WHEN AND WHERE IS THE LEGION OF MARY MEETING
The meetings are held on Saturday Mornings in the Chapel at 9:30am. If you are interested in joining you can contact the Parish Office or the
Gloria Maldonado, Praesidium President
Cell phone (510) 384-6875 or by email at [email protected]

WHAT IS THE LEGION OF MARY
The Legion of Mary is a lay Catholic association whose members are giving service to the Church, on a voluntary basis, all over the world. It was founded in Myra House, Francis Street, Dublin, Ireland, on 7 September, 1921. At present, it has about 2,250,000 active members in over 160 countries. The official handbook of the Legion has been published in at least 50 languages.  It has been active in the United States since 1931, has been approved by many popes including St. Pope John Paul II, and endorsed by the Second Vatican Council.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LEGION OF MARY
The primary purpose of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the sanctification of its members developed by prayer and the performance of apostolic works.  Membership in the Legion of Mary is essentially based on discipline and commitment. Members devote their time and prayer for the intentions of Mary, Mother of God.Legionary service is based on the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ and draws inspiration from the True Devotion to Mary, as taught by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort. United in faith with Mary’s love for Jesus, legionaries aim at recognizing and serving the person of our Lord in all those whom they meet. The Legion seeks to work in close union with the priest, to whom it looks for formation and spiritual guidance and for whom it aspires to be an effective apostolic instrument.

WHAT ARE THE WORKS OF THE LEGION OF MARY
Emphasis is on the Works of Mercy: visiting the sick, door-to-door evangelization, distributing Catholic literature especially the church bulletin, encouraging fallen away Catholics to return to the practice of their faith, visiting families to see if children have been baptized, assisting with welcoming parishioners to the church, teaching RCIA and other religious education classes, promoting the practice of daily Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, promoting the Rosary. And making the rosaries.  The Legion of Mary seeks to increase people’s knowledge, faith and love of God and at the same time increase the faith and holiness of its own members through prayer and service to our Lord, having Mary as its Model.

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER OF THE LEGION OF MARY?
You can contact one of the Officers of the Legion of Mary. Anyone interested in becoming a member must also go through the Safe Environment Training.  The two primary classes of Legion membership are active members and auxiliary members. Active members attend a Legion meeting once a week and perform works of service (typically about 2 hours a week). Auxiliary members instead pray the rosary and the prayers of the Legion of Mary (the Tessera) for the intentions of the Blessed Mother and bolster the efforts of the active members through their prayers. Higher grades of membership include praetorians, who are active members who also pray the Tessera daily, attend Mass daily, and daily recite an Office approved by the Church, and adjutorians, who are auxiliary members who attend Mass daily and daily recite an Office approved by the Church in addition to praying the rosary and the prayers of the Tessera daily.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP?
The Legion of Mary is open to all Catholics in good standing with a desire to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ through the intercession of his Blessed Mother Mary. Catholics 18 years of age or older can join adult praesidia whereas Catholics younger than 18 years of age can join junior Legion of Mary praesidia. Catholics who are interested in joining the Legion will start with a three or six month probationary period before taking their Legionary Promise to become Legion members.