Concilium Bulletin April 2024
REPORTS
DUBLIN SOUTHSIDE CURIAE
Annunciata Curia has recently held its 1,000th meeting. The Curia Retreat was held in March and twenty (20) members attended. As there was no praesidium report last month, a discussion was held on the importance of True Devotion to Mary. It was suggested that all praesidia should have a copy of now Servant of God Frank Duff’s ‘The De Montfort Way’ and once a month take a section for discussion in place of handbook study. It was stressed at the meeting that legionaries should not be afraid of True Devotion and that it was Frank Duff’s appreciation of the True Devotion which was instrumental in starting the Legion of Mary.
Mater Ecclesiae Curia
A praesidium with eleven (11) members does a variety of works including home visitation, Pilgrim Statue visitation, visitation to a rehabilitation hospital, nursing home visitation, street contact, volunteering in the Morning Star hostel and a soup run with transition year students and their parents and teachers where Miraculous Medals, green scapulars etc. are distributed; the legionaries pray with the homeless who are often suicidal and addicted to drugs and alcohol. Lives are changed. Members also keep in touch with some special contacts: a man suffering from addiction who is in and out of prison; a Muslim woman, who wants to become a Catholic; and a young man who has spent a long time in hospital and whose family are unable to visit him. The praesidium organises a prayer meeting at St Michael’s Church Dún Laoghaire every Saturday at 3pm with full Legion of Mary prayers and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The average attendance is fifteen (15) people. Another praesidium with six (6) members also does regular home visitation. Two legionaries called to one hundred and sixty (160) houses/businesses in the parish with eighty-four (84) replies. This praesidium distributes one hundred (100) Maria Legionis journals. Members also pray the rosary at 4pm on the 1st Saturday of the month in Stillorgan Village Centre; and at Our Lady’s Grotto in Stillorgan from May to October on Thursdays at 8.15 pm. Both rosaries are also live on zoom. The titles of the last two Patricians were ‘The Blessed Trinity’ and ‘My conversion to Christianity’. Five members from the Curia led the prayers at Frank Duff’s grave in February. Curia are planning to hold prayers at the Quinn family grave in Deansgrange cemetery at 3pm on Sunday 12th May which will be the eightieth (80th) anniversary of Edel’s death. All welcome.
Assumpta Curia
A praesidium’s main works are street contact and home visitation. Over one hundred (100) homes have been visited, including two blocks of flats. The new parish priest has asked the Legion to invite young people in for a cup of tea after Sunday Mass.
Immaculata Curia
Upcoming Curia events include Retreat in May, outing in June, visit to now Servant of God Alfie Lambe’s house in July, Traditional Irish Music night, scripture study for young adults and school visitation to Communion and Confirmation classes. A praesidium recently celebrated its four thousandth (4000th) meeting. Works include home visitation and street contact.
Ancilla Domini Curia
The Acies was held in St. Nicholas of Myra Church, Francis Street on Sunday April 14th, and included Holy Mass. Refreshments were served in Myra House afterwards. Next month will see the beginning of The Frank Duff Prayer Meetings in Myra House. The next Patricians Meeting to be held in Whitefriars Street Parish Centre on May 7th. Topic will be “Matt Talbot.” Business cards have been distributed to all praesidia for use in street contact. The Inner City Project will run from June 3rd to June 7th. Legionaries will visit homes in the area, promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart. The praesidium in Whitefriars Street does street contact in Temple Bar and home visitation on alternate weeks. All members are asked to make six (6) contacts each week.
Benedicta Curia
The Acies ceremony held in Rialto had an attendance of fifty (50). Approximately ninety per cent (90%) were Filipino or non-Irish nationals. The junior praesidium of seven (7) members gave out Miraculous Medals and invited their parents and friends to attend the Acies ceremony, some of whom did. Home visitation and hospital visitation were carried out by two praesidia. A total of twenty (20) recruiting efforts were reported. Four (4) visitors are currently attending meetings. Most of the recruiting efforts take place outside Benedicta House where many people stop to accept a Miraculous Medal and listen to the story of the Miraculous Medal. Sometimes people approach a legionary to ask for a Miraculous Medal for themselves or for a family member and they are offered membership as well.
Gloriosa Curia organised a Lenten Retreat in Mount Olivet House Ballyfermot, led by Fr. Simon Mundisiye, Chaplain in St. Matthew’s Church Ballyfermot. The theme was “Preparation for Lent and how that will help us in our Lenten journey.” A lively discussion was followed by a Holy hour, confessions, and the celebration of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There was an excellent attendance at this Lenten Retreat. Two Masses to celebrate the anniversary of now Servant of God Alfie Lambe were held in the Curia area, in February.
IRISH PROVINCIAL REPORTS
COMITIA
Navan Comitium recently elected a new president and treasurer. The legionaries had a float at the St. Patrick’s Day parade with one member dressed up as St. Patrick. Works include home visitation, hospital visitation and nursing home visitation. Legionaries took part in a Maria et Patria project for two days. As a result a nineteen year old was baptised and is preparing for confirmation. Trim Curia has five praesidia. Home visitation, Fatima Statue visitation, crowd contact and visits to schools are the main works. Several members of the Comitium attended the “Call to Arms” conference in Newbridge and found it very inspiring.
Derry Comitium has four directly attached praesidia and three Curiae. Good efforts are being made to establish the Legion in one parish. Our Lady Queen of the Home Curia in Inishowen has seven (7) praesidia and a Spiritual Director. A DVD about Fatima is brought to many homes. Miraculous Medals and leaflets are also distributed. May Altars are erected in shop windows with the permission of those who own the shops. Over the last year one thousand and twenty four (1,024) Miraculous and explanatory leaflets were distributed.
Raphoe Comitium
There was a much improved attendance at the meeting. A Comitium vice- president is yet to be elected. Steady works continue and there is a focus on recruitment. A praesidium in Convoy that restarted one year ago is very active with the support of the newly appointed parish priest. Works include leading the Rosary in two nursing homes, a book barrow in the Diamond in Raphoe and the Pilgrim Statue visitation on request at homes.
