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The Legion of Mary ((ラテン語:Legio Mariae)) is an international association of the faithful of the Catholic Church who serve the Church on a voluntary basis.〔Thomas McGonigle, 1996, ''A History of the Christian Tradition'' Paulist Press ISBN 978-0-8091-3648-3 page 222〕 It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary (praying) members there are over 10 million members worldwide making it the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.archdiocese-edinburgh.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=340:90th-anniversary-of-legion-of-mary.html )〕 Membership is highest in South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries have between 250,000 and 500,000 members each. To be in the Legion of Mary, one must be a practicing Catholic. Active members serve God under the banner of Mary by practicing the Spiritual Works of Mercy. The main apostolate of the Legion consists in activities directed towards all men and women, young and old, rich and poor as well as people from the margins of society (homeless, prostitutes, prisoners etc.) and towards non-Catholics. The members of the Legion are primarily engaged in the performance of the Spiritual Works of Mercy rather than works of material aid.〔Peffley, Francis. "Inside the Legion of Mary". Legion of Mary, Arlington Regia. 2010.〕 ==History== The Legion of Mary was founded by Duff on September 7, 1921 at Myra House, Francis Street, in Dublin.〔A radio documentary on the history of the Legion can heard on http://www.rte.ie/radio1/bowmansundaymorning/ from Sunday 26 June 2011〕 His idea was to help Catholic lay people fulfil their baptismal promises and be able to live their dedication to the Church in an organised structure, supported by fraternity and prayer. The Legion draws its inspiration from St. Louis de Montfort's book ''True Devotion to Mary''. The legionaries first started out by visiting hospitals, but they were soon active among the most destitute, notably among Dublin prostitutes. Duff subsequently laid down the system of the Legion in the ''Handbook of the Legion of Mary'' in 1928. The Legion of Mary soon spread from Ireland to other countries and continents. At first, the Legion often met with mistrust due to its dedication to lay apostolate which was unusual for the time. After Pope Pius XI expressed praise for the Legion in 1931, the mistrust was quelled. Most prominent for spreading the Legion was the Irish legionary Venerable Edel Mary Quinn for her activities in Africa during the 1930s and 40s. Her dedication to the mission of the Legion even in the face of her ill health due to tuberculosis brought her great admiration in and outside of the Legion. A canonization process is currently under way for Quinn and a beatification process is currently underway for Duff, and for Servant of God, Alfie Lambe (1932-1959), Legion Envoy to South America. Membership in Ireland had been declining but due to efforts by the Concilium to attract younger people to its ranks through the ''Deus et Patria'' movement a substantial increase in membership has now occurred. On March 27, 2014 the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Bishop Josef Clemens, delivered the decree in which the Legion of Mary is recognized by the Holy See as International Association of the Faithful.〔(Legion of Mary recognized by the Holy See as an International Association of the Faithful )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Legion of Mary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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