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The Legion of Mary San Francisco Senatus Program For the Year of Faith and New Evangelization

(Ando Perlas, President San Francisco Senatus May 26, 2013, Sunday)

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The purpose of this document is to develop and implement a Legion of Mary program of action for the Year of Faith on the basis of the concepts and principles of Emeritus Benedict VXI’s apostolic letter “Porta Fidei,” Pope John Paul II’s new evangelization and other relevant papal encyclicals and apostolic letters relating to the missionary works of the universal Church vis-à-vis the apostolic system of the Legion as contained in the Legion of Mary Handbook.

Apostolic Letter “Porta Fidei” – The Year of Faith The “Year of Faith” provides the Legion of Mary an excellent opportunity to reevaluate its apostolic system in the light of the renewed thrust of the Church towards evangelization as outlined in Pope Benedict VXI apostolic letter, “Porta Fidei” so as to ensure that the Legion is effectively carrying out its apostolic works in accordance with the Handbook but more specifically in support of the missionary goals of the universal Church.

Since its founding in 1921 the Legion of Mary has been sending forth its members to places within and outside the confines of their local parishes to seek the “Lost Sheep” and bring them the message of love, hope and mercy of our Lord . The Legion’s mandate is the ultimate conversion of the hearts of those who do not believe and do not hope in Christ. The Legion’s apostolic system is one of personal contact intimately engaging people from different walks of life to a conversation and dialogue with the hope that through the power of the it will lead them to an inner and personal conversion and encounter with Jesus.

The evangelization effort and missionary spirit of the Legion as drawn up by its founder, , is its foundational structure and deeply imbued in its system. Without this evangelizing spirit, the Legion loses the very essence of its purpose. The Legion system begins with continued and sustained commitment of its members to a life of holiness through prayer and apostolic action. The legionary and soldier of Mary must first experience an inner conversion and encounter with Christ before becoming an evangelizer.

Saint Paul’s conversion led to his desire to evangelize because he had no other choice as he had encountered Christ face to face! Putting it in another way, if one truly has God in him, he has no other longing but to love God more deeply and sharing this love with the rest of the world. This Pauline formula of conversion and evangelization is encapsulated in the Legion of Mary’s purpose: “The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through holiness of its members developed by prayer and active cooperation, under ecclesiastical guidance, in Mary’s and the Church’s work of crushing the head of the serpent and advancing the reign of Christ.1”Thus, the Legion of Mary exists to evangelize and to undertake heroic works of sending forth the soldiers of Mary to the world to proclaim the message of Christ and his unconditional love and mercy to all mankind.

Pope Benedict VXI emphasizes this point when he stated that “it is the love of Christ that fills our hearts and fills us to evangelize. Today as in the past, he sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples of the earth. Through his love, Jesus Christ attracts to himself the

1 Legion of Mary Handbook, Ch 2 “Object”, p. 11 2 | P a g e people of every generation: in every age he convokes the Church, entrusting her with the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new.” 2(Porta Fidei, #7).

New Evangelization We cannot speak of the Year of Faith without discussing Pope John Paul II’s new evangelization. “New evangelization” does not mean a new message because the message of the Church has not changed over the centuries – of mankind through Jesus Christ. Rather, “new evangelization” reaches out to people living in societies that have already been in contact with the Gospel and the Church but for various reasons have not yet had a personal encounter with Christ. Fallen-away or inactive Catholics would fall in this category but the goal of new evangelization is not only to get them back to the Church and the practice of the Sacraments but the conversion of hearts, the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their savior, united unto Him completely and unconditionally in their joys and sufferings.

Pope John Paul II further states that evangelization should not be limited to individual unbelievers but must also address non-practicing Christians and entire cultures. According to him, New Evangelization must be “new in its ardor, methods and expression.” Pope Benedict VXI used the term “re-proposing” of the Gospel (Homily on the Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul, June 28, 2010).

New Evangelization is proclaiming the same message but in a renewed manner with hope, vigor and enthusiasm. The new realities of today’s modern world necessitates that the Church and those engaged in the work of evangelization must implement a sustained effort to find innovative means of bringing the Gospel message to the people of varying cultural backgrounds. In the forefront of the battle for souls are the young people of today who are inundated with technological tools and gadgets that have brought so much distraction in their daily lives. We need to think of new methods of effectively proclaiming the Gospel message to them. With the strong influences of the secular world, what can we do to catch their attention to the words of Jesus? How can Christ be heard in a world that is filled with loud music?

