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Presentation in honor of Alfie Lambe's 75th birthday given by Edel Lukens on Sunday, June 17, 2007 at St. Agnes – St. John Nepomucene Church to the Philadelphia Senatus.  Information and photos were taken primarily from Maria Legionis issues 1953-1959.

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Tullamore is in the exact center of Ireland, to the west of Dublin.

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Alfie was present when Frank Duff gave a talk on the Legion to a group of Irish Christian Brothers.

Alfie later told him that it had made a great impression on him.

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He joined in July, 1950 just 12 days after his 18th birthday.

An experienced legionary from Dublin named Tom Cowley took him under his wing and trained him Legion work.

Around the same time, Seamus Grace a curia president in Dublin, went for several weeks to Donegal to extend the Legion during the summer holidays.  This became an annual tradition for legionaries to spend their holidays extending the Legion.

Tom recommended Alfie to Seamus Grace to help with extension.

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Alfie first worked with teams doing holiday extension, then volunteered to do a tour of extension in rural Ireland covering a period of about six months.

When he heard that Seamus Grace had offered himself as an envoy, Alfie was deeply affected and also volunteered himself as an envoy.

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Frank Duff asked Seamus if he would like Alfie to go with him.

He gladly accepted and the appointment was made at the April 1953 Concilium meeting.           

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Alfie and Seamus are seen on the cover of the Sept. 1953 issue with Frank Duff.

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During the months of preparation for the trip, the envoys studied Spanish and had the opportunity to practice it when the Concilium was visited by Fr. Mijica, founder of the Legion in Caracas, Venezuela and Fr. Jiminez, the founder of the Legion in Colombia.

Fr. Mijica was initially reluctant to have Alfie as an envoy because of his youth.

He said, “We in Venezuela have many tigers.  If they see a lamb, they devour him immediately.”

This was the first of many puns about Alfie’s last name.

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On the morning of July 15^th, three cars left Dublin transporting the envoys, their families, and the Concilium officers.

They stopped to receive a blessing at Cistercian Abbey along the way – and added a 4^th car to the convoy. [The photo shows the Lord Abbot, Dom Camillus Claffey blessing the envoys]

The group stopped in Limerick where legionaries had prepared refreshments – the convoy increased to 12 cars.

In the meantime, a crowd had gathered at the airport to recite the Catena as the plane took off.  Officials at Shannon airport said it was the largest crowd since the Kerry football team was sent off to New York.

The plane was slightly delayed and left at 7 minutes after midnight – making the departure happen on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

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At the time the envoys arrived, Colombia had the Legion in 18 dioceses and had about 250 praesidia.

Protestant missionaries had flocked to South America by the thousands and were undermining the faith of the inhabitants.

The Legion was doing great work to counteract those influences.

The first photo shows a Legion function in Colombia:  Comitium secretary, Lilia Sanchez, is playing the guitar.  Fr. Werner looks on.

The second photo was taken on Christmas day.

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1954 was a busy time in the Legion:

Alfie flew from Bogota, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador

Joaquina Lucas flew from Lima, Peru to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Two envoys flew to Cuba from USA:  Delphine Madill and Anita Agostini

Anna O’Connor traveled from Ireland to Matadi, Belgian Congo by sea.

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Cardinal de la Torre received the Colombian extension workers.  (Next to him is Fr. Barrera, spiritual director of the Quito Curia.)

The second photos shows members of the Ambato Curia, started by Alfie Lambe.

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The Sept. 1955 Maria Legionis notes:  “Our Envoy, Mr. A. Lambe, who had been visiting the Curiae in Peru for the past few months was “posted as missing” – no letters having been received from him for several weeks.  Then came a thrilling report: 

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The article ends:  “Such is the life of an Envoy . . . full of crowded fruitful busy hours!”

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In July 1955 the International Eucharistic Congress was held in Rio de Janeiro.

(It is interesting to note that Alfie was born in June 1932, the month that the Eucharistic Congress was held in Dublin, so his life was book-ended by two of these special events.)

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The Eucharistic Altar was set up to symbolize the Barque of Peter on the Bay of Guanabara.

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The envoys staffed a stall at the Congress Center where they gave out Legion literature and spoke to the visitors.

Between them, they were fluent in 7 languages, so they could speak to almost everyone who came by.

Alfie met with cardinals, bishops, priests, and lay people and introduced the Legion to many who did not yet have it in their dioceses.

He wrote to Dublin:  “I met almost all the Bishops.”

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This is after the final Benediction of the Eucharistic Congress:  Cardinal D’Alton stops to have a few words with Alfie.

