Concilium Bulletin May 2022
CENTRAL AMERICA
Mexico Senatus: The Senatus meeting was held in person in December although it is not clear how many attended. An attached Regia recruited 3 youths for the seminary. 60 new active members and 23 auxiliaries. 21 marriages were regularised. An attached comitium reported 480 persons prepared for and made the 33 day True Devotion act of Consecration to Our Lady. A praesidium was set up in a women’s prison on 19 December last followed by Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation and finally coffee and cakes.
Merida Senatus: The Senatus and attached councils lost a number of praesidia due to Covid but great recruiting efforts in each council has counteracted that loss. All councils indicate big numbers recruited. In the course of home visitation legionaries meet a number of couples who are not married, five couples received the sacrament of matrimony. Eight children, 6 young persons and 6 adults were prepared for baptism. In the course of home visitation they met 157 persons of other faiths, 17 of them received the sacrament of baptism and 2 couples received the sacrament of marriage.
Guadalajara Regia: Attendance at the Regia meeting, which is in person, has improved. The Regia has started visiting the attached councils and praesidia, to establish the post Covid situation and encourage the legionaries. Two praesidia reported difficulties due to the age of the members. A praesidium reported two new members made the Promise. The same praesidium distributes the Miraculous Medals, leads the rosary for the deceased and distributes the parish bulletin. The legionaries prayed to Frank Duff for a cure for a person with a tumour. The last medical check indicated that the tumour had disappeared. They pray the rosary with the family in thanksgiving.
Monterrey Regia: The Regia has started the meetings in person. Elections both in the Regia and attached councils are due and will take place immediately. Much of the apostolate of the different praesidia was carried out helping in the parishes. An attached Curia closed a praesidium due to the age profile of the members while another Curia is setting up a new praesidium.
Durango Regia: Meetings re-commenced in March although they still fear Covid. Attendance generally has been low and there is a need to fill vacant officerships. However, an indoor praesidium in the Rehabilitation Centre with 20 indoor and 4 outside members continue to meet during Covid. Meetings and work continued during Covid. They visit the patients cell by cell praying the Rosary with the other patients and encouraging Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. They organised a retreat with a very good attendance.
Hermosillo Regia: The Regia and attached councils and praesidia have been meeting in person for a long time. They were affected by Covid and lost members and in some cases, lost praesidia. However, 7 praesidia were set up recently and legionaries are doing Legion work personally, visiting the homes and where requested, bringing the Eucharist to the sick and house bound. A number of the sick were brought to the Lourdes Mass in February.
CENTRAL AMERICA
EL SALVADOR
Senatus: The attached Regia of Virgen del Pilar has 13 Comitia, 3 Curiae and 6 praesidia attached with a total of 8000 legionaries. Three Comitia and 2 praesidia reported. The 3 Comitia have 349, 297 and 267 members respectively. Legionaries are helping people who are recovering from Covid. Jail visitation is carried. A Protestant lady, was prepared and received into the Church, soon before she died. A young man with a severe illness was encouraged to go to confession, after a long time he accepted the invitation, he died very grateful to the legionaries. A young Protestant man, badly treated physically and mentally by his partner, accepted to become a Catholic, and had his 5 year old daughter baptised. One praesidium reported 16 sick persons went to confession, received the Eucharist and the Sacrament of the Sick.
HONDURAS
Tegucigalpa Senatus: The officers hope to visit the attached councils, due to distance and poor communication attendance of officers at the Regia meeting is very low. The Acies was celebrated in each council and a curia has been raised to Comitium with 3 Curiae attached. This will help to take care of the three curiae. They receive the Concilium bulletin in Spanish.
COSTA RICA
Slowly the attendance at the Senatus meeting is improving. Resulting from visits to parish priests a number of them have agreed to allow the praesidia meetings to re-start again. There is a great need to help weak praesidia and some curiae need restructuring. Legionaries were very happy to celebrate the Acies ceremony again in person.
PANAMA
Panama Regia: During Covid the apostolate was carried out by telephone and other social media methods. Elections were carried out in the Regia, all four officers had completed their term of office. The Regia is responding to the requests from a number of parish priests to set up the Legion in their parishes. Correspondents have been appointed to distant councils.
