High on a bluff overlooking Lake Chapala, just as you enter Jocotopec, sits a stately structure which at first glance might seem out of place in such a remote location.

What's that building doing there? Who constructed it? For what purpose? Curiosity runs rampant. A little-known institution, Centro de Capacitacion Hotelera, has been sitting there quietly for more than 30 years. CECAHO is a two-year residential school that trains young women for hotel, restaurant, hospital, entrepreneurial and administrative occupations.

The history begins with a young Spanish priest, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, born in 1902 in Spain. As a teenager, he had a calling and deep conviction that God wanted something special from him. This led him into the priesthood; yet, for years, the question remained, what did God want of him? In 1928, while attending a retreat in Madrid, Josemaria was pondering that same question again, as he had so often done. In that moment bells began to peal in a nearby church. Suddenly, and with great clarity, the answer came to him. Opus Dei, Opus Dei, ( "The Work of God.") It was then that he set in motion and founded an institution, called Opus Dei, which, as he said, was to tell men and women of every country, and of every condition, race, and language, that all people can aspire to heroic sanctity, to love and serve God without changing their state of lifestyle, family, relationships, or giving up their occupation. Today, there are more than 77,000 members, worldwide, Christian and non-Christian, representing more than 80 nationalities.

Josemarias actions and ideas caused Pope John Paul I to describe him as "a revolutionary priest --- vaulting over traditional barriers." Josemaria believed that work is the hinge of a spiritual life, and any honest work and living a life of goodness is a means of serving God. Josemaria remained steadfast to his calling.

"In God&rsqu;ys service there are no second-class jobs."

In 1968, CECAHO was founded, the first of several such schools in Mexico, which has enabled thousands of girls, from all parts of Mexico to become independent and free thinking, allowing them to make mature choices in such matters as marriage and motherhood. The curriculum and training includes psychology, English, management, culinary arts, housekeeping, nutrition, computer use, business, and, of vital importance, the development of their individuality and spirituality. Students are free to follow their own personal and religious beliefs.

These girls, however, receive more than an occupation. They become instilled with a sense of purpose, self worth, pride, dignity, and personal empowerment. They are given a life.

CECAHO is becoming better known in the lakeside community. The executive director, Maria Eugenia Cuen Madero, is working together with a newly formed volunteer group.

Volunteers assist students and the professional staff, who are dedicated members of Opus Dei. Plans are underway to open the large, beautiful gardens and campus to the lakeside community for guided tours. A sense of serenity surrounds the place as you pass through the gates and make your way up the winding road to the campus and an inspiring view of Lake Chapala. Peacefulness prevails. As for the founder of Opus Dei, it wasn&rsqu;yt until he died in 1975 that thousands of Opus Dei members asked the Vatican to canonize him. Following an exhaustive investigation of his life and work, and after confirmation of a miracle because of his intercession, Pope John Paul II in 1992, before half a million people, beatified Msgr. Escriva for a lifetime of miraculous work. Today, on a hillside near Jocotepec stands a living monument to his ideals.