A leading member of the Legion of Mary, which is celebrating the centenary of its foundation, has appealed to priests to allow the lay apostolic association help them revitalise Irish parishes.
Bernard Spillane, who is acting president of the Legion of Mary in Cork, told the Irish Examiner that despite falling vocations and increased workload, some priests are reluctant to allow the Legion of Mary to work in their parishes.
He said members of the Legion, which was founded by Frank Duff in Dublin in September 1921, “are up to the challenge of parish work, and we are ready and willing to assist priests – if priests want us to do it”.
“As we mark our centenary, we would like to bring the legion back into vogue again,” he said.
At a Mass in Dublin to mark the centenary of the Legion of Mary, Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin noted how the Legion of Mary had grown out of the St Vincent de Paul Society and spread all over the world.
Frank Duff’s vision for the lay apostolic movement was “to offer concrete ways for Catholic lay people to live out the gospel,” Archbishop Farrell said in his homily at St Nicholas of Myra Church.
He described Frank Duff as “a man ahead of this time” and “prophetic in the true Christian sense of that word: someone sensitive to the call of God and utterly dedicated to God’s will”.
The founder of the Legion of Mary perceived the people’s need on two levels: that of spiritualty and the loving care that is shown to those on the margins of society. “This prophetic sign of a great humanity and the spiritual dimension are inseparable,” Archbishop Farrell said.
In a world that is often hostile to the values and vision proclaimed Christ: in particular, concern for the little ones, and their hope and dignity, the Legion Apostolate continues to be relevant as a necessary tool for evangelisation, he stated.
Over three million members of the Legion attend weekly meetings in over 170 countries today.
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