Concilium Bulletin April 2007
REPORTS - SOUTH AMERICA - ARGENTINA AND BRASIL
BRASIL
SALVADOR SENATUS: His Eminence Geraldo Cardinal Majella has appointed Fr. Ronald O.P. as Spiritual Director to the Senatus. In many areas service to the sick and elderly includes guidance for medical appointments and for applications for pensions. In one area legionaries help with community home building schemes.
RIO DE JANEIRO SENATUS: Cabo Frio Comitium has 7 men’s praesidia and an increased number of juniors. Legionaries commuting on a train to Rio City once a week recite the rosary, sing hymns and contact fellow passengers. Leme Comitium reported that 10% of its members are catechists and about 10% of those visited in hospitals agree to the recitation of the Rosary.
BELO HORIZONTE SENATUS: Each meeting has, on average, reports from 4 praesidia, 5 Curiae and 7 Comitia. Uberada Curia had 50 youths at a conference on vocations. The Curia has 28 adjutorian members. Uba Comitium organised the setting up of a literacy course for prisoners run by the local community. Each council attached to the Comitium has an annual formation day for officers.
SAO PAULO SENATUS: Ponta Grossa Regia over a three month period, made 61,000 home visits; 149 were prepared for Baptism, 249 received Confirmation and 94 couples the Sacrament of Marriage
SAO LUIS REGIA: The Regia is very active in extension. Teresina Comitium reports over 2000 invitations to join the Legion, 370 attended some meetings and 42 became active members. Prison apostolate includes forming and training a Church choir among the prisoners and visits to their families. 18 young people were brought back to the practice of their faith.
BRASILIA REGIA: In Goiania, one praesidium was revived and a senior and 2 junior praesidia established. In a cemetery legionaries construct a Chapel for All Souls Day where visitors receive instruction and Catholic material is distributed. One praesidium recorded 86 adjutorian members. On hospital visitation legionaries spoke with evangelicals and asked the Legionaries for prayers.
ARGENTINA
BUENOS AIRES SENATUS: The celebrations organised in honour of Alfie Lambe were organised this year by Buenos Aires city Regia with very good planning and attendance. Reports at Senatus meetings mention contact with non-Catholics and building up friendships with members of sects.
SALTA SENATUS: Legionaries visiting isolated villages succeeded in organising one annual procession for the Novena to the Patron Saint.
CORDOBA SENATUS: Reports mention street contact and an apostolate to prisoners. Auxiliary members lead public rosaries and prayer groups, leaving active members free for other apostolic work. Requests for Baptisms and house blessings are passed on to the local Parish Priest. Some praesidia engage in book barrow work.
ROSARIO REGIA: An attached Comitium set up 2 new Curiae; items from reports: an apostolate to circus families, contact at Cemeteries, Universities, Bus stations, and with street girls. During prison visitation, the Rosary is recited and faith discussed. A social function was held in which both guards and prisoners participated.
AFRICA
KENYA
SENATUS OF KENYA: Various councils organised special Masses in December to commemorate 70 years of the Legion in Kenya. Works include visitation of homes, hospitals and people with disabilities and teaching Sunday School. Great care is given to the junior movement and one Comitium has set up 7 inter and junior praesidia. Another Comitium had 20 marriages validated.
UGANDA
SENATUS OF UGANDA : The Legion works in parishes, prisons, seminaries, schools and universities. At the request of the Concilium, Uganda caretakes the Legion in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa has one praesidium and 450 kms away there is one in Jimma and another in Tazar 600kms away. The legion in those areas is conducted in their own languages.
NIGERIA
Ibadan Senatus: One Comitium had 5 marriages regularised and two Curiae reported that over 60% of those met on visitation were non Catholic. Another Comitium had 100 marriages regularised and the membership of a junior Curia there increased by 560.
Enugu Senatus: they reported 78 people converted, 59 recruited and 16 praesidia established.
Ikot Ekpene Regia: 6 members were ordained Priests.
Lagos Regia: They had 104 conversions in the year including 77 Muslims. One Comitium, 5 senior and 10 junior curiae were formed.
Abuja Regia: Reports from 2 Comitia indicated a total of 64 conversions including 29 Muslims. All 21 members of a praesidium are Praetorians, while in a year 50 members of a Curia took the Legion promise.
Jos Regia: Reports indicate very good contacts with Muslims, traditionalists and non Catholics, with many Muslims were received into the Church.
Onitsha Regia: One Comitium reported 8 new praesidia, 310 Catechumens baptised, 1267 children prepared for First Holy Communion and 19 conversions.
