Concilium Bulletin August 2010
Concilium Bulletin August 2010
Reports
UNITED STATES
St. Louis Senatus: Several new praesidia have been started. Prison work is done in several councils and 5 people were received into the Church and 5 returned to the sacraments. Three Marriages were validated and three Baptisms recorded. Children are taught religion in schools.
Boston Senatus: Three new praesidia have been set up. Prison work includes teaching religion and after care of prisoners. A praesidium has been set up in the prison. The Sancta Maria praesidium has 6 members. After many visits to an elderly man who was lapsed, he died shortly after he received the Sacraments.
Cincinnati Senatus: All attached praesidia and councils have been visited during the year. Works mentioned include bringing Holy Communion to the housebound, holding a Communion Service in a Nursing Home and visiting new converts.
Philadelphia Senatus: Norristown Comitium celebrated their 50th anniversary in June with a dinner. 165 members attended the occasion. They staff a drop-in for street people twice a week, providing services and activities for these men. They visit a prison and a hospital among their many works. Book-barrow and Patricians also featured in their report. The Senatus marked the 30th anniversary of providing the North American Supplement of the Maria Legionis this year with a beautiful commemorative edition, recalling the wonderful developments of the Legion in the USA. In the Metuchen Comitium, visits are made to prisons and to homes. Eight adults were baptised and 11 couples had their marriages blessed by the Church. An Alfie Lambe ‘C’ Day had 40 participants, shared between the parish and the Legion, going door to door with excellent contacts. Allenton Curia heard of legionaries visiting two very ill ladies, one who died 10 minutes after their visit, the other 3 weeks later. By the visit both felt the embrace of Our Lady’s presence at the hour of death. Delaware County South Curia operate a book barrow apostolate. Mater Dolorosa Curia was blessed with 3 entering Seminaries. They report improved attendance at their meetings, due to a change of meeting time and day.
San Francisco Senatus: The Senatus has 12 directly attached praesidia. Seattle Comitium has 9 Curiae and 15 praesidia and set up a Spanish praesidium. North Mateo Curia has 24 senior and 3 junior praesidia attached. A family praesidium has 11 parents and 7 juniors and their works are home visitation and crowd contact apostolate. The juniors train altar servers and contact their peers. South San Mateo Curia has 13 attached praesidia including a seminary one. Stockton Comitium reports the works of home visitation, street contact and prison ministry. Oakland Comitium has a new Chinese-speaking Curia. Anchorage Comitium report on the work of home visitation and crowd contact apostolate.
Houston Senatus: Two Peregrinatio Pro Christo projects took place in June, one to Corpus Christi and one to Del Rio in Texas. Approximately 1000 homes were visited in both projects, with many excellent contacts made. In New Orleans Comitium report, a praesidium in the university has 8 members. Baton Rouge Curia has a new praesidium. The Hispanic Comitium had 6 members on PPC to Del Rio. They are extending at a rapid rate. There will be a need for more Curiae in the near future. ‘Back to Basics’ is the theme of all 12 praesidia in the Northern Curia for this year. They took part in both PPC projects and are very active in extension. San Antonio Comitium held a Congress in June. The Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean Curiae in Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth are most supportive of their respective communities, caring for catechumens and the disabled. They provide parish bulletins to business houses and surgeries, encouraging the lapsed to return to the practice of their faith. In the Dallas Comitium, the Farmers Branch praesidium has to divide due to high numbers.
New York Senatus: The composition of the reporting councils is: in Morris County Curia with 48 parishes has the Legion in 6 with 36 members. Our Lady of the Valley Curia has 1 junior and 9 senior praesidia with 30 auxiliaries. North Bronx Curia has 17 senior and 1 junior praesidia. West Side Curia has 4 praesidia with 39 members. Works done by the Senatus include home, nursing home, hospital and funeral parlour visits. Baptisms, First Holy Communions, Confirmation, Marriage validations and Enthronements to the Sacred Heart apostolate are also undertaken. Two families came back to the church from the sects.
Chicago Senatus: Contact was done at a gay pride parade. A junior and adult praesidium was started. In a Spanish Curia a youth praesidium has to divide because so many of the young people want to join in evangelisation.
CANADA
Montreal Senatus: The visit by the Toronto legionaries will take place in September. Baptism for children and adults are arranged and Holy Communion brought to the sick and Catechism is taught to adults.
