Page 106 - 聖母軍團員手冊（英文版，2014年5月-2022年1月更新版）

Legion HANDBOOK D10944_1 26/02/2014 15:53 Page 105

CHAPTER 18 ORDER OF THE PRAESIDIUM MEETING 105
prayers and satisfactions. He promises us that, in return for this
offering, those souls which are dear to us will be more abundantly
relieved than if we were to apply our prayers to them directly.”
(Lhoumeau: La Vie Spirituelle a l’Ecole de St. Louis-Marie de Montfort)

18

ORDER OF THE PRAESIDIUM
MEETING

1. The setting of every meeting shall be uniform. The
members should sit around a table at one end of which for
the purpose of the meeting a small temporary altar is erected.
On a white cloth of sufficient size is placed a statue of the
Immaculate Conception (in the attitude of the distribution of
Graces), preferably about two feet (60 cm) high — flanked by
two vases of flowers and two candlesticks with lighted
candles. A little to the right of the statue, and a little in
advance of it, should be set the vexillum, which is described
in chapter 27.
Photographs of the setting of the altar and of the vexillum
are to be found elsewhere in the handbook.
As the idea is that the statue represents the Queen present
among her soldiers, the altar must not be separated from the
meeting-table or so placed as to remove the statue outside the
circle of the members. Filial love towards our Heavenly
Mother dictates that the equipment and the flowers should be
as good as possible; the equipment is not a recurring item of
expense. Possibly a benefactor or some other good fortune
might put the praesidium in possession of silver vases and
candlesticks. It should be regarded as an honourable duty on
the part of some legionary to keep the vexillum and the vases
and candlesticks clean and bright, and duly provided with
flowers and candles at the expense of the praesidium.
If natural flowers are absolutely unobtainable, it would be
allow able to use artificial ones with some greenery added to
provide the element of living nature.