Auckland Senatus: There are 3 Chinese praesidia, whose members teach catechism and conduct Bible study. One Chinese person was baptised as well as 10 children and 5 mothers from the Women's Refuge. High security prisons are visited and many non-Catholics are prayed with. Three weeks' extension was carried out.

Melbourne Senatus: Nine attached praesidia with an average of 5 members reported on various parish apostolates. Makin Island established 4 new praesidia and carried out Exploratio Dominicalis projects in every village. Senatus is seeking an Incola Mariae to help the Legion on Kiribati Islands. New Caledonia Island has very good results encouraging cohabiting couple to marry and have their children baptised. Fifteen legionaries from Perth/Melbourne undertook a Peregrinatio Pro Christo to Adelaide, 5700 homes were visited 1836 non-Catholics and 722 Catholic families were met. In 2 years active membership in the Senatus increased by 120 to 1820 and praesidia by 50 to 250.

Sydney Senatus: Since January extensive extension has been undertaken. A Sudanese praesidium has been established; they speak Arabic. More Priests are requesting praesidia.

Madang Regia: Kudiama Comitium prepared 360 people for Baptism, 238 for First Holy Communion and 250 for Confirmation and make regular visits to HIV/Aids patients. The University praesidium's efforts to evangelise resulted in some students attending Mass. It also runs a Sunday school for children living on the Campus teaching them prayers/catechism, etc.

Rabual Regia: Minutes give little information yet membership is very large. This Council has 6 strong Comitia but the officers cannot attend due to distance.

Cebu Senatus: Extension is a feature of many reports and promotion of Frank Duff's Cause is reported on by all Councils. Peregrinatio Pro Christo projects took place to Camotoes and Limasawa Islands; conversions from the Sects are widely reported, as are Baptisms, marriage validations and recovery of the lapsed. Special attention is given to audits. Visitation of praesidia/Councils is seen as a priority; auxiliary, praetorian and adjutorian membership figures in reports.

Bicolandia Senatus: Many returns to the Sacraments are reported. Prison visitation in the company of the Priest is proving very successful. They present the Faith and promote the Rosary. On home-to-home visitation many are encountered in need of the Sacraments particularly the sick and disabled. The Priest is introduced. In hospitals many are also met who seek the Sacraments.

Cagayon de Oro Senatus: This Council has 20 directly attached praesidia, 25 Curiae plus 2 Regiae and 14 Comitia. Through constant follow up legionaries are bringing the Priest to the dying and the sick and to people in irregular marriages to discuss problems. What is striking in the reports is the number of people who have lived hidden lives for years confiding in no one, living together, never having their children baptised, without any contact with the Church yet opening up to the legionaries. Huge numbers of marriage validations and Rosary campaigns are organised.

Manila Senatus: There are huge numbers of Councils and praesidia attached to the Senatus. Many Muslims were received into the Church plus members of other Faiths. Here too after years of visitation people are brought back to the Church. Promotion of the Rosary to a non-Catholic resulted in her entering the Church. Many of the legionaries who are lawyers and doctors give their services free to those in need. The Patrician Movement and Exploratio Dominicalis are widely organised. Most reports carry news of Baptisms of the young and aged.

Accra Senatus: The new Sunyani Regia visited Damongo in May and had a discussion with the Spiritual Director and officers of the 10 praesidia in the Cathedral parish and learned that the former legionaries at Bole were prepared to regroup. A letter of appreciation was sent to His Grace, Archbishop Dominic Kodwo Andoh on his retirement. The Students' Curia has 355 members and the Curia at Kotababi has 307 members. A praesidium with 21 active members has a junior praesidium attached. A Borstal Institute is visited and catechism taught to the residents.

Hwange Comitium: Father Tim Peacock Spiritual Director and 3 members of the Hwange Comitium visited Katima Mulilo in Namibia for a week. They conducted a workshop at which there was an attendance of 60. A Curia meeting was arranged for the 7 existing praesidia and 4 Curiae officers were elected. This Mission has 52 out centres with scope for more praesidia. A praesidium at St. Kizito's (which is close to the Victoria Falls) has an average attendance of 25. Two local extension workers were appointed and have commenced their assignment.

Mutare Comitium: A praesidium of 15 members has 12 children in preparation for First Holy Communion; they also reach out to the sick especially infirm former members and they encourage the unmarried to wed in the Church, etc.

Senatus of Lesotho: All the reports show that many children are under instruction for the Sacraments and many more are being taught to pray. Several Acies ceremonies were held and praesidia and Councils are being visited. The sick are visited in their homes and hospitals and the lapsed are encouraged to return to practice.