Kaduna Regia: 7 praesidia attached to the Regia undertook a PPC type project to an area south of Kaduna. A Comitium reported 838 Baptisms, 31 marriage validations, 8 conversions and 222 returns to the Church.
MALAWI
BLANTYRE REGIA: The Regia has 14 attached praesidia, 16 Curiae and 7 Comitia in the Archdiocese and also governs about 34 Comitia in the other 6 dioceses. The Regia organised Stations of the Cross at which over 80,000 legionaries attended.
TANZANIA
MTWARA COMITIUM: To celebrate the centenary of the arrival of Christianity in the diocese, the legionaries planned a special programme of visiting all the small Christian communities giving talks on the Rosary and inviting the members to pray with them. During Lent the legionaries also prayed the Stations at the S.C.C. meetings Other works include visiting the sick at home and in hospital and encouraging couples to marry in Church.
Kilema Comitium: They have a total of 59 senior praesidia with 978 members and a junior membership of 560 in the area. Rombo Comitium: Reports on the promotion of the True Devotion.
Hai Comitium: Works include visitation of the sick and lapsed and teaching the Rosary. 60 people received the Sacrament of the sick, 6 marriages were validated, 32 returned to the Church and 24 members were recruited.
Dar-Es-Salaam Comitium: Visitation of homes, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly and small Christian communities are among the works of the 2 Curiae which reported and have resulted in many receiving the Sacraments. One of these Curiae has 4 of its 9 praesidia in the University.
ZAMBIA
Kasama Regia: Report was given on the Golden Jubilee Celebrations. The weekend consisted of a day long Congress, the Regia meeting, Concelebrated Mass, refreshments and entertainment. 1,200 were present and many received the Sacrament of Penance.
Lusaka Regia: Works include visitation of the sick and orphans and assisting couples to regularise their marriages. 8 children were baptised. Members of The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association and the Legion of Mary made a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine on the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
ASIA
HONG KONG
HONG KONG COMITIUM: Works include crowd contact, Sunday school, individual Catechism class, distant learning, prison visitation and correspondence with prisoners and bereavement service. In a twin praesidia with three junior praesidia attached in this Curia, they had a total of 7 for Baptism and 2 for First Holy Communion this Easter.
TAIWAN
TAIWAN SENATUS: Seven new praesidia including juniors were set up, they ask for prayers, extensive prison visitation is being carried out.
MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPAR REGIA: Works include visiting hospitals, nursing homes, RCIA facilitators, Sunday school, visits to the lapsed, Catechism and Bible classes for adults and Patricians.
JAPAN
OSAKA SENATUS: A praesidium reports giving religious instruction to Boy Scouts. The Archbishop attended the Acies on April 1st. Another praesidium looks after the Church while the Priest is away and they give Catechism classes to parents of babies who are awaiting Baptism.
KYOTO COMITIUM: A praesidium established in 1950 has produced two Priests
INDONESIA
MALANG SENATUS: New praesidia have been set up.
YOGYA COMITIUM: Works include visitation of hospitals and a Seminary, teaching children who have dropped out of school, and children with problems. They also assisted with bringing Holy Communion to the sick and housebound.
KOREA
Eight Regia are attached to the three Senatus, Seoul, Gwangiu and Daegu. All the councils reported many returns to the Sacrament, Baptisms of catechumens which were recruited to the Legion and thousands were invited to learn more about the Catholic Church.
EUROPE
AUSTRIA
SENATUS OF AUSTRIA and countries under their care. The Senatus governs 10 Comitia and 10 Curiae and has 9 Senior praesidia directly attached. It has moved its headquarters from the city centre to a new apartment in the suburbs Comitium Muchlviertel started a new praesidium in Friedburg. Slovenia: Senatus sent 2 extension workers for a week to Curia Ljubljana where they obtained permission from 3 Bishops to start the Legion in their dioceses. Czech Republic: A new praesidium has started in Curia Klattau. In addition to Frank Duff coffee meetings, Comitium Prague also organise an Edel Quinn tea meeting. Slovakia: 4 new praesidia have started. Moldova: 2 youth praesidia were started. Croatia: The Archbishop of Zadar, the former Archbishop, officers from the attached Curiae of Split and Zadar East including 9 Spiritual Directors attended the erection of Zadar Comitium on 27 January 2007.
