According to the Opus Dei Awareness Network (Odan), members of Opus Dei are taught to always have 12 to 15 'friends', whom they should be actively trying to recruit. It has often been alleged that members do not initially identify themselves as Opus Dei affiliates, but instead approach people under the guise of friendship.

To an extent, Opus Dei confirms these claims. Its founder, Josemaria Escriva, spoke constantly of "spreading the word through friendship" and has been quoted as saying, "You must kill yourselves for proselytism [promoting the faith]."

However, Opus Dei does not befriend everyone. Business people, lawyers, doctors, bankers . . . the powerful and affluent upper and middle classes . . . make up the rank and file Opus Dei members. Education and wealth are attractive assets.

In Ireland, there are eight Opus Dei-run university residences. In 2004, there was uproar amongst the students of UCD when a college lecturer, Geraldine O'Connor, told students they had to attend an Opus Dei event in order to pass their exams. O'Connor, who had worked in UCD for 26 years, retired soon after an investigation into her conduct.

Rarely does an Opus Dei member attempt such public recruitment. According to Odan, the organisation prefers a more subtle approach, often cultivating "young idealistic individuals" through affiliation with young adult Catholic groups.

According to numerous personal reports from ex-members of Opus Dei, even after the first contact has been made, new recruits are not informed of many of its more controversial practices.

Today, anyone wishing to join Opus Dei must be over 18. However, this doesn't prevent the organisation from running activities for young people. And there are currently two secondary schools in Ireland which are run by members of Opus Dei . . . Rosemont Park school for girls in Blackrock, and Rockbrook Park school for boys in Rathfarnham.

The principal of Rockbrook Park, Mark Hamilton, told the Sunday Tribune that the school is not significantly different from any other in the country. "I am a member of Opus Dei, and so are a few of the teachers and the school chaplain is an Opus Dei priest, " he said. "But less than 10% of the children come from Opus Dei families, and we also have children from non-Christian religions in the school."

Hamilton said that Opus Dei did have an influence on the ethos of the school, which aims to "build character in order for people to be able to learn". "Through doing ordinary everyday things well, you get close to God, that's what we teach in the school, " he said. He denied the school encouraged students to join Opus Dei.

"Obviously if people show an interest in Opus Dei or other Catholic groups, we're delighted, " he said. "But no more than if they wanted to become a priest. We're just trying to promote the Catholic culture and influence families for the better."

A past pupil of Rockbrook Park, Dony MacManus, reiterates Hamilton's sentiment. Although his parents were both Opus Dei and he was sent to Rockbrook, he says no one ever approached him about joining. "They make it quite hard for you to join Opus Dei because it is a huge commitment, " he says. "I came to the decision entirely by myself."

There are currently no Opus Dei primary schools in Ireland, but Hamilton said the founding members of the Opus Dei schools had been in discussions about building one. "We would like to do it, but we haven't made any plans yet, " he said.