“A BEAUTIFUL STORY TO BE TOLD”

The Legion of Mary in Oceania: 1932-2005

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady’s Nativity at 8 p.m. on 7^th September, 1921 Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary sat down with Fr. Toher and fifteen ladies.   They prayed to the Holy Spirit, said the rosary, and asked our Lady to “lead us.”

 From that providential but inauspicious meeting rose the Legion of Mary.  In this year of 2005 it operates in 178 countries of the world, always with the same simple form of meeting, under the protection of the Blessed Mother and with the formal approval of the Church. 

Fr. Aedan McGrath, a Columban priest in China in the 1940’s was asked by the then Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Riberi, to extend the Legion in China.  He did so with remarkable success.  Later, after his release from prison under the communists, Fr. McGrath continued over many years his Legion work especially in the Pacific region from the Philippines.  On several occasions he visited the Legion Senatus in Melbourne and Sydney.  He surveyed the extraordinary work that had been done from there, but was saddened that their story was unknown by the bishops, clergy and laity.  He wrote: “You have a beautiful story to be told, and IT SHOULD BE TOLD.”

This book is the history of that ‘extraordinary work’ covering now over seventy years.  It began from a visit of Fr. Bakker and Mrs. Gavan Duffy to the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin 1932.  Enthusiastic with what they has seen of the Legion, then only eleven years old, they determined to bring it to Melbourne.  It began there in some of the worst days of the Great Depression; this was followed shortly after by the Second World War.  Yet in spite of grave difficulties the Legion spread with remarkable rapidity to most of the Australian dioceses within twelve years.

In 1950, Agnes Orlebar, then living in Melbourne, was asked by the leadership in Dublin to go to Japan.  She spent nine years extending the Legion in Japan and Taiwan. In 1954, Charles Kenney, twenty fours years old, went from Sydney as an extension worker to New Guinea, New Britain, the Solomon Islands and New Britain.  He was joined two years later by Sylvester Carley who extended the Legion further into Fiji, the Gilbert Islands and Nauru.  He died at the age of seventy nine years after twenty two years of Legion expansion among the island peoples.  New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands also joined the Legion family. 

In the 1950’s the Legion became the leading Australian organisation for the apostolate towards non-Catholics.  The Legion still plays a large part in parish life throughout Australia: When properly used it still remains a quiet but powerful force until today throughout the world.

 Frank Duff was invited as an auditor to the sessions of the Vatican Council on the ‘Apostolate of the Laity’. When he was introduced, the 2500 bishops gave him a loud and sustained applause, knowing as they did, the immense work the legionaries had done in their dioceses, particularly the missionary ones.    Speaking to the Legion in 1982 Pope John Paul II said:

“You are a movement of lay people who propose to make faith the aspiration of your life up to the achievement of personal sanctity.  Your proper vocation as lay people, the vocation to be a leaven in the People of God, a Christian inspiration in the modern world to bring the priest to the people, is eminently ecclesiastical. Yours is an eminently Marian spirituality, not only that the Legion glories in carrying Mary’s name on its unfurled banner, but above all because it bases its method of spirituality on the dynamic principal of union with Mary, on the intimate participation of the Virgin Mary in the plan of salvation.” (Legion Handbook ch.2)

After the Special Synod of Bishops on Oceania, Pope John Paul wrote his Apostolic Exhortation “The Church in Oceania” (Nov. 21, 2001). It has added much to the Legion’s contemplation and planning.  So the Legion in Oceania faces the new evangelisation with confidence.  The mandate of Jesus is to “Go out to the whole world and preach the Gospel to all creatures.” Our own special area given us by divine Providence is “The Church in Oceania.”

This “Beautiful Story” is an endeavour to narrate some part of the history of the Church and Legion from 1932 to 2005.

When Moses saw the burning bush and approached to see this wonderful sight, God spoke to him:  “Take off your sandals.  The ground on which you tread is holy.”  So too is this legionary ground covering over seventy years of the history of Church and Legion  in Oceania.

Fr. Joachim O’Brien OFM

 Introduction by the Senatus President

What a grand and historic day we have before us. The first Praesidium was started in Melbourne in 1932 and within ten years had spread throughout Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific. That story has not been told, until now. Alphonse Lamb spread the Legion throughout South America. Edel Quinn spread it through Africa. So who did all this wonderful work in Oceania? You will find out when you read ‘A Beautiful Story to be Told’.

The people in the book are ordinary Legionaries like the one sitting beside you today. The priests were like this gentle, kind priest who is before you today. What is special about all these people is that they have been influenced by the gentleness and caring of a very special Mother and they have allowed themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Our great Legion Priest Fr. Aeden McGrath influenced our Fr. O’Brien to begin this book. Fr. O’Brien retired last year as our Senatus Spiritual Director at the age of 89 and now at 90 he’s making a comeback with a book. He has come back with a beautiful story for us. He retired so he could do more work. 

During his time with us before his retirement he gave us a booklet entitled ‘The Legion of Mary in the New Millennium’; a new version of the ‘Act of Consecration to the Mary Immaculate St Loius De Montfort’s Consecration’; Study Days on ‘True Devotion by De Montfort’; explained the Popes encyclicals and letters; gave us an updated picture of Mary and her Son; a bookmark for the Summer School and has lead us into the New Millennium with a great sense of  anticipation of ‘things to come’ .

Today he launches his most remarkable book which has taken him over four years of research. Many Legionaries have stepped forward to assist. As usual we do not usually see the quiet gentle work done by Legionaries in the background. Sometimes the only way to give recognition to a courageous band of quiet gentle warriors is to write a book about them.

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Copies of the Book are available from the Senatus at 456 Queensberry Street , Melbourne 3051 for $7.00 plus postage.

or From   Legion of Mary, Arlington Regia     820 Gibbon St. #203      Alexandria, VA 22314  USA