Cape Town Senatus: A praesidium teaches liturgical dancing to young people and it assisted a lapsed man who was suicidal to return to practice. A praesidium conducted 20 wake services and assisted at 21 funeral services. Port Elizabeth Comitium is in touch with the Legion in East London, Kingwilliamstown and hopes to start the Legion in Grahamstown. At the parish in Kwazakhele a recruiting drive netted 7 senior and 16 junior members. Extension is ongoing.

Johannesburg Senatus: A local praesidium prays the Rosary on its visits to the prison, members visit the squatter camps where a father and mother and 3 children have promised to return to practice. Reports were received from the Comitium at Soweto and the Curiae at Natalspruit, East Rand and Kimberley. Marriage, Baptism and catechism classes are conducted.

Durban Comitium: The praesidium at Nazareth House has 53 auxiliaries and 11 adjutorians.

Marianhill Comitium: The translation of the Handbook into Zulu is proceeding with 10 chapters translated and corrected. An attached Curia has 94 active members in 8 praesidia who visited the homes of 122 bereaved, attended 51 night vigils and accompanied 105 funerals. They also bathed, cooked and fed the sick and cleaned their homes.

Matatiele Comitium: The attached Bizana Curia reported that it has 18 praesidia in different areas, 102 received into the Church, 80 are under instruction and 105 young people were prepared for Confirmation. They also run 7 Sodalities. An attached praesidium reported 56 baptisms, 28 First Holy Communion, 12 marriages regularised and arranged the Sacrament of the Sick for 52.

St. Augustine's Comitium: An attached praesidium visited 160 non-Catholics. 680 attended the Acies ceremony.

Benguela Regia: 114 juniors attended their own Acies. Two Curiae reporting had 33 praesidia each, another had 27 and a fourth 6. Huambo Comitium had 635 at a Congress.

Luanda Regia: Praesidia reporting have an average active membership of 18 with a few auxiliaries. A talk on the Servant of God Frank Duff had a good attendance. 2005 has been designated 'The Year of Prayer for the beatification of Frank Duff and Edel Quinn'.

Praia Regia: An attached Comitium has 12 directly attached praesidia and has a senior and junior Curia with a total of 380 and 160 auxiliary members. The Legion is growing in many of the islands.

The Senatus recently received reports from four directly attached praesidia which have a total of 23 active and 520 auxiliary members. Door to door visitation is carried out as well as visitation of the sick. Edinburgh Curia has 12 praesidia and it has started to visit families with newly baptised children. Ayrshire Curia has 4 praesidia with 26 active members, 7 praetorians and 180 auxiliaries.

Liverpool Senatus: A city praesidium has 9 active members of whom 3 are praetorians. It also has 90 auxiliary and 20 probationary auxiliaries on roll. Parents of First Communicants are presented with packs including a miraculous medal, explanatory leaflet, a child's catechism and holy water. There are 9 active and 16 auxiliary members in the praesidium in the Isle of Man. Manchester Comitium governs 3 Curiae and one of these has a junior praesidium of 11 members who assist the senior members with home and hospital visitation.

Middlesbrough Comitium organised a May procession with 400 in attendance as well as a Corpus Christi procession. Wirral Curia with 5 praesidia reported that a public rosary in Birkenhead had an attendance of 60 and that a Patrician group continues to meet regularly.

Birmingham Senatus: In South Birmingham Curia a new praesidium was set up and 4 new parishes were approached for extension. Coventry Curia continues its apostolate to homosexuals. A discussion group along the lines of the Patricians has been started at Warwick University. A follow up visit by legionaries to a lady who had not been seen at Mass for some weeks resulted in her non-Catholic husband being received into the Church and their grandchild receiving her First Holy Communion.

Swansea Comitium (under the caretakership of Birmingham Senatus): Two members of the Senatus visited Swansea Comitium in May. They found that the legionaries were very keen to get the Comitium on right lines. Two new works mentioned were visitation of Swansea prison and street contact in the City Centre.

Wrexham Curia (under the caretakership of Liverpool Senatus): There are 7 praesidia attached. In addition to the usual Legion works, a 'Wednesday Club' is organised for members of other Churches who attend the recitation of the Rosary in a hall.

Cardiff Comitium: Two reporting praesidia have a total of 24 active and 64 auxiliary members. The attached Curia at Merthyr has 3 praesidia.

Paris Regia: The Concilium correspondent attended the May Regia meeting and legionaries present came from 4 continents. A new praesidium has been started for people from the Ivory Coast. The Haitian praesidium, which has grown to 15 members has decided to divide. Versailles Curia with 4 praesidia has a varied work programme including the preparation of adults for Baptism and Confirmation.

