Frank Duff a model of lay leadership – archbishop

The founder of the Legion of Mary stands “as a model of robust lay leadership in the Church” according to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Speaking at Mass in the parish of St Peter’s in Phibsborough, which was followed by the dedication of a room in honour of Frank Duff, Archbishop Martin said the “lack of trust in lay faithful of a part of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Dublin at the time of Frank Duff should be a lesson to all in the Church today”.

The archbishop said the Legion founder “was acutely aware decades ago” how the institutional structure of the Church in Ireland had “an innate debilitating factor, namely: the lack of faith formation for and trust in lay men and women”.

He said the Church needs a new generation of Frank Duffs, who are “articulate in understanding their faith and feel called to bring the unique vison which springs from their faith into dialogue with the realities of the world”.