The prayer room in Santa Maria de Bonaigua in Barcelona welcomed more than a hundred people - including family, friends and UIC Barcelona staff - who wanted to express their last farewell to the person who was the first rector of our university. The Mass was presided over by the delegated Opus Dei curate in Catalonia, Monseigneur Ignacio Fuente, and concelebrated by eight other priests, including Monseigneur Albert Ribot, our Barcelona Campus priest.

In 1997, Jordi Cervós, when he had not much time left before retirement and had become professor emeritus at the Freie Universität Berlin, agreed to make a huge change in his professional career, and accepted the challenge of starting up a new university, in his beloved Barcelona. This and other parts of his life were spoken of by Monseigneur Ignacio, during his speech, and he highlighted two fundamental aspects about Dr Cervós: his complete approachability and availability, when it came to getting work done on what was needed - such as starting up UIC Barcelona - and, at the same time, his non-conformism which led him to never give in when faced with difficulties.

An example of this non-conformism in his life was how he opened up a path for himself in Germany, where he lived for nearly forty years, to carry out the work entrusted to him by Saint Josemaria, the founder of the Opus Dei. Despite the problems he had to face, he received great international recognition and prestige.

All this and much more became clear in Jordi Cervós’ memoirs (Berlín y Barcelona, ida y regreso), published in 2013 and presented at UIC Barcelona, accompanied by a classmate and companion from his medical studies, Jordi Pujol y Soley. During his life, Cervós was awarded the Grand Cross for Civil Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Grand Cross of Alfonso X the Wise and the Cross of St. George. He was also named doctor honoris causa by seven universities: Barcelona, Zaragoza, the Complutense University of Madrid, Thessaloniki, Hannover, Tokushima and Saransk (Russia).