2018-03-02-eEdition

PAGE 20 THE CATHOLIC WEEK MARCH 2, 2018 worldwide.The main purpose is sanctifi- cation — of its members and of society. Examples of Legion of Mary service include hospital visitation, religious edu- cation, prison ministry, pilgrim virgin vis- itation and door-to-door evangelization. Every legionary is required to carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and in union with Mary. “You know how some people look at theTen Commandments as the rules that are tying me down?The Legion is exactly the same way,”Wilson said. “There are a lot of guidelines, there are a lot of rules and they are all there for exactly the same reason. When you follow them, they set you free. They are not a chain. It makes everything so easy. If you are in the Le- gion, you’re going to have crosses, and probably crosses that others don’t have, but that’s the way it goes.” IvyMonahon of Aiken,S.C.,has been a legionary for 55 years and was one of many who visited Mobile for the recent PPC. “It has enriched my life. It has made me interested in every detail of the Catholic faith. I want to be holy through prayers and works,”Monahon said. Most days of the Mobile PPC from Feb. 17-23 began with a 7 a.m. meeting followed by Mass and breakfast. Groups then went out in pairs door-to-door from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. After lunch and compiling statistics, pairs were back out from 2-5 p.m. “I am tremendously grateful for the work of the legionaries who came to the PPC,” Fr. Vrazel said recently. “The week isn’t over and already I have been in contact with Catholics and non-Catho- lics that were reached by their ministry, not to complain, but (the legionaries) touched so many people who responded positively that they ended up leaving us with a lot of work to do! There are people in need of the sacraments, of assistance, of prayers, of community, of love and of guidance.Thanks to the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent’s is able to reach out to these people and welcome them into our fam- ily. I expect that we will be seeing the fruits of this PPC for years to come.” Door-to-door evangelization can be intimidating and it’s not often viewed as a Catholic form of evangelization. After a legionary makes the sign of the cross and knocks on the door, those who answer are often surprised a Catho- lic has come to visit, Millette said. “We have left an impression of Ca- tholicism,” Millette explained. “(Some- body recently said) in all my years, I’ve never had a Catholic knock on my door.” Legionaries work in pairs visiting homes during the PPC. During the Mo- bile PPC, legionaries left a parish bulle- tin and welcoming letter for those who were not at home. If someone answers, there’s no telling where the conversation will go. During one visit that lasted nearly 20 minutes,a wife andmother of two children who seemingly had no religion in her life said she didn’t know “The Lord’s Prayer.” Wilson and Monahon prayed “The Lord’s Prayer” at her doorstep, left read- ing material, a Miraculous Medal and a phone number. “You never know what you’re going to encounter,” Monahon said. “You size up a person and think ‘Oh this person is not into religion.’ And they surprise you. Then the ones that look so happy, religion is nowhere on that radar.” The Legion of Mary is open to all Catholics. Legionaries recently met with potential legionaries in the Hispanic community in an effort to build the orga- nization. A Junior Legion of Mary began meeting earlier this year. Some children assisted in the PPC over a weekend. “It’s anybody who wants to come and share the good news with people,” Mil- lette said. “For me, I look at Mark 16:15 (He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature)’ and I feel like all Catholics are called to do that. Certainly within the Legion of Mary we feel a special calling to do that.” — For more information, contact Le- gion of Mary Immaculate Conception Curia of Mobile President Teresa Gill at 251-408-7851. Legion From page 1 HAIR SALON FOR SALE :HOO HVWDEOLVKHG FKDLU KDLU VDORQ LQ ZHVW 0RELOH +LJK WUD൶F ORFDWLRQ FDUV SHU GD\ 6HOOLQJ GXH WR KHDOWK LVVXHV PRICED LOW! &DOO RU