Washington D.C., Jul 20, 2017 / 15:00 pm
Father Arne Panula, the former U.S. vicar of Opus Dei, passed away at his Washington, D.C. home on July 19, 2017 after a battle with cancer.
"Father Arne had the firm belief that anything is possible, the imagination to think big, and the drive and energy to make things happen," said Father Thomas G. Bohlin, U.S. vicar of Opus Dei.
Born in Duluth, Fr. Panula graduated with a degree in English Literature from Harvard University in 1967, before studying theology in Rome. While there, he lived with St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of the personal prelature Opus Dei.
Fr. Panula completed his graduate studies in theology, and in 1973, became a priest. He served as chaplain of The Heights School in Washington, D.C. and later became the U.S. vicar of Opus Dei, a role he served from 1998-2002.