There is a crisis of faith and the fact remains that until the Church uses a new approach filled with enthusiasm and vigor in proclaiming the Gospel, the gap between faith and culture will continue to widen as the strong forces opposed to God and holiness will continue on its deadly mission of destroying people’s lives. Everyone involved in the Church’s missionary work must have an understanding of today’s culture so that the approach will be relevant and expressed in such a manner that in those approached they will have an encounter with Jesus Christ - a real life-changing experience.

In his apostolic letter, Redemptoris Missio Pope John Paul II expresses this ever-changing cultural shift: “Today we face a religious situation which is extremely varied and changing. Peoples are on the move; social and religious realities which were once clear and well-defined are today increasingly complex. We need only think of certain phenomena such as urbanization, mass migration, and the flood of refugees, the de-Christianization of countries with ancient Christian traditions, the increasing influence of the Gospel and its values in overwhelming non-Christian countries and the proliferation of messianic cults and religious sects.” According to a study made by the Center for Applied Research and (CARA), it is estimated that only 23% of U.S. Catholics attend Mass. Those 77% absent are not strangers to us – they are our parents, siblings, spouses, children and friends. The reasons for not

2 Motu Proprio “Porta Fidei” (#7), Pope Benedict VXI 3 | P a g e attending Mass are: busy schedule, family responsibilities, health or disabilities, conflicts with work, not believing that missing Mass is a sin and believing that they are not religious people. For those who attend Mass regularly many of them feel unconnected to the community. The United States Conference of Bishops defines New Evangelization as “a call to each person to deepen his or her own faith, have confidence in the Gospel and possess a willingness to share the Gospel. It is a personal encounter with the person of Jesus, which brings peace and joy. The New Evangelization provides the lens through which people experience the Church and world around them.”

For the Legion of Mary, new evangelization occurs in the many dimensions of its apostolic system but none more pronounced than its work of door to door home visitation and on its cardinal principle of never giving up on a sinner. As the new evangelization proposes to make Christ known with new strategies and approaches, the Legion approach remains constant and in sync with the same principle - renewed effort, unyielding hope and enduring courage in the search of the lost. The Legion missionary method is based on apostolic tradition – get out: share Christ, proclaim the Gospel, one person at a time.

The Legion Apostolic System In his apostolic letter, Pope Benedict VXI states that the faith must be brought to every person not merely on the merit of one’s knowledge and ability but by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells on every apostle. “The Church on the day of Pentecost demonstrates with utter clarity this public dimension of believing and proclaiming one’s faith fearlessly to every person. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that makes us fit for mission and strengthens our witness, making it frank and courageous.” This is echoed in the Legion Handbook, page 294: “Seek out and Talk to Every Soul”: “The essence of religious work is its desire to reach every individual, to take into the sphere of its apostolate not merely the neglectful, not alone the household of the Faith, not only the poor or the degraded but ALL.” 3

The starting point of the Legion apostolic system begins with the notion that the message of the Gospel must be brought to all. This is why it has always sought the recruitment of active members and enrolling them in the ranks of the Legion with quite a clear mandate: live a sanctified life and become the messenger of the Gospel. Under the guidance and protection of the Blessed Mary and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, every Legion member is expected to get out of their comfort zones and proclaim the message of our salvation.

The apostolic system of the Legion demands from its members a serious commitment to apostleship - that having been evangelized and have encountered Christ in their lives, they are expected to go out and evangelize others and take an active part in the Church’s mission: “Finally the person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others. Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization: it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the Kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn.” (Evangelii Nuntiandi). 4

Thus, the first and foremost object of the Legion is the sanctification of its members because it is only through the experience of encountering Christ that one is compelled to proclaim him to others.

3 Legion Handbook, Ch 39 “Seek Out and Talk to Every Soul”, P 294 4 Evangelii Nuntiandi (#24),Pope Paul VI 4 | P a g e

Paul, a patron saint of the Legion, began his ministry after his conversion, after having found the Truth he went out to proclaim it to the ends of the earth.

