time. Man is a finite creature, so are his empires.
At any given time, there are various visible and invisible empires at play: Evil, lust, gluttony... And greed.
They all are interdependent vices, feeding one upon the other and creating a whirlpool of hunger for power to quench that which cannot be quenched except by death.
Being man a temporary creature and never being sure of what lies beyond his life after kicking the bucket, then why would anyone dream of empires in the name of gods when gods do not need such prosaic endeavours and could care less?
Nevertheless some people do. They have done it in the past.
And some people are doing it right now. Here is an example:
Source: Opus Dei Awareness Network (ODAN)
Escriva's Empire in the United States
By Sharon Clasen
Since 1949,
members of Opus Dei have been expanding Escriva's Empire in the United States.
Attached is a list of Opus Dei-affiliated foundations, which includes schools,
university residences, retreat centers, etc. based in the United States. These
efforts appear to fill a community service, but privately the Founder says
"university residences, universities, publishing houses...are these ends? No,
and what is the end?...to promote in the world the greatest possible number of
souls dedicated to God in Opus Dei..." (Cronica magazine, v,
1963)
1. To show the
patterns of location and purpose of the foundations in the United States.
2.
To disclose the finances of these foundations.
3. To point out the
discrepancies encountered while trying to research this information.
1. The
patterns of Opus Dei-Affiliated Foundations.
In her book
People of God, Penny Lernoux says that Opus Dei "is an efficient machine
run to achieve world power. Opus Dei boasts that in various countries it
influences 487 universities and high schools, 52 radio and television stations,
694 publications, 38 news and publicity agencies and 12 film and distribution
companies." These statistics are outdated now, but they are an indication of the
influence that Opus Dei wields in the world. Below is the breakdown of the
foundations identified in the United States. This is a preliminary and by no
means a comprehensive list.
Opus Dei has
some student residences for college students which are open to the public, as
well as numerary centers which offer spiritual activities for college students.
Both types of residences are strategically located near prestigious schools
including MIT, Northeastern, Boston University, Notre Dame, UCLA, Colombia,
Harvard, Boston College, Princeton, Marquette, University of Illinois, Brown
University, Georgetown University, Rice University, UC Berkelely, Stanford
University, University of San Francisco, St. Louis University, American
University, and more. In addition to providing a housing solution for college
students, these residences serve as recruiting centers by targeting young,
naïve, bright and busy students. Opus Dei holds recruiting workshops for their
numerary members, who are told to recruit students who are involved in many
campus activities, preferably influential ones, such as student government, or
the student newspaper. Members are also taught what questions to ask "their
friends," how to invite them on a retreat, how to talk to them about confession,
and how to approach the subject of becoming a member of Opus Dei.
The
prestigious college-prep schools in Chicago, Washington DC and Boston are
recruiting grounds for the students of the elite class who would be applying to
some of the above-mentioned universities. These students are potential
candidates for the Opus Dei residences, where they might be able to experience
first-hand "living the spirit of Opus Dei" by living in or by attending
activities at one of these centers. Many centers of Opus Dei also offer
after-school tutoring for this adolescent age group.
Opus Dei also
boasts of their supplementary education centers or "service projects" in many
inner cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and New York City.
These apparently good works are not isolated ventures either. They work in
conjunction with the above-mentioned recruiting centers, so that numeraries can
invite potential recruits to become exposed to those that are less fortunate
than themselves. Opus Dei manipulates the charitable intentions (or social
guilt) of potential recruits by exposing them to poor people. For example, the
numerary member would be directed to tell the recruit something like, "See how
generous God has been to you. You should think about returning the generosity by
considering a vocation to Opus Dei." ("I Was Shocked by
Hidden Agendas Behind Opus Dei "Service Projects" by Tammy DiNicola, Former
Numerary)
The Retreat
Centers located in Boston (Arnold Hall); Chicago (Shellbourne); Houston
(Featherock); San Francisco (Trumbull Manor); Washington, DC (Longlea); Florida
(Roseaire) provide spiritual formation for members of the Opus Dei community in
each location. The retreat centers also serve as recruiting grounds for those
with potential to join Opus Dei. One former numerary testifies that vocational
crises are staged, whereby the priests are informed by the directors of those
who might be considering a vocation to Opus Dei.
According to
the list, there are foundations in New York (Irving Home Arts, Inc.), Washington
DC (Stonecrest Home Arts, Inc.), Chicago (Lexington Center, Inc.) and in Boston
(Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center), which are responsible for the care and
maintenance of Opus Dei centers in those cities. Supervised by numeraries,
numerary assistants are responsible for the care and maintenance of Opus Dei
centers. Lexington College in Chicago, the only women's hospitality institution
in the U.S. for the economically challenged, is one of the recruiting grounds
for numerary assistants.
