Legion HANDBOOK D10944 - Legion of Mary

1 THE. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK . OF THE. Legion OF MARY. PUBLISHED BY. CONCILIUM LEGIONIS MARIAE. DE MONTFORT HOUSE. MORNING STAR AVENUE. BRUNSWICK STREET. DUBLIN 7, IRELAND. Revised Edition, 2005. Nihil Obstat: Bede McGregor, , , Censor Theologicus Deputatus. Imprimi potest: Diarmuid Martin Archiep. Dublinen. Hiberniae Primas. Dublin, die 8 September 2005. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal . 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Translation of The Magnificat by kind permission of A. P. Watt Ltd. on behalf of The Grail. Extracts from English translations of documents of the Magisterium by kind permission of the Catholic Truth Society (London) and Veritas (Dublin). Quotation on page 305 by kind permission of Sheed and Ward. The official magazine of the Legion of Mary, Maria Legionis, is published quarterly Presentata House, 263 North Circular Road, Dublin 7, Ireland.

2 Copyright 2005. Printed in the Republic of Ireland by Mahons, Yarnhall Street, Dublin 1. Contents Page ABBREVIATIONS OF BOOKS OF THE BIBLE .. 3. ABBREVIATIONS OF DOCUMENTS OF THE MAGISTERIUM .. 4. POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE Legion OF MARY .. 5. PRELIMINARY NOTE .. 7. PROFILE OF FRANK DUFF .. 8. PHOTOGRAPHS: FRANK DUFF .. facing page 8. Legion ALTAR .. facing page 108. VEXILLA .. facing page 140. CHAPTER. 1. Name and Origin .. 9. 2. Object .. 11. 3. Spirit of the Legion .. 12. 4. Legionary service .. 13. 5. The Devotional Outlook of the Legion .. 17. 6. The Duty of Legionaries towards Mary .. 25. 7. The Legionary and the Holy Trinity .. 41. 8. The Legionary and the Eucharist .. 45. 9. The Legionary and the Mystical Body of Christ .. 51. 10. The Legion Apostolate .. 59. 11. Scheme of the Legion .. 67. 12. The External Aims of the Legion .

3 72. 13. Membership .. 80. 14. The Praesidium.. 84. 15. The Legionary Promise .. 90. 16. Additional Grades of Membership.. 92. 17. The Souls of our Departed Legionaries .. 103. 18. Order of the Praesidium Meeting .. 105. 19. The Meeting and the Member .. 116. 20. The Legion System Invariable .. 126. 21. The Mystical Home of Nazareth .. 128. 22. The Prayers of the Legion .. 131. 23. The Prayers Invariable .. 135. 24. The Patrons of the Legion .. 136. 25. The Legion Picture .. 145. 26. The Tessera .. 148. 27. Vexillum Legionis .. 149. IV THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK . Page 28. Government of the Legion .. 152. 29. Legionary Loyalty .. 171. 30. Functions .. 173. 31. Extension and Recruiting .. 179. 32. Objections which may be anticipated .. 183. 33. Basic Duties of Legionaries .. 191. 34. Duties of Officers of Praesidia .. 209. 35. Funds.

4 220. 36. Praesidia requiring Special Mention .. 222. 37. Suggestions as to Works .. 231. 38. The Patricians .. 260. 39. Cardinal Points of the Legion Apostolate .. 273. 40. Go Preach the Gospel to the Whole Creation .. 307. 41. The Greatest of These is Love .. 327. Appendix 1: Papal Letters and Messages .. 330. Appendix 2: Extracts from the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council .. 335. Appendix 3: Extracts from the Code of Canon Law on the Obligations and Rights of the lay members of Christ's Faithful .. 337. Appendix 4: The Roman Legion .. 339. Appendix 5: Confraternity of Mary Queen of All Hearts 341. Appendix 6: The Miraculous Medal .. 344. Appendix 7: Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary . 346. Appendix 8: The Teaching of Christian Doctrine .. 347. Appendix 9: The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart.

5 348. Appendix 10: Study of the Faith.. 349. Appendix 11: A Marian Synthesis .. 352. Prayer of St. Bernard .. 355. Index of Biblical References .. 356. Index of Documents of the Magisterium .. 358. Index of Papal References .. 359. Index of Authors and other Persons of Interest .. 360. Index of Subjects.. 363. Note references to our Lord .. 368. Poem of Joseph Mary Plunkett .. 369. THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK 3. Abbreviations of Books of the Bible OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT. Gen Genesis Mt Matthew Ex Exodus Mk Mark Josh Joshua Lk Luke 1 Sam 1 Samuel Jn John 1 Chron 1 Chronicles Acts Acts of the Apostles Ps Psalms Rom Romans Song Song of Solomon 1 Cor 1 Corinthians Sir Sirach 2 Cor 2 Corinthians (Ecclesiasticus) Gal Galatians Is Isaiah Eph Ephesians Dan Daniel Phil Philippians Col Colossians 2 Thess 2 Thessalonians 1 Tim 1 Timothy 2 Tim 2 Timothy Heb Hebrews 1 Pet 1 Peter 1 Jn 1 John Jude Jude 4 THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK .

6 Abbreviations of Documents of the Magisterium DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II (1962-1965). AA Apostolicam Actuositaten (Decree on the apostolate of lay people). DV Dei verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation). GS Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world). LG Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church). PO Presbyterorum Ordinis (Decree on the ministry and life of priests). SC Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the sacred liturgy). OTHER DOCUMENTS OF THE MAGISTERIUM. AAS Acta Apostolicae Sedis (Acts of the Apostolic See). AD Ad Diem Illum (Jubilee of definition of the Immaculate Conception, Pope St. Pius X, 1904). AN Acerbo Nimis (The teaching of Christian doctrine, Pope St. Pius X, 1905). CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church, (1992). CIC Codex Iuris Canonici (The Code of Canon Law).

7 CL Christifideles Laici (The vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the world, Pope John Paul II, 1988). CT Catechesi Tradendae (Catechesis in our time, Pope John Paul II, 1979). EI Enchiridion Indulgentiarum (Official list of Indulgences and the laws governing them The Sacred Penitentiary, 1968). EN Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelisation in the modern world, Pope Paul VI, 1975). FC Familiaris Consortio (The Christian family in the modern world, Pope John Paul II, 1981). ISE Iucunda Semper (The Rosary, Pope Leo XIII, 1894). MC Mystici Corporis (The Mystical Body of Christ, Pope Pius XII, 1943). MCul Marialis Cultus (The right ordering and development of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Paul VI, 1974). MD Mediator Dei (The Sacred Liturgy, Pope Pius XII, 1947). MF Mysterium Fidei (The mystery of faith on the mystery of the Eucharist, Pope Paul VI, 1965).

8 MN Mens Nostra (Retreats, Pope Pius XI, 1929). PDV Pastores Dabo Vobis (The formation of priests in circumstances of the present day, Pope John Paul II, 1992). RM Redemptoris Missio (The permanent validity of the Church's missionary mandate, Pope John Paul II, 1990). RMat Redemptoris Mater (Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, Pope John Paul II, 1987). SM Signum Magnum (Consecration to Our Lady, Pope Paul VI, 1967). UAD Ubi Arcano Dei (On the peace of Christ in the reign of Christ, Pope Pius XI, 1922). THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK 5. Pope John Paul II to the Legion of Mary Address delivered by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, to a group of Italian legionaries on 30th October 1982. 1. My welcome is addressed to each and every one of you. It is reason for joy for me to see you in this hall in such great numbers from various regions of Italy, more so in that you are only a small part of that apostolic movement, that in the span of sixty years has rapidly spread in the world and today, two years from the death of its founder, Frank Duff, is present in so many dioceses in the universal Church.

9 My predecessors, beginning with Pius XI, have addressed words of appreciation to the Legion of Mary, and I myself on 10 May 1979, when receiving one of your first delegations, recalled with great pleasure the occasions I had previously had to come in contact with the Legion , in Paris, Belgium and Poland, and then, as Bishop of Rome, in the course of my pastoral visits to the parishes of the city. Today, therefore, as I receive in audience the Italian pilgrimage of your movement, I would like to emphasise those aspects which constitute the substance of your spirituality and your modus essendi within the Church. Vocation to be a leaven 2. You are a movement of lay people who propose to make faith the aspiration of your life up to the achievement of personal sanctity. It is without doubt a lofty and difficult ideal. But today the Church, through the Council, calls all Christians of the Catholic laity to this ideal, inviting them to share in the kingly priesthood of Christ with the witness of a holy life, with mortification and charitable works; to be in the world, with the splendour of faith, hope and charity, what the soul is in the body (LG 10,38).

10 Your proper vocation as lay people, that is the vocation to be a leaven in the People of God, a Christian inspiration in the modern world, and to bring the priest to the people, is eminently ecclesial. The same Second Vatican Council exhorts all the laity to accept with ready generosity the call to be united ever more intimately to the Lord and, considering as one's own everything that is his, to share in the same salvific mission of the Church, to be its living instruments, above all where, because of particular conditions of modern society a constant increase in population, a reduction in the numbers of priests, the appearance of new problems, the autonomy of many sectors of human life it could be more 6 THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK . difficult for the Church to be present and active (ibid. 33). The area of the lay apostolate today is extraordinarily enlarged.