“It follows that the Legion's battle for souls must begin in the heart of the individual legionary. Each one must wage the battle with himself, determinedly conquering in his heart the spirit of pride and self. This terrible struggle with the root of evil within one, this constant striving after purity of intention, how exhausting it is. It is the battle of a lifetime. Reliance upon one's own efforts will make it the failure of a lifetime; for self winds itself even into the attack on self. Of what use are his own muscles to one struggling in a quicksand?” 5

In the standing instructions of active members of the Legion, active Legion members are obliged to perform “substantial apostolic works” as a measure to ensure their constancy and commitment to evangelization. Pope Benedict XVI in his Motu Proprio “Porta Fidei” expresses the need to proclaim the Gospel as an act of charity and a faith that is alive with action: “The Year of Faith will also be a good opportunity to intensify the witness to charity. As Saint Paul reminds us: “So faith, hope, love abide these three: but the greatest of these is love’ (1 Cor 12:13). With even stronger words – which have always placed Christians under obligation – Saint James said: “What does it profit my brethren, if a man says he has faith but not works? Can this faith save him? If a and sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled’, without giving them the things needed by the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (Jas 2: 14-18).”6 (Porta Fidei).

The Legion of Mary officers should foster in every Praesidium an environment similar to that of the Upper Room at Pentecost – apostles filled by the Holy Ghost ready to conquer the world with the Truth! This zealousness is the character of new evangelization. While the message remains the same, its delivery and proclamation should be novel in character. The fervor, passion and tone of the messenger of the Word must bring forth the essence of Christ’s message to all – hope, mercy and love. A Legionary that goes and proclaims God’s Word in a bland and rote manner is not worthy to undertake this missionary work as the Truth will be shaded with doubt and a lukewarm spirit. The Legion program will fall short of expectations if the apostles do not possess an enthusiastic and ‘fired-up’ spirit similar with its patron Peter and Paul.

Personal Contact and Dialogue The Legion work of personal contact through the visitation of homes or street apostolate propels into motion the Legion work of evangelization. The Legion system uses the traditional missionary and apostolic approach of talking to the people at homes or on the streets rather than proclaiming the gospel with the use of modern means of communication such as radio, television and the internet. The Legion believes that personal contact opens an avenue of dialogue between the Church and God’s people. For the Legion every soul must be approached. “The approach to be really effective must be an individual and intimate one! The media can be made to play an awakening or supporting part in a scheme to bring

5 Legion of Mary Handbook Ch 6 “The Duty of Legionaries Towards Mary, p. 29 6 Motu Proprio “Porta Fidei” (#7), Pope Benedict VXI

5 | P a g e those "other sheep" to the Good Shepherd, but the centre of that scheme must be the appeal of one person to another person.” 7

To the person on the street, the Legionary represents the universal and the ambassadors and witnesses of the Faith. They may be the only open door by which the unbelievers and the lukewarm Christians may enter into the fullness of God’s love and mercy. The encounter, a small step as it is, like a mustard seed has the potential of great endings. The Legionary opens the door of faith and through God’s mysterious ways many lives have been changed by that seemingly innocent and short encounter.

The document, “Pastoral Recommendation for the Year of Faith,” also states the following with regard to personal contact: “It is also important to promote encounters with those persons who, “while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and definitive truth of their lives and of the world, taking as an example of dialogues of the Courtyard of the Gentiles, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture.” 8

When the Legionary enters into a dialogue with an unbeliever or with an inactive Catholic, an invitation is made to those who wish to encounter the true God. They may not be ready yet to enter the fullness of the Christian Mystery are close to the Church as in the Courtyard of the Gentiles, thus making that contact invaluable as this may be their first step into the sanctuary of Christ’s temple.

The Eucharist – Focus of Evangelization For the Legion, this “entry into the sanctuary of Christ’s temple” is through the Holy Eucharist, leading one to full communion with Christ by the nourishment of one’s soul. “The end of all missionary and evangelization works is the Holy Eucharist. We must be obsessed in leading every soul to the Eucharist because it is the instrument of conversion. The Eucharist is the centre and source of grace: therefore, it must be the very keystone of the legionary scheme. The most ardent activity will accomplish nothing of value if it forgets for a moment that its main object is to establish the reign of the Eucharist in all hearts.”9 All missionary and evangelization efforts must lead one to the Eucharist, our Lord Christ, present in the souls of men.

