The Development of the Legion of Mary in Ottawa, Ontario
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The Development of the Legion of Mary in the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Canada
by Bessie O'Meara - May 26 1984[edit]
Development of the Legion of Mary in the Ottawa Archdiocese[edit]
If ever the saying; that "Great oaks from little acorns grow" were proven, it was in the humble way the first praesidium of the Legion of Mary was started in October 1934 in St. Joseph's Parish in Ottawa. It could almost be described as "accidental" because of the rapidity with which it got under way. But we know that in God's plan nothing is accidental, although the method is sometimes unusual.
And so it was God's plan that Mary Duffy, the first full-time Legion, Envoy from Legion Headquarters in Dublin, came to Saint John, New Brunswick, at the request of a Redemptorist priest, Father Tim O'Sullivan, and set up praesidia in that region. From there she was to proceed to Toronto, and Father Tim suggested that she stopped off in Ottawa en route.
With only one day at her disposal for such a stop-over, Mary came to Ottawa, in early October 1934. She got into conversation with a priest at the train station, and who do you think it was? None other than Father Scannell, an Oblate priest just arriving from England for his assignment in St. Joseph's Parish. He suggested that she paid a visit to the Pastor there and gave her the address.
Mary dropped in to the church to say a prayer for guidance and, noticing the name "Father James Sullivan" on a confessional, said to herself': "Now that's a good name, I'll try him", and proceeded to the rectory. She was thrilled with Father Sullivan's reception and she had two pluses going for her. (1) She was promoting an organization devoted to Our Blessed Lady and (2) she shared the same nationality, Father Sullivan having hailed from County Kerry himself.
On explaining that she had to go on to Toronto the next day, Father said he would get a group together that evening. There were fast phone calls to some devoted parishioners and Mary spoke to them that night. And that is the unheralded manner in which the first praesidium of the Legion of Mary (called Mary Immaculate) and actually the first in the Ottawa Archdiocese, saw its birth. click here for the complete article on the Legion of Mary Website
- May 26th, 1984.B. O'Meara
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