The Servant of God Frank Duff 1889 – 1980

2. The Servant of GodFrank Duff1889 – 1980

3. Prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God Frank Duff God our Father, You inspired your servant Frank Duff with a profound insight into the mystery of your Church, the Body of Christ, and of the place of Mary the Mother of Jesus in this mystery. In his immense desire to share this insight with others and in filial dependence on Mary he formed her Legion to be a sign of her maternal love for the world and a means of enlisting all her children in the Church’s evangelizing work. We thank you Father, for the graces conferred on him and for the benefits accruing to the Church from his courageous and shining faith. With confidence we beg you that through his intercession you grant the petition we lay before you…… We ask too that if it be in accordance with your will, the holiness of his life may be acknowledged by the Church for the glory of your name, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

4. Born June 7, First Friday 1889 Died November 7, First Friday 1980 Cause for beatification proposed by Archbishop of Dublin and declared Servant of God, 1996

5. Dublin

6. Susan Letitia (Letty) Freehill c. 12th Nov. 1863 - 27th Feb.1950 John Duff 1861 - 23rd Dec. 1918 Retired at 42 due to attack of Typhoid. Married 5th Nov. 1888

7. Susan Duff & family. From left to right Isabel, John as a baby, Eva Lucy and Frank c.July 1895.

8. Frank attended Blackrock College from 1899 – 1907 and excelled at Sport and in his academic studies.

9. Frank at left – the oldest of seven children. Isabel Maud 9th May 1891 - 10th June 1949 Eva Lucy & Letitia Anne b.30th June 1893 – Letitia d.18th Mar. 1894 John Edwin 27th Jan. 1895 - 20th Aug. 1949 Sarah Geraldine 5th Sept. 1897 – 22nd July 1975 Alice Mary 28th Aug. 1902 - 22nd Feb. 1951 Letita died in her infancy. Eva Lucy, shown 2nd from right was soon to be called home to God at the tender age of 13, 21st May 1907. c.1906/1907.

10. Details of Duff family on the grave headstone.

11. Frank Duff c. 1912

12. Tenement Dwellers – Chancery Lane “He used to walk up and down Whitefriar Street in front of these houses and he’d be proselytising [i.e. picketing] and just saying the rosary all the time. Mr Duff tried to take the girls from these houses [i.e. persuade the girls and enable them to leave] and he’d walk up and down all day praying and saying the rosary. But he never interfered with them. Frank was a very, very nice young man – he’ll be beatified, sometime.” May Hanaphy, Dublin Tenement Life, p.219

13. Tenement Dwellings, Church Street

14. Frank Duff c. 1915.

15. Tenement Living Conditions

16. Frank Duff c. 1916.

17. Photo taken on Station Island, Lough Derg. Frank Duff, second from right, standing behind his sister. His mother/Mrs James Connolly is fifth from right, 2nd row, wearing dark hat. 1916.

18. Frank at Lough Derg, Pettigo, Co. Donegal. His first trip there was in 1915. He went on pilgrimage here every year for 49 years. He said it was more difficult every year! He had to give up at 74 years of age due to a serious illness. c. 1920’s.

19. A street in the Monto area.

20. Frank Duff with Frs. Creedon and Toher, two of the early Legion spiritual supporters and campaigners The Legion of Mary is a Parish Based Organisation. The Laity have a vital role in supporting the vocation of every priest, especially the priests of the local parish. This is the Church.

21. This is the original 1921 altar of the Legion of Mary. It was around this altar that Frank Duff and all the ladies as well as Fr Togher knelt down to pray to our Lady to guide them in serving her in a better way. Out of this gathering developed the worldwide Legion of Mary we have today.

22. Stained Glass reproduction in Church in Lima, Peru.

23. Tony Macri in his barber shop with a wood burning Legion representation, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Stained Glass reproduction at the Legion Center, formerly St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

24. Stained Glass reproduction Church in Hungary

25. Frank said to Mary Rowe at the Regina Coeli hostel one day that if he ever got married he would lose his religion because he would be so intensely wrapped up in his children.

26. Frank Duff in 1936 with Mary Everett, Vice-President of the Senatus of India. The first Legion Praesidium in India was started by Mrs Muriel Mackenzie Smith and met in the Little Flower Convent, Teynampet, Madras, on the 2nd of February 1931 (Maria Legionis 9th of 1964)

27. With Edel aboard ship, Tilbury, London. 1936

28. Frank Duff with Hilda Firtel, Dublin Airport. Envoy to Germany 1945

29. Fr. Creedon, Veronica O’ Brien (Envoy to France), Frank Duff & Fr. Toher. c.1942

30. 89 Photographs of Envoys on wall of Concilium Front Office ‘The Rogues Gallery’

31. His bicycle was his chief mode of transport. Frank’s driving career was very short.

32. Back Row: (?), Tom Cowley?, Noel Murphy, Alfie Lambe, Fr. Toher, Seamus Grace, Frank Duff, John Boyne (with hat), Jack MacNamara, Jack Nagle Outside Regina Coeli Hostel. c.1952 Front Row: Paddy Sanfey, Paddy Stenson, Tom Doyle, Sid Quinn, Anne Heade, Bert Niall, Andy O’ Higgins (standing on right)

33. On one of his many summer outings to Mount Melleray. Doris Hansard, Frank Duff, Frankie Morris and Brendan Crowley

34. Giving a talk on Edel Quinn at the opening of the Edel Quinn Hall, Kanturk, Co. Cork 1955

35. Having a word with the President of Ireland, Eamon de Valera at the conferring of his Honorary Doctorate by the National University of Ireland. In 1956, Frank received The Marianist Award from Dayton University, Ohio.

36. Frank Duff in 1957

37. Sally Sharkey, Peg McDonnell, John Nagle, Frank Duff and Maria Diepen, envoy to South America. c. late 1950’s

38. Fr. Francis Jordan, former indoor brother Morning Star Hostel giving his first blessing to Fr. Kelly and Frank Duff. Ordained 19th June 1960

39. The sprockets on tour! Frank Duff, Eileen Sheehy (Boylan/Billane) - Africa, John Gavin, Una Twomey - Bolivia and Eileen O’ Connor

40. Canon Philip O’ Boyle, Donegal

42. ‘The Big Six’ – Frank Duff at the Garden Centenary Party Reunion of Blackrock College Students on 10th July 1960, with from left to Right – Dr. C Heerey CSSp., Archbishop of Onitsha, Mgr. Alfred O’ Rahilly, Cardinal D’Alton, Primate of Ireland, Eamonn de Valera, Uachtarán na hEireann and Dr. John Charles McQuaid, Archbishop of Dublin.

43. Throughout his life, Frank Duff was a prodigious writer. He authored around 200 published articles, reproduced in collected form in 5 books; His first work Can We be Saints? is itself a masterpiece; and, ranking among the spiritual classics is, of course, the Legion Handbook, to date translated into at least 75 languages. It is estimated that he wrote around 30,000 letters. There are around 2,000 handwritten scripts of his Congress and Reunion addresses, allocutios and talks, also on file.

44. Frank showing an African Legionary the original Legion Altar in Concilium

45. Bro. Duff meets Pope Paul VI, after Vatican Council II, December 1965

46. Frank in jovial humour 1971.

47. John Murray, Brian McKeone, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid of Dublin, Jimmy Cummins & Frank Duff – c. early 1970’s

48. Outside Regina Coeli Hostel. Late 1970’s. Still Holding on! …to his ideals, apostolic zeal and action.

49. With Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. 1970’s

50. A cycling tour with Mary McAndrew in his later years