April 2004

Osaka Senatus:Hanshin Curia has two praesidia with a total of 20 active members in one parish. They have many children coming to a Saturday Catechism class. The Curia had an attendance of 80 from the nine parishes at a Rosary Rally. A praesidium which had closed following a big earthquake in Hanshin has been restarted. Visitation of homes and hospitals is undertaken by legionaries in Kobe Curia. Kyoto Comitium has a total of 87 members. Among their works are visiting non-Christians, lapsed Catholics, the sick and aged. Many of the elderly Catholics who cannot attend Mass look forward to the visits of the legionaries.

Seoul Senatus:A praesidium in Bucheon Catholic University has ten active members, including two praetorians, 37 auxiliaries and six adjutorians. They help a lot with catechism classes and they had three returns to the Sacraments. While some Councils showed a decrease in the number of praesidia and active members, others showed an increase. An annual report from the Regia in Chungju Diocese showed a decrease of 337 active members but it still has 7,667 members. They had an increase of 73 auxiliaries bringing the number of auxiliaries up to 5,090. They reported 14,143 catechumens recruited, of whom 2,741 were baptised. They had 2,125 returns to the Sacraments.

Gwangju Senatus:The Senatus expressed its gratitude to the Concilium on its decision in regard to the raising of Daegu Regia to Senatus. When the Andong Regia, which is being transferred to the new Daegu Senatus, gave its last report to the Gwangju Senatus in February, it was wished well and it was mentioned that the Senatus had the sentiment of giving a daughter in marriage. A Comitium, attached to the Senatus, has a total of 97 praesidia in one parish. Junior legionaries in this parish were very inspired by the Legion's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Another Curia recruited 150 catechumens, most of whom are being prepared for Baptism. Pusan Regia has seen a decrease in the number of members, however the legionaries have a very active apostolate. They recruit many catechumens and among their works is the running of catechism classes at night for street vendors.

Daegu Senatus:The Senatus is very happy with the Concilium's decision to raise what was Daegu Regia to Senatus. A letter of approval has been received from Most Reverend Paul Moun Hi, Ri, Archbishop of Daegu, and a letter of approval for the affiliation of the Andong Regia to the Daegu Senatus was received from Most Reverend John Chrisostom Kwon, Bishop of Andong. The Archbishop of Daegu will be Chief Celebrant at a Mass to mark the establishment of the new Senatus on 23 May 2004. Among the many activities of Councils attached to the Senatus was the foundation of five new junior praesidia by one Comitium. Another Comitium showed great support by legionaries for small christian community meetings. Many Councils report the recruitment of catechumens and baptisms.

Senatus of Jakarta:A Curia in Bekasi established in 1998 has 21 senior and one junior praesidia, 259 active members, 20 praetorians, 312 auxiliaries and 7 adjutorians. Works include the staffing of a display unit to explain the Legion, co-operating with a Muslim youth organisation to conduct a seminar regarding dangerous drugs and helping with the liturgy in parishes for the closure of the year of the Rosary. A Patricians group is organised in Grogol Curia. In Passar Minggu, the Curia has 11 senior, 14 junior praesidia with 189 active, 187 auxiliary and 4 adjutorian members. Poor street children and a fishing village are visited. A junior praesidium in a senior high school composed of 18 students of whom 3 are praetorians, arrange Mass for the sick at St. Carolus hospital and a youth Mass in the Cathedral. They tell interested fellow students about Catholicism. The apostolate carried out includes the visitation of homes, teaching blind children and counselling people with marriage problems.

Malang Senatus:A Curia reported that some of its members pray with, feed and entertain lepers at Christmas and Easter. A Comitium in Surakarta had a meting with its Spiritual Director and Assistant Spiritual Director which resulted in good co-operation. The Senatus advised that they hold this type of meting twice yearly. It was recommended to one Curia to help a parish priest in order to win his respest and also to have harmonious relations with the charismatics in the parish.

Kuala Lumpur Regia:Attendance at the Annual Retreat was 74, and at the Annual Reunion 341, the Rosary was recited in English, Chinese, Tamil, Tagalog and Bahasa Malaysia.

Singapore Senatus:In their annual Chinese New Year visit to the Archbishop, His Lordship asked the legionaries to promote the Rosary and to pray for more vocations. In a Curia report it was mentioned that legionaries helped St. Vincent De Paul members in their work for the poor. Some of the items listed in the Junior Curia Report included the leading of morning prayer and gospel reflections, songs of praise and worship sessions. They also broadcast Christian music and cleaned school chapels.

Taiwan Senatus:The Senatus comprises 10 Curiae, 1 Comitium and 32 directly attached praesidia. There are 169 praesidia in all. 1,756 active legionaries, with an average of 10 per praesidium and there are 6 probationary praesidia.

