Concilium Bulletin January 2007
REPORTS - AFRICA
BENIN
Cotonou Regia: Average numbers of members in Praesidia is 17. In the course of home visitation and crowd contact, the contacts include Christians of several denominations, Muslims, Pagans and members of sects. Days of recollection are organized at regular intervals. A reunion was held for all auxiliary members in Benin City. The Junior Curia has 131 members in 5 praesidia. Two ‘Frank Duff clubs’ cater for the needs of younger children. Djougou Curia has been raised to Comitium status to facilitate better administration of the Legion.
GABON
The Legion in Gabon is under the care of Cotonou Regia. Oyem Comitium has 11 Curiae with 956 members. Works included the Baptism of 85 adults and 305 children. Attendance at the Acies in Oyem was 894 of whom 628 were legionaries.
BURKINA FASO
A Congress was held in Koupela Diocese at which Bishop. Mgr. Rouamba welcomed the 164 participants.
CAMEROUN
Works include the formation of new praesidia and organization of Exploratio Dominicalis projects and Patrician meetings.
CONGO
Main works of praesidia in Brazzaville Regia are visitation of families, especially those who are sick or bereaved and street contact work meeting people of all denominations and inviting them to the local Church to pray. Some couples who were contacted had their marriages regularized by the Church. At one ceremony attended by legionaries, 132 people recruited as Catechumens received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
TOGO
Lome Regia reported on the organization of retreats and sessions of formations for its members. They also report on the functions organized to promote the Causes of our Legion candidates for Beatification. A novena for the Cause of Frank Duff commenced on 27th October and concluded with Mass on 7th November.
SENEGAL
The Legion in Senegal is under the care of Lome Regia. Dakar and Pickane Curiae are doing well, with 13 and 14 praesidia respectively. The two Curiae joined in a day long type of Congress with the theme “With Mary, by Mary, let us witness to Christ for a Senegal of love and peace”. Works done include home visitation, teaching Catechism, promotion of the Rosary. Dakar had 61 members on its annual outing.
ASIA
THAILAND
One Curia reported 12 lapsed Catholics returning to the Church and are now active members. 10 couples married in Church, people contacted by legionaries at wakes and funerals are encouraged to go to Confession. A praesidium doing Exploratio Dominicalis visited all homes irrespective of faith.
PAKISTAN
For the past 15 years through the auspices of the Catechetical Centre, legionaries conduct neighbourhood Church Services in parishes during Advent and Lent, consisting of preparation and reflection on the Sunday readings and find them very effective in fostering good relations between neighbours. The reporting praesidia had active membership of 11 and 17.
SOUTH VIETNAM
Latest statistics show 33,754 senior and 11,629 junior members in the Senatus. 160 attended the Senatus meeting. All 26 dioceses now have the Legion.
MYANMAR
4 praesidia and 1 Comitium reported. The Comitium has 2,000 active members who do extensive visitation of homes and hospitals when they recruit active and auxiliary members and encouraged the lapsed to return. They organize processions with the statue of Our Lady, teach Catechism and help at funerals of Catholics and people of other faiths.
INDIA
Kerala Senatus: Substantial works of evangelization are undertaken by way of home and hospital visitation. Muslims, Hindus and other non-Catholics accepted rosary beads. 33 conversions, 4 lapsed and 14 marriages regularized among them a couple about to divorce who were reunited. 6 alcoholics were rehabilitated, and homes were enthroned to the Sacred Heart. Catechism is taught to children and adults.
Mumbal Regia: Auxiliary rallies, Rosary campaigns, crowd contact in public parks, enthronement of homes to the Sacred Heart were organized. An apostolate to house maids was very successful. Alcoholics are regularly followed up. 14 attended a retreat for non Christians. The Rosary is recited in 185 homes and the Way of the Cross conducted in 48 homes.
Calcutta Comitium: 3 legionaries made a plane journey to the mountainous region of Nagaland situated 9,500 ft. above sea level. They met the enthusiastic members of 17 praesidia in nine villages. The area had not been visited for many years so the visitors were given a great welcome.