NICARAGUA
Managua Regia: The Regia held the first post Covid meeting in March with a good attendance. Home visitation and street contact are highlighted in a praesidium report. Legionaries were delighted to be celebrating the Acies in person again after so long.
CUBA
Sr. Christy Wallace visited Cuba recently during the Easter break. There had been no communication from them since the Pandemic broke. At that time there was one provincial curia in the diocese of Cienfuegos. They were in contact with Concilium every month until the lockdown was introduced. Sr. Wallace confirmed in her report that they started the meetings and legion work again recently. The Legion in the capital Havana has also returned to meeting again.
ASIA
INDIA
Kerela Senatus: The President reports difficulty in motivating resumption of face to face meetings. Even on Zoom relatively few of the officers of the 18 Comitia, 11 Curiae and 25 praesidia logged on. A physical meeting was arranged for March but frustrated by a national transport strike. The Correspondent directed the Senatus President to the Concilium website where Legion councils could see the activities of legionaries in various parts of the world.
Chennai Regia: Devotions to Our Lady and Consecration to the Sacred Heart were being carried out on Zoom during the lockdown periods. The sick were contacted by phone and prayed with. “On 7th of September the Centenary was celebrated by the parish in a grand manner”. December reports 20 homes Enthroned to the Sacred Heart, Holy Communion brought to 7 sick people, 3 brought to the Catholic Faith, the marriages of 25 families rectified,55 brought to Confession, 15 for Baptism and 135 children for Catechism. The Regia celebrated the Centenary on 12th of December 2021 at the National Shrine with Archbishop George Antonysamu celebrating Mass along with 15 priests. In his homily he spoke about Frank Duff, the sacrifices of the Legion Envoys and recalled as a small boy attending Legion meetings with his aunt. He values the co-operation and support of the legionaries. 869 were in attendance.
Karnataka Senatus: Most councils have held Acies ceremonies. Centenary celebrations were held on 20th of March 2022, Mass being celebrated by the Archbishop of Bangalore.
Mumbai Senatus: the first face to face meeting took place in March 2022. 195 attended the Acies for the 24 directly affiliated praesidia. The 2020 Audit was carried out and copy sent to the Correspondent. The reporting praesidia had 25 and 16 members with 6 Praetorians and 412 Auxiliary members. Many valuable contacts were made during Advent at the Christmas Crib.
Kottar Regia: despite writing each month the Correspondent has had no communication from the Regia.
Visakhapatnam Regia: Acies was held on 12 March with 400 attending. Notice of elections was given for Regia officers whose terms had expired during lockdowns. The Regia has a total of 424 praesidia, 30 curiae and 4 comitia.
Pondicherry Senatus have been able to hold physical meetings only for the period of May to December 2021 when restrictions were re-imposed. They did hold Centenary celebrations on 8th of September, Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop and 7 priests with 297 legionaries present. They held a simple get-together in accordance with the Concilium request starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at 1.30 p.m.
PAKISTAN
Physical meetings resumed in April 2021. Verbal reports were given, most praesidia have not resumed awaiting easing of restrictions. Permission was sought to set up a second Curia and raise the original one to Comitium it having 10 praesidia and the second one having 15 praesidia.
MYANMAR
A letter received in March 2022 tells that physical meetings of Senatus resumed in November 2021, minutes awaited. The Acies was held on 26 March in Yangon City with 280 attending. Due to the Civil War in parts of the country Legion activities are curtailed. Loikaw Comitium closed due to legionaries fleeing and being displaced. Prayers are requested.
LEBANON
Face to face meetings resumed in November 2021. Comitium meetings in January and February 2022 were held on Zoom. All members were advised about the Centenary Indulgence.
ARMENIA
The Legion meetings have continued uninterrupted throughout the Pandemic. The Curia has been meeting monthly since it was set up in May 2021. They provide excellent minutes and shows good governance. The President wrote an article for Maria Legionis which appears in the most recent edition showing his love of the Legion.
VIETNAM
Many of the legionaries tuned into the Centenary Mass in Francis Street,Dublin and were pleased to be part of Concilium’s celebrations. Due to restrictions in their country Centenary celebrations there were online. Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Saigon at 7 a.m. on 5th of September and by the Archbishop of Hanoi at 6 p.m. on 8th of September.