Dromore Comitium has three praesidia attached and one praesidium in North Dromore. The praesidium in Newry has three new members. The Acies was held on the 7th of April. Eight (8) schools in the Newry area were visited; six (6) primary schools and two secondary schools totalling five hundred and sixty- seven (567) pupils. Miraculous Medals and leaflets were given to each person. A recruitment drive at Hilltown has yielded potentially new recruits.
Down and Conor Comitium reported much good work done in the past three months. An Exploratio project was carried out in Poleglass where the full parish was visited. The Rosary procession occurred on the 8th of December and more are planned in 2024. Fourteen targets were set out for consideration at the January meeting*. These included to encourage every legionary to invite six persons each week to join the Legion. The Cornmarket outreach using the Legion stall where those of other faiths and none were contacted went well. It was agreed to repeat the outreach on a regular basis.
*These targets are listed further on in this bulletin and are a valuable resource to assist others with setting their targets.
Down Curia with six (6) praesidia set up one new praesidium in Glenavey. In one area one hundred (100) contacts were made over a three month period and seven new members joined the Legion. Overall efforts of officers and legionaries of Down and Conor Comitium and Down Curia were commended at the Concilium meeting.
CURIAE
Drogheda Curia:
The works of a praesidium in St. Peter’s parish include street contact, nursing home and home visitation. Auxiliary members are visited a few times a year. Street contact is done normally after morning Mass. To date, one hundred (100) houses in the parish have been visited. Queen of Peace praesidium in Ardee returned to home visitation in the parish this year and were well received at all the homes. Each Saturday in November they organised a public Rosary for the holy souls in the two cemeteries.
Armagh Curia:
The works include visitation to Dunlarg Nursing home. One housebound person who is bedridden and is a convert to Catholicism is visited in his home. There is a junior praesidium and an intermediate praesidium in the Curia and recruitment is ongoing. In June they led the Rosary for the Corpus Christi Procession. They also help the Knights of Columbanus to prepare bottles of blessed Easter holy water.
Dundalk Curia:
The curia has two praesidia attached. One of these is in Dundalk and the other is in Kilsaran. The praesidium in Kilsaran will be celebrating ninety (90) years in February 2025. To mark this occasion the correspondent asked them to try to start a praesidium in a new parish, home visitation and to upgrade their Legion apostolate.
Leitrim Curia:
A contact who expressed an interest in having a praesidium in Newtowncashel is being followed up. A nun in the Convent school in Edgeworthstown would like the Legion to give a talk to the transition year students. The Slovakian praesidium has restarted and the running of the meeting is being reviewed.
Clogher Curia:
The January curia meeting was cancelled because of the inclement weather. From the annual report of our Lady Queen of Peace praesidium in Clones the apostolate includes organising Eucharistic Adoration, bringing a person to Mass on Sundays and spending time with her afterwards.
Kilmore Curia:
The praesidium in Cavan town has seventeen (17) members having gained four new members. Confirmation packs were given to students in seven schools. Efforts are being made to start a praesidium in Belturbet. Four of the legionaries attended the “Call to Arms” in Newbridge. They found it very encouraging and said it gave them a push to do more for Our Lady.
EUROPE
SPAIN
Madrid Senatus:
Home visitation and street contact is carried out. A former Jehovah Witness was instructed and entered the Catholic Church. Many nationalities are met while doing street contact. These include many Chinese who are introduced to the Catholic Church. The Spiritual Director of the Jaen Curia has been sent to do mission work in Ecuador where he will continue working with the legionaries. A Comitium is organising its Legion Congress. They will pay special attention to study the topics chosen. Everyone, especially the new and reticent legionaries, is welcomed and greatly encouraged to speak at the sessions. All those attending the Congress are asked to take note of the recommendations and suggestions made and put them into practice. A new praesidium in Pontevedra has twenty- five (25) legionaries already.
Barcelona Senatus:
The senatus was closed in February due to poor legionary activity. The situation regarding the Legion of Mary in the area is under review.
Bilbao Senatus:
The senatus is on its seventeenth (17th) call to elect a treasurer. Praesidia in Bilbao city report urging new members to get into the practice of daily Mass. A praesidium celebrated its first year of existence in Algorta. Members work closely with the Trinitarian Fathers, who have helped them find a meeting room. The members addressed a gathering of all parish groups on the occasion of a visit by the Father General of the Trinitarian Order, in which they explained their mission as legionaries of Mary. They quoted from Chapter 2 of the Handbook – “Object”, and stressed the evangelical role of the Legion. In the city of Burgos, the Curia has grown to thirty (30) active members, though praesidia in two regional towns are reportedly on the point of closure. Nursing home visitation is their main type of work. A praesidium in Oviedo has closed due to lack of members. In summary, mixed fortunes would be the appraisal of the Senatus.
ITALY
Rome Senatus:
Mons. Virgilio La Rosa, Spiritual Director of the Senatus of Rome has retired after many years of ill health, a great support for the Legion and will be sadly missed. Mons. Guiseppe Sergio Ciucci has been appointed as the new Spiritual Director. Milan Regia and Padua Comitium closed after Covid, however, the remaining praesidia and curiae were affiliated as follows: The Asti Curia was raised to Comitium and the isolated praesidia in Milan, Tortona and Genoa and the Curia in Verona were affiliated to the comitium of Asti. Two praesidia in the north of Italy were affiliated to the Senatus of Austria and the praesidium in Padua was affiliated to Rimini. The attendance at the Senatus meeting is low but efforts are being made to improve. Mary, Queen of the World, a Pilipino Curia in a Philippine Missionary Centre has fourteen (14) praesidia. There are two other Curiae in the area and all three are working hard, extending.