Ontario Senatus: Extension is being done with some success. Children are prepared for First Holy Communion and students are taught the Rosary. Home and hospital visitation is also done.
Toronto Regia: Attached praesidia carry out street contact and home visitation. A continuous learning workshop had 75 in attendance. Extension was carried out by several attached councils and new members recruited. Three new Korean praesidia were set up in Toronto Comitium. In St. John’s Curia, New Brunswick True Devotion is studied. Scarborough Comitium gained 18 new members. Prison visitation is done. Mississauga Comitium has 2 Patrician groups. In Peterborough Curia the Rosary is recited in 4 schools.
Edmonton Comitium: A Legion booth was set up at a Family Life Conference. Efforts are ongoing to set up a praesidium in a prison.
Vancouver Comitium: A new junior praesidium of 8 members has been started in a hospital. Work is done among people on the move and seafarers. As a result of working in Skid row, three women came off the street and gave up the life. Many returns to the Sacraments were also reported. Talks on Doctrine are given to the Spanish community. A video is shown monthly and results in returns to the Church.
WEST INDIES
Trinidad Regia: Seventy-seven legionaries attended a retreat. The Rosary is recited in homes and explained to those who do not know it. Religious instruction is given in government schools.
Santiago de los Caballeros Senatus: Masses were celebrated for the beatification of the Servant of God Frank Duff and Venerable Edel Quinn. Two people were reconciled to the Church before death. Home, hospitals and prisons are visited. Marriages are regularised and Holy Communion brought to the sick.
Senatus of Haiti: Works include home, hospital and prison visitation. Catechism classes are held. They accompany the priest on sick visits. A 6-day Retreat and Congress were held.
AFRICA
KENYA
Senatus of Kenya: A Bishop and 12 priests attended the first meeting of a new Comitium under Kisumu Regia. Nairobi Junior Curia has 8 praesidia and report 4 lapsed returned. All reports indicate home visitation being done with many returns to the sacraments, marriages validated and many recruited for instruction. A programme of extension by the Senatus to every parish in Meru Diocese is underway. The translation of the Edel Quinn book in Kikuyu is ready and legionaries requested it be translated into other languages. Large numbers gathered for the annual Mass at Venerable Edel’s grave. Legionaries from Uganda, Tanzania and all parts of Kenya attended.
UGANDA
Senatus of Uganda: A very colourful Schools’ Curia Acies had 644 present, while 1,000 members attended a Tertiary Institutions Acies. Six praesidia were started in colleges and legionaries in Seminaries featured in 2 reports and their external work includes visiting the sick and acting as tribunes to school praesidia which is most helpful. Study of the Handbook in line with “Back to Basics” is encouraged as is undertaking the True Devotion.
NIGERIA
Enugu Senatus: Two Regiae both reported many prepared for the Sacraments, both had a Moslem family converted and in the 2 areas following contacts a number of street girls returned home, family disputes were reconciled and marriages blessed. 107 Senior and 108 Junior Praesidia were started.
Ibadan Senatus: One Comitium reported 207 marriages regularised and 104 lapsed returned while a Curia had 3 conversions including one Muslim.
Onitsha Regia held a training day for 1,030 Officers of praesidia, Curiae and Comitia; the general topic was “Leadership of Legion of Mary in this contemporary world”. 80 Legionaries participated in an 8-day project to 10 villages.
Jos Regia: Most praesidia are recruiting at least 10 new members per year and juniors are transferring to senior ranks. A Curia in a Major Seminary had 15 members ordained to the Priesthood and Deaconate and a new praesidium was created.
Ikot Ekpene Regia: One Comitium held a week long extension project with 26 legionaries visiting 9 stations in a parish, reviving weak praesidia and starting a praesidium.
Lagos Regia: Five Curiae were formed, while 8 marriages were regularised and 22 members undertook the True Devotion in one Curia, and a Comitium had 4 conversions including one Muslim.
Abuja Regia: A Curia’s junior membership rose from 90 to 190 in a year and 5 senior and 2 junior praesidia were formed while a Comitium increased from 1834 to 2650 members in 3 years. A praesidium reported 7 conversions including a Muslim, now a legionary. The Regia had a successful Spiritual Directors’ Forum. Attendance included a Bishop.
Kaduna Regia: Items referred to in the April and May minutes included the Acies, the Causes, Patricians, a Congress and an Audit Committee is being appointed. A meeting has been held between the 3 Regiae in Northern Nigeria in relation to the printing of the Handbook in Hausa and English and other areas of common interest.