IRISH PROVINCIAL REPORT
COMITIA
Carlow Comitium: meetings resumed on 7 April with a low attendance. Monsignor McEvoy, Spiritual Director, was present along with 6 legionaries, 3 excused and 4 absent. Kildare have been holding meetings of the Curia for some time and minutes have been received by the Comitium. Laois Curia plans to meet soon. There was a report from the praesidium in Paulstown. The period covered a number of lockdowns which meant that regular meetings have only recently commenced. Nevertheless the praesidium members were active in the parish during the lockdowns, cleaning and sanatising the church, reciting the Rosary at the grotto in the church grounds, each Sunday the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Angelus is recited in the church and a Prayer Group dedicated to the Sacred Heart was started. To mark the Centenary a Legion banner was erected in the parish church and also in the church in the adjoining parish. This banner is now being displayed in other parishes in the diocese. On the 7th of September 2021 the legionaries conducted a Communion Service in the church and recited the prayer for the beatification of Frank Duff. The Comitium Acies took place on 27th of March. Bishop Nulty attended and in his talk he said “that as legionaries we had to do our best to find ways to bring joy and hope to people.” He was presented with a set of Frank Duff’s books. A set was also presented to Monsignor McEvoy and the praesidium in Tinryland also presented a set of the books to their parish priest.
Elphin: Comitium meetings are due to resume later this month. No date has been set for the Acies as yet. Some Roscommon legionaries are just recovering from Covid, but others are back to the public Rosary for the month of May. Ballygar praesidium plan to resume next week, but there is still reluctance among some members to go back to meetings. Individual legionaries were very involved with their local churches for the Easter ceremonies. Elphin praesidium lost two of their reliable long-term members but gained some new members. A Centenary Mass and celebration is planned in the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon on Friday June 24th with Bishop Kevin Doran as chief celebrant. North Elphin Curia hopes to join in this celebration also. North Elphin Curia has been holding their meetings and had a 50% attendance at the March Curia meeting.
Tuam: The Comitium meeting hopes to resume in late May or June. The Acies ceremony took place in Mountbellew on March 11th but had a low attendance. Some meetings have resumed. Legionaries prayed the Rosary on the parish radio and at a grotto every evening during Lent. A praesidium that closed in the late 1990’s reopened in Carna, in County Galway.
CURIAE
Achonry: A praesidium prepare special altars in the church for Feasts including Divine Mercy recently. They lead the May Rosary each evening at Our Lady of Knock Shrine in the parish. They circulate copies of Regina Coeli prayer for the period up to Pentecost. Holy Communion is taken to the sick and elderly each Sunday. The Pilgrim Statue is brought to homes requesting the Statue. Three of their members attended the Synodal Pathway Meeting.
Clonfert: A short meeting was held on March 27th with 16 in attendance. The minutes of the last Curia meeting which took place in February 2020 were read, approved and signed. It was reported that there was a decline in the number of members in all praesidia due to bereavements and those not well enough to return. The amalgamation of 2 praesidia in Ballinasloe was discussed which will leave the Curia with 5 praesidia. The first full meeting of the Curia will be held in May 2022. The Acies followed the meeting. Ferns recommenced their Curia meetings in March 2022. Three praesidia are meeting physically, Wexford, Gorey and Davidstown Juniors. New Ross is meeting virtually. Different issues were discussed and initiatives which might be undertaken were considered. However at the moment it is very much about consolidating praesidia and getting things back on a regular footing.
Galway: The Curia is back meeting face to face since March. There are now only 4 praesidia attached as 2 praesidia have closed. The praesidium reporting in March has a membership of 6 but they have not been meeting due to the virus and hoped to resume on 29th of March. The Curia did a project in a large housing estate outside of Galway where there is a lot of anti-social behaviour and drugs. Those met are invited to fill in a short questionnaire regarding their Faith in the context of the Covid pandemic.The Synod is also discussed. So far the legionaries are getting a very positive response.
