Concilium Bulletin November 2016

ASIA

PHILIPPINES
The Senatus of Western Visayas is composed of 12 Comitia, 1 Regia, 15 Curiae and 24 directly attached praesidia. Antique Comitium has the Legion in all 24 parishes. 300 youths were instructed before Confirmation. 65 persons were baptised; 213 sick visited and 18 received the Sacraments before death; Block Rosaries and catechism classes were held. Other reports included, home visitation, crowd contact, marriage validations, Baptisms, prison visits, conversions and Exploration Dominicalis. A former legionary has returned to Vietnam to enter a Convent.
Mindanao Senatus: Tagum Comitium will shortly provide background information to support its elevation to Regia status.
Bicolandia Senatus: Attached councils are visited. Partido Curia gave catechetical instruction to 100 parents and sponsors of young children. A praesidium based at a Medical Centre reported an apostolate to fellow-employees as well as hospital visitation and Rosary promotion. Pill Curia undertook promotion of Enthronement of the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy. A legionary who is also a member of the prison ministry encouraged other members to pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet for prisoners’ intentions.
Senatus of Northern Philippines: San Pablo Comitium covers 81 parishes, 7 are without the Legion. San Pedro Comitium covers 25 parishes, two without the Legion. As part of its jail apostolate, an orientation training course on paralegal assistance was conducted by one Curia. Pasig Comitium: An auxiliary member joined a Seminary. A Patrician meeting was attended by 40 tricycle drivers and vendors.
Lipa Regia covers an Archdiocese, 3 Dioceses and 1 Apostolic Vicariate with a total of 176 parishes, of which 82 are without the Legion. Many reports included home visitation, crowd contact, catechetical instruction, prison-apostolate and marriage validations. Two juniors entered a Seminary. Reports were received from Port Moresby and Madang Regia in Papua New Guinea.
Cebu Senatus: All councils mentioned promoting Mass attendance, Rosary apostolate, Confession, hospital, school, home, and jail visitation. A non-Catholic was catechised and converted. Facebook and other social media promote Mass and Confession times. True Devotion to the nation is studied and the Senatus Spiritual Director stressed that active work must be done.

NEW ZEALAND
Auckland Senatus: May and October Rosaries were organised. Exploratio Dominicalis featured in most reports. Auxiliaries were visited regularly and Holy Communion brought to the sick. Some parish praesidia members are Eucharistic ministers. Works include training altar servers, running the piety stall and catechism classes. Juniors work with seniors on nursing home visitation. The month of September was dedicated to recruitment. Contact is to be made with the 13 parishes without the Legion. The Senatus has printed 25,000 fliers to be distributed on street contact during Advent.

AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Senatus: Mentioned in reports: Acies, Curia Congress, Year of Mercy, Patricians, Retreats and Masses to commemorate Venerable Edel Quinn and Frank Duff. Adelaide Comitium has 10 attached praesidia and 3 Curiae. Legionaries supported the Diocesan public Marian procession in honour of our Lady. It is not often Catholics are able to have such an event. Sandhurst Curia, with 5 praesidia, two of which are isolated, holds its Curia meeting once a year in these remote areas. In Caulfield Curia the Parish Priest asked the help of legionaries to support parents of sick children in the family room of the local hospital. The Rosary in recited weekly in the Loreto College Chapel during school term. Legionaries are up to date in their child-safeguarding police checks. The Fatima Pilgrim statue visitation is to be widely promoted next year.
Sydney Senatus: Home Visitation is the main apostolate in many praesidia. Tenants in apartments are encouraged to come back to the Church and arrangements are made for the local priest to call, if requested. An apostolate to those interested in becoming Catholics resulted in 17 being baptised. Annual Masses were offered for Venerable Edel Quinn and Frank Duff with excellent attendances. The Senatus care takes the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
Brisbane Comitium: Extension efforts are on-going. Through home visitation an estranged Catholic was reconciled on his death bed. On nursing home visits some residents were assisted to Mass. The Rosary is recited at funerals and catechism is taught in the schools. A praesidium held a Brown-Scapular enrolment. Visits were made to the eight distant praesidia. The nearest praesidium to Ayr is in Cairns, which takes 8 hours by train and 2 hours flying-time from Brisbane.

