NORTH PROVIDENCE — The Legion of Mary Providence Comitium held its annual bilingual Acies Ceremony on Saturday, March 5 in Holy Family Chapel at the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in North Providence. The ceremony, held each year as near to the feast of the Annunciation as possible, is considered one of the most beautiful and profound functions of the Legion, and one in which members renew and express their consecration to Mary.
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Bishop Thomas J. Tobin served as celebrant of the Mass which preceded the ceremony, assisted by Deacon Armand Bartolo. “Thank you for living your faith and sharing it with the world,” the bishop said in his homily. “Do not let God’s gift be given in vain.”
Alice Dabney, president of the Providence Comitium, said the annual ceremony is a beautiful expression of the members’ faith in Mary. “It is a solemn expression of our union with Mary, our Queen. She’s indeed our intercessor and we have many brothers and sisters who are wandering in darkness and sin. Through Mary we can accomplish all that God wills us to do,” she said.
Members of the Legion of Mary ministry across the diocese and around the world profess their ministry in numerous ways, including teaching CCD, assisting in parish faith formation, visiting the sick and evangelizing to fallen away Catholics, encouraging them to return to the Church.
“We do a lot of visitation in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as with people who live at home,” said Legion of Mary member Mary Andrews, a parishioner at St. John Paul II Parish in Pawtucket.
