legion-of-mary.jpgA Legion of Mary Mystical Rose Comitium Day of Recollection was held June 14 at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Springfield, led by Father Daniel Willenborg.

The two-fold purpose of the lay apostolic organization is spiritual development of its members and advancing the reign of Christ through Our Lady. The Legion of Mary was founded in 1921 by Frank Duff in Dublin, Ireland. The first Legion of Mary in the United States was organized in 1931 at a New Mexico parish, and the first Legion of Mary in the Springfield diocese was formed in 1935 at Sacred Heart (now St. Katharine Drexel) Parish in Springfield.

Today over three million active and 15 million auxiliary members in over 160 countries around the world make up the Legion of Mary.

A reproduction of the Catena, the Legion Picture which Duff commissioned a young Dublin artist to create in the early 1930s, served as the focus for the day of recollection. The picture shows a dove overshadowing Mary, filling her with light and the fire of his love. The rosary, Pentecost, the Incarnation, Mary the Morning Star, the Magnificat, the Immaculate Conception and the Pillar of Fire illustrated in the picture are all part of the legionaries' prayers.