SOUTH AMERICA
COLOMBIA
Medellin Senatus: The Senatus has 13 correspondents. A Comitium of 9 Curiae and 13 praesidia, has 760 active members, 367 of whom are Praetorians. Works include Exploratio Dominicalis, catechesis, Lectio Divina, home visitation and park contact. The Comitium in Bello reports visitation of homes, clinics, prisons, nursing homes, colleges and a mental hospital and street contact. A distant Curia in Zaragoza is described by its correspondent as being a difficult area due to mining activities, but it is well run with good officers. A praesidium of 10 members has been promoting the Year of Mercy.

ECUADOR
Senatus of Quito: The earthquake in April resulted in many deaths, including the death of one legionary. At the Bishop’s request, the Senatus meeting was cancelled that month. In Portoviejo 3 junior praesidia have formed a Curia. Exploratio Dominicalis is done every Tuesday to areas with the social problems of abortion, drugs and crime. The attached Regia of Cuenca has 600 active members in 4 Comitia and 15 Curiae. The Comitium of Milagros co-operates with Alcoholics Anonymous and organise 40 Hours Adoration for children.

URUGUAY
Senatus of Montevideo: Extension has begun in the Dioceses of San José, where the Legion does not yet exist. An Exploratio Dominicalis project by a praesidium to another parish resulted in a new praesidium. The Legion takes part in meetings of lay groups and was chosen to report to CELAM, the Bishops Conference for Latin America. A Novena to Frank Duff has been circulated to members and is recommended also for use by non-legionaries; each day includes different details of his life, writings on Mary and the Frank Duff prayer.

VENEZUELA
Senatus of Caracas: Extension resulted in the formation of 25 senior and 7 junior praesidia. The Regia of Barquisimeto has 4,642 auxiliary members; 224 of their active members are Praetorians; they also have 121 juniors. Amongst the works are home blessings, street contact, talks on social justice and visitation of schools and prisons.

CHILE
Senatus of Santiago: A former Senatus officer has been designated as a Tribune to an attached praesidium. Some Spiritual Directors are permanent deacons; many of these have been legionaries all their lives. In October, the Pilgrim statue is taken homes, prisons, hospitals, plazas and street corners where the Rosary is recited. The twin praesidia idea has taken on well as many legionaries are shift workers. The bishop of Los Angeles invited the legionaries to a meal in his house to hear from them the works they were doing. In praesidia of 5 and 6 year-olds, the mothers also attend and take part in the children’s activities. These meetings are a training ground for junior praesidia.

BOLIVIA
Senatus of La Paz: The Christmas novena, called Posadas, is done in many homes. Prayers and readings relating to the Nativity are said and food is shared with all the family. In some barrios many families are in the sects. These families are visited and in many cases the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady is accepted and parents permit their children to be baptised and prepared for First Holy Communion. Some councils use a Legion stand to promote and recruit for the Legion. Email and Facebook are used to keep in touch with the distant councils. One praesidium meets in the homes of its members; this helps to recruit family members and neighbours. In rural areas, despite poor literacy legionaries do fruitful work visiting homes and making street contacts.

PERU
Senatus of Lima: The 4th National Legionary Gathering was held last summer with 30% of the attendees coming from provincial areas. The Senatus Extension Committee gave their annual report. A Curia divided to form a new Curia as a result of recruiting new members. The Comitium of Cusco is made up of 737 members and 108 probationers in 7 senior Curiae; they also have 23 pre-junior groups. Home visitation is prioritised and the Comitium report 17,180 home visits. Orphans are catechised in the institutions where they live. 15 homes were enthroned with the Sacred Heart while Arts & Crafts Centres were visited over 400 times bringing the Word of God, teaching the Rosary and inviting people back to the Sacraments.