Killala: Cooneal praesidium has not resumed full meetings after Covid yet. They recite the Legion Prayers and Rosary in the church. Fr. James Corcoran PP joins them for their meeting. They help with parish duties and cleaning the church. The Acies was held on March 27th in St Muredach’s Cathedral, Ballina. The reporting praesidium in Ballina has not resumed meetings yet. On visitation to a school the children were very interested and asked deep questions. The teachers were very impressed. There were 3 classes of 29 children in total. Some are making their First Communion in May and June.
DUBLIN NORTHSIDE
Exaltata Curia has recently elected a new president and a new treasurer. A praesidium in the area covers all necessary works in Morning Star Hostel. Members also do contact work with other legionaries in Temple Bar on Saturdays. They use the book barrow to meet all nationalities and religions. The book barrow is well stocked and attracts a lot of interest. Miraculous medals and leaflets are offered and usually accepted. Some members also do street contact work on Moore Street on Saturday mornings.
Consolata Curia is planning a special Centenary mass in September. Mass was celebrated in Swords for Alfie Lambe and recruiting was done after mass. A former member of a praesidium Fr. Oisín Martin was ordained to the priesthood during Covid. Members undertake street and park contact, making up packs with miraculous medal, rosary beads and leaflets. One lady they encountered said she had suicidal thoughts. She has an elderly mother with whom she has a poor relationship and she is alcohol dependent. Legionaries encouraged her to pray the rosary and to return to the sacraments. Another person they met said he had a bad experience with a religious order, however he accepted a miraculous medal after the legionaries told him that Jesus loves him and how we must forgive others. A lady, whose husband died was offered the Rosary and a statue, said she had received great comfort from praying. Divine Mercy devotions are promoted by the praesidium. Frank Duff and Patrician meetings are held monthly. There were processions for May and October in the church shown on the webcam and the legionaries carried a large statue of Our Lady. The repository is supervised by the legionaries and the legionaries are distributing the Alive papers again. The junior praesidium was visited by two Curia officers. Good work reports are given by juniors and the minutes are well kept. Works like collecting stamps, washing empty bottles for Holy Water and preparing packages with Miraculous medals, rosary beads and leaflets continue. The Frank Duff Banner is travelling around the churches in the area. A legionary speaks at the mass and recruiting is done afterwards. Praesidium visitation is continuing. Two adjacent praesidia have decided to join forces, while they each rebuild their membership. At least two young adults from the area attended the young adult conference in April 2022.
Bethlehem Curia are busy planning a Congress to be held in the Autumn. They are teaming up with Veneranda Curia for the annual retreat which will be held on May 22nd. A praesidium works with the Latino community, who are invited to the Spanish Mass and confessions in St. Saviours, Dominick Street. The praesidium also has an outreach to circus folk who make them very welcome. Legionaries have maintained contact with a mother and her two children who were welcomed into the Catholic Church last September. Some praesidia are not back meeting yet. Street contact work is undertaken. Curia are planning an Alfie Lambe slideshow in June. Curia visitation of praesidia has resumed. Masses to celebrate the centenary are continuing in each praesidium parish.
Presentata Curia organised a mass for the anniversary of Venerable Edel Quinn on Saturday May the 14th in Saint Saviour’s, Dominick street. About 300 attended.The last two Patrician meetings were each attended by ten people. The topics were ‘Our Lady’ and ‘Divine Mercy’. Praesidium visitation is underway and a new presidium has been formed in the last year. One presidium did a cycle trip around the Frank Duff area of Phibsboro and finished with the Rosary and Legion prayers at his grave in Glasnevin. A praesidium organised a Good Friday retreat in St. Saviour’s in Dominick Street with 60 present. Another presidium caters for the African community in Dublin. Mass is held for the African community on the first Sunday of the month. Members of this presidium also do contact work in Moore Street and promote the Miraculous medal Novena.
Veneranda Curia has organised a retreat in conjunction with Bethlehem Curia on May 22nd. They are also organising the annual Frank Duff ceremony in Glasnevin cemetery on June 12th. A recruitment drive took place at Berkeley Road Church on May 7th and 8th. When handing out Three Causes leaflets, name and phone number of legionary is included. A presidium does nursing home visitation and volunteering in the Regina Coeli Hostel. Topics for recent Patrician meetings include ‘Prayer’, ‘The Celtic Saints’, ‘Lent’, ‘Advent’ and ‘Saint Michael the Archangel’. Another presidium is meeting on Zoom as members are frail. Visitation to female prisoners in Mountjoy and aftercare of former prisoners has been suspended due to Covid restrictions.
