Legion of Mary very much at home in Knock - Cardinal Brady

Legion of Mary very much at home in Knock - Cardinal Brady


Michael Commins

THOUSANDS of people attended the Legion of Mary National Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine last Sunday. A fleet of over 100 buses carried pilgrims from many parts of the country for the special ceremonies in honour of Legion founder, Frank Duff from Dublin.
Cardinal Sean Brady, who delivered the homily at the ceremony in the Basilica said Frank Duff was ahead of his time. “He opened the way for the Legion of Mary. He did so at a time when the role of the lay faithful still had to struggle for full recognition. Frank Duff’s message has much to teach us in our present situation. His genius was to translate doctrine into action.”
The Cardinal recalled a trip he made to Korea many years ago and how he became aware of the international impact the life of Frank Duff had on people in lands faraway from Ireland. “The occasion was the ordination to the priesthood of one of the students of the Irish College in Rome. It was a wonderful experience - a great experience of the faith and devotion of the Korean people.
“When I came to Seoul Airport to fly home, I met there the President of the Legion of Mary in Korea. She had come there to greet me and say farewell simply because of the fact that I was from Ireland – the land of the Servant of God, Frank Duff - the country which had given to her, and her country, the great gift of the Legion of Mary.
I thought it was powerful proof of the stature of the Servant of God, Frank Duff in all continents of the world. It was a wonderful tribute on her part to the work and worth of the Legion of Mary.”
The former Cavan senior footballer told the capacity congregation that today we are confronted by a question. “It is not ‘Are you rich or are you poor?’ as if one or the other would make us morally better. The question is not ‘How much do you own?’ but ‘How much do you care?’
Like St Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio, Francis Duff cared. He cared a lot. He cared enough to want to do his utmost to share the compassion of Jesus Christ with all – but especially with the poor.
“Several Popes have written to, and about, the Legion. Frank Duff’s favourite papal statement was that of Paul VI who said: “What I like most about the Legion is that it empowers the little people to become apostles”. I would say it empowers not just the little people – but all the people who care to try.
Cardinal Brady, singing the praises of Knock Shrine, told the gathering that it was the ideal place in which to remember the Legion. “The Legion is surely at home here. Let us thank Mary for the great graces of the past and ask her to intercede and be especially with us for the present and for the future. We remember the countless bands of Legionaries who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith, especially those Legionaries who have died since our pilgrimage last year. We pray for an increase of membership for the Legion. We ask that more and more people discover the joys of belonging to it.
“For Knock is Our Lady’s very personal gift to the people of Ireland. Here she has given us a place of pilgrimage – a place of prayer and of peace, of repentance and of renewal and a place of encouragement and hope. · What a grace to stand on this holy ground with you who strive through holiness and prayer to promote active co-operation, in Mary’s and Christ’s work.”