One third of new priests inspired by Legion of Mary

Five of the 15 men ordained to the priesthood in Ireland this year were inspired in their vocation by the Legion of Mary.

Fr John Magner (Cloyne), Fr Liam O’Donovan SAC (Pallottines), Fr Rory Doyle OFM Conv. (Greyfriars), Fr Declan Lohan (Galway) and Fr Philip Mulryne OP (Dominicans) were all members of the Legion of Mary.

Fr Liam O’Donovan SAC told The Irish Catholic he “always had a devotion to Our Lady, but it was more sentimental and the Legion of Mary made my faith more concrete and my devotion more grounded”.

Action

“I learned that my faith has to lead to action – it’s not just a personal spirituality. It taps into a genuine Catholic calling to be apostolic, that we have to do something to spread the Good News and the Legion of Mary is another way of doing that which led me to that call to the priesthood.”

Fr Philip Mulryne OP began volunteering in the Morning Star Hostel when he returned home to Belfast after retiring from professional football in 2008. “I joined the local praesidium and volunteered at the hostel 2-3 nights a week. The Legion of Mary heavily influenced my vocation. I had just returned to the Faith at that point and there were a lot of scripture talks at the meetings and we prayed the Rosary which led to a devotion to Our Lady, and all these elements went towards me thinking about religious life,” he said.

Apostolic

Fr Declan Lohan said he found the Legion of Mary “a great way to live out the Faith in an active way” which helped to “grow and deepen” his faith. “The work is active, social and apostolic and it really helped me to understand the Faith I grew up in,” he said.

Some of the new priests will be sharing their vocation story at the Catholic Young Adults Conference organised by the Legion of Mary in All Hallows College Dublin over the weekend of September 2-3.