The Formative Years with the Mandarin Youth Legion of Mary
“In the past, if I knew that something had happened to someone, I would go up to that person and comfort them. However, now if I see that they are not doing anything, I go up to them and ask – are you okay or not? Before I joined the Legion of Mary, I would not do any of these things,” shared 11-year-old Jeremy Ng.
“Are you okay or not?” Jeremy takes courage to ask his friend.
Jeremy, together with 8 children, gather on Sunday mornings with the praesidium’s leaders Anthony Soh and his wife Cecilia. When I went by to visit, they were in the midst of saying the Rosary in Mandarin. It was their sixth session together.
Anthony and Cecilia are passionate about being on this spiritual journey with the youth.
The Mandarin Youth Legion of Mary was initiated by Anthony and Cecilia, who became members of our parish when they moved to a nearby residence last year. They have always been very active in church activities and saw an opportunity to start a new group here.
“One of the first things we did was to join the Legion of Mary,” said Anthony. “We had the idea of a Mandarin Youth Legion of Mary, so we sought approval and then started visiting the Catechism classes to get them interested.”
They hope to attract more youths (below 18 years) to join in this spiritual journey with Mother Mary. Besides learning to recite the rosary, they also read the Bible and share with their brothers and sisters their contact work and spiritual activities during the past week. For instance, the number of times they said a morning prayer or prayers before meals, how many rosaries they said that week, and if they helped a friend recently.
“Class is fun,” said Daniel. He shared that he helps his mum to cook and mop the floor.
(L-R) Daniel, Sarah and Jude take turns to read in the session.
“I enjoy the Bible. I like saying the rosary.” This chirpy comment from bright-eyed Danziel (6 years old) would steal anyone’s heart. His sister, Desiree, who is also in the session, participated in the Bible passage reading too.
Danziel and his sister Desiree enjoy the sessions.
One of the aims of the youth group is to help the children grow in their faith. Founded in Ireland, the Legion of Mary looks to also develop leadership skills in their youths, and build their confidence through events and activities. The leaders encourage the group of youths to live out their faith by reaching out to schoolmates, friends, and family. And yes! The sessions help improve the command of the Mandarin language too!
If you are interested to find out more about the Mandarin Youth Legion of Mary, please email csm.secretariat@catholic.org.sg.
Written by Karen R-Fong