TANZANIA
Hai Moshi Comitium: Reports include home and hospital visitation with many returns to the Sacraments and marriages blessed, teaching Moslems about the Catholic Faith and 5 of the 18 bhang smokers contacted gave up the habit! Dar-Es-Salaam Comitium recently visited the 5 Dioceses under its caretakership to confirm the composition of the councils. Extension is ongoing. The annual Venerable Edel’s Mass held on 12th May was well attended and each praesidium was asked to hold a Mass and Novena during May.
Kahama Comitium: After a long silence a report was received on the Acies held on 16th May. 127 Legionaries attended the ceremony, which included Mass. A retreat was held the previous day in preparation.
Mtwara Comitium: Works include visiting the sick, praying with them and doing works of service, teaching Catechism, counselling couples, organising Stations of the Cross, marriages being blessed, lapsed returning and conversions including some Muslims. A praesidium was restarted.
ZAMBIA
Lusaka Regia: Works include visits to sick, lapsed etc. and there are good reports of returns to practice and marriage regularisations. Retreats and pilgrimages are held and are well attended. Extension work in 2 Dioceses is planned. Further information on True Devotion has been requested.
THE GAMBIA
Banjul Curia has 8 praesidia. Illiteracy is a serious problem including among many of the praesidia officers.
MALAWI
Blantyre Regia The necessary arrangements were made for the planned launch of the Senatus at Blantyre on 12th June. The restructuring involves the raising of 4 Regiae. Membership is increasing, but attendance is a problem in some areas. The setting up of youth praesidia is encouraged.
EUROPE
MALTA
Malta Regia: Works include the distribution of a brochure of Mass times to all major hotels, an apostolate to the Italian Community and visiting a refugee centre and a corrective facility. 47 auxiliaries attended a retreat. Two radio programmes about the Legion are broadcast weekly. Good contacts are made with Muslims and lapsed Catholics. Curia reported on teaching catechism and the consecration of homes to the Sacred Heart. Four junior Curiae were amalgamated to form one junior Curia. There are now 2 junior Curiae on Malta and four on the Island of Gozo.
Gozo Comitium: Sixty attended a Congress on “True Devotion to Mary”. Three Curiae reported on home visitation and contact with tourists. Twenty-seven young people attended the Lord’s Supper organised by the junior Legion.
GREECE
Athens: A praesidium of 8 members visits the sick and participates in two ecumenical groups. Rhodes: A praesidium of 8 whose Spiritual Director is the Vicar General has an outreach to the Albanian community. Thessaloniki: In a praesidium of 10 members their apostolate includes visitation of homes, prison and mental institutions.
ALBANIA
Shkoder Comitium has 31 praesidia and 3 Curiae affiliated. Two members of the Malta Regia made a visit in May and discussed the Legion government, the study of the Handbook, the True Devotion and the re-printing of the Handbook, Tesserae and prayers for the causes. Albanian legionaries visit families, teach catechism and pray with Muslims.
PORTUGAL
Lisbon Senatus: Five destitute families were brought to the notice of the parish services and their needs attended to. In Setubal the Legion was established in 4 parishes. Benfica legionaries organised courses for the evangelisation of adults and an alpha course for non-practising Catholics.
Azores: Contact is maintained with the parents of 76 children who are catechised by legionaries. Twenty-six attended a Legion Conference for Priests. The Bishop of Angra stated “We are grateful to this organisation to which the clergy are much indebted.” Faro has only 5 praesidia. The Regia of Coimbra is planning a second praesidium in Aveiro Diocese.
CYPRUS
Legionaries are full of enthusiasm following the Pope’s recent visit. The 2 praesidia in Nicosia and in Limassol do crowd apostolate. They promote the Rosary on visitation.
ITALY
Rome Senatus: Bishop Martinelli attended the first praesidium in the Diocese of Frascati. The Maltese peregrini attended the May Senatus meeting.
Milan Regia hopes to start a praesidium in the Catholic University. The Regia is assisting the Diocese in the preparation for a visit of the Pope to Milan in 2010. The Comitium of Genoa held a Congress. A Filipino praesidium in Turin reported marriage validations among their compatriots. Padova Comitium: A group of children recite the Rosary monthly on Radio Mariae. Praesidia in Lana, in Austrian Tyrol do street contact and book-barrow work during the summer months.