EUROPE
BELGIUM
Brussels Senatus: Meetings are taking place but apostolic work is yet to resume.
Antwerp Regia: Those who haven’t been able to meet since the beginning of the pandemic were contacted about the Acies. Because of illness and advanced age of members two praesidia have closed. A pilgrimage is being planned conscious of the opportunity it provides for gaining the Centenary Indulgence.
THE NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam Regia: Catechesis is given to a large number of interested Chinese and legionaries are also helping prepare children for First Holy Communion. In response to a request from a Parish Priest legionaries help end of life patients to prepare for death. One new praesidium has been set up, with a possibility of a university praesidium and extension is planned for other cities Bishop Van Burgenden attended the Acies in Amsterdam.
GERMANY
Frankfurt Senatus: Street apostolate is done monthly in Dortmund. A new senior praesidium with 4 members and a junior with 5 members has started in Darmstadt.
Munich Regia has 2 Comitia, 9 Curiae, and 8 praesidia, totalling 350 active and 4000 auxiliary members. Works include promotion of a childrens’ Rosary and organisation of a pilgrimage and a night vigil. A new praesidium with 8 members has started in Sweinfurt. On 8th of December 60 people undertook the Marian Consecration.
SWITZERLAND
Zurich Comitium cares for one Curia in Bergen, Norway with 5 praesidia attached. One of its works is assisting Mother Teresa Sisters in an apostolate to drug addicts. A new English speaking praesidium has started in Lausanne.
SIBERIA
The Curia has 5 praesidia and works include visitation of the sick, church cleaning and assisting the priest at Mass.
KAZAKSTAN
Has 6 praesidia totalling 30 members. Works are reciting the Rosary, organising holy hours, and maintaining graveyards.
FRANCE
Paris Senatus: Senatus meetings have resumed but attendance is quite low. Some praesidia requested better communication from the Senatus. A praesidium reporting has 15 members and its works are assisting with parish duties, attending to and bringing Holy Communion to the sick in their homes. They also reach out to the African community. They say the Rosary with parishioners and then proceed to hold their meeting. The priest requested that legionaries recite the Rosary with parishioners but the weekly meeting has not yet resumed.
ENGLAND
London, Brentwood Regia: Held two officers training days. Two new parishioners whose initial interest in the Church resulted from a visit of members of a peregrinatio team were baptised and received their First Holy Communion and another praesidium reported that an elderly lady, lapsed from the Church, discovered on a peregrinatio project, was subsequently visited by a priest, went to Confession and received Holy Communion. Works of the new praesidium in Walsingham include home visitation and promotion of the Miraculous Medal.
Central London Curia: Some praesidia have still not resumed their meeting. 9 praesidia reports featured with membership ranging from 3 to 25 and works include home visitation and contact work.
Liverpool Senatus: Despite encouragement from Senatus some praesidia are still not meeting. Middlesbrough Comitium has set up a praesidium in Hull and Ashton Curia has gained 7 new members.
Birmingham Senatus: Most of the Councils have held the Acies. Two new praesidia have been set up in Banbury. Northampton Comitium: The Acies was held in March with 35 in attendance.
Senatus of Scotland: Centenary celebrations will take place in Carfin on 29th. May with Bishop Toal presiding.Two parishes are interested in having a praesidium and extension drives are organised for two other parishes. The praesidium in Stirling has got 4 new members. Following a recruiting drive it is hoped to start a praesidium in Inverness soon.
NORWAY
Tonsberg: The praesidium has 6 active and 24 auxiliary members.The Acies was held on 26th. March The praesidium arranged a gathering, at which the Rosary was recited, of people living alone. The legionaries had a meeting with the Bishop on his visit to the parish.
Drammen: The praesidium has 7 Active and 15 auxiliary members. Home visitation is done. Every Saturday a virtual Rosary and Gospel reading takes place with parishioners and participants from other countries.