Hong Kong Comitium:Activities include street contact, catechism classes and visitation of the elderly in their homes, recitation of the rosary with families, visitation of the sick and elderly, works of service for them and meetings for non-Catholics.

Senatus of Kenya:24 intermediate legionaries from Uganda spent 4 days in Nairobi and were cared for by the junior Curia. The Senatus is very busy preparing for the 60th anniversary of the death of Venerable Edel Quinn. A monthly prayer group at Edel's grave is now organised by the Senatus. The Council is also occupied with implementing the various suggestions made by the Concilium visitors.

Senatus of Uganda:Kabale Comitium with 12,054 members had 553 people brought into the Church after instruction by legionaries. Jinja Comitium with 7 Curiae, 15 praesidia and a total of 1,283 members instructed 28 Muslims into the Church. H.E. Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala visited Luzira prison and confirmed 80 catechumens. He encouraged the prisoners to realise that everyone has the capacity to change for the good. He appointed 8 chaplains to minister in the prison. Three new praesidia have been formed with members released in December. The legionaries instructed 12 Muslims who became Catholics.

Benin City Regia:Two senior and a junior curia were formed in December and January. A curia with 23 praesidia reported 205 non-Christians converted, 8 marriages ratified and 185 active and 78 auxiliary members recruited, while another Curia had 11 lapsed returned to the practice of the faith and 15 other Christians brought into the Church. A praesidium had 20 infants baptised. Prayers were requested for peace in Bombadi.

Ibadan Regia:Fourteen legionaries were ordained priests and 7 ordained deacons, while 16 members entered seminaries or religious houses. As a result of extension many senior and junior praesidia and 9 senior and 1 junior curiae were established.

Lagos Regia:This Regia was inaugurated on 25 January 2004. H.E. Cardinal Anthony Olobunmi Okogie was present at the first meeting and the attendance included 134 members and 541 visitors including 5 officers of Ibadan Regia and one each from Benin City and Kaduna Regiae. Lagos Regia has over 25,000 senior and over 22,000 juniors members.

Kaduna Regia:There is good mention of Junior praesidia and functions held to commemorate Venerable Edel Quinn and the Servant of God Frank Duff.

Blantyre Regia:The Bishops of Mzuzu and Lilongwe Dioceses have agreed to the Legion Councils in their dioceses being governed by Blantyre Regia. Now the Regia has authority over the Legion in Blantyre Archdiocese and its 6 suffragan dioceses. It is planned to launch the Regia formally with a special Mass on 11 September 2004. The Regia officers are visiting attached Councils to give them advice and help. Mangochi Diocese has 4 Comitia with a total of 20 attached Curiae.

Kasama Regia:Much extension work is undertaken sometimes involving very long journeys into difficult territory. As a result 9 new Comitia have been inaugurated and more are planned for Kasama Archdiocese and its 2 suffragan Dioceses. The Hierarchy and clergy give the Legion great support and the Regia Spiritual Director is tireless in his work on behalf of this fairly new Regia. A special project last year was the promotion of the Mysteries of Light throughout the area at the request of the Hierarchy and this year the Regia plans to concentrate on youth and to set up praesidia in former state schools.

Lusaka Regia:New praesidia for men and new Curiae have been established. The Bishop of Monze has given approval for the Regia to visit. Stress is laid on prison visitation. Legionaries from Chililabombe Comitium visit 4 prisons, teach the Scriptures and pray the Rosary. The prisoners expressed their gratitude. Evangelisation brings the legionaries into contact with the unbaptised, broken marriages and those strayed from the Church.

Rombo Comitium:Visitation of praesidia is being carried out. Emphasis is placed on the study of the Handbook. Details of the Legion in Arusha Archdiocese and Mbula and Same Dioceses have been requested.

Njombe Comitium:This Council now appears to be working on correct lines.

Jimma Praesidium:A letter from the Spiritual Directress stated that she hoped to make contact with the Legion in Addis Abada during a visit there.

Senatus of Austria:Sixty legionaries attended the Senatus Winter School. Lapsed Catholics are invited to Birthday Masses for senior citizens by the Floridsdorf Curia. Hollabrunn Comitium started a new praesidium and two new praesidia were set up by St. Poelten Comitium. Members of a praesidium in Tulln Curia have undertaken the True Devotion to Mary. 55 participated in the youth festival in Goettweig. Bregenz Comitium had an attendance of 60 young people at a Christmas festival. Muehlviertel Comitium started 2 praesidia, 1 senior and 1 junior. Linz Comitium carried out extension in 6 parishes. Zwettl Comitium held a "Light Festival" as a counter event to Halloween and 40 children attended a Nazareth festival in Poeggstall.