PORTUGAL:
Lisbon Senatus:
The senatus was present at the celebration of the one hundredth (100th) birthday of Sr. Maria Senra who was sent as an envoy by the Legion of Mary to several Portuguese speaking countries. The celebration took place in Beja, where Sr. Maria Senra lives. The Mass was presided over by the Archbishop of Evora, Dom Francisco Jose Vilas Boas Senra de Faria Coelho. Legionaries from across Portugal including the Azores, attended. Cenaculo do Espirito Santo Regia (Coimbra) founded the Curia Imaculado Coracao de Maria in Fatima on 4th Sept. 2023, to which the praesidia of the Diocese of Leiria are affiliated. Santissimo Nome de Maria Curia (Amadora) has four praesidia affiliated to it, one of which is for young adults and two of which are for young people. This Curia is very committed to recruiting new members and keeping young people in the ranks of the Legion. It accompanied the young people to the theatre to watch a children’s play. Two Portuguese legionaries, one from Tires, Cascais Comitium, and another from Setubal, have migrated to France and live in different parishes. They have asked the Senatus to send them handbooks in Portuguese for the foundation of two Portuguese speaking praesidia in Paris, one of which has a majority of Cape Verdeans.
MALTA:
Malta Regia
Praesidia:
The apostolate of a praesidium of four (4) members and forty- one (41) auxiliaries is teaching cathecism, home visitation and good attendances at public Rosaries. Recruiting for new members is done. Curiae: Four Reports: Mother of Good Shepherd Curia with seven (7) praesidia has a good variety of works on hand. The most common challenges are recruiting and the aftercare of auxiliaries. Queen of the Eucharist Curia reported five (5) new members from fourteen (14) invitations to join the Legion of Mary. Home visitation is encouraged to help those who have not returned to Mass after Covid. One young girl thanked the legionaries for their intervention. Our Lady of Hope Curia reported the visitation of the attached praesidia. Cathecism classes for three children from other countries, helping people to confession after many years and follow up visits to a couple who were separated and are back together again. Queen of Peace Curia: The apostolate at Freeport has started again. One hundred and six (106) ships were visited and seventeen (17) Masses celebrated. Lourdes Projects: Two projects took place in Lourdes. Much work was done in the Legion of Mary house with staffing, cleaning and preparing meals. Many people of different faiths and none were spoken to on street contact.
Countries under the care of Malta Regia
TURKEY:
The last report from Our Lady of Ephesus Curia was December 2023. The Curia has five (5) attached praesidia.
ALBANIA:
Regular reports of Comitium meetings are received by the correspondent. Many praesidia have ten (10) members. The apostolate includes teaching Catechism, visiting the sick and housebound and other parish activities. The Acies was held on the 2nd April however, it is not clear if the three attached Curiae have as yet held their Acies. The praesidium in Kosovo is in regular contact with the Comitium.
CYPRUS:
Three praesidia, two in Nicosia and one from Limassol took part in the Acies ceremony in Nicosia on Sunday 24th March 2024. In follow up communications the correspondent learned that the two praesidia in Nicosia, one with eleven (11) active members and the other with nine (9) active members meet every Sunday. Being the only day they meet, they assist at Masses as ushers, participate in the choir and other parish activities. Currently they are helping with duties associated with a forthcoming ordination of a Latin Bishop. The Curia formed in 2018 has not met post Covid and will require a visit by the correspondent to assist with restarting the Curia. The Church follows the Greek Orthodox calendar and will celebrate Easter Sunday on the 5th May 2024.
NORTH AMERICAN REPORT
CANADA:
Toronto Senatus have fourteen (14) directly attached praesidia, four (4) of which are distant. Extension efforts focus on three (3) new parishes. Optimising times of praesidia meetings and having“twin” praesidia for shift workers is considered. Winnipeg Curia, with eighteen (18) senior and three (3) junior praesidia reported transfer of three (3) junior members to senior ranks. In Scarborough Comitium, engaging with praesidia officers and carrying out of visitation of praesidia was noted. Most attached councils report a full team of officers. A range of Legion works was mentioned in these reports e.g. Patricians meetings, home and nursing home and school visitation, crowd contact and contact with Non–Catholics.
Vancouver Comitium revived a dormant praesidium with fifteen (15) new members. Their works include Catechises, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and contacting other faiths including Muslims and Jews. At the request of the pastor, another praesidium started a Faith Discovery Course for the parents of the children studying Catechism. Almost all the parents signed up. Comitium visited two (2) praesidia in Victoria BC to guide with meetings and help with recruiting. The Comitium hopes to have the Legion of Mary in every parish on the island.
Edmonton Comitium has nine (9) attached praesidia and four (4) attached Curiae. Attendance ranged from 22-29%. Two praesidia with ten (10) members and seven (7) members reported. The latter had forty-seven (47) children attend a 4 day Bible Camp. Parental participation resulted in some families returning to Mass and helping with parish activities. An attached Curia hosted a Legion Stand at a Homeschoolers’ Conference and received enquiries about Legion membership.
Montreal Senatus had between 52% and 70% attendance by officers of its fifteen (15) directly attached praesidia. One new praesidium formed. Two other extension possibilities are in progress. Existing praesidia gained six (6) new members and fourteen (14) auxiliaries. Of its six (6) attached Curiae, four need to rebuild as does the Comitium in Quebec. Senatus plans visitation to these Curiae and a Peregrinatio Pro Christo (PPC) project to Quebec. Senatus mourns the death of their former Spiritual Director l’Abbé Pierre Senez R.I.P. He attributed his priestly vocation to his Legion membership and later served for many years as their devoted Spiritual Director.
USA:
Arlington Senatus:
Washington Comitium gained two (2) new praesidia. In another Council, twelve (12) legionaries carried out a Parish Evangelization Project (PEP) in Manasses. One praesidium promotes Frank Duff Prayer Meeting format on Pilgrim Statue visits. One Council had three (3) conversions, three (3) returns and twenty- two (22) anointings of the sick. Another council engaged in a Peregrinati Pro Christo (PPC) project, started two (2) new praesidia and one (1) Curia. They had forty- eight (48) returns, sixteen (16) conversions, and nineteen (19) marriages validated.
