|
Annual Mass 2007
 Comments
from various Legionaries on the Annual Mass held at St Michael’s North
Melbourne. There were fourteen priests and about five hundred Legionaries.
 Bishop
Prowse spoke well of the Legion, commenting that the Legion is looking younger.
He first celebrated Mass in 2001 in St Michael’s Parish as Monsignor Prowse.
Special mention must be made of the thirteen other priests, our Spiritual
Directors, who concelebrated. We are deeply honoured and grateful for their
support during the year and at this wonderful occasion. The 500 Legionaries
attending attesting the quiet and gentle apostolate serving Jesus through Mary.
At the Senatus Meeting and after the Mass various comments
were made:
 “This
is the third Annual Mass that I have attended since joining the Legion. The
previous two have been held at Star of the Sea which is a church that I very
much like. I was wondering what the Mass would be like at St. Michaels. My
eldest daughter, often goes there as she lives nearby. She loves the church and
enjoys Mass there. So, I knew that it would be a place of reverence. She also
told me that the Parish Priest was Vietnamese. This was exciting in terms of the
growing multicultural nature of the Legion in Melbourne. I found the Mass very
moving and was thrilled when the Vietnamese members of the Legion chanted one
decade of the Rosary and the Closing Prayer. I also took note, along with Bishop
Prowse, that there were many younger people at the Mass. The growing number of
priests that concelebrate is also an encouragement. The afternoon tea was very
enjoyable and we had new Legionaries at our table from two of the parishes where
there has been recent extension work. I hope and pray that the large numbers of
people at both the Mass and the afternoon tea is a sign of our health and a
pledge of our continued growth.”
“I felt it was a very well done Mass. I felt the solemnity of
the presence of God in Mass.”
“The varied nationalities that read the prayers of the
faithful show the diversity of cultures in the Legion”
“ Special mention to the members from Albury/Wodonga Comitium
who attended and who had a ball on the way home. Others came from as far away as
Adelaide, Sandhurst, Mornington, Warragul and East Gippsland.”
“The strong contingent of the Vietnamese Community was
special, especially when they joined in the third decade of the Rosary in their
own language. The chanting of the Hail Mary was beautiful. Their participation
was very moving.”
 “It
was a well attended Mass and a wonderful day; I really was touched by the parish
priest dusting the altar and ensuring that everything was in readiness for the
Mass.”
“There was a
good attendance of priests and it was all the more wonderful because they were
LEGION priests!”
“It was good
for Bishop Prowse to be so gracious about our growth and our youthfulness; his
words were very encouraging.”
 “Thank
you to the legionary who ensured that our new praesidium president who is blind
was able to get back to morning tea.”
   “All
of the organisers are to be both thanked and congratulated for putting together
such a wonderful Mass and also a special thanks to those who organised the
afternoon tea and cleaned up!”
An example of our noted ‘afternoon
teas’.
Its just another time we go about our
business quietly!
| 
