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1) Oregon Comitium:  There is an average attendance of 64% at council meetings, and they intend to meet soon with the Portland Curia.  Their December meeting was canceled due to an ice storm.  All praesidia have four officers, and they hope to affiliate a new praesidium soon.  Two Patrician meetings are held each month, one in Medford and in Shady Cove.  Questions to Senatus:  1) can officers be appointed who can’t attend the council meeting? Reply: Br. Marten said that members cannot be officers if they cannot attend council meetings. 2) Is it Legion Work, if one administers Holy Communion to the ill or homebound as an individual? Sr. Peterson stated that it’s not always possible to bring Holy Communion with another Legionary, as it is often necessary to go at a specific time convenient to the homebound. This is a work that they have been asked to do by the pastor.  Another legionary said that it should always be done in pairs.  Br. Miller raised the question if it is considered Legionary work if done alone?  (This is a difficult problem, since Hospitals and Prisons now often require that there be only one visitor at a time).
(Report by Sr. Lapuz, correspondent)

2) Seattle Comitium:  A very active council, with 9 curia and 14 attached praesidia. Mother of Martyrs Curia has 13 praesidia, with each having at least ten members.  A Columban drive is held each first Sunday of the month by each of their attached praesidia.  The Comitium Spiritual Director, Fr. Treacy is retiring.  He was the original Spiritual Director of the Comitium when it was founded in 1948.
(Report by Br. Marten, correspondent

3) San Francisco Korean Curia: There are 4 attached praesidia, with a total of 14 active members and 61 auxiliaries.  They accompany the pastor on calls to visit the sick in homes and hospitals. They have an apostolate to the crowd at Japan center and also close to a super market, and there was an all day apostolate to the Crowd at the Korean Day festival at Union Square.  Membership has recently decreased, due to members returning to Korea or becoming elderly and switching to auxiliary membership. Br. Perlas asked how Senatus can help increase membership, and if it would be helpful if the praesidia were combined. Br. Lee stated that one problem is that the Spiritual Director has no experience in the Legion of Mary.  If membership continues to be low they may ask the Spiritual Director for this permission.  Br. Perlas asked about the attendance at Mass, to which Br. Lee replied that it is around 500.  Sr. Velicaria suggested having a Columban Drive, and to consider connecting with the San Jose Koran Curia, which has 18 praesidia.  Br. Marten asked Br. Lee to seek permission from the Spiritual Director for a Columban Drive.  Br. Perlas suggested that there could be a Korean Comitium for the various Korean Curia in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco.
(Report by the President of the Korean Curia, Br. Lee).

4) South San Mateo Curia: There are 13 attached praesidia, and they are extending the Legion to parishes in Redwood City.  Three permanent deacons act in the place of their spiritual director, Fr. Al Furtado, when he is not present.  Annual reports were recently given by an English speaking praesidium with 10 active members, a Spanish speaking praesidium with 9 active members, and a junior praesidium with 11 active members.  The English speaking praesidium conducts door to door visits and does crowd contact.  The junior praesidium visits residential care homes, helps at book barrows and makes Rosaries.  The Spanish speaking praesidium visits the sick and families, and helped one family to bring their children for the preparation for First Communion.  The Curia is  preparing for the annual Book Barrow at the San Mateo County Fair which is being held in June rather than in August. A new president of the Curia will be elected at the February meeting, as Sr. Madrinan has completed her two terms.  Sr. was also Vice-President during the extended illness of the former President of the Curia. Five praesidia were affiliated during the last six years, including one at St. Patrick’s Seminary.  Br. Marten congratulated her on her very successful presidency.  Sr. Madrinan stated that there are a number of capable legionaries eligible for curia offices, and that she wants to dedicate herself to extension of the Legion.  
(Report by the President of the Curia, Sr. Madrinan). 

5)  Salinas Curia:  They have a total of 6 attached praesidia, and are planning for the Acies.  They attended a meeting with the Bishop in which he asked for their help for a more peaceful environment.  They are promoting Eucharistic Adoration and are reaching out to the Spanish speaking Community.  (Report by Sr. Fabi, correspondent)

6)  Portland Curia:  Membership is increasing, and they have had several praesidium reports in the last quarter, with mention of book barrows, door to door visitation and sidewalk counseling.  There is good attendance at their council meetings with 100% attendance by council officers and 81% by praesidia officers. (Report by Br. Frost, correspondent)

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      The Discussion below is from the December News Notes, but is repeated here because of it's significance.

Supplement to the December 2009 News Notes:

Report and Floor Discussion of the Family Praesidium, Mary Mother of the Holy Eucharist and Family

Concilium is very interested in the (proposed) formation of Family Praesidia, so the activities of a first Family Praesidium,  is an important Curia report. At present, the Legion Handbook does not include a Family Praesidia, but the fact that the Concilium Bulletin discusses the Family Praesidium in the May, 2009 edition, indicates the importance of this issue.
Br. Perlas provides some background, on why the Family Praesidium is needed:  Membership in Legion Junior Praesidia is declining, because of new police restrictions - fingerprinting and ID checks, which are discouraging to sponsoring Adult Legionaries, and because of insurance and transportation problems.  Therefore, the practical nature of the Family Praesidium, which eliminates the need for police provisions, is evident. The Family Praesidium can help to extend the Legion to youth and to their parents, thus filling the gap left by declining Junior Praesidium membership.

