Legion of
Mary
Melbourne Senatus
Prayer with Action
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Legion of
Mary
Melbourne Senatus Prayer with Action |
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CELEBRATIONS
Rewarding
Times for the Legion of Mary The
first weekend in July 2004 was very special to the Legionaries under the Melbourne
Senatus Council of the Legion of Mary in
Over the past two years the Senatus Spiritual Director, Fr Joachim O’Brien OFM, has been writing the history of the Legion of Mary from the minutes and correspondence of the these 837 meetings. Some meetings were not held during the war years but otherwise dedicated Legionaries, representing their groups, have met every month for seventy years. Sadly, Fr Joachim has decided to step aside to pass the spiritual responsibilities over to someone younger. He is now 89 and wishes to finish writing the history for us. We have appreciated his dedicated work in bringing us to a greater understanding of ‘The True Devotion’ by de Montfort; his monthly allocutio; the retreats; his assistance in promoting the Legion in the public forum and the gentle warmth of his endearing personality. The third special event commenced some sixty years ago when Laurence Lewis Treacey (Laurie) began his work for Our Blessed Mother through the Legion. It was peaked on Saturday evening after the vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Kew, when Archbishop Hart presented him with the Papal Award ‘Croce pro Ecclesia et Puntifice’ in recognition of a lifetime of service in the Legion of Mary to the Church. The Archbishop witnessed to the congregation Laurie’s work and congratulated him on his apostolic work for the Church over the past sixty years. Now ninety
two years of age, although rather frail, Laurie still
continues his love and service of the Church and the Legion of Mary. His work
for the Church in While
teaching at Mansfield, a country town in He began a
series of classes for non-Catholics. This was so successful that many parishes
sought the same system from the Legion. Eventually the Archdiocese used the
system for correspondence catechetical classes, these being the first of its
kind in Laurie was 44
years old when he first took over the presidency of Senatus, it then being in
existence for 19 years. The Legion had spread during that time to every diocese
in Above
all his active legionary work covering sixty years, his enduring service, his
love of the Church, our Blessed Mother, the Legion of Mary and its members,
remains an example to us all. He is the elder statesman of Melbourne Senatus. The finale of
that weekend started with Fr Joachim celebrating Mass for some 120 Legionaries
at Magnificat House. After Mass a short talk on his work was given by the
President. Then he was presented with a Spiritual Bouquet with hundreds of
Masses, Rosaries, Holy Communions, Benedictions and Stations of the Cross which
were pledged for Fr Joachim and his intentions. He received a standing ovation. Later Laurie
Treacey, who has captured our hearts too, displayed his medal and award. His
response, after a short history of his work, was to state that the award was for
every one in the Legion, not only for him. He too, was given a standing ovation.
Seventy years
on, the Senatus Meeting started with a mixture of sadness and jubilation. Two
great warriors for Our Blessed Mother and her Legion were gently bowing,
receiving their earthly consolation before their eternal joy. Farewell for Fr Joachim O’Brien As Senatus Spiritual Director It was a sad
day when Fr Joachim finally gave his resignation in writing to the Executive of
the Senatus. After much asking of ‘are you sure you want to do this’
‘please don’t go’ and ‘we will miss you very much’. Typical of Father
to get attention away from himself, he made the statement “Now don’t expect
that the next Spiritual Director will have the same style and input that I have
given you. There will never be a Pope John Paul III.” “We understand that
Father and there will never be a Fr Joachim the II”. During
Father’s time with us his dry and rye sense of humour has shown through.