The Legion’s apostolic efforts will be incomplete and meaningless if the seed that we have planted in them will not bear the fruit of the Eucharist. By this very reason, the focus of the Legion work of evangelization is therefore conversion – first the conversion of non-Catholics and non-Christians to the Catholic faith as it is in the Catholic Church that one can avail of the sacrament of the Eucharist and second the conversion of Catholics into a state of sanctifying grace as it is only in this state of one’s soul that the Eucharist can be worthily received. The Handbook stresses this point as follows: “Too much time is often spent on arguments which - even if they are proved-do not attract to the Church. The aim in all discussions should be to make those outside the Church catch a glimpse of the treasures which are within. There is no more effective way of doing this than by the presentation of the doctrine of the Eucharist.”10

7 Legion HB (p. 314 Ch. 40 “Go Preach the Gospel”) 8 Pastoral Recommendation for the Year of Faith, Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith (Diocesan Level, #9) 9 Legion HB Ch 8,”The Eucharist Our Treasure”, p.49 10 Legion of Mary Handbook, Ch. 40 “The Holy Eucharist as an Instrument of Conversion”, p. 316 6 | P a g e

The Year of Faith is also a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist. The faith of the Church is proclaimed, celebrated and strengthened in the celebration of the Liturgy. The faithful must participate in the Eucharist actively, fruitfully and with awareness, in order to become evangelizers of the Lord.

Devotion to Mary Obliges Apostleship The Legion of Mary devotion recognizes that one cannot compartmentalize aspects of her so that one is at liberty to choose a part of her to emulate and follow. If we are to be true devotees of Mary, we must accept and receive her and lead a life imitating her in her entirety. As one cannot pick and choose in Christ, so does one cannot pick and choose in Mary. It follows therefore that those who wish to honor her must become like her in her holiness and in her mission as an evangelizer. Thus it is not enough to pray to her and give her praises. To be completely united to her, we must be united in her in her sufferings and the sufferings of the Mystical Body. Thus, our devotion to her must include a commitment to apostleship as it is through this that makes our mission complete and united with her mission, the salvation of souls.

To be effective missionaries, the Legion urges its members to be united with her, its leader, because without this union the roadmap that leads to Christ can easily be lost. Therefore, in the works of evangelization the Legionary is in partnership with her which demands intensity in effort and great courage. One should not think of giving ‘limited service’ in his apostolic works because this missionary spirit requires a zeal for souls inspired by Christ’s charity.

“It is useless, therefore, for the legionary to justify insufficient effort or slovenly methods by alleging that he relies on Mary altogether. Surely that sort of reliance, which enabled him to shrink from reasonable endeavor on his own part, would be a weak, ignoble thing. He seeks to transfer to Mary's shoulders a burden which his own are adequate to bear. Would any common knight of chivalry serve his fair lady so strangely! So just as if nothing had been said on this subject, let this root principle of the legionary alliance with Mary be stated once again. The legionary must give to the utmost of his capacity. Mary's part is not that of supplying what the legionary refuses to give. It would not be proper for her to relieve her legionary from the effort, method, patience, thought, which he can provide, and which is due by him to the treasury of God. Mary desires to give profusely, but she cannot do so except to the generous soul. Therefore, desirous that her legionary children will draw deeply from her immensity, she anxiously appeals to them, in her Son's own words, for a service "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mk 12:30) The legionary must only look to Mary to supplement, to purify, to perfect, to supernaturalise the natural, to enable weak human effort to achieve what is impossible to it. But these are mighty things. They can mean that mountains will be torn from their roots and hurled into the sea, and the land be made plain, and the paths straightened to lead on to the Kingdom of God” 11

11 Legion HB Ch. 6 “Intensity of Effort in Mary’s Service”, p.34

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Jesus Teaches Us How to Evangelize In his short public ministry, Jesus has given us a template for effective evangelization. If we are to lead ourselves and others to God’s Kingdom, it is through love. Jesus loves us so much that he died for our sins. Thus, one’s conversion to a sanctified life begins with the realization that he or she is loved by Christ and because of this love he is offering all to become heirs to the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the model evangelizer – he proclaimed the truth about the Kingdom, gave hope, forgave sinners and dined with them, healed the sick, let the little children and the poor come to him, touched the lepers and humbled himself to die a criminal’s death.

