Frank Duff (religious worker)
Encyclopedia
Servant of God
Francis Michael "Frank" Duff (7 June 1889 – 7 November 1980) was a native of Dublin, Ireland, the eldest child of a wealthy family. He is best known for bringing attention to the role of the laity during the Second Vatican Council
of the Roman Catholic Church, and for founding the Legion of Mary
.
, then entered the Civil Service at the age of 18. Six years later, aged 24, he joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and was exposed to the real poverty of Dublin of that time. Many who lived in tenement squalor were forced to attend soup kitchens for sustenance, and some of the natural consequences of abject poverty, alcoholism and prostitution were rife in Dublin. Duff joined and soon rose through the ranks of the St. Patrick's Conference to President in the St. Nicholas of Myra parish. Duff, having concern for the people he saw as materially and spiritually deprived, got the idea to picket Protestant soup kitchens and to set up rival Catholic soup kitchens instead. He joined forces with Sergeant Major Joe Gabbett , who was already working at discouraging those entering the Protestant soup kitchens, and over the years succeeded in closing down two of them.
In 1916, aged 27, Duff published his first pamphlet, Can we be Saints?, in which he expressed the conviction that all without exception are called to be saints, and that through Christian faith all persons have available the means necessary to attain such sainthood. In 1917 he came to know the Treatise of St. Louis de Montfort on the True Devotion to Mary, a work brought to his attention the importance of Mary in the life of the laity. Along with a group of Catholic women and Fr. Michael Toher, a priest of the Dublin Archdiocese, he formed the first branch of what was to become the first praesidium of the Legion of Mary on 7 September 1921. From that date until his death, he guided the world-wide extension of the Legion.
, under ecclesiastical guidance. Its twofold purpose is the spiritual development of its members and advancing the reign of Christ through Mary. The Legion operates throughout the world. Today between active and auxiliary (praying) members there are reportedly in excess of 10,000,000 members worldwide.
invited Duff to attend the Second Vatican Council as a Lay Observer, an honour by which the Pope recognised and affirmed Duff's work for the lay apostolate. Duff made promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a part of the Legion Apostolate. He took to heart the words of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: "My Heart is so inflamed with Love for men that it is no longer able to keep within itself the flames of its burning Love. It must make itself known unto men in order to enrich them with the treasures it contains".
Duff wrote the following prayer:
, Dublin.
, Cardinal Desmond Connell
.
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
Francis Michael "Frank" Duff (7 June 1889 – 7 November 1980) was a native of Dublin, Ireland, the eldest child of a wealthy family. He is best known for bringing attention to the role of the laity during the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
of the Roman Catholic Church, and for founding the Legion of Mary
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
.
Early life
Frank Duff was born in Dublin in 1889. He attended Blackrock CollegeBlackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
, then entered the Civil Service at the age of 18. Six years later, aged 24, he joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and was exposed to the real poverty of Dublin of that time. Many who lived in tenement squalor were forced to attend soup kitchens for sustenance, and some of the natural consequences of abject poverty, alcoholism and prostitution were rife in Dublin. Duff joined and soon rose through the ranks of the St. Patrick's Conference to President in the St. Nicholas of Myra parish. Duff, having concern for the people he saw as materially and spiritually deprived, got the idea to picket Protestant soup kitchens and to set up rival Catholic soup kitchens instead. He joined forces with Sergeant Major Joe Gabbett , who was already working at discouraging those entering the Protestant soup kitchens, and over the years succeeded in closing down two of them.
In 1916, aged 27, Duff published his first pamphlet, Can we be Saints?, in which he expressed the conviction that all without exception are called to be saints, and that through Christian faith all persons have available the means necessary to attain such sainthood. In 1917 he came to know the Treatise of St. Louis de Montfort on the True Devotion to Mary, a work brought to his attention the importance of Mary in the life of the laity. Along with a group of Catholic women and Fr. Michael Toher, a priest of the Dublin Archdiocese, he formed the first branch of what was to become the first praesidium of the Legion of Mary on 7 September 1921. From that date until his death, he guided the world-wide extension of the Legion.
The Legion of Mary
On 7 September 1921, Duff founded the Legion of Mary. This is a lay apostolic organisation at the service of the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, under ecclesiastical guidance. Its twofold purpose is the spiritual development of its members and advancing the reign of Christ through Mary. The Legion operates throughout the world. Today between active and auxiliary (praying) members there are reportedly in excess of 10,000,000 members worldwide.
Later life
In 1965, Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
invited Duff to attend the Second Vatican Council as a Lay Observer, an honour by which the Pope recognised and affirmed Duff's work for the lay apostolate. Duff made promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a part of the Legion Apostolate. He took to heart the words of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: "My Heart is so inflamed with Love for men that it is no longer able to keep within itself the flames of its burning Love. It must make itself known unto men in order to enrich them with the treasures it contains".
Duff wrote the following prayer:
"O Lord, all hearts are in Your Hand
You can bend as it pleases You the most
obdurate and soften the most hardened.
Do that honour this night through the Blood, merits, wounds, names and inflamed
Hearts of Your Beloved Son and His Most Holy Mother by
granting the conversion of the whole world.
Nothing less My God, Nothing less because of Mary Thy Mother
and because of Thy might and Thy Mercy".
Death
On 7 November 1980, Frank Duff died at the age of 91. He was interred in Glasnevin CemeteryGlasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
, Dublin.
Cause for canonisation
In July 1996 the Cause of Duff's Canonisation was introduced by the Archbishop of DublinPrimate of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
, Cardinal Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a former Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin....
.