Konsberg: Morning Star is a new praesidium. The Rosary has been started in the parish and Legion literature is distributed when recruiting.
DENMARK
The Acies was celebrated on 9th April with Fr. Marcin Gacek presiding. Two new members have joined following their attendance at the Acies.
AFRICA
IVORY COAST and MALI:
Reports of full range of work done by their Comitia and praesidia such as families reconciled, marriages regularised, returns to Mass, Baptisms, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confirmation, Sacrament of the Sick, recruitment of Catechumens, teaching of Catechism. They will soon be holding elections for a few officer positions where the holder’s term of office has expired. Mali is a disturbed country and great heroism is called for on the part of Legionaries in carrying out their work.
TOGO
Lomé Senatus: April minutes received. Works undertaken include crowd contact, book barrow, home, auxiliary and hospital visitation, giving catechesis and visitation of orphanages. Mention is made of Patrician meetings and some councils are organising a Congress and Exploratio Dominicalis. The juniors also do crowd contact, share the gospels, distribute sacramentals and help with crowd control during Mass times. They teach the usual church prayers to other children and try and get catechumens. In Vogan the Comitium is setting up a new Curia as well as a new adult and junior praesidium. The Acies ceremony has been widely mentioned in the various reports. One Curia promotes the introduction of the Sacred Heart to the homes as well as encouraging total alcohol abstinence. The Comitium in Adidogome have set up a new Curia in Zossime. The Senatus is hoping to have 2 PPC projects later in the year.
GUINEA
Conakry: A Comitium has 5 Curiae and 6 attached praesidia: 1016 active and 305 auxiliary members. Works include home and hospital visitation. A new praesidium has started, but they find it difficult to attract young people. There was also mention of a Congress.
SENEGAL
Dakar: A Comitium has 9 Curiae with 30 adult praesidia affiliated with 2278 active members. They are aiming to set up a new Curia and 4 new praesidia. Some of the works include home, hospital and prison visitation, organise the praying of the Rosary, helping the elderly and giving catechesis. They are preparing to have a Congress and a PPC project to Tambacounda. They are celebrating their 70th anniversary of the Legion of Mary in Senegal this year.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Malabo Regia: Almost all councils and praesidia have returned to meeting in person. Since the last report one attached Curia has set up 2 new praesidia and another Curia with 24 attached praesidia has set 3 more, they are working in a newly developed area. Legionaries invite neighbours to their homes to recite the rosary. This is proving very successful with good attendance. An attached praesidium with 17 full members has a number of legionaries on probation also. In their apostolate they are concentrating on making contact with families who have been influenced by the sects in an effort to invite them back to the Catholic Church.
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ELECTION OF CONCILIUM SECRETARY
Sr. Síle Ní Chochláin proposed and Br. Michael Ryan (Immaculata Curia) seconded the nomination of Sr. Maureen McManus. As there were no further nominations Sr. Mary Murphy declared Sr. Maureen McManus elected as Secretary of the Concilium for a 2nd term of three years.
EXTENSION IN PORTUAL
Sr. Licia and Br. Valdicielo, who offered a month of their holidays for Extension, have been assigned to the territory of Lisbon Senatus, with their agreement and assistance. The legionaries asked for prayers and they will report back at the June Concilium meeting.
ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS MEETING
A meeting took place in Rome in April. Sr. Mary Murphy (President) and Br. Declan Lawlor (Assistant Treasurer) represented the Legion for Mary.
YOUTH CONFERENCE, DUBLIN
Sr. Karen Wynne of the Deus et Patria Committee reported on the 1-day conference held in St. Patrick’s College, Dublin on 30th April. 100 attended an up-lifting day.
PEREGRINATIO PRO CHRISTO
At the request of priests in the UK 5 projects will take place in the months of July and August. Volunteers are required only for the project of 27th of August to 3rd of September.
MARIA LEGIONIS
Sr. Mary Murphy thanked Br. Frank Holohan (Editor) for the excellent work he put into the 2 large Centenary editions of Maria Legionis as well as producing the 2 Centenary calendars of 2021 and 2022.
All were invited to provide articles for upcoming editions of Maria Legionis.
