He did not write the prayer that now carries his name. It was composed for the cause of his beatification, and it carries ecclesiastical approval. If you have seen a version that opens “O Mary, conceived without sin,” that is a different prayer, the invocation from the Miraculous Medal.
Historical Context
“Servant of God” is the first stage of a cause for sainthood. It means the Church has begun examining a person’s life, not that it has reached a judgement. Prayers like this one are how a cause moves: people ask for his intercession, and any favours they believe they have received are reported to the Legion.
The Prayer for the Beatification of 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.
The prayer leaves a space for your own intention: “the petition we lay before you.” Name it, silently or aloud, at that point. The prayer asks two things at once, your petition and the recognition of his holiness, and both are meant to be prayed together.
If you believe a favour has been granted, the Legion asks that it be reported. Contact details are on the Legion’s page for his cause.
A Prayer for Lay Apostles, in His Spirit
This one is not his and not official. It is a short prayer for anyone doing the kind of work he gave his life to: visiting, listening, turning up.
Lord, send me to one person today
who is not expecting anyone.
Let me knock, and stay, and listen,
and leave without making a speech.
Mary, I am yours; use me the way you used him.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- On 7 November, the anniversary of his death.
- On 7 September, the anniversary of the Legion’s first meeting.
- Before a Legion of Mary meeting or a home visitation.
- As a novena, nine days in a row, for a particular intention.
- When you are asking for help for someone the Legion would have visited: the lonely, the sick, people far from the Church.
Scripture Connection
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!” — John 19:26–27
This is the verse underneath the whole Legion. Duff read it the way St Louis de Montfort did: the disciple “took her unto his own home,” and every Christian is invited to do the same. The beatification prayer’s phrase “filial dependence on Mary” is this verse put into one line.
Related prayers
Legionaries pray the Rosary at every meeting; for how to begin it properly, including St Louis de Montfort’s opening prayer, see the Prayer Before the Rosary. The short prayer said after each decade is on the O My Jesus Prayer page.