Concilium Bulletin July 2009
REPORTS - ASIA & MIDDLE EAST
NEPAL: Kathmandu Curia has 1 junior and 4 senior praesidia. Communication can be erratic due to limited electricity supply. Work mainly consists of teaching the faith to children and adults both at the church and in the homes - much peace and unity has resulted.
PAKISTAN
The reporting praesidia in Karachi have 18 & 9 active and 60 & 45 auxiliaries respectively. They provide officers for junior and Urdu speaking praesidia, visit homes and hospitals. They prepare the Liturgy for special feast days and support the Legion at work in another diocese under the direction of the parish priest.
KAZAKHSTAN
Karaganda started a junior praesidium with 9 members and they hope to extend into 2 parishes. Legionaries are in contact with alcoholics and their families. In Kokshetau the drug and oncology wards are visited. People of other faiths receive the legionaries very well and accept miraculous medals. There are extension hopes in 4 parishes.
GEORGIA
The English speaking praesidium in Tbilisi and the 3 Georgian speaking praesidia in the villages continue to meet.
ARMENIA
The praesidium in Yerevan has 10 members. Fr. Petros attends each week and gives inspiring and helpful allocutios. The purpose of suffering and the importance of prayer are discussed when visiting homes and hospitals. Many contacts need someone simply to listen to them
THAILAND
The Senatus of Bangkok has 4,526 senior and 327 junior members with 9,000 auxiliaries. Catholics number 500,000 of a 63 million population. With the encouragement of spiritual directors interfaith dialogue is taking places. Mosques and Buddhist temples are visited and people of all faiths are met. Legionaries co-operate with medical teams and with government agencies for the welfare of the people.
MYANMAR
Despite difficulties the legionaries continue to meet and work. The Legion exists in the 3 archdiocese and 9 suffragan dioceses. The Comitium in Mandalay undertook the translation of the Handbook into Burmese, which is now complete under the direction of Fr. George a very zealous and interested spiritual director.
VIETNAM
Concilium was pleased to receive the recent news from Vietnam. The minutes show well-organised praesidia and councils, which know what their territory is, where the Legion needs to extend and growth continues. The Legion is in all 26 dioceses and membership stands at 43,556 senior, 14,822 juniors and 74,370 auxiliaries.
INDIA
Archdiocese of Mumbai: The Regia consists of 26 local & 10 distant praesidia, 13 Curiae and 5 Comitia, 19 of the 45 dioceses have the Legion. Extension in Jallandhar made the discovery of praesidia in existence including one in the Seminary with 43 members thanks to a dedicated Rector. He has also arranged for the Handbook to be translated into Punjabi.
Archdiocese of Bangalore: The Karnataka Regia has 8 directly attached praesidia, 17 Curiae, 5 Comitia and is in 7 of the 8 suffragan dioceses. Classes for alcoholics resulted in 17 now abstaining. Two slum areas were adopted, Mass and Confession was arranged and 15 gave up an illegal way of life. The audited accounts were received.
Archdiocese of Kolkata: There are 7 suffragan dioceses but no details are available. Extension and visitation has been curtailed due to excessive heat and a cyclone. This Comitium also cares for the Legion in BANGLADESH where a visit is planned for October/November.
Archdiocese of Pondicherry: Due to the illness of the Correspondent up to date information is not to hand.
Archdiocese of Chennai: A large slum area was visited: fishermen and their wives work long hours. Each Wednesday in Lent Stations of the Cross and Public Rosary were held with between 150 and 175 attending. 300 attended the specially arranged Mass celebrated by the Auxiliary Bishop. Coimbatore Comitium and Avadi Curia have been in touch.
Archdiocese of Trivandrum: The Kerala Senatus is working in all 17 dioceses and in all three rites - Latin, Syro Malabar and Syro Malankara, has 22 praesidia, 14 senior and 8 junior Curiae as well as 16 Comitia with about 20,000 members.
Diocese of Kottar: The Bishop has written seeking higher status for the Comitium. It currently has 7 praesidia and 27 Curiae attached with 5,876 senior and 1,924 junior members. With other proposed attachments the membership rise to 8,711 seniors and 2,696 juniors. Tuticorin Comitium established another curia and Comitium with permission. There are 106 parishes in the diocese and all Curiae were allocated some each for extension purposes. Excellent apostolic work is done by all in homes, hospitals and various institutions to Catholics and non-Catholics, including Hindus and Moslems and many Catholics returning to practice.
SRI LANKA
16 praesidia, 28 senior & 6 junior Curiae & 10 Comitia make up the Senatus. Due to the war many of Curiae were dissolved but praesidia seem to have continued. All homes are visited with evangelisation of all, the Rosary prayed with non-Catholics, a small number have entered the Church. True Devotion is mentioned in a number of reports; 3 Causes literature is available in the 3 languages of Sinhala, Tamil and English.