BELARUS
The Comitium governs 1 junior and 8 senior Curiae comprising 39 senior and 12 junior praesidia. A praesidium of 13 members in Minsk has a very varied programme of works, some of which are visiting student hostels, crowd contact work at railway stations and in parks, caring for unmarried mothers and corresponding with prisoners. A praesidium in Klelischi organises the Way of the Cross, prays at funerals and invites the Priest to the sick and elderly for Confession and Holy Communion. In response to the request of their Bishop, 8 legionaries did a weekend project in Slavgorod. They spoke with people on the streets, the market place and in hospitals.
HUNGARY
Budapest Regia: 10 new praesidia were set up. In addition to the usual works of home and hospital visitation, organising pilgrimages and prayer vigils, the legionaries lead the Rosary on Catholic Radio, have an apostolate to gypsies. They also assisted at the Consecration of a Seminary for late vocations among professional men. 596 conversions were recorded during 2006.
LATVIA
A praesidium of 7 carry out an apostolate to down and out men resident in a government run hostel.
LITHUANIA
A praesidium of 6 members has 187 auxiliaries. The legionaries bring invalids in the parish to Mass and also do shopping for them.
POLAND
LUBLIN COMITIUM: Prayer Vigils in thanksgiving for the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Legion and the 20th anniversary of the Legion in Lublin were held. As a result of their apostolate of visitation to hospitals, homes, shelters and street contact, 63 persons came to Confession, 6 couples received the Sacrament of Matrimony, 10 children were baptised and 18 received First Holy Communion. Warsaw Comitium has elected a new president.
UKRAINE
Zhitomir Comitium: It governs 1 junior and 3 senior Curiae. Orthodox people welcome the visits of the legionaries. Some excellent results of their apostolate were persons aged from 67 to 91 prepared for first Confession. A man lapsed for 54 years received the Sacrament of Penance. Kamients-Podolski: Curia has 1 junior and 9 senior praesidia. 2 marriages were regularised
Extension Worker - Susana Maciel
Susana Maciel is back in Bolivia after having her visa renewed in Argentina. She was very busy talking to the Priests attending the Holy Thursday ceremonies and was invited to a special meal organised by the Archbishop. All the younger legionaries are working very hard and have no problems with extending the Legion. Susana says the youth are the hope of the Church and the promise for the future of the Legion in the country. With correspondents and Senatus officers she is now visiting Cochabamba, Tupiza, Villazon and the Comitium of Oruro.
Venerable Edel Quinn
Dear President
Greetings from Concilium
September 14th 2007 will start the Centenary year of the birth of Venerable Edel Quinn. It is an appropriate time to bring to mind a few details about Edel, her life in the Legion of Mary and position in regard to the Cause.
Edel Quinn was born in Kanturk, Co. Cork, Ireland on 14 September 1907; her ambition was to enter a contemplative convent, but ill health prevented her from doing so. The family moved to Monkstown, Co. Dublin in 1925.
At the age of 20 she joined the Legion of Mary in Dublin; in 1936 she was appointed Legion of Mary envoy - to establish the organisation in the vast territories of Eastern and Central Africa.
Edel established hundreds of Legion branches even as far as Mauritius in the Indian Ocean; she mobilised thousands of Africans in the service of the Church.
After eight years of heroic labour, Edel died on 12 May 1944 in Nairobi, Kenya, where she is buried in the Missionaries’ cemetery.
Following a solemn declaration on December 15th 1994 by Pope John Paul II affirming her heroic sanctity, Edel Quinn now bears the title “Venerable”.
One properly attested miracle (attributed to her intercession) is required for Beatification.
In light of the above, the Concilium invites your council to encourage any council under your care to each hold a special celebration of her life sometime during the Centenary year of September 2007 - September 2008. We would welcome details of any proposed functions and reports on same should be forwarded to the undersigned.
Kindest Regards
Catherine Murphy
Assistant Secretary
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF THE SERVANT OF GOD FRANK DUFF
God our Father, You inspired your servant Frank Duff with a profound insight into the mystery of Your Church, the Body of Christ, and of the place of Mary the Mother of Jesus in this mystery. In his immense desire to share this insight with others and in filial dependence on Mary he formed her Legion to be a sign of her maternal love for the world and a means of enlisting all her children in the Church’s evangelising work. We thank you Father for the graces conferred on him and for the benefits accruing to the Church from his courageous and shining faith. With confidence we beg You that through his intercession you grant the petition we lay before You….............. We ask too that if it be in accordance with Your will, the holiness of his life may be acknowledged by the Church for the glory of your Name, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Favours attributed to the Intercession of
The Servant of God, Frank Duff should be reported to:
Legion of Mary
De Montfort House
Morning Star Avenue
North Brunswick Street
Dublin 7