Budapest Regiaset up a new Comitium in Zalaegerszeg with 6 Curiae. A total of 22 new praesidia were started between September 2003 and March 2004 and 5 new Curiae were set up.

Bucharest Curianow has 9 praesidia with a total of 77 active legionaries. Included are a new praesidium of 16 members and another with 6 members in the Diocese of Iasi.

The Czech Handbook has been distributed to all the legionaries. A new praesidium started by the Bruenn Comitium in Ostrau visits prisons. The Prague Curia also has a new praesidium.

The Zseliz Curia and the Trnava Curia each set up a new praesidium. The Slovakian Handbook is with the printers.

Eleven priests attended a meeting for Spiritual Directors organised by Zagreb Comitium. Extension work in Split resulted in 4 new praesidia, which are to form a new Curia.

The Ljubljana Curia with 7 praesidia is persevering with its work and extension work despite no obvious success. The Life of Venerable Edel Quinn by Hilde Firtel was translated into Slovenian and 2,000 copies were printed.

Minsk Comitium:Two praesidia in Minsk visit hospitals, hostels and residential homes and during the summer they contact people in the parks, speaking of God's love and mercy, the sacraments and about abortion and chastity. One praesidium also speaks to students in colleges about chastity. The attached Stolbtzi Curia is setting up a junior praesidium and Molodechna Curia set up 2 new praesidia during the last three months. The Comitium is giving assistance to the Baranovichi Curia and is working towards the setting up of a new Curia in the Grodno region.

Riga Comitium:A recent E-mail message says all three Curiae were represented at the March meeting. The Acies was planned for 17 April. The Comitium has become more aware of the need to pray for the beatification of the Servant of God, Frank Duff.

Kaunas Comitium:The new Curia at Ukmerge set up another praesidium bringing their total to 4 praesidia. Panevezys Curia now has 8 praesidia and Telsiai Curia has 14. Home and hospital visitation are the primary works of most praesidia. Legionaries bring Holy Communion to the sick. The miraculous medal is used widely and Catholic literature is distributed. Reports show many people prepared for First Holy Communion and the return of several lapsed Catholics, some after many years. A young man who attempted suicide was visited for over a year and brought back to the sacraments. A praesidium visiting a jail is in touch with 300 prisoners.

Lublin Regia:A Curia in Lublin conducts Vigils, the Way of the Cross and Days of Recollection as well as doing home to home visitation and an apostolate to the lonely and problem families. They have 2 junior praesidia, one of intermediate age, and they manage a Legion gazette.

Warsaw Comitium:Average membership of praesidia reporting is 9 active members with 20 - 50 auxiliaries. The new Curia at Malbork was set up on 4 December 2003 while 4 more praesidia have been formed in other places. One of these was set up in Gdynia.

Reports from Kameniec-Podolsky Curia show good progress.

Buenos Aires Senatus:During her recent visit to Argentina The Irish President Mrs. McAleese visited the grave of the Servant of God Alfie Lambe and placed a wreath there. The Senatus organised two pilgrimages close to his anniversary, the second one was a youth pilgrimage in which a large number walked to the cemetery in torrential rain. The Legion prayers were recited and a homily was given by Mgr. Miguel Mangini who had been recruited as a young non-committed Catholic by Alfie. Reports to Senatus recorded thousands of homes visited, rosaries recited outdoors with contact work before and after. The Rosary is recited in a Salvation Army Hostel and the sacraments are brought to residents.

Salta Senatus:Special efforts are made to keep in contact with priests who are unable to attend praesidia and council meetings. New officers are interviewed to explain their duties and responsibilities. Extension teams not only set up new praesidia but visit weak praesidia in the area in order to build strong councils. Some officers have to stay overnight when attending council meetings. Other members wade across streams and rivers to attend meetings and carry out their work assignments.

Cordoba Senatus:Extension efforts are ongoing in two areas near Cordoba city and efforts are being made to set up junior praesidia. The Senatus held a Congress in April. The Senatus Spiritual Director found that all the parish priests to whom he had spoken were very pleased with the Legion because its members worked silently and the good results of their work were evident.

Corrientes Regia:Extension efforts continue. Legionaries are helping with the preparations for the Eucharistic Congress in September.

Rosario Regia:A curia with 14 senior and 2 junior praesidia has 195 active members; their extension efforts resulted in a new senior and a junior praesidium. Auxiliary and praetorian membership features in praesidia and council reports, also many returns to the Church resulting from home, hospital and prison visitation. AIDS patients are visited and catechism is taught to children, including street children.

