Page 182 - 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 177

CHAPTER 30 FUNCTIONS 177
5. THE CONGRESS
The first Legion Congress was held by the Clare (Ireland)
Curia on Easter Sunday, 1939. Its success led to imitation, as
success always does, and now that feature has been firmly
grafted into the Legion system.
A Congress should be confined to a Comitium or a Curia.
Assem blies on a wider basis would not be in line with the
primary con ception of a Congress and would not produce the
intended fruits. Therefore, the name of Congress should not
be applied to those assemblies, if held; nor should they be
regarded as substituting for a Congress. But visitors from other
areas may be invited to a Congress.
The Concilium has ruled that an area should not hold a
Congress more often than every second year. A whole day
should be devoted to the function. The availability of a
Religious house will solve many of the problems. If possible,
the proceedings should begin with Mass, followed by a short
address by the Spiritual Director or other priest, and should
terminate with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacra ment.
The day is divided into sessions, each session having its
subject or subjects. Each subject should be very briefly opened
up by someone who will have previously prepared his
contribution. All should take some part in the discussions.
This general participation forms the very life of the Congress.
Again it is emphasised that presiding officers are not to talk
much nor to intervene constantly in the discussions.
Congresses, like council meetings, are to be run on the
parliamentary method, that is, on lines of universal
participation regulated from the chair. Some chair persons
show a tendency to comment on the utterance of every
speaker. This is the opposite idea to the Congress idea, and it
should not be tolerated.
The assistance of some representatives of a higher govern -
ing body would be desirable. These could perform some of the
special duties, for example, presiding, inaugurating dis -
cussions, etc.
Any striving after oratorical effect is to be avoided, for it
would create an air of unreality. That is not the Legion
climate; in it no one will be inspired, no problem will be
solved.