Allocutio January 2023
By Sr Angeline Lopez /President Lopez
Having a hard time recruiting Legion of Mary new members in your area? Here are some reasons you can give for them to acknowledge your invitation. Hope that this will help you in your recruitment. I have either experienced or read them somewhere.
Ten Reasons to Join the Legion of Mary Legion of Mary
1. Joining the Legion of Mary can help in daily big and small miracles
The principle is that Our Lord and Our Lady are never outdone in generosity. If we sacrifice some time, effort or energy doing their work, they always give something in return.
2. The Legion of Mary is a School for Saint
Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary, once said that “the Legion makes saints and makes them by the bushel.” When we consider that an organization only 100 years old already has lay members whose cause for canonization is truly amazing.
If we want to become good at something, we have to practice it every week, such as a sport, a hobby, a musical instrument. If we want to “be good” at holiness, we must practice it every week as well. And the Legion gives us that opportunity; it provides an ideal expression of the Catholic vocation. It is a unique privilege and great blessing to be counted in its membership.
In sports, if we want to join the City to surf, we practise. If one wants to conquer Mt Everest, there are months even years of preparation.
So if we want to go to heaven we practice our faith faithfully .
3. Join the Legion of Mary and Fulfill Canon Law
Canon Law is the rule book of the Catholic Church. Canon 225 obliges us to be apostolic: “Since all lay people are assigned to the apostolate by baptism and confirmation, they are bound by the general obligation and they have the right, whether as individuals or organizations or in associations, to strive so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all people throughout the world.”
Legion of Mary membership makes it actually easy to follow the rules and be a good Catholic, but it does more: the Legion offers a proven method and motivation for sanctity, thus fulfilling Canon 210 which states: “All Christian faithful must make an effort, in accord with their own condition, to live a holy life and to promote the growth of the Church and its sanctification.
4. The Legion keeps one young.
There are lots little old ladies who, in their nineties, are still doing their Legion work of going door to door. The Legion continues to keep them young.
5. The Legion of Mary Teaches the Catholic Faith
During the weekly Legion meeting spiritual formation is found in the rosary, in the Legion prayers, in the spiritual reading and discussion, and in the talk by the spiritual director. Additional help comes from the wisdom and apostolic techniques learned from the reports which are presented and discussed.
Every time legionaries come together for a meeting it is as if they are gathered at the cenacle with Our Lady, as in the days of the first apostles. Every Legion meeting becomes the Upper Room where modern-day apostles gather together in a cenacle of prayer with Mary, asking the Holy Spirit to come upon them so that they can do great things for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
6. Join the Legion of Mary and Make Friends
The Legion’s main purpose is the holiness of the members. It improves our “vertical” relationship we have with God and the Blessed Mother, but it also enriches the “horizontal” relationship of friends we gain as we live the Legion way of life.
Join the Legion of Mary – Get Married The Legion can help develop wonderful life-long friendships with like minded Catholics. It is also a great place to meet a future spouse. One Legion council in Cork, Ireland reported five marriages from one Legion group alone. It soon became the most popular group in all of Ireland. Another, Legion group in Virginia (USA) reported 6 marriages in two years –equal to over half its average membership over those two years.
7. Join the Legion of Mary as a Means of Tithing
In Scripture, tithing generally refers to the gift of ten percent of our finances to God. This principle should be applied to our time and effort as well. The Legion provides a good jump-start on this by requiring that about four hours each week be set aside, which is only two percent of our time. Scripture says that when you tithe, God’s blessing to you will be far greater than your generosity to Him.
Therefore, as we give time to our Lord and His Mother, they bless us in many ways and we find even more time and more blessings in life. So we are encouraged to consider the tithing principle not only for finances but also for time. The aim is to spend time serving God through Catholic living and the active apostolate.
8. Joining the Legion of Mary Will Help You Face Judgment Day
What a great blessing it would be to hear Jesus say to us “Come, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for when I was sick in the nursing home, you Legionaries visited Me. When I was in prison, you came to see Me. When I was hungry for the Truth, you brought Me back to the Church. When I was thirsty for love, you came and comforted Me.”
The spiritual works of mercy – the Legion of Mary’s primary program of works, such as encouraging people to come back to the sacraments, helping to get children baptized, making the Catholic Church known to others – will be even more important than the corporal works of mercy (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked) because the soul, unlike the body, is eternal and will last forever in either heaven or hell.
9. Join the Legion of Mary and Save Souls
This is what life on earth is all about and it has its basis in the Letter of James, chapter 5, verse 19: “Brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that who ever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
10. Join the Legion of Mary and Masses and prayers will be Said For Your Soul
At present, throughout the world, there are approximately 600,000 Legion groups and by rule, each group has a Mass said for all deceased Legionaries in the month of November.
So, you as a Legion of Mary member, after your death can be sure of having millions of Masses celebrated for you. Imagine sitting in Purgatory and along comes November 1st, with six hundred thousand Masses, being said for you. If you are not out of there soon, it’s through no fault of the Legion of Mary!”
Well my dear Legionaries with these suggestions and well explained reasons why your invitation is such a great opportunity for the people you asked to Join the Legion of Mary. I do believe that you can recruit many souls to be a part of the Legion of Mary. Have a Blessed Week. (Adai Nanda)
LEGION OF MARY – SUGGESTIONS FOR RECRUITMENT DRIVE
1. We recruit not simply so that we can boast of an increase in the number of members, but because we firmly believe the Legion is a source of great graces, not only for the Recruitment is simply offering an invitation to receive an endless source of graces and an instrument for a fuller living of the Christian life.”
2. “Put on a happy face” – a very happy face. You are blessed to be recruiting for Our Lady and offering to others the gift of an easy means to personal sanctification.
3. Get out from behind the table; in fact, put the tables up against the wall if possible. The table creates a barrier between you and your contacts as if you are afraid to approach them.
3. Keep several pieces of good recruitment literature in your hand. A COROLLARY: Do not hold Rosaries of Scapulars in your hand. We are recruiting for the Legion today; promoting Sacramentals is for another day. (But do keep them nearby if someone asks.)
4. Always stress active membership. Keep auxiliary membership as a last resort for those unable to be active members.
5. The goal is to get the contact to a meeting. Getting them to make a commitment is for later. Be sure your literature shows day, time, place of meeting, and a contact person and phone number. If it is not printed, write your name and phone number on the form.
6. Be adaptable. Listen and respond with empathy. Play back to the contact what they tell you
7. There is a simple sentence in the Handbook that requires a great deal of reflection. It reads: ‘Part of the duty of every legionary shall be the winning of members.’
Thank you and happy recruiting
