Legion of Mary Back
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis.It was formed on 7 September 1921. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary (praying) members there are over 3 million members worldwide making it the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church
To be in the Legion of Mary, one must be a practising Catholic. Active members serve God under the banner of Mary by practising the Spiritual Works of Mercy. The main apostolate of the Legion consists in activities directed towards all men and women, young and old, rich and poor as well as people from the margins of society and towards non-Catholics. The members of the Legion are primarily engaged in the performance of the Spiritual Works of Mercy rather than works of material aid.
The praesidia of the Legion normally meet weekly, larger entities normally monthly or at even rarer occasions.
For all sessions, the Altar of the Legion is set up . This consists of a statue of the Virgin Mary (represented as a modestly dressed, humble, pure, and holy woman standing on a globe, her arms extended, crushing the serpent with her foot) that is placed on a white tablecloth that has "Legio Mariae" written on it. On the two sides of the statue are placed two vases with flowers, often roses (the flower connected with Mary). On the front ends of the cloth stand two candlesticks with burning candles. On the right side of Mary, the vexillium Legionis (standard of the Legion) is placed. It is made out of metal and onyx and shows the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, as well as the Miraculous Medal.
During the meetings, all prayers of the Tessera are said. The sessions start out with the introductory prayers to the Holy Spirit and Mary. These include five decades of the Rosary. The following part of the session includes a spiritual reading and administrative matters. Each member tells in short words how he or she has fulfilled their tasks assigned to them at the previous session. They also discuss and/or read a chapter from the Handbook of the Legion. Then the Catena Legionis is prayed, afterwards the Spiritual director or (if he is absent) the President holds a short sermon about spiritual matters . Finally, the new tasks for the legionaries are distributed. Each meeting ends with the concluding prayers of the Tessera and a prayer for Frank Duff's beatification.
Legion of Mary in Derebail parish consists of girls between the age group of 12 to 16 [Std 5 to 10].They get together for prayer and worship to Mother Mary with the guidance of sisters.
Office Bearers:
President – Crystal Suares
Secretary – Sandra Pinto
Co-Ordinator - Sister Christine Mathias & Sister Veronica