Summary of the Legion of Mary Apostolic System The Legion apostolic system can be described and summarized as follows:

It is Christ-centered (as our mission is to bring souls to Christ through the Holy Eucharist) It is inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, in all its prayers and apostolic works It is Trinitarian (as we proclaim to mankind our faith: “I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten by the Father…by the power of the Holy Spirit he became Incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was made man.”) It is Pauline in character (upon encountering Christ and experiencing conversion and following a path of holiness, one is compelled to evangelize and become witnesses of Christ) It is Marian (in order to bring Christ to others we are to allow ourselves to be the instruments of Mary and be in union with her) It is apostolic (as it uses personal encounter as a means of proclamation) It is heroic (as it demands intensity, constancy and zeal in the search for souls)

The Legion apostolic method of evangelization focuses on the spiritual formation of the agents of evangelization enabling them to be witnesses of the faith through prayer and performance of apostolic works towards the conversion of unbelievers and non-practicing Christians. Its methodology is personal contact engaging others in dialogue and the development of friendships with the . The Legion system (based on its Handbook) contains a program of action that encapsulates the pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for parish, community and lay movements and in general complement the missionary and evangelization efforts of the universal Church.

Year of Faith Program The Legion of Mary’s apostolic works of home visitation, Exploratio Dominicalis, Peregrenatio Pro Christo (PPC), Bookbarrow and Apostolate to the Crowd support the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith Pastoral Recommendation #10 (Diocesan Level): “All of the faithful, called to renew the gift of faith, should try to communicate their own experience of faith and charity to their brothers and sisters of other religions, with those who do not believe, and with those who are just indifferent. In this way, it

8 | P a g e is hoped that the entire Christian people will begin a kind of mission toward those with whom they live and work, knowing that they “have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man.” 12

Following are the Legion of Mary’s recommendation for the Year of Faith program:

1) Intensifying Door to Door Visitation (Keeping Up with the Jehovah’s and the Mormons) 2) Missionary Outreach (Crowd Contact: Bookbarrow, Apostolate to the Crowd PPC) 3) Study of the Faith (Society of the Patricians): Catechism of the Catholic Church 4) Campaign for Sunday Mass Attendance 5) Eucharistic Adoration Program 6) Mass Media Catechism: Catholic Radio and EWTN Campaign 7) Youth and Young Parents Outreach 8) Parish Missions and Retreats 9) Year of Faith Workshops and Conferences

Intensifying Door to Door Visitation According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops “The New Evangelization calls us to renew our faith so that we can share it with others. Before one can evangelize, one must be evangelized. The who then shares the faith is the evangelist.” (Disciples Called to Witness, Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, USCCB). 13 Every baptized Christian is called to be a witness to the faith. One of the crises we have in the Church today is that very few Catholics are capable and willing to reach to its parish communities and engage people in a meaningful dialogue about God, religion and the Catholic Church. Very few lapsed Catholics have been reached and encouraged to return to the Church. A significant number continue to join other religions. In a typical weekend of visitation of homes by the Legion of Mary, one will find that there are 7 out of 10 Catholics who have stopped going to Mass. Out of the 7 non-practicing Catholics 4-5 have joined other Christian churches – angry, dissatisfied, frustrated and searching. We don’t need to look any further than this, look around you and you will find many empty seats in Catholic parishes on Sundays.

The challenge we have in the Legion today, is that while the Legion of Mary’s main mandate is its home visitation work, many Legionaries for whatever reason are hesitant to undertake this apostolate. Is this because of lack of courage or motivation? Is it lack of confidence to speak to others about the faith?

