Local curia plans Mass of Thanksgiving in Cathedral
By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
On September 7, 1921, the first meeting of the Legion of Mary — an organization of Catholic laity — took place in Dublin, Ireland. Today, the apostolic association founded by Frank Duff nearly 100 years ago has spread to 170 countries with six million members, many of whom are active in the Diocese of Lake Charles. The Legion draws its inspiration from St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s book True Devotion to Mary.
To celebrate the Centenary of the Legion of Mary, a Mass of Thanksgiving will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 7, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, as officiant. The Legion has had a presence in Southwest Louisiana since 1971.
Currently, parishes with a Legion of Mary unit, known as a praesidium, in the Diocese of Lake Charles include Our Lady of LaSalette and Our Lady of Prompt Succor, both in Sulphur; Our Lady of LaSalette in DeQuincy; St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Carlyss; and Our Lady Help of Christians in Jennings.
Judy Gregory, of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, said being involved with the Legion of Mary for the past 26 years is the only thing that has helped her live out her baptismal vows.
“I had been searching for something. When I joined the Legion of Mary, I finally found where I belonged,” Gregory said, “The Legion teaches you how to evangelize. It was the beginning of my conversion even though I had been Catholic all my life. Through the Legion, I began to understand more about the Catholic faith. It has brought me closer to God and to Mary.”
All praesidia have a priest as a spiritual director, but otherwise the Legion and its officers are Catholic lay men and women. Each member promises to say the daily prayers (Tessera), attend weekly meetings, and perform two hours of apostolic service per week. The purpose of the service is both to help the church and community as well as fulfill members’ baptismal promises by performing Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Kitty Roberts, president of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Curia (higher council for the praesidia in the Diocese) is a parishioner of Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in Sulphur. She said that she knew from her first meeting 12 years ago that the Legion would help deepen her faith and give her opportunities to learn more about the Blessed Mother.
“The Legion of Mary is about each member’s own personal growth and what we do to imitate Mary’s virtues. I wanted to live out those virtues,” Roberts said. “The weekly meetings are a time to reflect on our spirituality.”
Fay Barton, also a parishioner of Our Lady of LaSalette, had just retired when she was first invited to a meeting. While not familiar with the Legion of Mary, she was curious to learn more about it. Now, 30 years later, Barton said she, too, has noticed a deepening of her Catholic faith.
“The Legion of Mary is my life,” Barton said, acknowledging that the promise to attend weekly meetings is a big commitment. “I know that no matter was else is going on in my life, Mary will work it out for me to get to my meeting, and she will work it out for me to do my work for that week.”
Some of the apostolic work carried out by members includes going out in pairs to evangelize.
“You never know who is going to open the door when visiting people in their homes,” said Roberts, “but you feel Mary wrapped around you. When we give someone a Miraculous Medal of Mary, we put the medal around their neck. It is a joy when you see their face as you put the medal on them.”
The spiritual and social welfare of every individual is a priority for the Legion. Gregory said the more that members go out to evangelize, they begin to get into the mentality of constantly looking for souls.
“When we go door to door, we are thinking there might be somebody in the house that needs to go to confession; there might be a fallen away Catholic in the house,” she said.
There are two types of Legion of Mary members — active and auxiliary. Because of the time commitment involved in being an active member, people can still associate themselves with the Legion by undertaking a service of prayer as an auxiliary member.
“Auxiliary members are basically praying members,” said Gregory. “They commit to praying a daily rosary and the Tessera. Their daily prayers put the army behind the active members who go out into the community. Without their prayers, we would not be successful in our works.”
In addition to the Mass of Thanksgiving on September 7, a gathering for past and present legionaries and their families is also planned 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 11, at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Vecchio Hall located at 1109 Cypress Street in Sulphur. Anyone wanting to learn more about the Legion of Mary is welcome to attend.
For more information on the centenary celebration or if you know someone who was involved in the Legion at one time, contact Kitty Roberts at 337-496-9193. For more information on the Legion of Mary, visit https://www.legionofmary.ie.