Philadelphia Senatus has a Spiritual Director, Fr. Mekonnen, six (6) officers, seven (7) attached praesidia, eleven (11) Councils and four (4) correspondents. The five (5) Councils that reported in February had a total of twenty-two (22) praesidia. They hosted Legion Stands at Diocesan conferences and at a street fair. They visit auxiliaries and families of the newly baptised and have street Rosaries in Public Squares.
Los Angeles Senatus:
Pilgrim Statue visitation and home visitation is carried out with recruitment very much in mind. Also, praesidia use a “buddy system” to assist each other with Columban drives. They do crowd contact at festivals and other functions. One Comitium included seven (7) junior praesidia. Exploratio and Congresses featured regularly in reports.
Houston Senatus noted a full attendance by its praesidia officers recently. A Korean Curia has two (2) junior praesidia. One praesidium organised a mini retreat for auxiliaries with theme “Mary, Mother of Hope”. A Chinese Curia in Dallas hosted an evangelizing event. Three (3) other Curiae reported two (2) new senior praesidia with a total of seventeen (17) active members, seventy- five (75) auxiliaries, two (2) praetorians and one (1) adjutorian and one (1) junior praesidium with twelve (12) members.
Chicago Senatus reported that Kokoma Comitium, Indiana had a Legion booth at the National Catholic Youth Conference. A Korean Comitium gained four (4) active and five (5) new auxiliary members. A Hispanic Comitium hosted Mass for now Servant of God Alfie Lambe for Senatus on 21st January with ninety- one (91) in attendance. Quite a few Curiae have worked to reactivate dormant praesidia.
Boston Senatus:
Three (3) officerships are yet to be filled. In Shirley prison, a new praesidium with six- eight (6-8) members was started by the chaplain and a prisoner. In Hartford Comitium, an attached Curia gained nineteen (19) probation members. Providence Comitium has eighteen (18) praesidia and two (2) Curiae. They reported six (6) families returned to the Church, conversion of two (2) people, including an evangelist, due to good follow-up. Twelve (12) new members and a new praesidium started in Rhode Island.
New York Senatus:
Two Arlington officers have been given a brief for an initial visit to New York Senatus by Concilium. The Senatus president has agreed to welcome them on 25th May. Please pray for the success of this visit.
Cincinnati Senatus:
A new praesidium at Miami University has three (3) members and a priest Spiritual Director. It is parish- based with a campus outreach in conjunction with FOCUS missionaries. Another praesidium guided the conversion of a nursing home resident who joyfully receives the Eucharist now. Extension in Detroit Regia included permission from Bishop of Gaylord Diocese to start the Legion there. East Cleveland Comitium started two (2) new praesidia.
San Francisco Senatus, with fourteen (14) directly attached praesidia had 51% to 64% attendance. The four (4) reporting praesidia have an average of seven (7) active members plus Spiritual Director. The six (6) attached Comitia and five (5) attached Curiae gained a total of six- eight (6-8) new praesidia recently. The Eucharist Revival objective set by most dioceses there is promoted when Legion of Mary work is being carried out. A virtual Conference for their distant Councils discussed topics such as substantial Legion work, membership requirements and True Devotion to Mary. Efforts are ongoing to solve a treasury issue in San José Comitium.
St. Louis Senatus had about 42% attendance from seven (7) nearby praesidia. There are six (6) correspondents for distant praesidia and Councils. Kansas Comitium carries out home visitation and will host a Peregrinatio Pro Christo (PPC) Conference on 19th -26th May. Jefferson Curia does prison ministry. Tulsa Curia distributed over two thousand, four hundred and thirty- seven (2,437) religious literature items recently. Denver Comitium started two (2) new praesidia. Non-Catholic contact in Denver Comitium resulted in one (1) conversion.
Miami Regia
Minutes in February show 42% attendance by officers of its nine (9) directly attached praesidia. Reports from three (3) of these praesidia showed a total of thirty- two (32) active and two hundred and forty- five (245) auxiliary members. In addition to consolation works, recruiting, crowd contact, public square Rosary rallies and Catechesis is done. A Jewish lady in a nursing home was persuaded to pray the Rosary and staff claim that she accepted Jesus on her deathbed.
PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Senatus have several extension committees which succeeded to form new praesidia. Works of service and enrolling children for Catechism featured. In Dominican Republic, Santa Domingo Senatus, with five hundred and ninety- one (591) active members, plan to have extension workers rebuild the Legion. One hundred (100) adults were guided to Confession while there were similar statistics for children’s First Communion and Confirmation. Over one thousand (1,000) people received instruction. The other Senatus in Santiago de los Caballeros recruited eight (8) new members in one (1) Comitium. They are restructuring another Comitium which lost forty- seven (47) active members due to Covid.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago Regia:
Visiting schools and supervising junior praesidia is a priority. Visitation of attached praesidia and Councils is done to encourage regular reporting. Virtual meetings are held every two months with distant Councils in Grenada, Barbados, Suriname, St. Lucia, Antigua and Dominica. Comitium Dominica reactivated a praesidium with twenty (20) members. The Legion of Mary in Guyana was visited.
HAITI
Haiti Senatus consists of nine (9) Comitia, six (6) Curiae and seven (7) directly attached praesidia. Because of the huge instability in the country, meeting venues have had to change or close temporarily. Prayers are requested for legionaries in this area. Despite this, minutes up to March gave details of home, hospital, nursing home and prison visitation, meeting people of many different religions, including practitioners of voudoo. They organise Legion of Mary for juniors, Catechism and accompany priests on sick calls.