PARAGUAY
Senatus of Asunción: During the three month period, 3 Comitia, 7 Curiae and 2 praesidia reported. All officerships are filled. The juvenile Comitium, ‘Ntra. Sra. de la Asuncion’ has 16 Curiae and 16 praesidia attached comprising 2,122 members. They also have 95 nursery groups, 6 Patrician meetings and an Extension Committee. Works include visiting homes, hospitals, two prisons, and blind people. Curia ‘Virgen Misionera’ has 10 senior and 2 juvenile praesidia attached. They held an Exploratio Dominicalis project, visit a Geriatric Home, do home visitation and are involved in radio apostolate and parochial mission work.

IRISH PROVINCIAL REPORT
COMITIA
Carlow Comitium: Efforts are being made to restart the praesidium in Myshall. A praesidium in Carlow town has 100 auxiliaries. They have a Frank Duff prayer group and a Patrician group which includes in its attendance other Comitium members. The praesidium in Graiguecullen has 8 members and 10 auxiliaries. Works include Pilgrim statue visitation and visitation of 3 nursing homes in one of which they met some residents who enquired about Confession. At the end of January each year the praesidium writes to 5 schools in the area for permission to visit the Holy Communion and Confirmation classes. Legionaries receive a warm welcome in the schools. Minutes refer to the attached Laois Curia starting a praesidium in Kilcock.
Elphin Comitium: Works of the Ballyleague praesidium includes home visitation and promoting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy after weekday morning Masses in honour of the Year of Mercy. Legionaries from the attached Curia did street contact in Sligo town promoting the Holy Door. Confessions were available in two Churches. Among the many interesting reports from Peregrinatio Pro Christo projects was an account of a meeting with the great- grandnephew of Joe Gabbet, a close associate of Frank Duff in the early days of the Legion. A successful joint Congress by the Comitium and the attached Curia was held in Roscommon on 23rd October with 60 present. Discussion was lively and positive throughout the day. An inspiring and thought-provoking concluding address was given by Sr. Mary Mulpeter, Raphoe Comitium. There were 4 representatives from the Concilium.
Tuam Comitium: Dunmore praesidium has 6 members; they organise weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and visit a nursing home. Prayer cards and Miraculous Medals were given to the First Communion children in 4 schools in May. Homes are visited with the Fatima statue and the statue was left in a school for one week and prayers were said by the teachers each day. Mountbellew praesidium members bring Holy Communion to a nursing home and pray with the residents. They visit a Day Care Centre and take residents to Knock Shrine when requested. They visited the First Holy Communion class and distributed Miraculous Medals. Nine legionaries in the Comitium took part in Peregrinatio Pro Christo projects. The office at Knock is staffed on a rota basis by praesidia.

