Alfie Lambe
Prayer for the Beatification of
Servant of God Alphonsus Lambe
God, who by your infinite mercy inflamed the heart of your servant, Alphonsus Lambe with an ardent love for you and for Mary, our Mother; a love which revealed itself in a life of intense labour, prayer and sacrifice for the salvation of souls, grant, if it be your will, that we may obtain, by his intercession, what we cannot obtain by our own merits. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen
with ecclesiastical approval
Mass of Commemoration for Alphonsus (Alfie) Lambe, Servant of God, JUNE 26TH 2005
Bishop Michael Smith was be chief con-celebrant at a special Mass in our Parish on Sunday 26th 2005 June at 3pm to honour Alfie Lambe, there was a large attendance of members of the Legion of Mary from all parts of Ireland. Refreshments were served after the Mass at the Alfie Lamb House, Arden Road, Tullamore (Beside the Tennis Court)
Alphonsus LambeThe Servant of God, Alphonsus Lambe, (known as Alfie) was born in Tullamore, Ireland on the feast of St. John the Baptist, Friday, 24th June 1932, during the international Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.Like St. John he was a precursor - the precursor of the Legion of Mary, which Pope Paul VI described as "the greatest movement which has been established for the good of souls since the era of the great religious orders".After spending a period of his youth in the novitiate of the Irish Christian Brothers, which he had to leave because of delicate health, he found his vocation in the Legion of Mary, and was appointed Envoy in 1953. With Seamus Grace, he left for Bogota, Columbia on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 16th July) of that year.
For almost six years he worked ceaselessly in promoting the Legion of Mary in Columbia, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Brazil. After a short but grave illness he died in Buenos Aires on the feast of St. Agnes, 21st January 1959.God had bestowed on him great natural gifts, a personality which attracted souls to the service and love of God, an infectious enthusiasm, and a facility for learning languages, which enabled him to rapidly attain fluency in Spanish and Portuguese.During his years in South America he set up a great number of branches of the Legion of Mary, and trained a multitude in the apostolate of the Legion. His devotion to Mary was outstanding, and in contacts with Legionaries and others he explained and urged the practice of the True Devotion to Our Lady.He is buried in the vault of the Irish Christian Brothers, in the Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.
ALFIE LAMBE NEWSLETTER 1 PDF FILE
Alfie Lambe Newsletter 2 PDF FILE
From South America to Tullamore in Ireland Letters from Alfie Lambe to his Mother -TAKEN FROM MARIA LEGIONIS APRIL 1998
The Servant of God Alfie Lambe Presentata House, Dublin Ireland, January 20, 2007, Eamonn Devlin C.M -taken from Maria Legionis North American Edition No. 4 of 2007
Mass of Commemoration for Alphonsus (Alfie) Lambe, Servant of God, was celebrated in the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore on Sunday, 25th June, 2006 at 3.30 p.m.
The life of a young man, Alfie Lambe, a native of Tullamore, was remembered and the service that he gave to the Legion of Mary was honoured. As an envoy of the Legion of Mary in South America, Alfie laboured in that vast continent for a period of six years from 1953-1959, setting up branches of the Legion of Mary among lay people and thereby involving lay people in the active work of the Church.
This year was the second year which a Commemorative Mass for Alfie Lambe had been advertised by the Legion of Mary nationwide and held in Alfie’s native town of Tullamore.
A large attendance of approximately 400 people were present, many of whom had travelled to Tullamore from different parts of the country.
The Chief Celebrant of the Mass was Rev. Gerard Rice, P.P., Kilcloon, Co. Meath. He was assisted by Rev. Lorenzo Bracken, a former class mate of Alfie’s in Tullamore, Rev. Oliver Skelly, P.P. Coole, Co. Meath and Vice Postulator of Alfie’s cause, Rt. Rev. Monsignor Marron, Kinnegad and Rev. McGauran, Ballinameen, Co. Roscommon.
Members of Alfie’s family were also present including his brother, Mr. Jack Lambe and his sisters; Mrs. Kathleen Brophy and Mrs. Marcella Horan.
In his homily Father Rice described Alfie as having been of a pleasant and humble disposition, qualities that endeared him to so many people. He also spoke of Alfie’s state of holiness which was the greatest resource on which he drew to carry out his work for the Legion of Mary. Alfie’s work in South America penetrated into areas where people had not been visited before. He set up branches of the Legion of Mary among the Indians, in Leper colonies and in prisons. He was aware of the value of each person’s soul and he saw Christ in every person. Father Rice quoted Alfie’s own words in a letter he wrote home in July 1954 in which he said “The world belongs to him who loves it most. I like the world, I love every City and Pueblo I enter into, I am at home under every sky.”
The extent of the work carried out by Alfie Lambe was extraordinary for a young man; his work was effective in changing the face of South America. To this day Alfie Lambe is fondly remembered there. He died at the young age of 26 after a short but grace illness and his remains were laid to rest in the tomb of the Christian Brothers at the Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cause for his Beatification was introduced by the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires in 1978. Prayers are requested for the Beatification of the Servant of God, Alphonsus (Alfie) Lambe.
Favours attributed to Alfie’s intercession should be notified in writing to:
Legion of Mary, De Montfort House, Morning Star Avenue,
Brunswick Street, Dublin 7, Ireland.
Article submitted by B. Hanley.