Inside the London Student Halls Owned by Opus Dei

Opus Dei is shrouded in mystery and scandal. An institution within the Catholic Church, it is known for its conservative principles, emphasis on celibacy, and practices of self-flagellation. Many have only heard of Opus Dei due to The Da Vinci Code, yet its existence and implications are far from fictional. Founded in 1928 by Spanish Roman Catholic priest Josemaría Escrivá, it has 93,510 members worldwide, as of 2021, and has far-reaching political connections, including to Project 2025.

Ashwell House, Photo Courtesy: Isobel Knight

In London, there are a handful of student accommodations owned and operated by the organisation. Ashwell House, one of Opus Dei’s female-only accommodations, is located off an unassuming Hoxton side street, surrounded by office blocks. The heart of Ashwell House is an enormous hall used for socialising and events, complete with chandeliers, gothic arches, and a walkway around the perimeter. There are also a number of smaller rooms with sofas, a library, a wooden chapel, and staircases leading to the students’ bedrooms. The atmosphere is slightly eerie, given the dim lighting and relatively sparse population (there are currently under 50 students living there).

A former UCL student, Francesca*, spoke to Pi about her experiences living at Ashwell House as a Catholic who is not a member of Opus Dei: ‘If you’re someone who can show that they have passion, that they can bring something to the house, and are eager to contribute to the community…That’s the most important requirement’, she says. The women share cooking, cleaning, and other maintenance tasks in order to foster a sense of community. ‘The last thing you want is to be living your own life, very separate from Ashwell’, she explains.

Opus Dei is made up of two groups, called supernumeraries and numeraries. The former live as ‘regular’ citizens – often having families – and attend meetings and retreats, as well as donating money. Numeraries, however, choose to devote their lives to their faith, and must remain celibate. They usually live in centres run by Opus Dei, and there have been numerous scandals regarding the working conditions, pay, and treatment of these individuals.

There are a handful of numeraries who live at Ashwell House. They have ‘normal’ jobs yet must abide by the social rules and dedicate themselves to Opus Dei. Francesca says, ‘It’s to give testimony that you can be someone with a regular job…but also just letting God into your life, through very ordinary daily living. So, being a numerary, you’d have to embody those values, and then at the same time, adhere to the guidelines and requirements of what is expected of you as a member of Opus Dei’.

Ashwell is single-sex, and only women are permitted to live there. ‘Men are allowed in the public areas…they can’t go up to the rooms’, Francesca explains, ‘And if they do come, even if it’s in the public areas, it’s kind of expected that you at least tell the others on the group chat to let people know that there’s going to be a male in the house’. This may seem strict, but she says that some of the girls have boyfriends, who are also welcome to visit Ashwell so long as they stay out of the bedroom.

Opus Dei’s conservative leanings aren’t limited to sexuality; the organisation has a long history with far-right politics. Josemaría Escrivá was accused of supporting Franco’s regime, and there were numerous ministers employed as ministers in the Francoist government. The architect of Project 2025, Kevin Roberts, has patronised an Opus Dei-led centre in Washington DC for a number of years, where he receives ‘spiritual guidance’. With Project 2025, he has created a roadmap for Trump’s second term which involves further limitations on abortion, and the dismantling of the Department of Education.

Opus Dei has long been criticised for its recruitment techniques, particularly concerning young or vulnerable people who may end up in Opus-funded hospitals, schools or student accommodation. The former Director of Netherhall House in the 1960s, Father Vlad, describes the pressure he was under to recruit new members by organising various trips and lectures: ‘Covertly they were there to introduce them to the Numeraries under my control, who would identify the stars and bring them into our spiritual meditations, circles of spiritual education and retreats’.

Indeed, Ashwell’s website very much buries the lede; it’s not obvious from the homepage that there are any religious affiliations at all, let alone with an institution so controversial. Francesca’s own story with Ashwell sounds largely typical. ‘One of my friends took me here in first year. She took me for one of the Saturday meditation sessions…and that’s when I found out more about the house, just by coming here one day and finding out what Opus Dei was, because I didn’t know before that’. Yet, Francesca has no intentions of becoming a numerary, or of ever joining Opus Dei. ‘I don’t think I’ll become a member. I’m already Catholic, so I’ll just try and work on my own faith for now’, she says.

In London’s increasingly impossible rental market, student accommodation like Ashwell House seems like a viable alternative to grappling with landlords and ThamesWater. Despite the chapel and litterings of Catholic iconography, religion genuinely doesn’t seem to be forced down anyone’s throats. Yet, many argue that Opus Dei as an institution has an undeniable shadowy side. Previous investigations have shown links to far-right politics, human rights abuses, and coercion have long plagued the organisation’s image, and it seems a decision is required; to ignore the darker sides of Opus Dei, and choose to live in blissful, bills-included ignorance.

*Name changed for anonymity

Inside the London Student Halls Owned by Opus Dei

© Pi Media 2024