Dear Parishioners,
Over recent Sundays our second reading at Mass is taken from the Letter of St. James. In today’s excerpt we have the best-known line from the Letter: “So you have faith and I have good deeds? Show me this faith of yours without deeds, then! It is by my deeds that I will show you my faith.” Jas. 2:18
A lay apostolic group, which has helped countless believers rise to the challenge presented by St. James, celebrated its one-hundredth birthday during the week.
The Legion of Mary was founded in Dublin on September 7th 1921. Elizabeth Kirwan was appointed its first president. Frank Duff, a civil servant in the Department of Finance, was instrumental in setting up the first group and in promoting the work of the organization. The Legion adopted the terminology from the old Roman Legions with the basic group called a Praesidium.
I understand the first Praesidium was established in Tuam in 1934. With the passing of time, Junior, Intermediate, women’s groups and men’s groups were established in the town with groups active also in the post-primary schools. In 1953 a Praesidium was established in Cortoon.
The Legion combined a weekly meeting, consisting of prayer, reports on works done, and readings from the Legion Handbook, with various lay apostolic works thus responding to the challenge of St. James.
These works included visits to the sick and housebound, visits to the residents in health facilities and the distribution of Catholic reading material as well as the promotion of prayer and devotion to Mary.
Each year from 1961 up to 2019 parishioners from Tuam travelled with the Legion on foreign missionary apostolate called PPC (Peregrinatio Pro Christo) to parishes in England, Scotland, Wales and as far afield as Ottawa in Canada.
Today the Legion is active in over one hundred and seventy countries making it the largest international organization to originate in Ireland. The Legion Handbook has been translated into over one hundred languages.
As we mark this centenary, it is timely to give thanks for the work of the Legion in our faith community here in the Parish, to ask God’s continued blessings on current members and to pray for the souls of deceased Tuam & Cortoon Legionaries.
Fr. Pat Farragher Adm.
