In the blink of an eye, I have been serving as the Spiritual Director of the Legion of Mary for 10 years. During my tenure, I visited the Concilium Legionis Mariae twice and understand that the Concilium’s requirement on the Legion of Mary system for Legionaries worldwide is the compulsory adherence to the spirit of the Handbook. However, over a long period of time, the Legion of Mary in Hong Kong has added many Hong Kong characteristics, so when implementing the revisions to meet the Concilium’s requirements, we faced many challenges.
There were many difficult issues in the appointment of Spiritual Directors because Spiritual Directors should be appointed, rather than the members choosing their favorite Spiritual Director, which will destroy the spirit of the Legion of Mary and the Legion community. We need to read the Handbook again, the Legion of Mary should be in union with Mary, and the spirit of Our Lady is obedience.
Today’s Bible talks about Jesus’ wounds. Jesus had more than a thousand wounds when he was walking through the Way of the Cross. After his resurrection, only five scars were left: on his hands, feet, and ribs. These wounds were given to Jesus by us, and they contain our own scars, including family problems, such as, relationship in marriage, between parents and children, interpersonal relationships, relations among peers and within groups. Easter and wounds are connected, without wounds, there would be no Easter. We must face our own wounds, seriously reflect on our attitudes, strengthen the Legion of Mary and our Christian lives. Legionaries do not just do assignments, we need to change our methods in extension and recruiting, and think about extension of our praesidium. The description of the work of the assignment is not important. Without spiritual experience, we are not in union with Our Lady. If we only stick to our own way, we are only self-centered, and the Legion of Mary will become stagnant. The most important thing in assignment is to see the relationship between spiritual life and Mary, and unleash the spirit of the Legion of Mary. Only in this way can the Legion of Mary progress. Our Lady will always protect us.
Finally, I hope that under the leadership of the new Spiritual Director, the Legion of Mary will continue to be maintained!
Spiritual Director
Fr. Francis Tam
27 April 2025