SPAIN
Madrid Senatus: Plans are advanced for the many young legionaries who will travel to Madrid in 2011 for the World Youth Day with the Pope. The Senatus plans a joint PPC team to work in the Bilbao Senatus area. Some legionaries undertake contact apostolate with the many people who visit their churches. Pesca Joven, is the term for youth contact work, which is done on the streets.
Bilbao Senatus: Works include visits to homes, hospitals, welfare homes, bible classes in rural areas and contacting young men in a rehabilitation centre for addictions.
Logrono Comitium organised pilgrimages to Fatima and Lourdes. Members bring Holy Communion to the housebound. Basauri Curia organised two religious retreats for young people.
Barcelona Senatus: Works are preparing children for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, helping in the Lourdes pilgrimage, visiting the families of prisoners and contacting tourists.
Austrian Council Officers Conference
From Wednesday 11th August to Friday 13th August 2010, nineteen officers of the Senatus of Austria and their Spiritual Director Fr. Florian Calice CO attended a Conference for officers in the Headquarters of the Legion of Mary. On the Saturday they travelled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Co. Mayo and on the Sunday attended the Concilium meeting.
The theme of this conference was: “The New Evangelisation: the great challenge of the New Millennium”. Under this theme some of the headings discussed were:
The Church is built up through the holiness of its members, which included Baptism, The Mystical Body of Christ, the Eucharist and True Devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary; also Leadership in the Legion.
The formation of legionaries, extension of the Legion in Austria, Legion government and finance and audits were discussed at length during the second day of the conference.
On the final day discussed were the works of the Legion toward a new evangelisation and the promotion of the Causes for canonisation.
At the Concilium meeting Fr. Florian thanked the Concilium for an interesting and informative conference and Elizabeth Ruepp, President of the Austrian Senatus told us that Austria has 9 Dioceses and one Diocese for military and there is a Legion presence in each of the 9 Dioceses. The Senatus has 10 Comitia, 42 Curiae and overall there are 339 senior and 23 junior praesidia.
Tommy McCabe, President of Concilium, thanked the Austrian legionaries for coming to Dublin and commended them on their great knowledge, spirit and loyalty to the Legion and their wonderful participation in all the discussions.
Tribute to Tom Smith, R.I.P.
Tom Smith who died on the stroke of the Angelus on Thursday 22nd July 2010 is sadly missed by the many who knew him. He joined the Legion when he was 19 and had therefore served in it ranks for 50 years. His first praesidium met in the home of a great legionary named Barney Quinn and one of his earliest Legion works was the picketing of the Medical Mission, one of the last of the proselytizing agencies in the city. His next regular work was the manning of a book-barrow at the G.P.O.
When Bethlehem Curia, Dublin was formed in the mid-sixties, he was elected its first President and came to the notice of Frank Duff who invited him first to join him on the annual week at Mount Melleray Cistercian Abbey and, in 1968, to become one of his regular cycling companions. One could say that from then on he was on intimate terms with Frank. His great interest in Thomas Aquinas led Frank to call him Thomas the Minor. Elected a Concilium Officer, he received the added responsibility of the Incolae Mariae and kept Fr. Bradshaw’s team in Iceland supplied with volunteers from Britain, Austria and USA as well as from Ireland. Not very long ago, he furnished a list of the countries where Incolae had worked - England, Scotland, France, Spain, Denmark, Holland, Gibraltar, Iceland, South Africa, Argentina and Papua New Guinea. He was proudest of all, of his list of Incolae who went on to study for the priesthood and became priests to the number of 7, two of them still serving in Iceland, one as Vicar General there. He was correspondent for the Senatus of Scotland until recently and also for Councils in South Africa.
He had a heart for any enterprise, one which did not succeed was to have a praesidium in the Irish Parliament building, Leinster House. He was greatly loved by the Filipino immigrants who joined the Legion in Bethlehem Curia and his most recent exploit was to launch a praesidium for the Filipinos living or working on the Southside of the city. He was a true Catholic who loved his Faith, his parish and the Legion.
May he rest in peace.
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.
This prayer can be obtained from the Legion of Mary website
www.legion-of-mary.ie
All Legion Councils, praesidia and individual legionaries are encouraged to actively promote the Cause of the Servant of God, Frank Duff, through the widespread dissemination of the Frank Duff prayer leaflets, through the organising of Frank Duff prayer groups and the holding of Masses to commemorate his life.
If you need Frank Duff prayer leaflets, please contact the Concilium.
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, IRELAND