What do Legionaries do?
ACTIVE Members:
With special devotion to our Blessed Mother, Mary, under the direction of our Pastor and
Spiritual Director, Fr. David, the primary ministry of Active Legionaries is evangelization.
Members visit the sick and call on those in hospital or nursing homes, provide rides to church
or to doctor appointments, pray with parishioners at Pilgrim Virgin Statue visits and
Enthronements of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as King in parish families. At least twice
each year at "Book Barrows" they disseminate free spiritual literature, rosaries and other
sacramentals to all who ask for them. Active Legionaries recite daily the Catena (the
Magnificat, prayers of the Legion from the Tessera) and the Rosary. Members meet weekly
(about 1 1/2 hrs.) with their Spiritual Director usually in a parish to pray, to report on and to
receive a work assignment. A minimum of two hours work weekly is assigned by the
President and approved by the Spiritual Director or pastor. Legionaries are required to
observe absolute confidentiality with regard to sensitive matters that may be discussed or
learned at the meeting or in their work. The work of a praesidium varies from place to place
but members always go out in pairs to meet people. Newer members are instructed by the
master-apprentice method. Ideally, the praesidium holds evangelization/conversion contacts
as its highest priority with conservation of the Faith and consoling works following. A partial
list of works includes:
Instructing and preparing others to receive the Sacraments
Teaching the Catholic faith to children or adults
Assisting the pastor with conducting a census of his area
Visiting jail inmates, the hospitalized, the homebound sick or elderly, or residents of nursing
homes
Providing rides to church and doctors appointments
Distributing rosaries, medals, Catholic literature in a crowd contact area
Praying with parishioners at Pilgrim Virgin Statue visits and at Home Enthronement of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus as King in parishioner homes
AUXILIARY members, the praying wing of the Legion of Mary, are lay faithful, priests, or
religious unable or unwilling to assume the duties of active membership. They recite daily
the prayers of the Tessera, namely: the Invocation and prayers of the Holy Spirit, 5
decades of the Rosary, the Catena, and the prayers described as 'concluding prayers'.
Persons who are already praying a daily Rosary for any intention whatsoever may become
Legion Auxiliaries without obligation to pray an additional Rosary. Auxiliary members are
contacted at least once a year by active members from their attached praesidium. An
invitation is extended to an Acies, the annual ceremony of reconsecration to Mary, Queen of
the Legion, held around March 25th, the Annunciation. Auxiliaries are honored with a special
function around September 8th, the feast of the birth of Our Blessed Mother.
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