The Handbook states the value of home visitation very clearly: “Though not its initial venture, the visitation of the homes has been traditionally the preferred work of the Legion, its special occupation everywhere and its avenue of the greatest good. It is the characteristic of the Legion.”14. The task at hand for the Legion becomes more daunting because it is the only Church organization that does home visitation on a regular basis (note: some parishes may have what you may call as “evangelization teams” but may not necessarily be going from house to house and knocking on doors). Under the guidance of its Spiritual Director and priest, every Praesidium in the Legion of Mary should intensify its work of visiting the homes of the people in their parish communities because it is through these efforts that many

12 Pastoral Recommendation for the Year of Faith 13 USCCB “ Disciples Called to Witness, Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis” 14 Legion of Mary HB, Ch. 37 “Visitation of the Homes of the People”, p.232 9 | P a g e of the unbelievers and the un-churched are encountered. This apostolic work of knocking on doors and bringing Christ to others at their very doorsteps is what is “new” in the New Evangelization as envisioned by Pope John Paul II – no longer shall a Catholic be passive in their evangelizing effort but proactive in its approach and quite literally brining the Gospel to every Creature as Christ has commanded all of us to do before his Ascension into Heaven. Of course, these efforts should also lead to conversion of non-Catholics and non- Christians to the Catholic faith as we need to keep up with the negative effects inflicted upon us by the Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons and Evangelicals.

Frank Duff also believes in the importance of mobilizing others by developing a strong army of Mary through membership recruitment and collaboration with other Church organizations. The Handbook offers this insight about collaboration: “Many earnest workers believe that by labouring to the limits of their strength, they have done all that God expects of them. Alas, such single-handed effort will not carry them far; nor will the Lord be satisfied with that solitary striving; nor will he make good what they leave unattempted. For the work of religion must be set about like any other work which exceeds the individual power, that is by mobilising and organising until the helpers are sufficient. This mobilising principle, this effort to join others to our own efforts, is a vital part of common duty. That duty applies not merely to the higher ones of the Church, not merely to the priests, but to every legionary and every Catholic.”15

Year of Faith Program: Legion council and Praesidium officers must by example lead door to door home visitation work. Through the Master and Apprentice system, every new member must be trained to do this particular apostolate. Some members of the Legion, because of their advanced age or health can be exempted from door to door visitation work. However, those in relatively good health should be assigned to this particular work.

We should also invite our priests and other Catholics to join us during our door to door visitation effort in an attempt to orient them with the Legion system of evangelization and perhaps entice them to become active members. Missionary Outreach – Street Apostolate: Bookbarrow, Apostolate to the Crowd, PPC and Exploratio Dominicalis)

Beginning this Year of Faith, the Legion of Mary (and with others) must also intensify its efforts in any evangelization works that involve crowd and personal contact. The traditional outreach ministry of the Legion includes Bookbarrow, Apostolate to the Crowd, Peregrenatio Pro Christ and Exploratio Dominicalis. They have a single-minded goal - spread the gospel message to the people on the streets. Frank Duff never wavered in his quest for every soul and the Legion’s strategy to ensure that it is achieved is to send its soldiers to every place on earth: “The Precious Blood must now be touched to everyone for whom it was so prodigally shed. That Christian commission drastically drives us out to people everywhere - to the least ones, to the greatest ones, to those near, to those remote, to the ordinary people, to the wickedest, to the farthest shack, to all afflicted creatures, to the diabolical types, to the loneliest lighthouse, to the leper, to the forgotten sort, to the victims of drink and vice, to the dangerous

15 Legion of Mary HB, Ch 40 “Go Preach the Gospel to the Whole Creation”, p. 309. 10 | P a g e classes, to the dwellers in caves and caravans, to those on the battlefield, to those who hide, to the avoided places, to the lowest den, to the icy wastes, to the sun-baked desert, to the densest jungle, to the dismal swamp, to the uncharted island, to the undiscovered tribe, out into the absolute unknown to find if there is someone living there, right on to the ends of the earth where the rainbow rests! No one must evade our search lest the gentle Jesus frown upon us. “16

Year of Faith Program: Legion council leaders should plan on street apostolate works that can be carried out by each Praesidium. The works must be done on a regular basis. The Legion can also collaborate with other parishioners and parish organizations to help in this type of evangelization work.

Study of the Faith Another aspect of the Legion system is the Study of the Faith through the formation of a Patrician’s Society. Under the auspices of the Legion of Mary, the Patrician Society is composed of a group of Catholic men and women (usually parishioners of a certain parish) who have a common desire to learn the Catholic faith more deeply and in a more participative way as compared with the more conventional lecture/seminar methodology. Members meet on a monthly basis and are asked to study a specific subject matter as part of the monthly discussions. The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith recommends the study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Vatican II documents.