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
The Comitium in Jerusalem comprises 11 praesidia in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Ramla and 4 Curiae in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nazareth and Galilee with a membership of 548 active in a total of 39 praesidia. Minutes are being received regularly. A business men’s praesidium has a membership of 20 and other reporting praesidia are doing various works of consolation and invite the lapsed back to practice. Travel restrictions during the Gaza conflict were the cause of deferral of a congress to have taken place in Jericho.
AFRICA
DEMOCRATIC CONGO
Kinshasa Senatus cares for the Legion in over one-third of the area of Democratic Congo. This area mostly speaks Lingala. It is a highly efficient body. It has 12 praesidia, averaging 20 members, 7 parish-based Curiae, 11 city Comitia and 2 diocesan Comitia and finally five Regiae: Matadi, Kikwit, Mbandaka, Kisangani and Isiro. All the usual works are undertaken. Details give account of teenage fathers counseled and persuaded to reform their lives, teenage mothers induced to join a choir, prostitutes persuaded to live honestly and work at the market and family break-ups due, often to marital infidelity, resolved with apologies and promises.
Members of Kananga Senatus are actively engaged in apostolic activities. Bukava Senatus: Discussion are ongoing in relation to the printing of the Swahili Handbook.
Butembo Senatus: The Senatus has appointed a correspondent for Concilium and the building of the Legion premises is near completion.
BURUNDI
Gitega Senatus is planning a Congress. Works include encouraging laity to participate in their basic communities, promoting family devotion to the Sacred Heart and enrolling youth in the “Friends of Montfort”.
RWANDA
Kigali Senatus has a membership of 86,000 active legionaries.
CENTRAL AFRICA
Bangui Regia: Proposals have been forwarded to consider the raising a number of their councils to a higher status.
Madagascar: This large country has 21 dioceses. The Legion whose flame has been kept alive by visits and correspondence from the Regia of Reunion has 2 Curiae and a scatter of isolated praesidia.
Reunion Island: St. Denis Comitium, Reunion reported on works of home visitation, bringing Holy Communion to the sick and aged, recitation of the prayers in the mortuary on the occasion of funerals, leading the Rosary and Stations of the Cross and also teaching catechism especially to juniors. The Pilgrim Virgin Statue is also brought to homes and legionaries pray with families.
Mauritius Regia: The Regia has 2 Comitia, 6 Curiae and 19 praesidia. Venerable Edel Quinn spent 8 months there and established the Legion there in 1940. She was present at the first Curia meeting on 28th April - Feast of St. Louis Marie de Montfort. Works reported include visitation of homes, nursing homes and hospitals - teaching catechism to children and preparing them for the Sacraments, organizing retreats for adults and youth; promotion of Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary. On 7th June 2009, to mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of the Servant of God Frank Duff, Archbishop Piat celebrated Mass in the Cathedral with all the priests with past or present connections.
Nigeria
At the Concilium meeting on 19th July 2009 the following was proposed and agreed:
Enugu Senatus currently has 20 praesidia, 11 senior and 12 junior Curiae, 18 Comitia and 3 Regiae directly attached. The Senatus is requesting permission to raise 2 Comitia in Nsuku and Abakaliki to Regia status.
The Concilium agreed, subject to ecclesiastical agreement, to raise:
Immaculate Conception Comitium, Nsuka to Regia and attaching 5 other Comitia to this new Regia. It will govern the territory of the Diocese of Nsuka, a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Onitsha, and will comprise of 12 praesidia, 19 Curiae and 5 Comitia directly attached, encompassing a total membership of 13,611 senior and 8,549 juniors.
Gate of Heaven Comitium, Abakaliki to Regia and attaching 5 other Comitia. This new Regia will govern the territory of the Diocese of Abakaliki, a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Onitsha and will comprise 12 praesidia, 14 Curiae and 5 Comitia directly attached, encompassing a total membership of 18,300 senior and 12,210 junior members.
When these two Comitia are raised to Regiae, this would leave the Enugu Senatus with 20 praesidia, 11 senior, 12 junior Curiae, 7 Comitia and 5 Regiae attached
Visit to Concilium by Officers of Paris and Valence Regiae, France
The Paris and Valence Regiae Officers, France were represented at the July Concilium meeting by their officers, Monique Chevrot President, Robert Cambronne Vice President, Marie-Nicole Trimaille Secretary, Paris Regia and Elizabeth Bidault President Valence Regia. The previous day they held discussions with the Concilium Officers.
