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Legion HANDBOOK D10944_1 26/02/2014 15:53 Page 104

104 THE SOULS OF OUR DEPARTED LEGIONARIES CHAPTER 17
mould of his spiritual life. Moreover, the might of the united
petition, uttered daily and earnestly by active members and
auxiliaries alike, that the Legion should reassemble without
the loss of any one, has helped him through the dangers and
the difficulties of the long way. What a joyful thought for all
legionaries — on his account and on their own! But for the
moment, there is sorrow at the loss of friend and comrade,
and there is need of prayer so that the deliverance of the
departed soldier from the realm of Purgatory may be speedily
accomplished.
The praesidium should without delay have a Mass offered
for the soul of each one of its active members who may die;
and each member of that praesidium should specially recite
all the legion prayers, inclusive of the rosary, at least once for
the same intention. But these duties do not extend to the
deceased relatives of members. As many legionaries as
possible, and not those of the particular praesidium alone,
should attend the Mass and accompany the remains to burial.
It is recommended that the rosary and other legion prayers
should be recited while the interment is actually taking place.
This could be done immediately after the official prayers of
the Church. This practice, besides being of much benefit to
the deceased, will be found to be a source of deep consolation
to the sorrowing relatives, to the legionaries themselves, and
to all the friends present.
It is trusted that the same prayers will have been said more
than once beside the remains during the period of laying out.
Nor should the duty of remembrance be deemed then to
cease.
In the month of November each year, each praesidium
shall have a Mass celebrated for the souls of the legionary
dead, not of that praesidium alone but of all the world. In
this, as on all other occasions where prayer is offered for
departed legion aries, all grades of membership are comprised.

“Purgatory forms part of the realm of Mary. There, too, are her
children, who in a passing spell of pain await their birth to the glory
which will never pass.
St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Bernardine of Siena, Louis de Blois, as well as
others, explicitly proclaim Mary to be Queen of Purgatory; and St.
Louis-Marie de Montfort urges us to think and act in accordance with
that belief. He wishes us to place in Mary’s hands the value of our