Annual Acies convocation held at Morristown parish

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies convocation of the Legion of Mary on March 12 in St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown. It was attended by Legion of Mary members and priests.

During the Acies each year, Legion of Mary members recommit themselves to the Holy Spirit and to Mary. The event included Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the recitation of the rosary. The Acies is held on (or near) March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, throughout the world. The Latin word “acies” means an army stretched out in formation, dressed for battle.

Bishop Sweeney’s mother, Agnes, was a member of the Legion of Mary in Ireland and became vice president of her presidium in Whitestone, Queens, when she moved to the United States.

The Legion of Mary is a worldwide organization in which members join in prayer and in apostolic work in union with the Blessed Mother under the guidance of a priest. Frank Duff (1889–1980) founded the Legion of Mary in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 7, 1921, with the purpose of making its members better Catholics, mobilizing the Catholic laity, and raising the spiritual level of interest of the entire community.