ON THE OCCASION OF THE 5OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE LEGION OF MARY
ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE MAYNOOTH 23 June, 1971.
Mr Frank Duff,
De Montford House,
North Brunswick St,
DUBLIN 7.
Dear Mr Duff,
The fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Legion of Mary is a cause of joy, not only to Dublin,its place of origin, but also to Ireland and even to the Catholic world. We, the Bishops of Ireland, express to you our glad congratulations that, having nurtured the Legion from its earliest moments, you have been allowed by God to witness the marvellous expansion of this unique association of lay apostles.
The origins of the Legion of Mary are marked by obscurity, poverty and even hostility, that are seen at the outset of Our Divine Saviour's life in Bethlehem and Nazareth. Yet, in the plan of God,the supernatural faith and courage of the founding members have merited the grace not only of survival, through every kind of human vicissitude, but also of diffusion throughout the countries of the world.
Nor has the Legion relaxed its discipline of prayer and activity in the very varying circumstances of climate or peoples or cultures. We praise you for the steadfastness with which you have conserved the basic constitution sanctioned by thousands of Bishops and approved by the supreme authority of the Holy See.
No other power than that of God, no other inspiration than that of the Holy Spirit, no other protection than that of the Mother of God can adequately explain the supernatural constancy of the Legion of Mary.
With great fruit of holiness has the Legion emphasised from its earliest days the unique function of the Mother of God in dispensing grace. It is by the union of will and suffering between Jesus Christ and Mary, that she has merited to become the dispenser of all the gifts that Our Divine Saviour purchased for us by his death alone on the cross. Who that examines the Legion of Mary can deny that the primary grace which her intercession has won for its members is a deeply interior love of Jesus Christ, her Son?
In the courage of that divine love we must find the source of the immense outpouring of the Legion's works of charity, particularly those that are concerned with the most abandoned and helpless types of mankind.
We pray that Our Divine lord, in His indulgent mercy, may be pleased at the unceasing prayer of His Blessed Mother, to preserve her Legion through the coming years in the spirit of prayer that has been the character of its members, since they first knelt on the 7th September, 1921, to recite the Rosary before the statue of the Immaculate Virgin.
And may God be pleased to grant you in the years of life that yet remain to you the consolation and reward of presiding over a Legion unbroken in its spirit of supernatural holiness.
Very sincerely yours,
The Most Reverend John McCormack D.D.,
The Most Reverend Eugene O'Doherty D.D.,
Secretaries to the Bishops.
CONCILIUM LEGIONIS MARIAE
DE MONTFORT HOUSE NORTH BRUNSWICK STREET
DUBLIN 7 . IRELAND
TELEPHONES 723153 &723142
TELEGRAMS LEGION. DUBLIN
My dear Lords Bishops,
4th November, 1971.
Seldom in my life have I experienced greater pleasure than was given to me by Your Lordships' delightfully worded letter of the 23rd June 1971. Indeed I wonder if a more generous and appreciative letter has ever been addressed to a subject by the Bishops of his country. I wonder too if anything could be more comprehensive than the commendation both of the spiritual and practical sides, which you so graciously bestow on the Legion.
Your letter will fortify the Concilium in its office of central governing body, and it will stimulate the members in their work. It goes into the legionary annals as a glorious charter from the Bishops of its native land.
I take this opportunity of thanking Your Lordships for the understanding and support which you have always given to the Legion. Whatever difficulties may have been encountered did not proceed from you.
My memory is vivid in regard to the personal kindness which I have always received from each one of Your Lordships. The Council too was a precious experience to me. I know that my attendance was brought about by Your Lordships' insistence. While there, I received many kindnesses from each one of you.
It forms a happy retrospect that the Legion has not failed notably in its duty of love and obedience to authority. May that feature ever continue in its special mark. Without it, may the Legion perish.
With renewal of my expression of gratitude and affection,
I am, my dear Lords Bishops,
Your most devoted servant,
Frank Duff.
To the bishops of Ireland,
c/o The Most Reverend John McCormack D.D.,
The Most Reverend Eugene O'Doherty D.D., Secretaries to the Bishops.
TAKEN FROM FRANK DUFF- A LIVING AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
MARIA LEGIONIS- DUBLIN-PHILADELPHIA-MANILA 1983