CURIAE
Achonry Curia has three praesidia attached. Ballymote praesidium visits sick parishioners, a nursing home and outreach houses. They organised a day of prayer in the Church on 21st May.
Clonfert Curia organised two buses for the Annual Legion Pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Shrine, Knock on 25th September. A praesidium of 9 members and one probationer in Ballinsloe presented its 79th annual report. Their apostolate includes home, hospital and nursing home visitation. They have 19 auxiliaries. A knitting circle is run for elderly and lonely people where all garments made are sent to orphanages in Belarus. A praesidium in Clonfert parish with 9 members reported on hospital, nursing home and housebound visitation. A good attendance was reported at the Annual Retreat, Acies, Reunion and Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine.
Ferns Curia: As part of their Curia outing 40 members visited Concilium. Nineteen legionaries, including two from Dublin took part in an Exploratio Dominicalis project organised by the Curia. The New Ross praesidium gave its second annual report. They have three full members and three probationers. Works include street contact, Patricians and promotion of the Rosary.
Galway Curia: At the August meeting there was a very good discussion on Praetorian membership. Works of one praesidium include home visitation and visiting Merlin Park hospital with the Fatima statue. Another praesidium has 5 members, one probationer and 70 auxiliaries. Works include home visitation, visiting three houses for the homeless and a nursing home; they also do street contact in Eyre Square and are in contact with a Chinese family who are interested in finding out more about the Catholic faith. Third level students met in this parish were interested in discussing faith matters. The Curia had 38 on the bus to Knock for the Annual Pilgrimage. Deacon Declan Lohan was appointed Spiritual Director of the Curia.
Killala Curia: Knockmore junior praesidium has 4 juniors and 2 seniors. They prepared spiritual packs for the First Communion class with an invitation to join the praesidium. All 4 are altar servers and help in the parish. Fr. Joe Hogan, a former legionary, helped the Curia at the Heritage Day stall in Ballina in July, which was a great success. Recent Patrician meetings had the topics: “God the Father” and “Our Lady of Knock”. A praesidium in Ballina with 7 members undertakes Pilgrim statue visitation with 3 statues, hospital visitation and Patricians. Cornboy praesidium has also 7 members on roll, 4 of whom are Praetorians. They have 52 auxiliaries, 35 of whom were recruited in 2015. The Curia held a Holy Door visitation to the Cathedral in Ballina. Fr. Bill Keogh gave the address on Confession.
Kilkenny Curia organised two buses to Knock Shrine for Legion Sunday. One praesidium visits a nursing home and arranges public Rosaries once a month in St. James Green and on Sundays in May and October at Our Lady’s Grotto on the Callen Road.

DUBLIN NORTHSIDE
Bethlehem Curia: 34 members attended the quarterly promoters’ meeting for the Cause of Venerable Edel Quinn in September. The DVD on her life was shown and Sr. Mary Murphy gave up-to-date information on the Cause. Two Patrician meetings were held with attendances of 10 and 8. A praesidium of 5 members organise The De Montfort Men’s Club two nights per week with an average attendance of 5 men per night. A praesidium set up in 1926 works in two parishes. They had 19 visitors to the praesidium during the year. Works undertaken include home, hospital visitation and street contact.
Consolata Curia: Each Thursday night in October the Rosary was recited at the travellers’ site in Belcamp and 40 travellers attended. A praesidium of 7 members is in touch on a weekly basis with an immigrant family and is helping the mother to learn English. The praesidium organises a Retreat for parishioners and 27 people attended. A praesidium of 8 members in another parish studies a section of the Child Safe Guarding policy at the first meeting of every month. Each week legionaries visit a class in the boy’s school and pray a decade of the Rosary with the children. A young man met on home visitation is interested in registering in the RCIA programme.
Exaltata Curia: A praesidium of 12 members working in the Regina Coeli Hostel has 3 Praetorians and 10 auxiliaries. Their main work is the spiritual and temporal welfare of the residents of the hostel. They organise Holy Hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays and also hold a Bible Study coffee morning on Mondays which is becoming popular with the residents. They accompany residents on hospital and doctors’ appointments. A praesidium of 7 members, including 3 Praetorians also works in the Regina Coeli Hostel. Three members of this praesidium are Concilium correspondents. They work in the hostel two nights per week and have great spiritual contact with some residents, one of whom returned to Confession.
Porta Coeli Curia: 11 of the 13 praesidia attached to this Curia meet in the daytime. One praesidium has 53 auxiliary members. They distribute 75 Maria Legionis, organise a monthly Patrician meeting and a quarterly Frank Duff Prayer group. Another praesidium delivers 60 copies of Maria Legionis and keeps in touch with auxiliaries in this way. They promote Miraculous Medal and Brown Scapular devotions and are a Pioneer Council. Frank Duff, Edel Quinn and Alfie Lambe leaflets are given to passengers on trains and buses.
Presentata Curia: Four praesidia reported over the period. One praesidium has an apostolate to members of the African Community and organises a Mass for them on the first Sunday of every month. They have a monthly Patrician meeting with an average attendance of 16. Another praesidium does home visitation, street contact and visits Cuan Muire Centre, Athy every six weeks and the Camino centre in Enfield. A praesidium in another parish does home visitation, encouraging people in the faith and inviting the lapsed to return to the Sacrament with emphasis on the Sacrament of Confession. They have organised many house blessings.
Veneranda Curia: A praesidium of six members, 3 of whom are Praetorians visit women in the Dochas Centre, Mountjoy Prison. Visitation is done twice weekly and great contacts are made with the prisoners, including a mother of 5 children, all in foster homes. The legionaries also keep in touch with women on release and some contacts have gone on for over 30 years. They distribute 46 Maria Legionis. Another praesidium visits non-Catholics for the week of Christian Unity and gives them the prayer for that intention. They had a stand at Societies Day in St. Patrick’s College of Education.

