Legion of Mary

LEGION OF MARY

 

The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic association in the Roman Catholic Church, dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary and the spiritual works of mercy. Founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1921 by Frank Duff, it is now active in nearly every country around the world, making it the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church.

Members of the Legion of Mary become instruments of the Holy Spirit through a balanced program of prayer and service. Works include door-to-door evangelization, parishioner visitation, prison ministry, visitation of the sick or aged, crowd contact, religious education, visiting the newly baptized, Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations, and meeting the other spiritual needs of the parish community.

The Legion is based on a model of military organization, hence the name “Legion”. Each individual group is called a praesidium, and members meet weekly for prayer, planning, and discussion. The meetings follow a set order and include praying the Rosary, a spiritual reading, a short talk given by one of the members, and discussion of works done.

Members are primarily lay persons, but priests, deacons, and religious can also join. There are different levels of membership:

  1. Active members – They meet weekly and carry out assigned apostolic work.
  2. Auxiliary (praying) members – They do not attend meetings or perform works, but support the Legion through daily prayer. They recite the prayers of the “Tessera” (the official prayer card of the Legion), which include the invocation and prayer of the Holy Spirit, five decades of the Rosary, the Catena Legionis (a prayer consisting of the Magnificat and some invocations), and some concluding prayers.
  3. Praetorians – They are active members who, in addition to their regular duties, agree to recite daily the Divine Office and attend Mass daily.
  4. Adjutorians – They are auxiliary members who agree to the same additional prayers as Praetorians.

The Legion sees as its priority the spiritual and social welfare of each individual. It seeks to accomplish this through a system which provides a global support network, while at the same time allowing the individual’s unique gifts to be utilized for the good of all.