Knocking for Christ: The Legion of Mary

Think door-to-door visitation ministry is only for those who are Jehovah Witnesses? Think again.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, some Catholics were knocking on doors to help bring other Catholics back home to the Church as a part of the call to carry out the "New Evangelization".

Founded by Servant of God, Frank Duff in 1921, the Legion of Mary is a world-wide lay organization with the apostolate of carrying out the "New Evangelization" in neighborhood parishes where they work on behalf of the Pastor who helps to guide these lay men and women towards the Catholics who have strayed away from the faith.

How exactly does the Legion of Mary carry out a charism of being neighborhood missionaries and help to strengthen the relationship that each person has with Christ to draw them closer to Him? How can they encourage others to return to the Catholic Church?

The Legion of Mary members meet people where they are in their lives, and bring Christ to them through their "compassion and gentleness, while upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church". A simple conversation starter when first meeting someone at the door can be as simple as, "Has anyone in the household ever been baptized a Catholic?" and such a question can lead to a Catholic who has strayed away from the Church being evangelized again and coming home.

I first learned about the Legion of Mary when taking part in a volunteer apostolic experience at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. I would attend meetings at the parish and we would plan for the week our schedule for visiting elderly and sick parishioners who had been away from Mass for awhile. We would work with the spiritual director, a priest assigned to the Legion of Mary, and we would help to set up times with the various nursing and assisted living homes for him to bring the sacraments to the Catholic men and women in these facilities. It captivated me to see the amazing work that they do carrying out their mission of the "New Evangelization" to help fallen away Catholics to have a deeper relationship with Christ and to find their way back home, and to help those who are unable to be present in-person at Mass due to age or infirmity. Such a charism of imitating the Good Shepherd by striving to bring the lost sheep home and spending time with those who need healing of not only their bodies, but also their souls, has truly has touched my heart.

As a millennial Catholic, I am sadly aware of the amount of young adult Catholics who have strayed away from our faith.. I attend Daily Mass as well as Mass on Sundays and often I am one of the few millennial Catholics in the pews. I have listened to the stories of broken hearted parents who long for their children who they raised Catholic to return to our Church. How beautiful would it be to be able to take part in the call to the "New Evangelization" and strive to bring them home? How can we imitate the Good Shepherd and strive to bring all of the lost sheep home?

Let us strive to look towards the Legion of Mary as a model for how we can live our lives as faithful Catholics. We can help to bring fallen away Catholics back home by living our Catholic faith through our words and actions. Due to the coronavirus many Legion of Mary members are currently unable to go door-to-door, but we can be inspired to think of new and innovative ways to continue such a mission of carrying out the "New Evangelization" in these times.

Knocking for Christ: The Legion of Mary

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