Belo Horizonte Senatus: Devotion to Our Lady is promoted by means of recitation of Rosaries and miraculous medal novenas - in homes and on streets - many residents including children and youth take part. Twenty-five women, including 7 legionaries, were given a sewing course to enable them to earn a living. Junior legionaries visit new babies with miraculous medals. Many works of service are performed for the sick; this sometimes involves a whole night's visit. On such a visit 2 Protestants asked legionaries to recite the rosary.

Salvador Senatus:One Curia reported an extension effort in the central town area, in outlying areas and throughout the diocese. Legion news is presented on the local radio. A Comitium recorded legionaries giving post-natal care to the newborn in 5 families. Other works carried out included visits to street girls, drug addicts and literacy classes. The Senatus regularly visits its distant Councils.

Rio De Janeiro Senatus:Clinics and schools for children with special needs are visited. Parents whose sons were assassinated were visited and in one town a murder was prevented; in another area a suicide was prevented. A Comitium recorded 4000 sick people visited. In some places legionaries conduct funerals, particularly those of poor people.

Sao Paulo Senatus:A new Comitium has been set up and the Senatus asks about the possibility of setting up a Regia in an area which has 20 Comitia. A meeting of officers of the various Senatus in Brazil was held in January. They discussed the official website for the Legion in Brazil, the Legion magazine and the forthcoming national conference for young legionaries to be held in Sao Paulo in July. 100 legionaries from various Councils including 10 from Sao Paulo Senatus, took part in a Peregrinatio project to Palmas in Tocantines. During it 75 people were baptised and 23 Church marriages were held. A vast apostolate is undertaken by the Senatus. This includes an apostolate to migrants, street people, drug addicts, AIDS patients and HIV children.

Brasilia Regia:A Comitium recorded reception into the Church of several Protestant families and the conversion of a spiritualist who became an active legionary. Junior members are responsible for a monthly Legion Mass; they also visit homes of Catholics and others, stressing the sacraments and teaching the Rosary. In the city Mass is organised twice monthly in apartment blocks while the rosary is recited and the Gospel of the day explained.

Sao Luis Regia:Special attention is given in the Archdiocese to prison apostolate and the place of the Legion in this apostolate. Other items included in reports are Exploratio Dominicalis projects, Bible study groups and catechesis.

Fortaleza Regia:An apostolate to street girls resulted in 2 giving up the life. A Curia recorded over 10,000 home visits and 135 prison visits resulting in 209 couples married in the Church. Exploratio Dominicalis projects were carried out and 2 new praesidia were established.

There was an attendance of about ninety at the Conference which was held in Thurles on Saturday 3rd April 2004. Officers came from almost all the Legion Councils in the south of Ireland. Spiritual Directors, both priests and Religious Sisters also attended, along with seven Concilium officers and five Concilium correspondents. A warm welcome to Thurles was extended by Rev. Fr. Gerard Hennessy, Spiritual Director of the Thurles Comitium and Helen Tynan, Comitium President. In the course of the Conference, Father Hennessy expressed his great appreciation of the work of the legionaries.

The Conference was divided into four sessions with the following headings: The Call to Holiness; The Legion System; Serving the Church; and The Missionary Outreach of the Legion. Attention was also focused on promotion of the Causes of Venerable Edel Quinn and the Servants of God, Frank Duff and Alfie Lambe. Participation was very good during the conference and a great commitment to the Legion and the legionary apostolate was in evidence.

In her concluding talk, Sile Ni Chochl�in, Concilium President, said that the conference provided an opportunity to take a fresh look at the areas where the Legion operates, to look at new possibilities, to consider what the greatest needs are and to set up a programme to take steps, even symbolic steps, to meet those needs.

Following the Conference, Mass was celebrated with Most Reverend Dermot Clifford, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly as chief celebrant. In a beautiful homily, Archbishop Clifford focused on the Eucharist and the Rosary, saying that the Mass and the Rosary are very closely linked. He referred to the recent letters from Pope Paul 11, in which the Holy Father put two challenges to us: 1) to rediscover the treasury of the Rosary and 2) to rekindle our faith in the Eucharist and to rediscover our sense of amazement at the Eucharist.

The Concilium wishes to appeal to all Councils to ensure that prayers for the above Causes are available throughout their areas. It is recommended that the prayers be translated into the main language in each area and that they be printed and widely distributed not only to legionaries but to members of the public as well.

Sixteen young legionaries mainly from Dublin took part in an Easter weekend project in Ballina, Co. Mayo. They visited homes and did crowd contact on the streets where they spoke to teen-agers about the value of the Faith. They also organised a Patricians type discussion on "The Passion of the Christ". They made many interesting and valuable contacts over the course of 3 days.