Legion of Mary Patron Saints and Causes for Sainthood
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In the Legion's prayers, St. Joseph's name follows the invocations
to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as he ranks next to them in the Court of
Heaven. He was head of the Holy Family, fulfilling in regard to Jesus and
Mary a primary and altogether special part. The same - no more, no less -
this greatest of saints continues to render to the Mystical Body of Jesus
and its Mother. The existence and activity of the Church, and therefore of
the Legion, are sustained by Him. His care is unfailing, vital, possessed
of parental intimacy; is second only in influence to the mothering of Mary,
and is to be so appreciated by the Legion. If his love is to be potent in
us, we must open ourselves fully to it by a behaviour which reflects the intense
devotion which he lavishes on us. Jesus and Mary were ever mindful of him
and grateful to him for all he did for them. Similarly legionaries must be
attentive to him in a constant sort of way.
The Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurs on
19 March.
The memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, occurs on 1 May.
"We cannot dissociate the historical life of Jesus from his mystical
life continuing in the Church. It is not without reason that the Popes have
proclaimed St. Joseph protector of the Church. His task has remained ever
the same amid changing times and ways. As protector of the Church of Christ,
he does no less than carry on his earthly mission. Since the days of Nazareth,
God's family has grown and spread to the ends of the earth. Joseph's heart
has expanded to the dimension of his new fatherhood, which prolongs and surpasses
the paternity promised by God to Abraham, the father of a myriad. God does
not vary in his dealings with us; there are no second thoughts, no arbitrary
changes to His plan. All is one, ordered, consistent and continuous. Joseph,
the foster-father of Jesus, is likewise foster-father to the brethren of Jesus,
that is, to all Christians through the ages. Joseph, the spouse of Mary who
brought forth Jesus, remains mysteriously united to her while the mystical
birth of the Church proceeds in the world. Hence, the legionary of Mary who
is working to extend here below the Kingdom of God, that is the Church, rightly
claims the special protection of him who was the head of the new-born Church,
the Holy Family." (Cardinal L. J. Suenens)
Designated in the Gospel as "the disciple whom Jesus loved,"
St. John appears therein as the model of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Faithful
to the end, he clung to that Heart till he saw it stilled and pierced in death.
Afterwards he is manifested as the model of devotion to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary. Pure as an angel himself, he took the place which Jesus himself had
filled, and he continued to render her the love of a son till she too died.
But our Lord's third word from the cross contained more than a filial provision
for his Blessed Mother. In St. John, our Lord pointed out the human race,
but above all those who would by faith attach themselves to him. Thus was
proclaimed Mary's motherhood of men - the many brethren of whom Christ himself
was the firstborn. St. John was the representative of all these new children,
the first to enter upon the inheritance, a model to all who were to come after
him, and a saint to whom the Legion owes tenderest devotion.
He loved the Church and every soul in it, and spent every faculty in its service.
He was apostle, evangelist, and had the merit of martyr.
He was Mary's priest: therefore a special patron to the legionary priest in
his service of the organisation which aims to be a living copy of Mary.
His feast occurs on 27 December.
"When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing beside
her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then he said to the
disciple, 'Here is your mother'. And from that hour the disciple took her
into his own home." (Jn 19:26-27)
"In view of other decisions as to the inadmissibility of particular and
local patrons, the inclusion of the name of Blessed Grignion de Montfort would
at first sight appear to be debatable ground. It can, however, be safely asserted
that no saint has played a greater part in the development of the Legion than
he. The handbook is full of his spirit. The prayers re-echo his very words.
He is really the tutor of the Legion: thus invocation is due to him by the
Legion almost as a matter of moral obligation." (Decision of the Legion
placing the name of Blessed Grignion de Montfort in the list of invocations.)
He was canonised on 20 July, 1947, and his feast occurs on 28 April.