AFRICA
GAMBIA
Gambia - Banjul Curia: The curia is making great efforts to restart the Legion of Mary in parishes. A new praesidium has been established in Farato.
NIGERIA
Ikot Ekpene Regia reports a recently revived praesidium now has nine (9) members.
Onitsha Regia:
Our Lady Queen of Peace Comitium has one thousand, four hundred and fifty-seven (1,457) active, two hundred and nineteen (219) probationers, one hundred and twenty- five (125) praetorians, two hundred and five (205) auxiliaries and eighty- five (85) adjutorians. Legionaries helped prepare many people for the sacraments, forty (40) couples were helped and instructed to marry in the Church and thirty- eight (38) lapsed returned to the Faith.
Enugu Senatus:
Immaculate Conception Regia, reports a wonderful amount of apostolic work, including the preparation of many people for the sacraments; over five thousand (5,000) for First Communion and a similar number for confirmation. They recently established a new Comitium and a senior Curia, eighteen (18) senior and six (6) junior praesidia and they revived eight (8) praesidia.
Jos Regia:
Our Lady Health of the Sick Curia report home and hospital visitations, Catechism instruction, crowd contact, care for children at Mass, care for junior praesidia and family Rosary.
Ibadan Senatus is comprised of three (3) regie, eighteen (18) comitia, one hundred and five (105) curiae and sixteen (16) directly affiliated praesidia. Works undertaken include helping to prepare many, including two prison inmates, for the sacraments. Two hundred and forty-one (241) lapsed Catholics were brought back to the sacraments, two hundred and thirty-five (235) marriages were ratified, fifty- eight (58) other Christians and one (1) Traditionalist converted to the Catholic faith. Forty- nine (49) couples received sacrament of holy matrimony.
Lagos Regia:
Visitation of attached councils is done monthly. Many councils report Exploratio Dominicalis projects for the first quarter of this year. Works undertaken include home and hospital visitation, marriage instruction and counselling, care for children at Mass and teaching the Catechism. Legion Catechists helped prepare hundreds for the Sacraments and instructed many catechumens.
Abuja Senatus held its Annual Workshop in January, with the theme: “Approaches to the Legion Apostolate: Care for People with Special Needs”. Their Spiritual Director gave advice on visiting those on the margins of society. The Senatus officers and Spiritual Director paid a visit to Cardinal John Onaiyekan. The visit was in appreciation to the Cardinal for his support and guidance to the Abuja Senatus. Legionaries prayed fifteen thousand, four hundred and twenty- one (15,421) decades of the Rosary for his intentions. Over one hundred couples are to be prepared for the sacrament of matrimony, and reports were received of a mass wedding in April 2024. Masaka Comitium reports a sick couple were both baptised and their marriage blessed by a priest after thirty- seven (37) years.
Uganda Senatus:
The senatus has adopted the theme: “Praesidium: serving Mary, saving souls” for 2024, their goal is to empower each praesidium to become a living embodiment of Mary’s presence in the Legion and in the world. Two Curiae in Hoima diocese were raised to Comitia. A Rosary Crusade was organised by Tororo Comitium with over one thousand (1,000) legionaries in attendance. There are two (2) Regiae in Uganda. Kabale Regia has over forty- two thousand (42,000) legionaries, forty- two thousand and nine hundred (42,900) auxiliaries, over four thousand (4,000) probationers and more than seven thousand (7,000) praetorians. The Regia of Western Uganda have completed translating the handbook into Runyankole-Rukiga and Runyoro-Rutooro and have sent a copy of the latter to Concilium. Kimanya Comitium conducted a two- day Congress on the Bumanji islands in January, to enlighten the legionaries about the Legion system. Extension work continues on Buvuma Islands, where three (3) new praesidia were started.
South Sudan:
The Archdiocese in Juba have five (5) curiae, formed from fifity- six (56) praesidia. The Tessera has been translated into Zande language. They are working on translation of the handbook in Zande and in the meantime, they are working with a small number of English handbooks. They would appreciate any help with English or Arabic handbooks, as some people in Juba can read Arabic.
TANZANIA
Dar-es-Salaam Regia:
The Legion is still recovering from the results of Covid. Attendance at praesidia and Council meetings is poor. However, the Regia is diligent in arranging visits to Councils each month to encourage the legionaries. Zanzibar Curia has ten (10) attached praesidia. Work undertaken include home visitation, visiting the sick at the Cancer Institute. Each year the Seminary legionaries visit all the parishes in the Archdiocese of Dar- es- Salaam at the weekend to promote the Legion. Hai Moshi Comitium: Works undertaken include home and hospital visitation, encouraging couples to marry in Church and preparing adults and children for the Sacraments. Rombo Comitium: We look forward to hearing from you all in your next report.
MALAWI
Maula Senatus:
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of the Assistant Secretary of Maula Senatus Br. Peter Kulemeka. Br. Peter died from a cardiac arrest shortly after sending this report. Kindly include him in your prayers. Bishop Montfort Sitima who is the Legion of Mary Chaplain challenged legionaries to devise new strategies for evangelisation to help tackle the growing number of lapsed Catholics. He stressed the importance of the legionary apostolate saying it is a vital tool in reversing this situation. Works undertaken include extension drives, Catechism and marriage instruction, prison visitation, aftercare of auxiliaries and visiting the sick, bereaved, aged and orphans.
Blantyre Senatus:
Works reported include Catechism classes, visits to the sick and elderly, counselling cohabiting couples and helping them prepare for the sacrament of matrimony. Legionaries counsel lapsed Catholics encouraging them to return to the practice. Retreats and workshops are organised periodically. Limbe Comitium organised a Young Adults’ Conference. One praesidium reports helping to construct a house for an elderly lady who was homeless and Masses for deceased legionaries were organised in November.
