Edel Quinn was born at Greenane, in County Cork, in the South of Ireland, on September 14th, 1907. Edel's mother was a devout Catholic who attended daily Mass, and under her influence, and that of the Teaching Nuns, Edel also had an intense Spiritual Life, with daily Mass and prayers. As a young person, Edel was attractive and had a wide range of talents and abilities. She was elected captain of an athletic team, and did well on exams.

After leaving school at age 17, she worked as a secretary to help family finances, and joined the Legion of Mary, at age 20. Frank Duff asked her to take charge of the Sancta Maria Hostel, a refuge for the rehabilitation of Dublin prostitutes. During this period, she was influenced by St. Therese of Lizieux, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Louis de Montford. Soon, she joined the Order of the Poor Claires, but there she had a severe hemmorage, diagnosed as advanced Tuberculosis. For a period of a year and a half, she recuperated in a Sanatorium, but since her health did not improve, she decided to leave and spend her remaining life in active service in the Legion of Mary.

By 1936, the Legion had spread over much of the world. Frank Duff selected Edel to be the Legion Envoy to Africa, and she left in October, telling her friends that "I won't be back". For the next eight years, she traveled over much of Eastern and Southern Africa, with her base in Nairobi in Kenya. Despite her delicate health, she traversed the rough tracks of that region for thousands of kilometers, visiting Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and South Africa.

Travelers in Africa are exposed to many local diseases, including Malaria and dysentery. Despite her many illnesses, Edel carried on, establishing scores of Praesidia, even one for Lepers, and the First African Curia in Nairobi. Her cheerfulness, patience, and indomitable good will, resulted in winning thousands for the Legion. Inevitably, her difficult travels and illness overcame her, and she died on May 12, 1944, after a series of heart attacks, with "Jesus, Jesus", on her lips.

Venerable Edel Quinn

Proclamation of Pope John Paul II, on Dec. 15, 1994

  "It is certain that the Servant of God, Edel Mary Quinn, a secular
  virgin of the Legion of Mary, practiced to a heroic degree, the
  theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity towards God and
  her neighbor, and the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice,
  Temperance, and Fortitude"

Edel Quinn's Favorite Prayer

Dear Jesus make thyself to me
a living bright reality
more present to Faith's vision keen
Than any outward object seen
More dear, more intimately nigh
than even the sweetest earthly tie

Please ask for the Help and Intercession of Edel Quinn
in your daily prayers, especially for the most desperate
causes, for family members and friends.

You can find the Intercession prayers on the link below.
If you have received a special favor from Edel, for
example, a critically ill person restored to health,
please notify The Concilium of the Legion of Mary,
so that the cause for the Canonization of Edel may be
advanced. The address is below:

The Legion of Mary
DeMontford House
North Brunswick Street
Dublin 7, Ireland

   Learn More about the Life of Edel Quinn

   Several Biographies have been written:

  "Edel Quinn" by Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens
  "Edel Quinn 1907-1944" by Fr. Desmond Forristal
 "Edel Quinn: Envoy of the Legion of Mary to Africa"    by Cardinal Suenens
  "Woman of Faith: Edel Quinn" by Mary Peffley
  "Edel Quinn" by Anselm Moynihan, O.P.

These books may be available through your Praesidium, but if not, are easily available online at book dealers.