AFRICA
GHANA
Senatus of Accra: Extension work was done in the Takoradi Diocese, where there were less than 20 legionaries. Extension efforts elsewhere from June to October yielded seven new praesidia and ‘Mirror of Justice Curia’ was inaugurated on 2nd October 2016 with 100% attendance. Reports taken at the first meeting indicated that the new praesidia are doing home and hospital visitation and recruiting new members. The Curia has grown to over 100 members. A new praesidium of 14 Bank staff members was established. Three legionaries from Tema Curia were ordained SVD priests

EGYPT
Senatus of Egypt: Members of the Senatus met with the Chaplain regarding organising visits to prisoners and their families. There are four praesidia of Sudanese members. The Senatus celebrated 75 years of the Legion in Egypt at the end of September 2016.

GUINEA BISSAU
350 youths and adults were initiated into the catechumenate at Easter. Cape Verde Regia: A Holy Door visit was arranged to a parish on the most distant island, Santo Antao where legionaries were warmly welcomed by the Parish Priest and the whole local community were invited. On the nearby island of Maio the Comitium undertook an Exploratio Dominicalis project with 76 members taking part. Another Comitium conducted a study on the sects.

ANGOLA
Luanda Senatus: A meeting of officers of higher councils in Luanda, organised by the Senatus in July was considered to be of great benefit to all the officers. The Senatus is busy visiting attached councils. An event was held by the Senatus and the Holy Childhood Association at which many children and their leaders were present. Several thousand legionaries took part in a Pilgrimage organised by the Senatus to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Libolo-Calulo in the Diocese of Sumbe. A praesidium in Luanda of 27 active members and 13 auxiliaries reported on visits to homes, hospitals, a home for the elderly and street-apostolate to homeless children.
Benguela Senatus: Visitation of attached councils is undertaken by the Senatus. As part of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, 1,851 legionaries passed through the Door of Mercy on a Pilgrimage to Cubal in May with members of other Marian Apostolic groups. Home, hospital and prison visitation is reported by the Regia of Huambo, which has a total of 1.031 praesidia in its area. Two new praesidia were set up.

MOZAMBIQUE
Maputo Regia: Reports were taken from several Curiae. One Curia passed through some difficult times; however the Parish Priest, now an Auxiliary Bishop, worked hard to keep the Legion going.

ZIMBABWE
Hwange Comitium: Three praesidium reported, one of 17 members, mainly shift workers. Two others have 31 and 40 members.

LESOTHO
Lesotho Senatus: Legionaries are engaged in home visitation and teaching catechism; many returns to the Sacraments were reported.

SOUTH AFRICA
Cape Town Senatus: There was great joy when the new Comitium in Upington, Northern Cape was set up in September. Correspondents were reminded of the importance of writing regularly to their councils. The Senatus is making plans to visit the Legion in Namibia.
Johannesburg Senatus: Membership in praesidia is good and legionaries undertake home, hospital and prison visitation. Great contacts were made with non-Catholics. In the course of street contact one Curia reported contacting 313 non–Catholics. Mariannhill Comitium: A letter was received in October apologising for being out of touch and promising to forward outstanding minutes.
Durban Comitium; In Matatiele Curia a praesidium reported 15 converts, 25 returns to the Sacraments and 11 Baptisms.