Another type
of venture is the Catholic Information Center in Washington DC. Although this
organization operates under the Archdiocese of Washington DC, it is clearly run
by Opus Dei. On a recent visit, I noted the following facts: there was a chapel
dedicated to Escriva; it is run by a priest of Opus Dei; it sells all of the
books by the founder and that match the spirit of Opus Dei; and it offers
spiritual classes of Opus Dei. When I asked the cashier what the relationship
between Opus Dei and the Archdiocese was, the woman told me that she did not
know the exact terms of their agreement. This organization appears to be the
successful prototype for the Catholic Information Center in downtown Houston,
whose director is also a priest of Opus Dei.
To echo
Michael Walsh, author of Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society
Struggling for Power within the Roman Catholic Church, Opus Dei will no
doubt say that the foundations on the list do not belong to Opus Dei, but to the
members of Opus Dei. He says, "But it is a sophistry to distinguish either of
these kinds of enterprise from purely Opus Dei ones. First, all profits made by
numerary members in whatever capacity accrue to Opus itself. That is the
consequence of the obligation of poverty which they have taken upon themselves.
Even supernumerary (or married) members are under pressure to give as much as
possible to the organization. Secondly, no numerary member certainly, and
probably no supernumerary member either, will enter upon a business enterprise
without having discussed it at length with his or her director; the obligation
to be entirely open with the director applies in this sphere as in any other.
And there is a third point:
Members of
Opus Dei, whether they are acting individually or through associations which
might be cultural, artistic, financial, and so on, do so through what are known
as 'auxiliary societies.' In their dealings, these societies are equally subject
to obedience to the hierarchical authority of the Institute. (1950
Constitution, paragraph 9)"
From the
above, one can observe a pattern of residences set up near prestigious
universities, high schools as the feeding grounds for these residences, and
service projects as another means for recruiting, with retreat centers and home
arts centers serving as their support organizations. I would also like to point
out that Bayridge is a successful prototype for university residences, as the
Midtown Educational Foundation is for other service projects around the country.
It is apparent from the network that the array of organizations is not random,
but very organized. If one member did perhaps help with the founding of one of
the residences or schools, that member is taught that he or she could be
replaced at any time, as members are expected to make themselves open to "the
needs of the Work." Members must be willing to transfer to some other part of
the country or Lithuania, even, if that is what "the Work" needs. The members'
names are listed on the Boards of Directors of the foundations, but are very
easily replaced if that member leaves Opus Dei, in which case they would not get
one penny from "their enterprise" even if it had been very successful
financially.
2. Finances
of the Opus Dei-Affiliated Foundations
The second
purpose in presenting this list of foundations is to provide some indication of
the wealth of Opus Dei in the United States, because Opus Dei is accountable
only to the Pope. In a recent article "Opus Dei lifts lid without revealing
secrets," by Isambard Wilkinson, The Daily Telegraph, London, March 23, 2002,
the author interviews a numerary Luis Gordon in Spain. When asked about the
accusations that Opus Dei is dripping with worldly riches, Gordon said it was
impossible to gauge its wealth. "There are no figures."
This list of
foundations shows that there are indeed some figures, though they are not
comprehensive. The largest foundations in terms of assets listed are the
grant-making foundations, used to support the corporate works listed above. The
Woodlawn Foundation, with assets of close to $15 million, appears to be the
umbrella organization that gives grants to more than 40 other Opus
Dei-affiliated foundations in the United States. It appears that there may be
some sort of re-distribution of wealth, because many foundations contribute to
Woodlawn, and then Woodlawn gives grants back to the foundations. The Clover
Foundation, based in New Jersey, has assets of $27 million, and gives grants and
loans to Opus Dei-affiliated foundations overseas, such as the School of
Medicine at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City, Mexico, the University of
Piura, Lima, Peru, and others. Another foundation, listed at the same address as
the Clover Foundation is the Association for Cultural Interchange, Inc with
assets of $67 million. This foundation has made grants to the Hotel and Catering
School for women in Nigeria, the Vocational Training School Program in Nairobi,
Kenya, missionary programs of the Bishop of Huncavelica in Peru, East Asian Ed.
Society in Hong Kong, an Educational Development Program in Australia, a school
for young girls in Guadalajara, Mexico, a Lebanese Association for Dev. And
Culture in Beirut, Lebanon, the Study Center for Ethics and Human Rights (Komati
Foundation) in South Africa, Student Residence at Louvain University, Study
Center at Guaymura University in Tequicigalpa, Honduras, the Vatsalya Cultural
and Educational Center in New Delhi, India, a Linguist and Cultural Program at
Chaucer Study Center, and the Strathmore College for Boys in Nairobi, Kenya. Two
of the holdings of the Association for Cultural Interchange, Inc. include a
University Residence and Cultural Center in Jerusalem and an International
Student Residence in Rome.