For example when at a spritely 87 he slung his leg over the edge of the
table at the Summer School to give us a demonstration of how a Spiritual
director should not present himself at a Legion of Mary Meeting and his topical
quips on what a Spiritual Director should not
say will not be mentioned, ever! But what has
he done for us is bring about a resurgence of ‘The Spirit of the Legion’ in
his own inevitable style. We now see a new picture of Mary with her Son on the
cover of a booklet entitled ‘The Legion of Mary in the New Millennium’. This
booklet will assist new enquirers of the Legion what the Legion
of Mary is about. Then there is the new version of the ‘Act of Consecration to
the Mary Immaculate St Louis De Montfort’s Consecration” which he has
updated with our new Legion picture and a change of wording, with the proper
Ecclesial approval. His input at the Summer Schools has been well felt, with his
latest addition of a bookmark to pray for vocations. These works
have brought us forward into the new millennium with a fresh ‘face of the
Legion’. Adding a
picture of him to the Senatus Newsbulletin puts a face to those innumerable and
informative Allocutios that he has given us for five years. The amount of effort
to produce one Allocutio does take some time, as he told me in conversation one
day. He always checks and rechecks because he knows he is reaching a large
audience of great and avid readers, who have volunteered themselves to greater
personal sanctification through the Legion of Mary and he wanted to do his best
in serving them.
He has
explained for us the Pope’s three documents ‘Ecclesia in Oceania-The Church
in Oceania’, ‘Novo Millennio Ineunte-At the Beginning of the New
Millennium’ and ‘Ecclesia de Eucharistia-On the Eucharist in its
relationship to the Church’. He was there again for us, with ideas and his
presence, at the ‘Hearts on Fire Congress’ and the finale of the
‘Contemplate-Launch-Out’ in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The ‘New
Evangelisation’ that the Pope has called for went into our new advertising
pamphlets, with his enthusiasm. He has
promoted through the Legion of Mary what the Pope, the Archbishops and Bishops
have been calling for. He has shown us the way into the ‘New Millennium’ to “Go
Preach the Gospel to the Whole Creation” with “Mary - Star of the New
Evangelisation…..radiant dawn and sure guide for our steps.” What has an
old man of 83 got to offer the Legion of Mary was his quip when asked to be the
Spiritual Director of the Senatus. Fr
Aiden McGrath is much older and he is still travelling the world for the Legion
of Mary was the reply. Thank you to that Legionary who must have listened to the
whisperings of Mary or the Holy Spirit that day, for that statement clinched a
deal that brought this saintly man into our midst. We are grateful. He was at
that time the Spiritual Director of a Praesidium and had recently taken on the
Curia as well. So his ‘Yes’ to Mary was getting to be a very big ‘Yes’.
Then he enthusiastically put his hand up to be the Spiritual Director of the
newly formed Archives Praesidium and later for the Our Lady of China Praesidium.
In his spare time he volunteered to
write about the great expansion of the Legion in Many more kind words can be said about you Father, but we all have to call it a day sometime and you have so gracefully called, that today is that day. You have unselfishly chosen to step aside, with the interests of everyone in mind. You are loved. You are special. You are a True Devotion. You are a sparkling star in this ‘New Evangelisation’. You have taught us. You have cherished us. We thank you for being part of us. Kevin
Cross
Senatus President
Albury Wodonga Comitium -60thAnniversary
Sixty years ago, 7th September what were you doing? Close your eyes and think. Many of you were not even born , nor even thought about. Some were bright-eyed little children, some teenagers maybe even Junior Legionaries. A few were busy young parents or in the workforce. Had you even heard of the Legion of Mary "? Sixty years ago, 7th September, the eve of Our Lady's birthday--picture in your mind a group of people gathered together at St Patrick's Albury to hold meeting of an organization new in the area. Let us imagine ourselves seated with them around a table covered with red cloth -red for the Holy Spirit, patron of this organization. A statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception stands on a white cloth at one end of the table. There is a small vase of flowers on either side of the statue and two white candles flicker the Vexillum and Mary's standard. Jean Schneider of Lavington had set the table that afternoon, just as Miss Moran told her. Jean could not be at that first meeting because the bus did not run at night. Miss Moran had come from Sydney to tell us about the LEGION OF MARY. Looking around, we recognize around the table Fr Desmond, Joan McCarthy, Nell Clark, Pat McCarthy, Mary