Senatus of Kenya:
A praesidium at Eastleigh, where Venerable Edel Quinn died, has eleven (11) active and forty- nine (49) auxiliary members. Works include home and hospital visitation, teaching Sunday school and supervising a junior praesidium as a result, thirteen (13) marriages were validated in Church, twenty- eight (28) street boys were advised to stop inhaling gum, fifteen (15) BodaBoda riders were encouraged to attend Mass and all did so, Catechism was taught to six hundred and fifty (650) children and three hundred (300) were baptised, one hundred and sixty (160) received Holy Communion and one hundred and ninety (190) confirmation. Nairobi junior Curia has ten (10) attached praesidia, Ngong Curia has twenty- six (26) attached praesidia and carry out home visitation and prison visitation. Bishop John Oballa celebrated Mass for the legionaries recently. Plans are underway for the annual Mass at Venerable Edel’s grave in May.
ZAMBIA
Lusaka Regia:
The regia produced a detailed plan for 2024. Works undertaken include visits to prisons. Legionaries interact with inmates whom they counsel, offering words of support and hope. Livingstone Comitium established two new praesidia. A very successful Congress was organized by Chelstone Comitium.
Kasama Regia: We look forward to hearing from you all in your next report.
——————————————-
Targets set for 2024 from Down and Conor Comitium.
This sample is to remind and assist others in setting their targets:
1.The ambition to achieve a praesidium in each of the eighty (80) diocesan parishes may have
become easier because of the diocesan reorganisation of the eighty (80) parishes into twenty- four (24) pastoral communities.
2. To have a conversation with the diocesan authorities into the Pathways for the Future process
and how the Legion can play its part with a Legion presence in each pastoral community.
3. Prepare sacramental courses with a catechesis element.
4. Organise a Eucharistic Camino.
5. Organise a faith/football event/ GAA Retreat as part of an outreach to men.
6. Make the Rosary Festival an annual event with representatives from the Legion, the Knights of Columbanus and Youth 2000 with each group having a veto on the constituent events.
7. Decide what will be the future use of Regina Coeli House.
8. Decide whether to relocate Legion HQ or renovate it.
9. Promote the Divine Mercy Devotions.
10. Organise Marian processions on 15 August and 8 December 2024.
11. Organise a Lenten and Advent Retreat.
12. Become more proactive on social media.
13. Direct praesidia Exploratio Domenicalis projects to a specific parish to maximise its impact.
14. To encourage every legionary to invite 6 persons per week to join the Legion whether on or off duty.
The Comitium plans also to repeat outreach on a regular basis.
——————————————-
Raising of Regia of Madang to Senatus.
Sr. Helen Murphy formally proposed, on behalf of Concilium officers, that the Regia of Madang in Papua New Guinea be raised to Senatus with the Regia of Mount Hagan affiliated to the New Senatus. Br. Paddy Kelly seconded this proposal. The Senatus will be inaugurated in June 2024.
——————————————-
Deus et Patria Report
Sr. Áine Blake, Chairperson Deus et Patria gave a comprehensive overview of the recent Deus et Patria project in Limerick, and of plans for a Games Night in Dublin in May. All legionaries are invited to encourage eighteen to forty (18- 40) year olds to contact Deus et Patria at [email protected] so that they can make them aware of upcoming Deus et Patria events.
——————————————-
Legion of Mary Vexillum Account Report
Br. Phelim Lally provided a very comprehensive report on the Legion of Mary Vexillum account for the period October 2023- March 2024, and of Handbook stock.
——————————————-
Screens at Concilium meetings
Much appreciation is expressed to those involved in providing the reports read at the Concilium meeting on the large screens in Nazareth Hall. This initiative which began a number of months ago has been extremely popular with all attending the meeting and greatly adds to assimilation of the contents of the reports.
Maps at Concilium meeting
A very sincere thank you to Br. Lally for the sterling work he has done in enabling the provision of maps with countries contained in reports from various continents highlighted. It is a great addition to the screens.
——————————————-
General Correspondents’ Meeting
Date: May 25th 2024
Location: Nazareth Hall, De Montfort House, Morning Star Avenue, Dublin 7.
Begins: 10:15 a.m.
We look forward to seeing all correspondents there. Please invite any prospective correspondents to attend with you also.
——————————————-
Peregrinatio Pro Christo (PPC) Concilium Report
We held our annual Organisers’ Meeting for Irish and UK legionaries on Saturday 24th February 2024 with an attendance of approximately forty (40). There were representatives from London, Scotland, Birmingham and fifteen (15) Curiae in Ireland. There was good discussion on some of the points from the agenda. There was an attendance of eighty (80) at the Peregrinatio Pro Christo (PPC) Conference with reports from seven projects in England. Many of the reports mentioned the return of lapsed Catholics and a number of non- Catholics interested in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) programme.
So far this year we have five projects and volunteers for all the projects. If we get requests for more projects, we will need more volunteers. Unfortunately we have had to cancel two projects in the Liverpool diocese due to the fact that their insurance will not cover any volunteers from outside taking part in projects in the diocese.
We would like to thank most sincerely all the legionaries who kindly helped us in the chairing, organising and catering for the Organisers’ meeting and the PPC Conference. Very much appreciated.
We ask that all legionaries pray for the success of Peregrinatio Pro Christo projects this year. Thank you.
——————————————-
Annual Legion of Mary Pilgrimage
Annual Legion of Mary Pilgrimage to Knock International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine will be on Saturday 29th September this year. We look forward to hearing reports of many buses being booked and advertised well in advance.
——————————————-
Some Handbook Reflections
With Pentecost Sunday occurring on May 19th this year, the extract chosen from Some Handbook Reflections is The Breviary p. 20- 22.
