FRANK DUFF, Servant of God, born in Dublin, Ireland June 7, 1889 the eldest of seven children. In 1916 at the age of 27 he published his first pamphlet, “Can We Be Saints?” In it he expressed one of the strongest convictions of his life, namely, that all without exception are called to be saints and that through our Catholic Faith we have available all the means necessary to attain this. In 1917 he came to know the Treatise of St. Louis Marie de Montfort on the “True Devotion of Jesus through Mary,” a work which changed his life completely. On Sept. 7, 1921 Duff founded the Legion of Mary. This is a lay apostolic organization at the service of the Church, under ecclesiastical guidance. Its twofold purpose is the spiritual development of its members and advancing the reign of Christ through Our Lady. The Legion is to be found in almost every country in the world with millions of active and many more auxiliary (praying) members. In 1965 Pope Paul VI invited Duff to attend the Second Vatican Council as a lay auditor (an honor by which the Pope recognized and affirmed Duff’s enormous contributions to the lay apostolate), where he received a standing ovation from all the Bishops in attendance at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. On Nov. 7, 1980 Duff died and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin. In July 1996, the cause of his canonization was introduced by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Desmond Connell.
EDEL QUINN, Venerable, in 1936 was sent from Dublin to establish the Legion of Mary in East and Central Africa. The difficulties she encountered were enormous but she met every challenge with unwavering faith and courage. When others faltered her invariable response was, “Why can’t we trust Our Lady?” or “Our Lady will see after things.” For nearly eight years, her health steadily declining, she worked over the vast territories committed to her. Hundreds of Legion praesidia and many higher councils were set up on an enduring basis. As a result, thousands of Africans are engaged in the Church’s work of evangelization. Edel Quinn died in Kenya in 1944. Her heroic life and labors have been narrated in a vibrant biography by Cardinal Suenens. She exemplified the missionary spirit of the Legion at its best. In 1994 Pope John Paul II declared her Venerable.
ALFIE LAMBE, Servant of God, for almost six years he worked ceaselessly in promoting the Legion of Mary in Columbia, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Brazil. God had bestowed on him great natural gifts, a personality which attracted souls to the service and love of God, an infectious enthusiasm, and a facility for learning languages, which enabled him to rapidly attain fluency in Spanish and Portuguese. Alfie Lambe died in Buenos Aires in 1959 after almost six years of apostolic labors in South America. “If the Legion of Mary did nothing else but produce a man of the caliber of Alfonso Lambe, it is surely blessed by God,” said Archbishop Tavella of Salts, Argentina. Alfie Lambe’s cause of Beatification was introduced by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1971.