"Not only a founder, but missionary as well! And more than
missionary; for we see yet another aspect: He is doctor and theologian, who
has given us a mariology such as no one before him had conceived. So deeply
has he explored the roots of marian devotion, so widely has he extended its
horizons, that he has become without question the announcer of all the modern
manifestations of Mary - from Lourdes to Fatima, from the definition of the
Immaculate Conception to the Legion of Mary. He has constituted himself the
herald of the coming of the reign of God through Mary, and the precursor of
that longed-for salvation which in the fullness of time the Virgin Mother
of God will bring to the world by her Immaculate Heart." (Federigo Cardinal
Tedeschini, Archpriest of St. Peter's: Discourse at unveiling of statue of
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort in Saint Peter's, 8 December, 1948)
"I clearly foresee that raging beasts will come in fury to tear to pieces
with their diabolical teeth this little book and him whom the Holy Spirit
has used to write it, or at least to bury it in the darkness
and silence of a coffer, that it might not appear. They will even attack and
persecute those who read it and put it into practice. But what matter? So
much the better! This vision encourages me and makes me hope for great success,
that is to say, for a mighty legion of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus
and Mary, of both sexes, to fight the devil, the world, and corrupt nature
in those more than ever perilous times that are to come!" (St. Louis-Marie
de Montfort (died 1716): True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary)
"Although the prince of all the heavenly court, St. Michael is the most
zealous in honouring Mary and causing her to be honoured, while he waits always
in expectation that he may have the honour to go at her bidding to render
service to some one of her servants." (St. Augustine)
St. Michael has always been the patron of the chosen people,
first of the Old Law and then of the New. He remains the loyal defender of
the Church, but his guardianship of the Jews did not lapse because they turned
away. Rather it was intensified because of their need and because they are
the blood-kindred of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The Legion serves under St. Michael.
Under his inspiration it must strive lovingly towards the restoration of that
people with whom the Lord made an everlasting covenant of love.
The feast of the "commander of the army of the Lord" (Josh 5:14)
occurs on 29 September.
"According to Revelation, the angels who participate in
the life of the Trinity in the light of glory, are called to play their part
in the history of the salvation of man, in the moments established by Divine
Providence.
'Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of
those who possess salvation?' asks the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.
(1:14) This is believed and taught by the Church, on the basis of Sacred Scripture,
from which we learn that the task of the good angels is the protection of
people and solicitude for their salvation." (Pope John Paul II, General
Audience, 6 August 1986)
In some of the liturgies St. Gabriel and St. Michael are jointly
hailed as: champions and princes, leaders of the heavenly army; captains of
the angels; servants of the divine glory; guardians and guides of human creatures.
St. Gabriel is the Angel of the Annunciation. It was through him that the
compliments of the Holy Trinity were addressed to Mary; that the mystery of
the Trinity was first stated to man; that the Incarnation was announced; that
the Immaculate Conception was declared; that the first notes of the Rosary
were struck.
Reference has been made above to the concern of St. Michael
for the Jews. Perhaps the same can be said of St. Gabriel and the Muslims.
These believe that it was he who communicated their religion to them. That
claim, though unfounded, represents an attention to him which he will seek
to repay in a fitting way, that is by enlightening them in respect of the
Christian revelation of which he was the custodian. But he cannot by himself
effect that transformation. Always human co-operation must play its part.
Jesus and Mary have a strangely dominant place in the Koran, being shown there
almost as in the Gospel but without any function. That holy Pair will be kept
thus waiting in Islam until someone goes to help them to explain and assert
themselves. It has been proved that the Legion has a gift in that way and
that its members are received with appreciation by the Muslims. What rich
substance for explanation lies in all that Koran material!
The united feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated on 29
September.
"The scriptures show us one of the highest of heaven's nobility sent
in visible form to announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation. Mary was
asked to become the Mother of God by an angel because by her divine motherhood
she would hold sovereignty, power and dominion over all angels. 'It can be
said,' writes Pope Pius XII, 'that the Archangel Gabriel was the first heavenly
messenger of the royal office of Mary.' (Ad Coeli Reginam). Gabriel is honoured
as patron of those who undertake important missions, who bear important news
for God. He bore God's message to Mary. In that moment she took the place
of all mankind and he was representative of all the angels. Their dialogue,
which will inspire men to the end of time, made a treaty on which will arise
'new heavens and a new earth'. How wonderful, then, was he who spoke to Mary;
how wrong it is to reduce his role to one of mere passive recitation. He had
been fully enlightened and gave evidence of the widest possible resource.
Reverent to Mary, he met fully every enquiry she made, for he was God's spokesman
and trustee. From the meeting between Gabriel and Our Lady came the renewal
of creation. The new Eve reversed the ruin wrought by the first Eve. The new
Adam, as the Head of the Mystical Body which
includes the angels, restored not only mankind but also the honour of the
angels tarnished by the false angel." (Dr. Michael O'Carroll, C.S.Sp.)