MONGOLIA
The first Curia meeting took place in Ulaanbataar on 27th September. The president of the Curia who is a diplomat reported that 70% of the diplomats have become Catholics and half of them are now in the Legion.
CENTRAL AMERICA & MEXICO
COSTA RICA
Senatus Consecration of the homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is widely promoted. On one occasion while reciting the Rosary in a public park, people stopped to join in the recitation and were given prayer leaflets. The legionaries give instruction to young children and adults in areas where the faith is low and this results in many receiving the Sacraments.
BELIZE
Curia of Belize: A junior praesidium was started with a membership of ten, aged from eight to twelve years. Among the works they do are ‘unpleasant works at home and at school’. They also clean the Church and occasionally visit the Auxiliaries with the seniors. The Rosary is prayed with each family daily.
NICARAGUA
Regia of Managua: Home visitation, direction of junior praesidia, visitation of the leprosy centre and the penitentiary is done with very good results. A praesidium set up in May 2004 by two legionaries who were lent two handbooks is working very well and they recruited their landlords as Auxiliaries. The Spiritual Director of one of the Curiae was ordained on the 7th October 2006.
GUATEMALA
Regia of Camotan: Two new praesidia were set up. Reports were received from the Comitium of Guatemala city and 3 Curiae. Home and hospital visitation is done and the Rosary is widely promoted. One Curia has a junior Curia attached which has 14 praesidia.
EL SALVADOR
Senatus of San Salvador: On the 8th September, El Salvador was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Santa Ana Regia reported a new Curia in Metapán and they have set up a new praesidium. A Congress was held on the 24th September. The Curia in Cojutepeque held an Exploratio Dominicalis project and after three months visitation a person returned to the Sacraments after an absence of 25 years. The Regia of San Vincente reported 3 children of non-Catholic parents, were Baptised and they received their First Holy Communion. 33 children received their Confirmation, 111 First Holy Communion and 3 marriages were blessed. 3 junior praesidia were revived.
HONDURAS
Senatus of Tejucigalpa: The Spiritual Director in his allocutio put it to the members that all should be thinking of what could be done to “put new life into the Legion work”. He said that members need to “walk in the spiritual life and not in the social life only”. An attached Comitium reported that membership was good.
MEXICO
All councils have received the Concilium President’s letter concerning the restructuring of the Legion of Mary in Mexico and all agree that it will be a positive move for the Legion in Mexico.
Mexico City Senatus Legionaries report considerable success with families who are contacted regularly by the sects. The prison apostolate involves preparing the inmates for the Sacraments, making contact with their families and recitation of prayer together. Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the homes is encouraged and the First Fridays are promoted.
Guadalajara Senatus: The junior praesidium has 10 members, it promotes the Miraculous Medal and organizes a Mass for the Feast Day. They also speak on Radio Maria. An attached Curia is extending in two parishes and a praesidium with 4 members has been set up in the Senatus area.
Merida Regia: Legionaries meet members of the various sects some of whom engage in dialogue. Street contact work is carried out by a number of praesidia, they make contact with tourists and offer them the prayer for the Canonisation of Frank Duff. A praesidium with a junior praesidium attached makes contact with parents of the junior legionaries. As a result of a big effort almost 400 persons returned to Confession, some after 10 years or more.
Hemosillo Regia: An attached Curia set up 6 new praesidia recently bringing the total to 24. Another Curia prepares children and adults for the Sacraments. They also do an apostolate to the parents and god parents of children for Baptism. A number of legionaries are Catechists, they prepare the whole family when a child is making its First Holy Communion. Legionaries are encouraging and helping people to prepare for Confession with considerable success.
Monterrey Regia: Legionaries are promoting the prayer for the Canonisation of the Servant of God, Frank Duff at every level, particularly on their weekly Legion work, they also recite the prayer after the meetings. The Miraculous Medal is promoted extensively. Since the visit of Bernardo De Nardo, both the Regia and the attached Curiae are very active in extension. A new praesidium has been set up in a neighbouring diocese where there was no Legion. The attached Comitium of Saltilllo has set up a new distant Curia. All attached Curia report setting up new praesidia.