Valence Regia: Two praesidia, each with 7 members, in Valence and Chateauneuf de Galaure do some home visitation, visit the sick and elderly and run a junior boys praesidium. The praesidium at Levron in Montelimar Curia invite children to attend the Church on a weekly basis for prayers and discussion. About 40 - 50 attend.

The Curia arranged a retreat for its 3 praesidia and it co-operated with 2 other Marian groups in arranging afternoon devotions during the annual octave to the Mother of God.

Antwerp Senatus: Leaflets containing an explanation about the Gospel for the next Sunday are distributed to parishioners who are asked to discuss it. Good contact is maintained with the parents of newly baptised children.

Brussels Senatus: A praesidium in Schaerbeek meets Muslims, Armenians and Jehovah's Witnesses in the course of its apostolate. A new praesidium in Wavre has 11 African members and attributes this to the intercession of the Servant of God, Frank Duff.

Fribourg Comitium: The 4 attached praesidia visit the sick and housebound.

Cologne Regia: The new praesidia in Bergneustadt and Dusseldorf are to be working well. There was a successful Peregrinatio Pro Christo to Zerbst (Magdeburg) in February.

Frankfurt Senatus: Cologne Regia have agreed to be affiliated to Frankfurt Senatus from September. Efforts are being made to establish Philipino praesidia in Kassel and Fulda. Comitium Freiburg with 3 praesidia in Curia Gurtweil and 5 in Curia Bodensee visits all praesidia twice yearly.

Munich Senatus: The Senatus president and another legionary visited the Bishop of Dresden who wants the Legion in his Diocese. The Bishop of Eichstaett has introduced the Legion to his parish priests. Curia Rosenheim had a Legion information stand at the festival of Nations in Wasserburg. Curia Amberg Weiden has 12 praesidia, one of which holds a Patrician meeting in Tirschenreuth with an average attendance of 30. Curia Ingoldstadt had 37 at their retreat. Curia Teisendorf has 11 praesidia and a junior one with 15 young members in it. Cologne Regia, Frankfurt and Munich Senatus co-operated in preparing for the World Youth Day in Cologne in August.

Jerusalem Comitium: Reports from 3 praesidia mentioned visitation of the sick, elderly and bereaved, an apostolate to the lapsed, promotion of the Rosary and the distribution of Sacramentals. Ramallah Curia and Jericho praesidium have been revived.

Re: Recitation of the Prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God, Frank Duff

We wish to inform you that a decision was taken by the Concilium at its April 2005 meeting permitting the recitation of the Prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God, Frank Duff. The recommendation was that the prayer would be recited at the end of every Legion meeting (praesidium and Council) which takes place throughout the world

It is to be understood that the recitation of this prayer is not interfering with the prayers invariable coming, as it does, after the Concluding Prayers of the Legion and is provided for under Chapter 19, Section 16 of the Handbook.

It is also to be understood that the recitation of this prayer for beatification refers only to Frank Duff in his capacity as founder of the Legion of Mary.

We set out for the information of all legionaries the reasons for the decision:

The absolute necessity of prayer for the Vice Postulator and the team working on the Cause because of the magnitude of the work involved.

The theology of the grace of a founder whose Cause takes much greater precedence than those who follow him.

The fact that none of us would be members of the Legion of Mary but for Frank Duff.

The idea is to mobilise all 3 million active members of the Legion encouraging those already reciting the prayer to continue to do so daily. For those not already saying the prayer to encourage them to undertake daily recitation. Hopefully the 10 million Auxiliary members will be encouraged likewise.

The Concilium commends those Councils throughout the world which have had the Prayer for Beatification translated into the languages used by the legionaries. The Concilium will gladly assist in paying for the translation and printing of those written languages and dialects yet to be translated. Where the translations have already been done we encourage every Council to print copies of the Prayer leaflet for distribution to all their members and for the general public so that, if God so ordains, the Servant of God Frank Duff can yield many favours and miracles.

In writing to the Councils directly attached to the Concilium we ask your co-operation in making this decision known to all directly attached praesidia and Councils in your care.

The Concilium has no doubt that the implementation of this decision will shower many graces not just on those working for the Cause but on us as members and on the Church as a whole. It is an opportunity for us all to read up as much as we can about our founder and come to a fresh realisation of just how blessed by God and Our Lady he was. From when he was a young man right through to his death in 1980 Frank Duff was in the special care of the Providence of God. Each one of us owes him our deep gratitude. Recitation of the prayer for his beatification is one way of showing this.

Signed     Fr. Bede McGregor O.P.     Sile Ni Chochláin

Spiritual Director             President