Legion of Mary

The Legion of Mary is an International Association of members of the laity that serves the Catholic church voluntarily. It was founded in Dublin on September 7, 1921, as a Marian movement by the layman and now Servant of God Frank Duff.

The essential aim of the Legion of Mary is the sanctification of its members through prayer, the sacraments and devotion to Mary and the Trinity, and of the whole world through the apostolate of the Legion. 

The Legion of Mary unit is called praesidium, each praesidium is named after a title of Our Blessed Lady and we represent  ‘Our Lady of the Sacred Heart praesidium’, inspired by Our Lady’s image in the church chapel, as suggested by our first Spiritual Director Fr. Paul Dobson.

There are 2 types of Legion membership, the Active and Auxilliary. At present, we have 6 Active members who hold a meeting every week, on Thursday, at 7 pm at the chapel. A vital purpose of the meeting is weekly prayer in common, the rule is absolutely invariable,  reporting of apostolic works assigned and receiving a new apostolic assignment. Legionaries work in pairs. under the guidance of the Spiritual Director. The Auxiliary members refer to the Legion of Mary as prayer warriors, at present we have  117 members.

Legionaries are primarily engaged in the performance of the Spiritual Works of Mercy through a balanced program of prayer and service. Works may include door-to-door visiting, evangelization, parishioner visitation, visiting the sick or aged, religious education, Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations to people’s homes, the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and meeting any other spiritual needs of the parish community.

Legionaries are also very active in the sacramental preparation of children who will receive their First Holy Communion and guide them through their First Penance. We serve as catechists and retreat leaders for Confirmands. Also, part of our Apostolic Works is the visitation of the Mother Mary statue to families’ homes. Many parishioners who had this extraordinary opportunity reported receiving many blessings after the visit. Anyone who wishes to be visited by our Mother Mary, kindly contact us or the church so we can bring our Mother Mary statue into your home wherein the whole family can gather and pray for Her intercession for a whole week, yes, you can keep Her for a whole week.

Furthermore, before the pandemic, we visit the formerly Chartwell Retirement Home and now Livita Retirement Residence, Bay Ridges Long Term Care Facility, and those who are homebound. During these visits, we pray the Rosary, and/or the Divine Mercy Chaplet or provide a prayer service. The seniors enjoy singing hymns, and carols during Christmas and also can receive Holy Communion.

The Legion of Mary welcomes any Catholic who wants to join to draw closer to Jesus and His Mother Mary. You will have the opportunity to do something positive for the Church while at the same time deepening your spiritual life and strengthening your Catholic Faith and being Holy. You only need to prioritize things in your life, to have the willingness to sacrifice a little of your time and energy for the greatest reason in the world: your love of God