EUROPE
GIBRALTAR
Gibraltar Curia Fr. Charles Azzopardi, Episocpal Vicar, thanked the Curia for their help with preparations for a Youth Festival; they helped with the catering etc.during the festival and were invited to have a stall with Legion literature which drew many enquiries.
MALTA
One Curia held a day retreat with an attendance of 30, good contacts resulted from a week of apostolate. All praesidia in another curia carry out home visitation and organize adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A Marian function organized by young legionaries recorded a good attendance. Thirty five members took part in an extension drive.
SYRIA
Aleppo Curia has 8 junior and 15 senior praesidia. A week of formation was held for seniors as well as one for juniors with attendance of 80 and 120 respectively. The theme was the encyclical ‘God is love’.
SPAIN
Madrid Senatus: Extension figures prominently. The ‘Fishing for Youth’ street contact has expanded and many good contacts are made during the night shift. An allocutio by the Spiritual Director gave many practical ideas to win young people to the Legion. Street contact in the red light area has been extended to the men frequenting the area. University student hostels are visited.
Bilbao Senatus: Burgos carried out an Exploratio Dominicalis project. Two praesidia in Santander were amalgamated.
Barcelona Senatus: Valence Curia had a stand at the World Conference of Families in July and made many contacts.
PORTUGAL
Lisbon Senatus: The annual national pilgrimage to Fatima had a large attendance during the all-night vigil on 14/15 October last. A Conference for Spiritual Directors was held in Fatima on the following two days. The Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon presided at the first session and the Bishop of Coimbra at the second. Spiritual Directors from many councils led the discussions on the role of the Spiritual Directors, the formation of legionaries and the Legion and the New Evangelisation.
ITALY
Rome Senatus Paterno Comitium: reported that the strength of the Legion in Sicily stands at 50 praesidia. A new praesidium in a city centre parish is doing well with home and hospital visitation.
Milan Regia: A praesidium attached to Genoa Comitium brought the pilgrim statue to families in 2 zones in a parish. They were rewarded by an unexpected re-awakening of Faith. An elderly couple were helped to regularize their marriage thus enabling them to receive the Sacraments. Padua Comitium: A junior praesidium produces a beautifully illustrated and informative quarterly journal. A Peregrinatio Pro Christo project to Bologna had members from Malta, Ferrara, Padua and Bologna.
CONCILIUM VISIT TO BELGIUM AND HOLLAND
On behalf of Concilium Eddy Evers and Francis Moyles visited the Councils of Belgium and Holland. They flew to Amsterdam and drove to Brussels where they were met and accompanied on all their trips by the President and Vice President of the Brussels Senatus, Georgina Jacquet and Pia Makengo. The day after their arrival they attended the Senatus meeting. There was a good spirit at the meeting and the officers were open and attentive to all that was recommended to them. They met Bishop Jouston of Liege who was very gracious. They then met with the officers of the Antwerp Senatus and attended the Senatus meeting. They discussed with both Senatus Officers the administration and extension of the Legion with the officers of each Council.
Leaving Antwerp and Belgium, they went on to the Netherlands, where they met with the Spiritual Director and one of the officers of the Comitium of Heerlen in the South of Holland. They willingly accepted the proposal for extension workers from outside. They drove on to Amsterdam, where they were met by Roisin and Theo Denkers and a Filipino legionary. The next day, they met Bishop Punt, of Haarlem and Amsterdam together with the Spiritual Director of the Senatus. On the Saturday they attended the Senatus meeting in Amsterdam. All in all it was a very fruitful visit, with plenty of possibilities for the future.
VISIT TO ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN, MOST REVEREND DIARMUID MARTIN
Archbishop Martin very kindly met Fr. Bede McGregor, Spiritual Director, Tommy McCabe, President and Sile Ni Chochlain, Vice President on 12th January 2007. Among the subjects discussed were the Causes of Venerable Edel Quinn and the Servant of God Frank Duff, the Priests Conference and the Legion system and spirituality. The Archbishop was given a copy of a report on the Legion’s activities in the Archdiocese. The Archbishop exhorted the Legion to stay true to its charism and spoke on the importance of evangelization saying that this year’s theme is ‘Who is Jesus Christ’
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