The National
Center Foundation, with $67 million dollars in assets, does not make any grants,
rather, it supports the operations of the Opus Dei Headquarters building in New
York. This is also the case of many of the foundations which support Opus Dei
high schools or retreat centers.
One
interesting note is that there is an organization called Opus Dei, Inc., based
in Wisconsin, which is not required to file any IRS forms because it is a
church, so it is not possible to see how this organization fits into the United
States network.
Opus Dei
directors are paid very little for their services to the organization. For
example, for Vancourt, Inc. the statement on the IRS Form 990 reads as follows,
"The directors and officers of Vancourt, Inc. do not receive any compensation in
their capacity as directors or officers. The organization gave compensation of
$575 a month to each one for other services performed in carrying out the
programs. They also received meals and lodging on the premises."
Members of
Opus Dei give their entire salaries to Opus Dei. They are also pressured to
initiate contact with anyone they know who might be willing and able to help
Opus Dei, even if it is in gifts, the lending of a vacation house, etc. Another
way that Opus Dei controls the money of its members is by having an unwritten
rule of the "apostolate of not giving." Members are not allowed to give gifts to
anyone, not even to members of their own family. They are encouraged to ask
their families to pay for trips to Rome, etc. Following is an example of how
members do not have any control over their money:
"Miguel Fisac
says in his interview with ODAN, "One day that I will not forget because I have
its bitterness in my soul, a companion of mine, who had studied at High School
with me, visited me and told me about his family's desperate, financial
situation, and asked me to lend him some money. I told him to come back the next
morning as I could not make that decision myself. I consulted my director and he
absolutely forbade me to give him anything, he himself was forbidden to consent
by the spirit of Opus Dei." (from Fisac's Interview with
ODAN)
One conclusion
that can be drawn from the way Opus Dei conducts its finances is that by having
numeraries and numerary assistants fill the positions at their schools,
residences, and other corporate ventures, Opus Dei has minimal labor costs. The
tragic consequence of numeraries and numerary assistants not being paid is that
if they leave Opus Dei at some point, they are cast off without a penny. Even if
their families had made donations to Opus Dei, and former members ask for the
money back, they usually do not get it back.
Even
supernumeraries are encouraged to treat Opus Dei like another child in terms of
finances. For example, if a couple has five children, then Opus Dei is entitled
to a dowry equal to that which might be planned for the other five. All members
are encouraged to make huge sacrifices for Opus Dei.
The most
alarming practice by Opus Dei is their treatment of numerary assistants, who
work as servants in the centers of Opus Dei. They are recruited from the poorer
classes in society to do all of the cooking, cleaning and laundry for the
centers of Opus Dei. They are told that this is their vocation from God, to give
up the prospects of getting married and having children, in order to serve the
needs of Opus Dei. They work extremely long hours, doing physical labor. (See
True Stories, "My Basic
Human Rights Were Violated.")
3.
Deception
While
researching this list of foundations, I found many discrepancies in trying to
find the foundations on Guidestar. For example, The Opus Dei Headquarters is
listed under the National Center Foundation, but the name of the building is
Murray Hill Place. Many other foundations list different addresses on Guidestar,
versus what they list on the IRS 990 form. Some I was not able to locate. Three
of the centers in Boston - Bayridge, Brimfield and Cedarwood were listed as
Jewish. I lived at the first two and visited the third, and can attest that they
are not Jewish, but perhaps they do not want to stand out since Brimfield is in
a Jewish neighborhood. Two other centers, Roseaire in Florida, and Southmore on
Chaucer Drive in Houston are listed as Protestant. The Peninsula Foundation is
listed on Guidestar as Community Health Systems. Some of the IRS 990 forms cite
that the activities are done in conjunction with Opus Dei, but many do not. Some
say they have Roman Catholic activities, and others cite Christian
formation.
As of May 7,
2003, many of the above discrepancies on Guidestar have been cleared up. Now the
descriptions are more general and say religious education, etc.
But, I still
could not find the foundation name for the conference center Longlea, for which
an anonymous donor paid $7.4 million in cash. The County Clerk for Culpeper
County could not find the record for the new owner's name.
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In conclusion, "this is insanity", someone said.
Neuroecology and cardioecology: Sweeping the house
If we are going to dream of empires, why the fuck not dream of a good one for everybody, human and nonhuman alike?
But how do we start such a undertaking?
Very simple. Start with yourself in your own brains.
Do some hard neuroecology. Do some hard cardioecology. Find the garbage, any shit in your head and heart. Sweep the shit away. Get rid of it.
Learn to contain that which must be contained, integrate well that which must be integrated well and learn to give that which must be given. Find the Light and put it where there must be light.
And if you still do not know what is this all about, then there is not hope for man´s world.
Or at least, are you working on it? We are.
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