The Patrician speaker is selected from among its members (not an outside speaker or a subject matter expert) to present the assigned topic. In this manner, one is compelled to research and study the subject matter intently thereby not only gaining new knowledge about the Catholic Faith but also the confidence to talk about it to others. Meanwhile the other members of the Patricians Society are also expected to contribute and participate in the discussions as well.

Beginning the Year of Faith, the Legion of Mary should deepen its efforts in organizing Patrician groups lest the Catholic Church continue to lose members to other denominations on account of ignorance of our Catholic Faith. The Legion should further plan its study of the faith program in cooperation with Church authorities such as Bishops and Pastors of the church and collaborate with them in establishing catechetical activities especially geared towards the young people as well. “Priests should devote greater attention to the study of the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, drawing from them resources for the pastoral care of their parishes.”17

Campaign for Mass Attendance The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recommends that the Year of Faith presents “a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist.” 18 In order to effectively carry out this plan for the renewal of one’s belief in God through the liturgy of the Church, the Legion should first embark on a most fundamental issue happening in the Church today – lack of commitment among Catholics to come to Mass every Sunday. It is estimated that only 30% of Catholics attend Sunday Mass regularly. No matter how beautiful, meaningful and inspiring a liturgical celebration such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass might be, if there are but a few people in attendance

16 Ibid, p. 309. 17 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith” (IV #4) 18 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith” (IV #2) 11 | P a g e then our Lord Jesus’ suffering on the cross continues. He wants as many people to come and worship Him and receive Him in Holy Communion.

Campaign for Mass attendance is among one of the regular works of the Legion of Mary. However, for the Year of Faith, we would like to place a greater emphasis on getting more Catholics attend Sunday Mass regularly as it is an obligation and a means of deepening one’s relationship and faith in Christ. The Mass is the highest form of prayer and central liturgy of the Church and therefore Catholics must make a serious commitment to participate every Sunday.

There is a crisis in the Church today and it begins with the decreasing number of so-called Catholics who no longer see the importance of their Sunday obligation.

Year of Faith Program: Beginning the Year of Faith, the Legion of Mary should seek out lapsed Catholics and encourage them to attend Sunday Mass regularly. In addition, the campaign can be made first towards certain groups within the parish (Catholic or Parochial School, School of Religious Education, School Parent’s Guild/PTA, Men’s Club, Youth Groups, etc.). It should not come as a surprise that within the circle of a parish community, there is also a significant number who are not regularly attending Sunday Mass. It is safe to assume that half of the students enrolled in our and school of religious education do not attend Mass regularly. Literatures about the value and importance of the Mass should be given to the people.

Eucharistic Adoration Program The encyclical, “Mysterium Fidei” of Pope Paul VI makes clear the connection of faith, liturgy and Eucharistic devotion. Outside the Mass, faithful Christians should deepen their faith and spiritual lives in prayer and especially prayer in the presence of the Holy Eucharist through Eucharistic Adoration.”We earnestly hope that the restoration of the sacred liturgy will produce abundant fruits in the form of Eucharistic devotion, so that the Holy Church may, with this salvific sign of piety raised on high, make daily progress toward the full achievement of unity, (3) inviting all Christians to a unity of faith and love and drawing them to it gently, through the action of .”19

Our faith deepens through prayer and prayer is more efficacious in the presence of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. This tradition of the Church that can be traced as early as the apostolic times has been overlooked for whatever reason. In 2004, Pope John Paul II declared it as the Year of the Eucharist as a way to refocus the Church of its profound meaning both as sacrifice and sacrament. In his encyclical he emphasized the doctrinal meaning of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: “The Mass makes present the sacrifice of the Cross; it does not add to that sacrifice nor does it multiply it.16 What is repeated is its memorial celebration, its “commemorative representation” (memorialis demonstratio), which makes Christ's one, definitive redemptive sacrifice always present in time. The sacrificial nature of the Eucharistic mystery cannot therefore be understood as something separate, independent of the Cross or only indirectly referring to the sacrifice of Calvary.20 Pope John Paul II also wanted to reemphasize that outside the Mass, the faithful should be given the opportunity to continue and adore the Eucharistic Sacrifice through the practice of Eucharistic Adoration and of the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

