The Legion of Mary (Latin: Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civil servant Frank Duff.
Today, active and auxiliary (praying) members make up a total of over 10 million members worldwide, making it the largest apostolic organization of laypeople in the Catholic Church.
Membership is highest in South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which each have between 250,000 and 500,000 members.
Membership is open to believing members of the Catholic Church. Its stated mission is for active members to serve God under the banner of Mary through the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy, as mentioned in Chapter 33 of the Legion of Mary Handbook. The main apostolate of the Legion is activities directed towards Catholics and non-Catholics alike, either by encouraging them in their faith or inviting them to become Catholic. This is usually done by supporting them in prayer, attending Mass and learning more about the Catholic faith. Members of the Legion are engaged primarily in spiritual works of mercy, rather than works of material aid.
The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff on 7 September 1921 at Myra House, Francis Street, Dublin. His idea was to help Catholic lay people fulfil their baptismal promises to be able to live their dedication to the Church in an organized structure, which would be supported by fraternity and prayer. The Legion draws its inspiration from Louis de Montfort's book True Devotion to Mary.
The Legion first started out by visiting women with cancer in hospitals, but it soon became active among the most destitute. Most notably, the Legion began helping Dublin’s prostitutes in the Monto, the largest red light district in Europe at the time, to run away from their "kip-keepers" and start new lives. Duff also set up a similar refuge for unwed mothers, but defied the usual consensus in Ireland at the time by teaching the women how to raise their children instead of giving the babies away for adoption. He subsequently laid down the system of the Legion in the Handbook of the Legion of Mary in 1928 the complied activities of the legion.
The Legion soon spread around the world. At first, it was often met with mistrust because of its then-unusual dedication to lay apostolate. After Pope Pius XI praised it in 1931, the Legion had its mistrust quelled.
Most prominent among those who spread the Legion are Edel Quinn (1907-1944) for her activities in Africa in the 1930s and the 1940s. Her dedication to the mission of the Legion, despite her ill health (tuberculosis) brought her admiration: her beatification process is currently underway, as well as for Duff and Alfie Lambe (1932–1959), Legion Envoy to South America.
On 27 March 2014, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Bishop Josef Clemens, delivered the decree in which the Legion is recognized by the Holy See as International Association of the Faithful.
In 2021, the Legion celebrated the centennial of its founding amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, by hosting virtual talks, devotions, and masses. The group also resolved to increase its membership and engagement among young people and to pray for the beatification of Servants of God Frank Duff, Alphonsus Lambe, and Venerable Edel Quin.
The basic unit of the Legion is called a Praesidium, which is normally based in a parish. The Praesidium, usually a group of 3–20 members, meets weekly in its parish. A Curia is the next level above, handling several Praesidia.
The next level is the Comitium, which is in charge of several Curiae, usually over an area like a medium city or part of a province. Above it is the Regia, which is in charge of larger territories like a province or state. The Senatus is the next level, and generally governs the Regiae in a very large area, usually a country or a very large territory: for example, the Senatus of Uganda manages the Legion in the whole of Uganda.
The Concilium is the highest governing level and controls the entire Legion worldwide from its seat in Dublin.
Each level of the Legion has the same set of officers: the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Spiritual Director. The last is always from the clergy, but all other offices are held by the laity. All positions regardless of responsibility are voluntary and the Legion has no paid workers.
Membership is open to all baptized Catholics. After visiting a Praesidium a few times, one can join the Legion as a probationary member for three months. Then, a decision is made on whether one is to join the Legion as an active member permanently. During the probationary period, probationary members learn about the Legion system by reading the Handbook of the Legion of Mary and its active works by listening to reports of such undertaking by fellow Legionaries. At the end of probationary period, members swear the "Legion promise", a pledge of allegiance to the Holy Spirit and to Mary, and become permanent active members.
Membership in the Legion of Mary is essentially based on discipline and commitment. Members devote their time and prayer for intentions through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Members can withdraw from the Legion by informing the president of his or her Praesidium.
The Legion of Mary consists of two totally different memberships: the active and the auxiliary members. Both are essential to the Legion: "Just as a bird cannot fly without one wing, so also the Legion cannot exist without any of the other members," said Ráinel Lobo of Mumbai, India.