The Legion was held in high esteem at the Congress:  During the closing of the Congress, the Holy Father (Pius XII) spoke to the Brazilian Nation.  Legion standards were in front of the High Altar alongside the Papal flag and the flag of Brazil.

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Bishop Samore from the Vatican, Bishop Lombardi – Nuncio in Brazil, Bishop Camara – Archbishop of Rio

Archbishops of Havana, Cuba and Guatemala – both wanted Alfie to come to their dioceses.

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With Bishop Lombardi, Joaquina Lucas, and Mary Clerkin

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From Maria Legionis:  “His Excellency spoke [with Alfie] of the extension of the Legion in Colombia and Ecuador and insisted that the carrying out by the Legion of hard and solid apostolic work would be its surest way of spreading to all the South American continent.”

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Maria Diepen, Alfie Lambe, Mary Clerkin, Joaquina Lucas

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After the Eucharistic Congress, Alfie left for Argentina.  He also worked in Uruguay and Paraguay, then returned to Argentina.

The next several slides show miscellaneous photos of Alfie’s travels.

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Bishop Proano was spiritual director of two praesidia and a Curia himself and planned to have curiae in every region of his diocese.

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Alfie named this animal “Peter”

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From Maria Legionis:  “Looking up at the Waterfall of Iguazu, on the borders of Brazil and Argentina, he seems to say:  “Even that is not an impossible obstacle.”

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This photo was taken in October, 1958 in Buenos Aires.  It was sent to Concilium by Sr. Bridget Mooney.  She said, “Alfie worked with interest and love for each soul as we can see.  The legionary beside him is learning from his example.”

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Alfie, Fr. Michael Murphy, and members of the Asuncion Curia meet Envoy Una Twomey who would be working in Paraguay.

The caption in Maria Legionis says:  “All are beaming with delight to have two experts in their midst to guide them in work of perfecting the Legion in Asuncion.”

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1.  Picnic lunch on Christmas Day with Mary Clerkin (and Una Twomey).

2.  Una Twomey receiving a vexillum from the Curia president in Asuncion, Paraguay.

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With Fr. Tekeyan and legionaries from Montevideo.

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1 and 2:  With Fr. Di Jacobo, rector of the Seminary of Parana and the presidents of the two seminary praesidia:  praesidium of theologians and praesidium of philosophers.

3.  On the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary with Bishop Raspanti of Moron and Fr. James McGrath, spiritual director of the Legion in Castelar.  Sr. Elisa Fox, next to Alfie, was the praesidium president and a pioneer of the Legion in Argentina.

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Alfie is running the first meeting of the Salta Curia.

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Besides Alfie’s great interest in South America, he dreamt of being an envoy to Russia when his time in South America was completed.  Frank Duff notes that, “None of us would doubt that Alfie’s yearnings and preparations formed a contributory part of that development.”

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The Irish Ambassador was  Mr. T. J. Horan

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In a sense, his wish to be a Christian Brother was granted at death.

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St. Agnes is always shown with a lamb.

It was the custom every year on this feast for two lambs to be presented to the Holy Father. 

Frank Duff wrote, “It has been pointed out that the Legion gave the Eternal Father a lamb on that 21^st January, the reference being to the term cordero or corderito (meaning a lamb) by which Alfie was everywhere affectionately known.”

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Word was sent to Dublin by telegram:  “Alfie Joined Edel Today.”  This was the title of the lead article in the March, 1959 Maria Legionis.

Frank Duff wrote:  “One may institute a parallel between him and Edel.  Each was wise and charming and lovable and without kinks.  Each represented a frustrated vocation converted into a supreme triumph.  In her case it was accomplished in eight years and in his case in six.  She is being acclaimed as a model for modern youth.  He would fulfill the same role and in a particular way for male youth.”

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The cover of the March, 1959 Maria Legionis was devoted to Alfie.

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Noel Lynch had been assigned to assist Alfie Lambe in Argentina.  He arrived two days after the funeral and, at the age of 22, took Alfie’s place instead.

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In 1967, “Alfie Lambe, Legion Envoy” was written by Hilde Firtel, Legion Envoy to Germany.

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In order to make Alfie’s cause better known,, Frank Duff wrote an article on him in 1980.  He wrote, “Do I think that Alfie is canonisable?  Yes, I do.  I could not see any defect in him.  That by itself could be a negative state.  In him it was supplemented with a faith without limit, and other heroic qualities.  He gave all his energies to the pursuit of souls.  He had Our Blessed Lady in a perfect perspective.”

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All legionaries are asked to promote the Cause of Alfie Lambe by reciting this prayer daily and encouraging others to pray for Alfie’s intercession as well.  Please join me in praying for his beatification right now.

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Thank you for celebrating Alfie’s 75^th birthday with us today!