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Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary (Latin: Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civil servant Frank Duff.
Today, active and auxiliary (praying) members make up a total of over 10 million members worldwide, making it the largest apostolic organization of laypeople in the Catholic Church.
Membership is highest in South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which each have between 250,000 and 500,000 members.
Membership is open to believing members of the Catholic Church. Its stated mission is for active members to serve God under the banner of Mary through the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy, as mentioned in Chapter 33 of the Legion of Mary Handbook. The main apostolate of the Legion is activities directed towards Catholics and non-Catholics alike, either by encouraging them in their faith or inviting them to become Catholic. This is usually done by supporting them in prayer, attending Mass and learning more about the Catholic faith. Members of the Legion are engaged primarily in spiritual works of mercy, rather than works of material aid.
The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff on 7 September 1921 at Myra House, Francis Street, Dublin. His idea was to help Catholic lay people fulfil their baptismal promises to be able to live their dedication to the Church in an organized structure, which would be supported by fraternity and prayer. The Legion draws its inspiration from Louis de Montfort's book True Devotion to Mary.
The Legion first started out by visiting women with cancer in hospitals, but it soon became active among the most destitute. Most notably, the Legion began helping Dublin’s prostitutes in the Monto, the largest red light district in Europe at the time, to run away from their "kip-keepers" and start new lives. Duff also set up a similar refuge for unwed mothers, but defied the usual consensus in Ireland at the time by teaching the women how to raise their children instead of giving the babies away for adoption. He subsequently laid down the system of the Legion in the Handbook of the Legion of Mary in 1928 the complied activities of the legion.
The Legion soon spread around the world. At first, it was often met with mistrust because of its then-unusual dedication to lay apostolate. After Pope Pius XI praised it in 1931, the Legion had its mistrust quelled.[citation needed]
Most prominent among those who spread the Legion are Edel Quinn (1907-1944) for her activities in Africa in the 1930s and the 1940s. Her dedication to the mission of the Legion, despite her ill health (tuberculosis) brought her admiration: her beatification process is currently underway, as well as for Duff and Alfie Lambe (1932–1959), Legion Envoy to South America.
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Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary (Latin: Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civil servant Frank Duff.
Today, active and auxiliary (praying) members make up a total of over 10 million members worldwide, making it the largest apostolic organization of laypeople in the Catholic Church.
Membership is highest in South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which each have between 250,000 and 500,000 members.
Membership is open to believing members of the Catholic Church. Its stated mission is for active members to serve God under the banner of Mary through the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy, as mentioned in Chapter 33 of the Legion of Mary Handbook. The main apostolate of the Legion is activities directed towards Catholics and non-Catholics alike, either by encouraging them in their faith or inviting them to become Catholic. This is usually done by supporting them in prayer, attending Mass and learning more about the Catholic faith. Members of the Legion are engaged primarily in spiritual works of mercy, rather than works of material aid.
The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff on 7 September 1921 at Myra House, Francis Street, Dublin. His idea was to help Catholic lay people fulfil their baptismal promises to be able to live their dedication to the Church in an organized structure, which would be supported by fraternity and prayer. The Legion draws its inspiration from Louis de Montfort's book True Devotion to Mary.
The Legion first started out by visiting women with cancer in hospitals, but it soon became active among the most destitute. Most notably, the Legion began helping Dublin’s prostitutes in the Monto, the largest red light district in Europe at the time, to run away from their "kip-keepers" and start new lives. Duff also set up a similar refuge for unwed mothers, but defied the usual consensus in Ireland at the time by teaching the women how to raise their children instead of giving the babies away for adoption. He subsequently laid down the system of the Legion in the Handbook of the Legion of Mary in 1928 the complied activities of the legion.
The Legion soon spread around the world. At first, it was often met with mistrust because of its then-unusual dedication to lay apostolate. After Pope Pius XI praised it in 1931, the Legion had its mistrust quelled.[citation needed]
Most prominent among those who spread the Legion are Edel Quinn (1907-1944) for her activities in Africa in the 1930s and the 1940s. Her dedication to the mission of the Legion, despite her ill health (tuberculosis) brought her admiration: her beatification process is currently underway, as well as for Duff and Alfie Lambe (1932–1959), Legion Envoy to South America.