Page 362 - 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 357

APPENDIX 10 STUDY OF THE FAITH 357
members have acquired. Incidentally, they cannot fail to
spread abroad in the Legion a greater desire to be well-
informed in matters of the Faith. Knowledge possessed in the
Legion must tend to diffuse itself to the general population
through the medium of the innumerable avenues of legionary
contact. Thus, a step is made towards “the removing of that
deepest disgrace of Catholic peoples, the ignorance of Divine
religion.” (Pope Pius XI: Motu Proprio, 29 June, 1923)
The very first book to be studied should be the Legion
handbook. Indeed, it is the essential duty for the legionary.
For, unless the Legion system is properly understood, it
cannot be successfully applied to the work of study or to any
type of work. All would regard it as a senseless proceeding to
erect a house without looking to its foundations. It would be
equally futile to seek to build the edifice of study on the
foundation of the Legion system, without giving the latter the
solidity which only comes from a complete knowledge of it.
The branches of study which could most profitably be
undertaken under the supervision of the Spiritual Director
would be:— Dogma and Apologetics, Sacred Scripture, Social
Science, Liturgy, Church History, Moral Theology.
A definite portion of the meeting — possibly part of the
time follow ing the Allocutio — should be earmarked for the
consideration of this work. Special care should be given to
this part of the agenda so as to provide a firm framework for
this section of the meeting and thereby ensure that it will not
develop into a mere desultory discussion.
At each meeting a section of the course will be set for
subsequent private study by the members. The members must
apply themselves to this work with a high degree of legionary
thoroughness and devotion, for there is a tendency to drift,
without realising it, into negligent and unworthy
performance. The actual study is free from the effective
observation of any but heavenly witnesses. Moreover, the
praesidium is not an ordinary school-class. It is easy to
produce a passable report to it, even where the study has been
carelessly done.
At each meeting, the members must individually report on
their week’s work. In their reports they may bring forward any
difficulty which has been encountered in the course of the
week’s reading. Members, however, should be discouraged