What follows below is the Family Praesidium Report, and a Question and Answer Session from the Senatus Floor.

First, The Praesidium Report:

The Praesidium is now in its fifth year.  They meet each Friday evening and have 14 active members, nine parent (senior members) and 5 children (junior members).  They divide their works into works done by senior members only, works done by junior members only, and family apostolic works done by senior and junior members together.  Four senior members did door to door visitation, along with three junior members.  Two senior members teach CCD, Three senior members are Coordinators for the parish daily 12 hour Eucharistic Adoration .  Four senior members organized summer activities for the youth of the parish.  The junior members are assigned to report the Sunday gospel and homily, and they are also assigned study topics, and Spirit of Nazareth work. They recruit friends and classmates to the Legion of Mary and also remind them of Sunday Mass.  Three junior members serve Mass.  The parents monitor the spiritual formation of their children. Family apostolic works include recruiting 12 families to host the Pilgrim Virgin, promoting family Eucharistic hours, organizing the parish family choir, and distributing Respect Life literature.  They plan to increase the number of door to door visits during the next year, and also to campaign for a Family Adoration Hour and Sacred Heart Enthronement, as well as organizing family-oriented activities centering on sports, social and religious activities.  In the past year the members have been in contact with a new RCIA prospect and with a Protestant family expressing interest in the Catholic faith.  Several of the junior members have said they felt a call to a priestly vocation. 

What follows is a series of Questions from the Senatus Floor, probing various aspects of the Family Praesidium. 

1)  The Present extent of the Legion Family Praesidium
Br. Miller asked if the family praesidium format is approved beyond this one praesidium. Br. Marten replied that it is not, as of this time. 

2)  The problem that difficult Adult Legion Work presents to Juniors:
Sr. Fabi asked "How can children participate in door to door work, because of  confidentiality needs, and also the danger that children may be exposed to worldly problems?"  Br. Perlas replied that the older children should learn about the higher apostolic works of the Legion, and that the parents should make the decisions about the suitability of difficult situations for the children.  Fr. Goode stated that his biggest concern is that the juniors in the family praesidium would be exposed to evil.  Confidentiality is also a problem, and since it is difficult to recruit whole families, information may be passed from child to child.   Br. Perlas said that if there is a situation to which children should not be exposed, that it should be documented and presented to the senior praesidium (to which the family praesidium is attached) for follow up.  Fr. Goode repeated that he objects to children going door to door with adults.  Sr. Fabi said that a verbal report to the praesidium is also required if there is something learned in the apostolate, and this may also expose children to worldly problems.  Br. Perlas said that if in the event of a problem in a report, then the children are pulled aside beforehand, but that this is hardly ever the case.  Fr.  Goode said that, even as his first work as a deacon, he was struck by the presence of evil while doing home visitation, and there are certainly situations which are not suitable for children. 

3)  Support from the Floor, for the Family Praesidium.

Sr. Murata said that the family praesidium has been proposed by Concilium and should be supported.  She said that the praesidium knows the restrictions which parents must put on their children.  She said that the many positive features outweigh any negative.  Br. Perlas said that the family praesidium came about because parents wanted to be with their children.  Br. Miller said that juniors are allowed to do a wide range of apostolates, and that age 16 and up should be doing senior work according to the handbook.

4)  Council And Concilium Responsibility for Continued Family Praesidium Work:

 Br. Marten suggested a visitation to the praesidium.  He asked the body to think about how we can help this family praesidium  to make it better, to present it to the world.  A visiting legionary said that if Concilium agrees to the family praesidium, then any decisions about it is also in their hands.  Br. Perlas said that if this succeeds people in other countries will benefit.  Sr. Murata said that this shows that the handbook doesn’t always fit every circumstance.  Br. Dymond said that it belongs in the hands of the Concilium, and that Senatus needs  their input, and possibly we may have to go in person to Concilium.  Br. Ramirez said that since, the Concilium approved it as an experiment, we should explore a wide variety of programs for youth, exploring how to improve the experiment.  Br. Perlas said that there was an analysis of the benefits of the Family Praesidium in the 25 page letter that was presented to the Concilium, prepared by the North San Mateo Curia.  Br. Frost asked for patience among those with different opinions.  He strongly encourages that the Family Praesidium be allowed to go forward because of the many positive aspects, and also because he has seen that the Concilium has been very positive in support. Br. Williams said that during the PPC at St. Finn Barr he brought his young nephews along to invite people to the Church  and they were enthusiastic, so children can do work.  Br. Perlas would like to invite Concilium visitors to the family praesidium.  Br. Marten asked for patience as we go forward with this in the spring. 

*Totus Tuus*