Paris Regia has the Legion in 15 dioceses. There are 333 legionaries in five Curiae and 22 praesidia directly attached to the Regia. In the last two years two junior praesidia have been established and a new group was formed in a College. In the Valence Regia the Legion is in seven dioceses. There are 298 legionaries in 17 praesidia, which includes 2 juniors. Visitation of their councils is undertaken and their plans are to build up the junior movement and extend the Legion in other dioceses.
Tommy McCabe, President of Concilium, thanked the Legionaries for the work they are doing on behalf of the Legion and wish them every grace and blessing for the future.
Commemoration Mass for the 77th Anniversary of the birth of The Servant of God, Alfie Lambe
On Sunday June 28th 2009, the Commemorative Mass for the Servant of God, Alfie Lambe took place in The Church of the Assumption, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The Chief Celebrant and Homilist was Fr. Martin Halpin P.P. and concelebrated with 5 other priests including Fr. Oliver Skelly P.P., Vice Postulator of the Cause and Fr. Lorenzo Bracken, former school classmate of Alfie. There was a good attendance and everyone was invited to tea afterwards.
On the previous day, Saturday June 27th a ‘Day of Action’ took place at which 20 legionaries took part. Six hundred homes were visited in housing estates in Tullamore and contact work was undertaken at a shopping center, the aim being to make Alfie better known in his hometown. The Legionaries were very well received.
Tribute was made to the hardworking committee for all their efforts to promote and organise the annual Mass and their new initiative of the Action Day. They were also commended for their dedicated work during the year. Favours attributed through the intercession of The Servant of God Alfie Lambe to be notified to the Concilium.
Peregrinatio Pro Christo
During the month of June and July teams have worked in parishes in Wolverhampton, Essex, Ardrossan in Scotland, Stretford, Manchester and a parish in Ramsey on the Isle of Man which turned out to be a wonderful project and the Parish Priest in Ramsey has asked for a another team to work in his second parish of Peel. In early July a team of ten worked in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Wolverhampton and within the next few weeks teams will set out for Hayes in Middlesex, St. Catherine Laboure in Glasgow and the parish of St. Charles Borromeo in Hull.
Ten volunteers are going on the project to Koekelberg in Brussels in September. Legionaries are presently working in Finland, which is organized by the Senatus of Scotland. The Liverpool project to Malmo in Sweden will take place from 4th to 14th August, Birmingham’s project to Holland will be from 10th to 18th August and the project to Berlin will be in September.
The annual Autumn Conference will be in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra on Saturday 31st October 2009.
Child Safeguarding Update
Training in relation to the Child Safeguarding continues in Ireland. To date 12 sessions have been held and a total of 224 legionaries have attended for training. One more session is planned for July in the Dublin area - that means two thirds of Dublin Curiae will be covered.
Legionaries should undertake de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary
It is desirable that the practice of the legionary devotion to Mary should be rounded off and given the distinctive character, which has been taught by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort under the titles of “The True Devotion” or the “Slavery of Mary”, and which is enshrined in his two books, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and the Secret of Mary.
That Devotion requires the formal entry into a compact with Mary, whereby one gives to her one’s whole self, with all its thoughts and deeds and possessions, both spiritual and temporal, past, present, and future, without the reservation of the smallest part or slightest little thing. In a word, the giver places himself in a condition equivalent to that of a slave possessing nothing of his own, and wholly dependent on, and utterly at the disposal of Mary.
Text from the Legion Handbook, Chapter VI No. 5
Chapter VI from the Handbook on True Devotion has been produced in booklet form and is available from the Literature Department, Concilium Legionis Mariae. The cost is €8 for 25 copies plus postage.
Special Offer
The following booklets on Venerable Edel Quinn are available at 50 cents each + postage:
“Thanks to Edel” Edited by Fr. Anselm Moynihan, O.P. Former Vice-Postulator
“Venerable Edel Quinn” by Frank Duff
“The Venerable Edel Quinn” by Fr. Anselm Moynihan, O.P. FormerVice-Postulator
“Words of Life from Edel Quinn” Introduction by Daniel Elcid, O.F.M.
An Irish Carthusian Nun writes, “I knew Edel Quinn”
Due to many requests these two books have been reprinted and Concilium would like you to bring them to the notice of all Legionaries:
“Venerable Edel Quinn” by Leon-Joseph Cardinal Suenens
A5 - 276 pages - Cost €6.00 plus Postage
“Mary Shall Reign” by Frank Duff
A5 - 180 pages - Cost €8 plus Postage
Please write to:
Literature Department, Concilium Legionis Mariae, De Montfort House,
Morning Star Avenue, Brunswick Street,
Dublin 7, Ireland.
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, Ireland.