Model for Table use
Model for Acies or Processional use
6. THE HEAVENLY POWERS, MARY'S LEGION OF ANGELS
"Regina Angelorum! Queen of the Angels! What enchantment,
what a foretaste of heaven it is to think thus of Mary our mother ceaselessly
accompanied by legions of angels !" (Pope John XXIII.)
"Mary is the general of the armies of God. The angels form the most glorious
troops of her who is terrible as an army set in battle array!" (Boudon:
The Angels.)
From the first, the angels were invoked in the Legion prayers.
The form followed was:
St. Michael, Archangel, pray for us.
Our Holy Guardian Angels, pray for us.
In this one must suppose that the Legion was guided, for the closeness of
the angels' relation to the Legion was not then so clearly seen. As time went
on, the appropriateness of the recourse to the angels became more and more
evident. It was realised that the angels are a heavenly counterpart of the
legionary campaign. This alliance has different aspects. Every legionary,
active and auxiliary, has a guardian angel who fights blow for blow at his
side. In a sense that battle means more to the angel than to the legionary,
for the angel perceives vividly the issues at stake: God's glory and the value
of the immortal soul. So the interest of the angel is most intense, and his
support unfailing. But all the other angels are likewise concerned in this
warfare. For instance all those for whom the Legion works have their guardian
angels who lend their help.
In addition, the entire angelic army hastens to the scene. For our battle
is part of the main struggle which from the first they have maintained against
satan and his minions.
An impressive place is assigned to the angels in both the Old
and the New Testaments where there are several hundred references to them.
They are represented as paralleling the human warfare and as having an intimate
protective office in regard to men. They intervene at important junctures.
The
phrase constantly recurs: "God sent his angel." All the nine choirs
of angels have guardianship of some kind: over individuals, places, cities,
countries; over nature; and some even over their fellow-angels. Scripture
shows that even heathen kingdoms have their guardian angels. (Dan 4:10, 20,
10:13) The choirs are named as being: Angels, Archangels, Cherubim, Seraphim,
Powers, Principalities, Thrones, Virtues and Dominations.
The position is, accordingly, that the angels aid as a body
as well as individually, playing a part analogous to that of an airforce in
relation to a surface army.
It was finally seen that the existing angelic invocation was not expressive
of this universal protective role of the angels. It was decided:
that it should be recast to a better form;
that the word "Legion" should be linked with the angels. Our Lord
himself had applied it to the angels, hallowing the word by thus taking it
on his lips. When menaced by his enemies, he said: "Do you think that
I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve
legions of angels?" (Mt 26:53)
that the name of Mary should be introduced into the invocation. She is Queen
of the Angels. She is truly the Commander of the Angelic Legion and it would
be a new grace to our Legion to salute her under that deeply significant title.
Prolonged discussion throughout the Legion resulted in the adoption on l9
August, 1962, of the following form of invocation:
"All ye heavenly Powers, Mary's Legion of Angels, pray for us."
The memorial of the Guardian Angels occurs on 2 October.
There is an association, called the Philangeli, which specialises in spreading
knowledge of the angels and devotion to them. Its principal centre is: Philangeli,
Hon. General Secretary, Salvatorians, 129 Spencer Road, Harrow Weald, Middlesex
HA3 7BJ, England.
"Our Lady's queenship of the angels must not be taken as a term of honour
only. Her royal office is a participation in that of Christ and he has absolute
universal dominion over creation. Theologians have
not yet explained all the modes of Our Lady's joint rule with Christ the King.
But it is clear that her royalty is a principle of action and that the effects
of this action reach out to the confines of the visible and invisible universe.
She rules the good spirits and controls the bad. Through her is made that
indissoluble alliance of human and angelic society by which all creation will
be led to its true end, the glory of the Trinity. Her queenship is our shield,
for our mother and protectress has the power to command angels to help us.
For her it means active partnership with her son in the loosening and destruction
of satan's empire over men." (Dr. Michael O'Carroll, C.S.Sp.)
It is a strange fact, not easily explained, that it was not until 18 December,
1949 that St. John the Baptist was formally placed among the patrons of the
Legion. For he is more intimately bound up with the devotional scheme of the
Legion than any of its other patrons, with the exception of St. Joseph.
He was the type of all legionaries, that is, a forerunner of the Lord, going
before him to prepare his way and make straight his paths. He was a model
of unshakable strength and devotion to his cause for which he was ready to
die, and for which he did die.
