Frank Duff

Frank Duff ( born June 7, 1889 in Dublin, † November 7, 1980 ibid ) was the Irish founder of the Catholic lay movement Legion of Mary ( Legion of Mary ).

Life

Duff's parents were John and Susan Duff Laetitia Freehill. He was the oldest of seven children and was baptized with the name Francis Michael. After visiting the Blackrock College he worked from 1907 as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance. It was 1921/22, for a short time the private secretary to the Minister of Defence Michael Collins.

In 1913, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society in whose members were only men and their task was to alleviate poverty in Dublin. Even then he started with home visits and Straßenapostolat. In 1915 he joined the III. Order a Carmelite.

In 1918, he read the book True devotion to Mary by Louis- Marie de Montfort, which during his formative years. On September 7, 1921 he founded, together with Father Michael Toher the " Community of Our Lady of Mercy ". The members were initially only women. In 1925 the Community " Legion of Mary " (English " Legion of Mary ", German " Legion of Mary " ) was called, the members called legionnaires. They made visits to hospitals, then began Straßenapostolat and support of marginalized groups. In 1922 the Sancta Maria Hostel for former prostitutes, 1927, the Morning Star Hostel for homeless men and 1930 the Regina Coeli hostel for unmarried mothers. All homes were out of legionaries.

The organization initially spread in Ireland, 1928 in Scotland and around the world. 1928 wrote Frank Duff, the Legion rules in a manual down.

In 1931, he was Pope Pius XI. imagine the Legion in a private audience. The Pope, a proponent of the lay apostolate and Catholic Action, recommended the new organization, calling it " a wonderful and holy work ." This recommendation meant that the Legion of Mary was also recognized by the superior ecclesiastical authorities. Later the Popes Pius XII. (1953), John XXIII. (1960 ), Paul VI. (1965 ) and John Paul II (1982 ) assessed the Legion.

1934 Duff gave his occupation as a civil servant and devoted only more of the Legion of Mary. In 1941 he founded with a group of legionaries, the Mercier Society as a forum for dialogue between Catholics and Protestants that had to be resolved, however, after a few years. 1965 Pope Paul VI invited him. as a lay auditor a the Second Vatican Council.

1998 opened for him by the Archbishop of Dublin the beatification process.

See also: History and organization of the Legion of Mary

Works

  • Can we be holy? ( Engl first version 1916) Senatus of the Legion of Mary, Frankfurt am Main 1990
  • The Handbook of the Legion of Mary. Engl first version 1928
  • Baptism of Fire. Bombay in 1961; Also released as: Miracles on Tap. . New York 1961 German: How to conquer the world. History of the Legion of Mary. 2nd edition, Bernina, Klosterneuburg near Vienna, 1956 ( reprint of a series of articles in Maria Legionis 1937-1942 )
  • Mary Shall reign. . Dublin 1961 German: Maria is to prevail. Canisius, Fribourg / Switzerland et al 1963; Reprint: On the hands of the mother. Legion of Mary, Frankfurt 1982
  • Victory through Mary. Dublin 1981. The spirit of the Legion of Mary. 2nd edition, Canisius, Fribourg / Switzerland and Others 1960
  • Virgo Praedicanda. Dublin 1967
  • The Woman of Genesis. Dublin 1976
  • That God may be loved more! The history of the Legion of Mary. Edited by Andreas Seidl. Legion of Mary, Senatus of Austria, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-00-011150-6
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