Why legion of mary

Visitation of families, the sick and the lonely, and helping with other parish activities are ways in which legionaries participate in the life of the parish. The Legion meets Mondays p. Rankin House, Duke Street. Meetings last up to 90 minutes. For more information, contact Adria Tayrani [email protected] or just drop in to a meeting.

Click below to listen to a podcast featuring Adria Tayrani talking about the spiritual benefits and graces of belonging to the Legion:. The Legion system is adapted to various kinds of apostolic work, and is always subject to the discretion of the spiritual director.

Following Pope Paul's exhortation on evangelization and also the United States bishops' pastoral letter, the Legion of Mary has established a priority for its possible works as Conversion, Conservation, and Consolation.

The Legion of Mary is open to all Catholic men or women over eighteen years of age who have the good will to want to serve God in the capacity of helpers to the priest, and who will conform to the Legion system. The Legion trains groups of young Legionaries, generally from eight to twelve years of age for Juniors, and from thirteen to eighteen years of age for Intermediates. These young Legionaries are the hope and joy of the Legion.

They follow the Legion system, and in their way, do marvelous apostolic works. Membership in the Legion does not require specific skills or advanced spirituality. Every legionary is required to carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and in union with Mary.

The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic association of Catholics who, with the sanction of the Church and under the powerful leadership of Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of All Graces, serve the Church and their neighbour on a voluntary basis in about countries.

Many persons outside the Catholic Church would also benefit from that apostolate. With the approval and support of the Popes and a great many Bishops, Priests and Religious, as well as the prayers and efforts of legionaries, the Legion, by the grace of God, has grown into a worldwide organisation with several million members.

Drawing its inspiration from the True Devotion to Mary, as taught by St. While essentially a lay association, legionaries look for spiritual and apostolic formation to priests and religious, who, as Legion Spiritual Directors, hold an honoured place in the Legion system. The Legion requires ecclesiastical approval to work in a diocese or parish. Loyalty to the Magisterium and to Ecclesiastical Authority is a basic legionary principle. The Legion aims to bring Mary to the world as the infallible means of winning the world to Jesus and legionary service is based on the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ so that in their fellow members and in those they serve, legionaries seek to have the Person of our Lord once again seen and served by Mary, his Mother.

In the center of the room, on a table covered with a white cloth, flanked by two lighted candles and two vases of flowers, was enthroned a statue of the Immaculate Conception, of the Miraculous Medal type. This simple arrangement was the idea of one of the early arrivals and expressed the spirit of the organization that was about to be born. She stood waiting to receive the enrollments of those, who, she knew, were coming to her.

They did not adopt her. She adopted them. They recited the invocation and prayer to the Holy Spirit and then recited the Rosary. They proposed together a program of work. They would visit an almshouse of the city to console the poor. Their concern would center chiefly on the women patients, and their visitations would be undertaken in a friendly, simple devotional manner with a willingness to listen patiently to the concerns of these people.

Those gathered that night were unanimous that this work should be organized to insure the regularity of these visits. In other words, it would be done seriously, methodically, or not at all. They decided to follow the format of the St. They wanted an apostolate with and for Mary, in accordance with the teachings of St. Louis de Montfort. There are accounts of the very first Legion visitations. These are just a few examples of their experiences. Report after report authenticated the fruitfulness of this soul-to- soul Marian apostolate.

The Legionaries understood their role as docile instruments in the hands of the Virgin Mary. Their intention was self- sanctification and the sanctification of others. Their message was to give Christ to the world through Mary. A new organization was born.

During the first four years of its existence, the organization was known as the Association of Our Lady of Mercy. Later, in November, , it adopted the name Legion of Mary. Like any army, the Legion is composed of members who are in active service active members and those who support the troops by their work and their prayers auxiliary members.

Modeled on a military model, the Legion took its nomenclature from the old Roman legion. Using such Latin terms as Praesidium, Curia, Senatus, etc. The basic unit of the Legion is the Praesidium. This is the parish or institutional unit, and it ranges from approximately four to twenty active members, to which may be affiliated an indefinite number of auxiliary members, whose obligation it is to sustain the active members by their prayers and sacrifices.

The prayers that the Legionaries, both active and auxiliary, must say every day are to be found on the official prayer card of the Legion, called the Tessera. Each Praesidium is made up of four officers: president, vice- president, secretary, and treasurer. It holds its meetings once a week. It is invariable and consists of: 1. This permission can only be given if the new group pledges itself to adhere faithfully to the rules and regulations as set down in the Legion Handbook.

When two or more Praesidia are established in a certain area, a higher body, called a Curia, is formed.