Moreover, he was formed for his work by Our Blessed Lady herself,
as all legionaries are supposed to be. St. Ambrose declares that the main
purpose of Our Lady's considerable stay with Elizabeth was the forming and
appointing of the little Great-Prophet. The moment of that formation is celebrated
by the Catena, our central prayer, which is laid as a daily duty on every
legionary.
That episode of the Visitation exhibits Our Lady in her capacity as Mediatrix
for the first time, and St. John as the first beneficiary. Thereby was St.
John exhibited from the first as a special patron of legionaries and of all
legionary contacts, of the work of visitation in all its forms, and indeed
of all legionary actions - these being but efforts to co-operate in Mary's
mediatorial office.
He was one of the essential elements in the mission of our Lord. All those
elements should find a place in any system which seeks to reproduce that mission.
The precursor remains
necessary. If he be not there to introduce Jesus and Mary, perhaps they may
not come upon the scene at all. Legionaries must recognise this special place
of St. John, and by their faith in him enable him to pursue his mission. "If
Jesus is perpetually 'he who comes', likewise St. John is he who ever precedes
him, for the economy of the historical Incarnation of Christ is continued
in his Mystical Body." (Daniélou.)
The appropriate place for the invocation of St. John is in the Concluding Prayers next after the angels. Those prayers then picture the Legion in forward march, dominated by the Holy Spirit manifesting himself through Our Lady as a Pillar of Fire; supported by the Angelic Legion and its heads, St. Michael and St. Gabriel, preceded by its scout or precursor, St. John, as ever fulfilling his providential mission; then its generals, Saints Peter and Paul.
St. John the Baptist has two liturgical celebrations. That of
his nativity occurs on 24 June, and of his martyrdom on 29 August.
"I believe that the mystery of John is still being accomplished in the
world of today. Whoever is to believe in Christ Jesus, the spirit and virtue
of John must first come into his soul and prepare for the Lord a perfect people,
make straight the paths in the rough places of his heart and smooth the ways.
Up to this day the spirit and virtue of John go before the coming of the Lord
and Saviour. (Origen)
"St. Peter, as prince of the apostles, is pre-eminently
the patron for an apostolic organisation. He was the first Pope, but stands
for all the illustrious line of Pontiffs, and for the present Holy Father.
In invoking St. Peter, we express once again a Legion's loyalty to Rome, the
centre of our faith, the source of authority, discipline, unity." (Decision
of the Legion placing St. Peter's name in the list of invocations.)
The feast of Saints Peter and Paul occurs on 29 June.
"And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail
against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven." (Mt 16:18-19)
A soul that is to win others must be great and wide as the ocean. To convert
the world, one's soul must be greater than the world. Such was St. Paul from
the day when a sudden light from heaven shone round about him, and threw its
radiance into his soul, and enkindled therein the burning desire to fill the
world with the Name and Faith of Christ. The Apostle of the Gentiles - his
work is his name. Untiringly he laboured till the sword of the executioner
sent his indomitable spirit to God, and then his writings lived on, and ever
will live, to continue his mission.
It is the way of the Church ever to join him with St. Peter in its prayer,
which is praise indeed. It is fitting, too, for together these two great ones
consecrated Rome by their martyrdom.
The Church celebrates their feast on the same day.
"With far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked." (2 Cor 11:23-27)
10. Servant of God, Frank Duff
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Prayer God our Father, You inspired your servant Frank Duff with a profound insight into the mystery of your Church, the Body of Christ, and of the place of Mary the Mother of Jesus in this mystery. In his immense desire to share this insight with others and in filial dependence on Mary he formed her Legion to be a sign of her maternal love for the world and a means of enlisting all her children in the Church's evangelizing work. We thank you, Father, for the graces conferred on him and for the benefits accruing to the Church from his courageous and shining faith. With confidence we beg you that through his intercession you grant the petition we lay before you ..... We ask too that if it be in accordance with your will, the holiness of his life may be acknowledged by the Church for the glory of Your Name, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. |
Frank Duff was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 7th 1889, the eldest of seven children.
In 1913, he joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and was greatly influenced by the spirit of the Society. As a member, he gradually came to have a great love for the poor and underprivileged in whom, as in everybody he met, he recognized and honored Christ.
In 1916, aged 27, he published his first pamphlet "Can we be Saints?" In it he expressed one of the strongest convictions of his life, namely, that all without exception area called to be saints and that through our Catholic faith we have available all the means necessary to attain this.