Ford, Marie Buckley, Joyce Bishop (now Joyce Taylor living in Melbourne, Joan Clancy (still living ),Doris McDonald ,Kath Johnson, Pat Wilson (still living ) and little Kathy Broadhead --Kath is here with us to-night ! Fr Desmond leads us in the Rosary and Marj Buckley reads from the Legion Handbook, page 4 -The object of the Legion of Mary. Miss Moran takes the chair and explains what the Legion is about. We have an election of officers -our praesidium is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. So there it was -the first meeting of the Legion in this area in 1943, or so I thought when I gave this talk at the 60th anniversary dinner but during the evening. A Mr Jim McLaurin came up to me and told me about a Legion group he was in when a Father Kelly of Liverpool , England came toWagga.Fr Kelly had been on a ship carrying children to Australia .It was shipwrecked on an island near New Guinea. He came on to Sydney where he heard about the Legion. Father helped establish the Legion in Holbrook which is part of Albury deanery. Now this was about the same time or just after the Albury praesidium started. As I read through the minutes of these early meetings of that Immaculate Heart of Mary praesidium I see the same format that we have today (perhaps we're a little less formal) prayer, spiritual reading, reports, the Catena (Mary's song), and work given out for the week. And what was the work being done back then? In 1943 Legionaries were visiting the hospitals, instructing children attending public schools, visiting homes, all much the same as to day's Legion work. Growth of the Legion ensued. In May 1945 another group called "Mary Spouse of the Holy Spirit" was formed when the original one grew and was split. In 1949 "Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima "began working in Lavington. I spoke with May Stewart ,now 94 years old, and she remembers Mrs.Harrold being president and how she made certain they all did everything " properly " .May also recalls Mary Hanna doing Legion visits on her bicycle with baby behind her. This Legion group persisted until well into the 1990's and in the 80's another praesidium ran concurrently in Lavington. It was "Our Lady Help of Christians" .For a short while there was no Legion in that parish but not for long, as in 1999 "Rosa Mystica " began and in and in 2000 "Mary Mother of Christ " started. 1952 saw "Our Lady Queen of Peace" begin in Albury and original and present members are here tonight. "Mary Queen of Heaven" began in Wangaratta in 1956. In 1957 "Our Lady Queen of Heaven and Earth" was formed in North Albury with Fr Bongiorno as spiritual director and young Mrs Bette Munce as president. Bette is still an active member of Comitium in Albury In 1960 Wodonga formed "Our Lady Help of Christians" and in 1964 "Our Lady of the Sacred Heart" praesidium. Extension work was done in many places .Sometimes praesidia were formed some continued some did not. Our records show that Legion work done in Rutherglen, Howlong, Tallangatta, Henty , Beechworth, Yackandandah, Culcairn, Tocumwal, Berrigan, Finley and Oaklands. CURIA ESTABLISHED IN ALBURY In 1952 a Curia was established in Albury and young Fr Pat O'Connell was first Spiritual director .It was called "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament". Our records show that in 1954 Mons. Larkins was the S.D. Over the years many officers and spiritual directors have come and gone. Many of you would remember the late Fr. O'Leary -a great Legion man. Bishop Brennan supported the Legion and among the wise things he did was the appointment of an extension worker to the diocese in 1991 .Without the vibrant, friendly work of Joan Davies, many of our new praesidia would not have been established. She helped set up the three new groups: Rosa Mystica and Mother of Christ in Lavington and Mary Help of Christians in Jindera as well as supporting the "Christ the Priest" Fathers in Thurgoona where there are four new praesidia, Mary Immaculate, Mystical Rose, and Our Lady Mother of Wisdom. Throughout the Albury area the great work of the Legion continues and when Comitium meets, the roll call is like a mighty litany to Our Lady. Homes, hospitals and nursing homes are being visited, children in public schools taught the faith, legionaries helping in the churches and the faith spread by literature and personal contact at the local markets. see other Celebrations South Australia and Tasmania *******************************
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The Legion of
Mary began in 
Over a four
year period he gave us four study days on True Devotion by De Montfort. Each
year he has given a Day Retreat at Magnificat House. For five years he has
prayed for all of us. His ideas and planning at the Executive meetings have been
exceptional. His patience unbelievable!
(Talk given by Mary Fletcher at the dinner after Mass
celebrated by Bishop Hanna with Spiritual directors of the Legion.)
