Legion of Mary members?

[markhiggins01]

Hello guys,

I just got back from my first Peregrinatio Pro Christo of the summer (I have a second one next week too) so am really fired up about how great the Legion of Mary is.

So I was wondering how many here are active members of Our Lady’s Holy Legion, in praesidia that keep to the handbook?

When the Legion functions according to the handbook, keeping home to home visitation as the preferred work it can be a fantastic tool for evangelisation. In Our Curia we have had tonnes returning to confession or entering the church from systematic visiting and frequent revisiting.

It is such a pity that so many praesidia do very little that can be described as substantial or apostolic- they go round to the old folks and chat about the weather. How far from the handbook which says that all work should be done with spiritual content- to bring all people closer to our true faith by what we say.

 

[Diamantina]

I’m an active member of the Legion of Mary – secretary of the Pomona Valley Curia. In my “substantial apostolic work”, I usually teach catechism during the school year. During the summer and on vacations, I say the Rosary and help out with Masses at nursing homes, call auxiliary members and visit new parishioners. Our praesidium has not done home to home visitation since I became a member of the Legion, but since I live on the border between two parishes, the neighboring praesidium visited my house on their home to home visitation last summer.

My brother who lives with me, who is an agnostic opposed to organized religion in general, was quite offended that they came and that I answered their questions. He saw no difference between the Legion of Mary and the Jehovah’s Witnesses: as far as he was concerned, neither had any right to bother him. (Of course, the house does not belong to him, but to our mother, so it is not as if the house belongs to him.) How would you treat people like my brother?

 

[markhiggins01]

A lot of people that one meets on home to home are totally uninterested and a few are hostile to religion.

Door to door is a way of reaching all people indiscriminately. The method is used by JWs, Meter readers, politicians, salesmen. In that sense the Legion follows the same approach as any of these in going door to door.

Obviously the content will be different and hopefully the attitude of the members.

But if someone is anti-religion he is bound to be offended by being invited to become a catholic or return to the practise of his Catholic faith. This will sometime sadly be unavoidable.

Our Blessed Lord offended people at times, he provoked and even angered the pharisees to the extent they wanted to kill Him. He then prayed for their conversion and wept for their souls. The Legionaries do the same in the face of hostility.

From our point of view- we do have a right to bother him. Our Lord said “preach the good news to the whole of creation.” We have a duty. St Paul reminds us- “Preach the Gospel and welcome of unwelcome insist on it”. We have an urge “The love of Christ presses us”.

Read the chapter in the handbook. Preach the Good News to the whole creation.

The handbook has the answers.