Q&A

Questions and clarifying answers

About the
Assistant Numeraries

Who are the Assistant
Numeraries?

They are women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, commit to sanctifying their work and ordinary life. In their case, their work involves caring for people and centers within the Opus Dei family sphere. Nowadays, more than 4000 women from around the world choose this vocation within the Catholic Church, which is lived with love and commitment.

If you're interested in seeing what the life of a numerary assistant is like to better understand it, you can watch videos and read testimonies of Numerary Assistants from different parts of the world here. You can also follow Jéssica Oliveira on Instagram, where she regularly posts videos and photos sharing insights into her daily life.

Are the Numerary Assistants paid for their work?

Yes, it is paid. Catholics embody the values of the Gospel in various ways. Members of Opus Dei do so through their work and daily life. The vast majority pursue their professional lives in fields unrelated to Opus Dei (such as teaching, medicine, law, art, carpentry, etc.), while a few work in organizational tasks related to Opus Dei or in the houses where its members live. For numerary assistants, this call through work translates into their professional choice of caring for people and activities linked to the Prelature. Like any other job, this work is compensated.

It has been said that Numerary Assistants are the domestic service of Opus Dei. Is it true?

No, their vocation is not about performing a series of specific tasks. They are responsible for creating a family atmosphere and are focused on caring for the people who live in Opus Dei centers.

Beyond this clarification, and because in some media interventions related to the topic domestic work has been treated disparagingly, we believe it is very important to dignify that labor. We consider it necessary to recognize the social and economic value of caregiving and household tasks and the rights associated with them.

In some interviews it has been claimed that there is no formal employment relationship.

The work carried out by the Numerary Assistants in Opus Dei centers has always complied with the laws in force at each time. Numerary assistants, who are hired by the associations that own the centers where they work, are employed under the Labor Contract Law and under the UTEDyC agreement.

It is important to highlight that no formal labor complaints have been received in the last 40 years, nor since the public accusations were made, despite almost a year having passed and despite the Prelature always being fully available to the Judiciary.

Do the Numerary Assistants have to hand over their salary to Opus Dei?

Each one receives her salary through a bank account and uses it, among other things, to cover her personal expenses and the expenses of the house in which she lives.

This last point is important to clarify because part of the claim made by the 43 women was born here. The numeraries and assistant numeraries live in common houses. As members of Opus Dei live the Gospel through their work and daily life, these houses are maintained with the contribution of those who live there. From the director of a multinational company, a teacher, a nurse, a designer, a cook, all contribute, to the extent of their possibilities, to maintain the house in which they live. In this sense, the houses function as a family or community of solidarity where everyone has the same comforts, even if their contribution is different.

Part of the labor dispute arises from the fact that the lawyer of the women making the claims states that the voluntary contribution they made to the houses in which they lived when they were assistant numeraries represents, from their point of view, a remuneration that was not given to them.