In 1917 he came to know the Treatise of St. Louis Marie de Montfort on the True Devotion to Mary, a work which changed his life completely.
On September 7th, 1921 Frank Duff founded the Legion of Mary. This is a lay
apostolic organization at the service of the Church, under ecclesiastical
guidance. Its twofold purpose is the spiritual development of its members
and advancing the reign of Christ trough Our Lady.
The Legion, which is to be found in almost every country in the world, has nearly 3 million active members and many more auxiliary (praying) members.
In 1965 Pope Paul VI invited Frank Duff to attend the Second Vatican Council as a Lay Observer, an honor by which the Pope recognized and affirmed his enormous work for the lay apostolate.
On November 7th 1980, Frank Duff died and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin
In July 1996 the cause of his canonization was introduced by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Desmond Connell.
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Prayer
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 labor 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 favor 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. We place our petitions in the hands of Mary to whom Edel turned in every need. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. |
Edel Quinn was born in Kanturk, Co. Cork, Ireland on September 14th, 1907. As a girl her ambition was to enter a Contemplative Convent, but she was prevented from doing so by ill health.
At the age of 20 she joined the Legion of Mary in Dublin and gave herself entirely to its apostolate. in 1932 she became seriously ill and spent a long period in hospital. She later resumed her Legion work, though with her health permanently impaired.
In 1936, Edel was appointed Legion of Mary Envoy with the commission to establish the organization in the vast territories of East and Central Africa. She encountered great obstacles in this pioneering work. As against every difficulty and her wretched health, she brought to her task an absolute faith in God's love and a limitless trust in the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin.
Edel was gifted with a clear practical mind, notable organizing ability, an indomitable will, a deep fund of warm, human sympathy and an infectious joyousness of spirit that never failed her. These qualities eventually won everyone to her side.
Although working alone and in a state of perpetual ill-health and exhaustion, Edel established the Legion on a firm, enduring basis even as far a Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of Legion branches and multiple councils were established and she mobilized thousands of Africans in the service of the Church.
After eight years of heroic labor, Edel died in Nairobi on May 14th, 1944, where she is buried in the Missionaries' Cemetery. The Diocesan Process, the first step towards her beatification, was sent in motion by the Archbishop of Nairobi.
On 15th December 1994 our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II in a special assembly of the Cardinals and other members of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints made the following solemn declaration.. "It is certain that the Servant of God, Edel Mary Quinn, a secular virgin of the Legion of Mary, practiced to a heroic degree the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity towards God and her neighbor and likewise the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude".
He ordered the Decree to be published and to be inserted in the Acts of the Congregation.
Because of this proclamation of her outstanding holiness Edel Quinn now bears the title Venerable.
12. Servant of God, Alfie Lambe
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Prayer
O God, who by Your infinite mercy inflamed the heart of your servant,
Alphonsus Lambe with an ardent love for you and for Mary, our Mother;
a love which revealed itself in a life of intense labor, prayer and
sacrifice for the salvation of souls, grant, if it be your will, that
we may obtain, by his intercession, what we cannot obtain by our own
merits. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. |
The servant of God, Alphonsus Lambe, (known as Alfie) was born in Tullamore, Ireland on the feast of St. John the Baptist, Friday, 24th June 1932, during the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.
Like St. John he was a precursor - the precursor of the Legion of Mary, which Pope Paul VI described as "the greatest movement which has been established for the good of souls since the era of the great religious orders".
After spending a period of his youth in the novitiate of the Irish Christian Brothers, which he had to leave because of delicate health, he found his vocation in the Legion of Mary, and was appointed Envoy in 1953. With Seamus Grace, he left for Bogotá, Colombia on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16th July) of that year.
For almost six years he worked ceaselessly in promoting the Legion of Mary in Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Brazil. After a short but grave illness he died in Buenos Aires on the feast of St. Agnes, 21st January 1959.
God had bestowed on him great natural gifts, a personality which attracted souls to the service and love of God, an infectious enthusiasm and a facility for learning languages, which enabled him to rapidly attain fluency in Spanish and Portuguese.
During his years in South America he set up a great number of branches of the Legion of Mary and trained a multitude in the apostolate of the Legion. His devotion to Mary was outstanding, and in contacts with Legionaries and others he explained and urged the practice of the True Devotion to Our Lady.
He is buried in the vault of the Irish Christian Brothers, in the Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.