The Breviary
“Next in the Liturgy comes the Office, the corporate utterance of the Church, in which Christ prays. In any Office built upon the psalms we use the prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit and thus get closer to that corporate Voice which must be heard by the Father. That is why an Office, and not meditation, is a condition of praetorian membership” “As grace develops in us, our love must take on new forms”, said Archbishop Leen to his legionaries.” The reciting of the entire Divine Office for those in a position to do it, would represent such an expansion of love,”
(Handbook 16: 1)
“A Shorter Breviary” containing Morning and Evening Prayer from the Psalter of The Divine Office with selected texts for the Seasons, Feasts of the Lord and Solemnities and a supplement of prayers from The Proper of Saints, has been published for the Legion of Mary by Collins Liturgical Publications and is available from the Concilium.
The following is the Foreword to “A Shorter Breviary” by Bro. Frank Duff:
“Why should people say an Office? The special value of the liturgy is that it is the official prayer of the Church, the voice of the Mystical Body in which all our poor voices intermingle with the voice of Our Lord and take on the quality of His prayer. This places liturgical prayer on an eminence above our own individual prayers.
But there is another vitally important aspect. In itself, and quite apart from the other official value possessed by it, the Office is a supreme form of pure prayer. It puts us facing God, using the words of the Holy Spirit. The office is made up for the most part of the Psalms and extracts from the Scriptures, interspersed with lovely hymns, including the supreme canticles - the Te Deum, Magnificat, Benedictus, Nunc Dimittis.
Some of the verses are set in the mouth of God and some in the mouth of the person addressing God. Therefore it is a case of dialogue between God and that person. There we have the ideal form of prayer: a conversation with God.
Secondly, as the words are those of the Holy Spirit, we can rest content with them. We have not to distract ourselves by having to work out phrases of our own. We lie in the arms of God, just as a child would in the arms of a beloved parent, holding our effortless chat with Him.
Every line of The Psalms affords food for thought and love. There is literary beauty in them, not that this represents an ingredient that can be called vital; nevertheless, it is of help. All the emotions and the trials of life are covered. All the time we can readily apply the words to our own personal circumstances. Either we are pleading with God in regard to our necessities or we find He is replying to us about them.
The whole course of the Divine history is reviewed. The names of all the special persons and places recur. As we proceed we encounter the items of prophecy concerning the redeemer and the Woman who is to be His co-operator.
Taking all these aspects into consideration, I suggest that this Legion Breviary wonderfully offers us all the ingredients of a perfect prayer. It does another thing. It commits us to a half hour of it daily. This commitment is psychologically important. It tends to ensure the fulfilment of the duty with regularity, fitting it into the daily schedule and not permitting it to be elbowed out by all sorts of secondary things. It establishes its own place in the life.
But a primary consideration must never be lost sight of. It is that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit and an inseparable part of the plan of salvation. As the Council terms her, she is Helpmate, Advocate, Co-operator, Mediatrix. It is His will to do all things in union with her and to bestow through her His gifts and graces. If we desire to draw fully from that treasure we must be attentive not only to Him but to her also.” (Frank Duff)
——————————————-
Venerable Edel Quinn
We are approaching May 12th 2024 which will mark the eightieth anniversary of the passing from this life of now Venerable Edel Quinn, in Nairobi, Kenya. She was declared Venerable on December 15th 1994 by Pope John Paul II.
As we prepare for the celebration of Holy Masses for her Beatification throughout the world and pray for her cause, we may experience heightened enthusiasm for the prayer for the Beatification of Venerable Edel Quinn:
Eternal Father, I thank you for the grace you gave to your servant, Edel Quinn, of striving to live always in the joy of your presence, for the radiant charity infused into her heart by your Holy Spirit and for the strength she drew from the Bread of Life to labour until death for the glory of Your name in loving dependence on Mary, Mother of the Church. Confident, O Merciful Father, that her life was pleasing to you, I beg you to grant me, through her intercession, the special favour I now implore……….., and to make known by miracles the glory she enjoys in Heaven, so that she may be glorified also by your Church on earth, through Christ our Lord, Amen
(With ecclesiastical approval)
Favours granted through the intercession of Venerable Edel Quinn should be reported to Concilium.
——————————————-
Annual Edel Quinn Mass
3pm on Saturday May 11th in St. Saviour’s Church, Dominick St, Dublin 1.
——————————————-
Prayers at the Quinn family grave
3pm on Sunday 12th May at Deansgrange cemetery, Co. Dublin.
——————————————-
Public Rosaries in May 2024.
With 2024 being the seventieth anniversary of the first Marian Year in Church History, ordered by Pope Pius XII to commemorate the centenary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, May 2024 would be a beautiful time for us in the Legion of Mary to explore the presence of Wayside Shrines. Alternatively, we could organise a public Rosary at a Statue of our Lady outside a church, or process outside the church praying the Rosary, or gather to pray the Rosary in a town square or the likes. We might organise daily public rosary, or choose the same day and time throughout the month, or choose Marian Feast days… whichever way the Holy Spirit leads. Reflecting on a very active legionary joining The Legion of Mary having felt drawn to join in a public Rosary- organised and led by local legionaries- as she was passing by, increases our appreciation of the merits and potentially bountiful fruits of public Rosaries for all. It brings to mind the very powerful quote of St. Louis Marie de Montfort where he emphasises the gift it is to pray the Rosary with others:
“Somebody who prays his Rosary alone, only gains the merit of one Rosary, but if he says it together with thirty other people he gains the merit of thirty Rosaries. This is the law of public prayer. How profitable, how advantageous this is!”
(St. Louis de Montfort) (The Secret of the Rosary p. 122).
——————————————-
Mary’s Channel of Grace
A reminder again of the daily opportunity to pray the Legion of Mary prayers, including the Rosary every single day of the year, and benefit from the Rosaries of the total number of people praying together… a great gift to us all which is provided by all who so faithfully facilitate it. Please share this great gift with others, particularly those who may be housebound, in hospital, in a nursing home or suchlike.
Mary’s Channel of Grace details
Legion of Mary prayers and Rosary
365 days per year at 8:00 p.m. (GMT)
Zoom ID: 811 4083 3503
Passcode: 876 433
——————————————-
True Devotion to the Nation and painting and restoration of outdoor Shrines and Statues 2024.