19 Mysterium Fidei, Encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Eucharist (#6) 20 Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II 12 | P a g e

Year of Faith Program: The Legion of Mary should therefore venture into the formation of Eucharistic Adoration programs in their parishes as it deepens prayer life, unifies the Church, promotes meditation and contemplation on the passion, life and death of Christ, our Lord. Above all, with Eucharistic Adoration, many so-called ‘Sunday’ Catholics may find this a rewarding experience and a means to rekindle their faith and more active participation in the life of the Church.

Mass Media Catechism: EWTN and Catholic Radio Campaign Pope John Paul II’s New Evangelization calls on “re-proposing” the Gospel message that will be “new in its ardor, methods and expressions.” While the Legion’s apostolic system is focused on personal contact, new evangelization also proposes the use of modern means of communication in order to reach every human strata and culture. This is a period of mass media and every religion has been taking advantage of this means to influence the world in the practice of their faith. The Catholic Church, through the efforts of its priests and has entered the prey of mass media catechism, thanks to those Catholic televangelists like Fulton Sheen and now through Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) and Catholic Radio, in particular Immaculate Heart Radio that operates in many western states (California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico).

Year of Faith Program: The Legion of Mary should venture in efforts promoting the viewing of and listening to this television and radio programs that present and teach the Catholic faith. We hope in two things to happen: first, a spiritual conversion on the part of the viewer and listener and second, a deeper understanding of the faith on the part of a lapsed, so-called ‘average’ Catholic. (Note that the SF Senatus has embarked on a project called, “Catholic Radio Crusade” where the Legion members and other interested parishioners promote Catholic Radio by handing out bumper stickers and cards to the public. If you are interested in joining the Catholic Radio Crusade or if you want to know more details on this apostolate, please contact the SF Senatus).

Youth and Young Parents Outreach As part of the evangelization process is reaching out to the youth. With a world whose value system has become more secular and material, the spiritual values especially Christian values have deteriorated. In fact, these values that we have learned in the early 50’s no longer have a place in today’s modern society. Our young people now see the world in a different light. Religion and God are foreign to them so much so that a great number of our young people are agnostics and self-proclaimed atheists.

We believe that the problem of our youth today when it comes to faith begins with a weak religious foundation. Parents seem not to put emphasis on their children’s religious upbringing leaving their religious education in the hands of the TV and the internet.

Year of Faith Program: Legion should make every possible effort to reach out to the young and young parents to a deeper spiritual life by inviting them to a life of prayer and participation in the different parish ministries. The Legion should cooperate with the director of religious education in their parish, by asking permission to speak to the young especially those in confirmation classes about the Legion of Mary. Every senior praesidium should exert effort in forming a junior or young adult praesidium. Also, the Legion should reach out to parents of newly-baptized children or babies and speak to them about the faith and how they plan to bring up their child to live a Catholic Christian life style.

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Parish Mission and Retreats The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith states the following recommendation: “The promotion of missions and other popular programs in parishes and in the workplace can help the faithful to rediscover the gift of baptismal faith and the task of giving witness, knowing that the Christian vocation “by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate.”

Year of Faith Program: Parish Missions and parish retreats are held for the purpose of renewal, re- awakening and re-kindling the spiritual lives of the people of the parish community. Parish missions and retreats may cover various thematic approaches appropriate to the needs of the people, but the ultimate focus is to bring one closer to Christ. We believe that as one acquires that genuine Christian character, faith deepens and the entire society particularly, the family becomes stronger. These can be done at various times during the year and organizing them should not be a difficult process especially if this is done in cooperation with other organizations of the parish.

The Legion of Mary should therefore plan on organizing parish missions and/or retreats for the deepening the spiritual lives of Catholics with the ultimate end of making more engage and participate in the life of the Church.

Year of Faith Conference and Workshops Year of Faith Program: There are already many on-going conferences and workshops for the Year of Faith covering subject matters such as the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Following the example of these groups, the Legion should endeavor to organize year of faith conferences and workshops.

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