Faithful from across the eight-county Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and beyond gathered in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist to mark the end of the centennial celebration of the Legion of Mary. The celebration began with Mass, then moved to the streets of downtown Cleveland for a Eucharistic procession and returned to the cathedral for the rosary and closing prayers on Sept. 3.
The lay apostolate is committed to the spiritual formation of its members, who in turn reach out to the world through spiritual works of mercy. An international organization, it was founded by Frank Duff in Dublin, Ireland in 1921.
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“It is a privilege to be here once again to celebrate Mass and process in the streets of the cathedral city, Cleveland, especially at the end of this centennial year for the Legion of Mary,” said Father Kevin Estabrook, spiritual director for the Legion and pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Cleveland.
Speaking about the Eucharistic procession, Father Estabrook said it “gives witness to Christ’s love. It is very much in keeping with the mission of the Legion of Mary which is to establish the reign of the Eucharist in our hearts,” he added.
In his homily, Father Estabrook shared a story about a Eucharistic miracle. He said during the time of St. Gregory the Great, whose feast day was observed the day of the Legion’s Mass and procession, a woman baked bread daily for use at Mass. As time went on, she said she found it hard to believe that her bread could become the body of Christ at Mass. In fact, he laughed about it. Undeterred, St. Gregory asked people to pray that she would believe once again. They did – and she did.
During Mass one day, the woman noticed a host levitating before it took on the appearance of flesh – the body of Christ. As he distributed Communion, St. Gregory became aware that the woman once again believed in the real presence. Father Estabrook said it is one of several known Eucharistic miracles and reinforces the reality that the Son of God is present in the break and wine at Mass.
“We must pray for those who don’t believe or who don’t believe any longer. Your legionary work may be what brings them to – or back to – Christ. Pray also for those wounded by the Church, those whose hearts have grown cold to the message of God and those who are victims of today’s social ills,” Father Estabrook said. “It is incalculable how many souls have been brought to or brought back to Christ in the past 101 years,” Father Estabrook said.
He asked those who are not Legion members to prayerfully consider joining the group. “You’re here for a reason. Perhaps Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart,” he said.
After Mass, Father Estabrook carefully placed a blessed host in the luna of the monstrance and carried it reverently as he led the procession that marched north on East Ninth Street to Lakeside Avenue, west on Lakeside to East Sixth Street, south on East Sixth to Superior Avenue and east on Superior to East Ninth Street, where the group crossed the street and reentered the cathedral to pray the rosary and recite closing prayers.
For more information on the Legion of Mary, visit legionofmarynorthernohio.org.