Perhaps, having sought permission for the priest, in the Spirit of True Devotion to the Nation praesidia would look at painting at restoring outdoor shrines in May 2024 and throughout the remainder of the year. It would be such a beautiful gift for the Legion of Mary to present to Our Lady to mark this 170th anniversary of the dogma of her Immaculate Conception.
The True Devotion to the Nation booklet is available from Concilium and at
https://legionofmaryw.tripod.com/webonmediacontents/td%20merC.pdf
——————————————-
Legion of Mary Handbook
As mentioned last month, the latest edition of the Legion Handbook is available from Concilium at the very reasonable sum of three euro (E3).
——————————————-
June, the month of The Sacred Heart of Jesus.
June 2024: Sacred Heart Devotions.
“It is well- known that the month of June is dedicated particularly to the Divine Heart, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
(St. John Paul II, General Audience on Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 20 June 1979)
The celebration of June as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus dates back to the French Revolution. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be on Friday, June 7th this year. Last year, we heard reports of works carried out, in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by legionaries in the month of June and throughout the year. It could well be that the Holy Spirit is prompting us in the Legion of Mary to make a special effort to begin and continue initiatives to honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a very particular way this year, with 2023- 2025 being a special jubilee year (opened on December 27 2023, Feast of St. John the Evangelist) to celebrate the three hundred and fiftieth year (350th) anniversary of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray- le- Monial.
A worthwhile consideration for praesidia worldwide is to work beginning, organising, promoting and organising First Friday Devotions and Sacred Heart Prayers. Strict attendance would not suffice as active work for active legionaries. Active legionaries would need to be involved in organising, promoting and nurturing of same for it to be deemed active work. Auxiliary members may like to attend, and it would be a valuable way of providing outreach to auxiliary members. Maintaining a register of currently non- legionary contacts turning up may be fruitful for recruitment for Legion of Mary membership also.
The following are only a number of suggestions of infinite possibilities, all of which, or a combination of some elements of which, or even one aspect of which the Holy Spirit may be placing of the heart of each one of us as a legionary for us to bring along to our praesidium meeting for a spark to catch fire to reignite flames of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2024 and beyond….
• organise a procession with a statue of the Sacred Heart on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
• print and distribute images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Twelve promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• organise a Retreat on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray and promote the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• promoting and participate in First Friday Devotions
• begin Sacred Heart prayers gathering, ideally on First Fridays
• pray and distribute the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus prayers
• incorporate these prayers into nursing home visitation or visitation with various groups in different places on First Fridays
• sing hymns in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on First Fridays
• gather and pray publicly at a Wayside Shrine, outdoor statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, inside, outside or around a church
• promote with greater intensity than ever enthronement of homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• have the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a topic for a Patrician Meeting
• revive any dormant praesidia that are Pioneer Centres
• promote membership of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association (PTAA).
Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“It is well- known that the month of June is dedicated particularly to the Divine Heart, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We express to it our love and our adoration by means of the litany which in the single invocations speaks with particular depth of its theological depth of its theological contents.”
(St. John Paul II, General Audience on Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 20 June 1979)
The following is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as approved by Pope Leo XII in 1899 and to which is attached a partial indulgence:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and centre of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, the desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make our hearts like to Thine.
Let us pray:
Almighty and eternal God, look upon the heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee forever and ever. Amen.
——————————————-
Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
(composed by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)
O Sacred Heart of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honouring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the remedy of all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O most merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee. I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite goodness, grant that my name be engraved on Thee, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.
——————————————-
Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sacred Heart of Jesus, You made clear to Saint Margaret Mary Your desire of being King in Christian families. We today wish to proclaim Your most complete kingly dominion over our own family. We want to live in the future with Your life. We want to cause to flourish in our midst those virtues to which You have promised peace here below. We want to banish far from us the spirit of the world which You have cursed. You shall be King over our minds in the simplicity of our faith, and over our hearts by the wholehearted love with which they shall burn for You, the flame of which we will keep alive by the frequent reception of Your divine Eucharist. Be so kind, O divine Heart, as to preside over our assemblings, to bless our enterprises, both spiritual and temporal, to dispel our cares, to sanctify our joys, and to alleviate our sufferings. If ever one or other of us should have the misfortune to afflict You, remind him, O Heart of Jesus, that You are good and merciful to the penitent sinner. And when the hour of separation strikes, when death shall come to cast mourning into our midst, we will all, both those who go and those who stay, be submissive to Your eternal decrees. We shall console ourselves with the thought that a day will come when the entire family, reunited in heaven, can sing forever Your glories and Your mercies. May the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious patriarch Saint Joseph present this consecration to You, and keep it in our minds all the days of our life. All glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father!
——————————————-
Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honoured.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, not without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their refuge in this last moment.
“If we give all we can towards a work for souls, then God will play His part and bring that humanly impossible enterprise to a divine success.” Frank Duff
We look forward to hearing in your reports of what you carry out in June 2024 and on an ongoing basis in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
——————————————-
First Saturday Devotions
It is always wonderful to hear reports from all over the world of the organising, promotion and practice of First Saturday Devotions. This devotion initially originated at the time of Pope Pius X in 1905.
December 10 1925 saw the coming of Jesus and Mary to now Servant of God Sr. Lucia at Pontevedra in Spain, and Jesus say to her
“Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother covered with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation.”
Mary also said to now Servant of God Sr. Lucia
“I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who go on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for a quarter of an hour while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”
This devotion has immense profundity and power.
The report this month of a new praesidium in Pontevedra with already twenty- five (25) legionaries is very heartening in this regard, and seems very providential. We pray with great intensity to hear at Concilium- through global reports- of a proliferation of First Saturday Devotions beginning very soon in every continent, country, county and ultimately parish. We are well aware that the Rosary is being recited daily in so many churches all around the world, and this is an enormous blessing. This means that legionaries are placed i