Legion of Mary at St Thomas More
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Praesidium of the Legion of Mary met for the first time on Saturday, 12th June 1999 on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary after the 9:15 a.m. Mass in the parish hall. The parish priest was Fr. John Bland.
The meeting was initiated by Emmet Maloney who served as Secretary and Sylvia Hartley as President and had 8 members. Since it was the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the praesidium was named after that title. Over the last 18 years, several members have come and gone or moved to other countries but the group has carried on faithfully with added numbers serving the parish of St. Thomas More under the auspices of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Spiritual Direction of Fr. Benedict Francis and currently Fr. Alfredo Garcia. Out of the first active members, we currently have Sylvia Hartley and Rosa Batta along with 14 other active members and 87 auxiliary members.
Two years later, we began a junior group of legionaries which is continuing to meet on Sundays and has a current membership of 15 members and four children who have not yet received their Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. The young ones, after receiving these Sacraments become full members.
During the years, the works of the Legionaries of Mary included door-to-door knocking, meeting with people enquiring about their faith and spreading our faith. We have also visited many house bound parishioners, those in rest homes and hospitals and served in Prison Ministry. Through the years, the Legion of Mary has gifted the parish First Communion and Confirmation candidates with religious items like Rosary beads, Brown Scapular, Miraculous Medals and leaflets for each including leaflets for Divine Mercy chaplet.
The Legion of Mary first began in Dublin, Ireland on 7th September 1921, the eve of the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Frank Duff was the pioneer and the first President was a New Zealander named Elizabeth Kirwan. The Legion of Mary headquarters here in Point Chevalier is named after her. The Legion of Mary has spread to 170 countries right down to New Zealand.
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.
Sylvia Hartley, October 2017