Frank Duff - by Finola Kennedy (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This is a new biography of the Founder of the Legion of Mary, one of the Catholic Church's most effective charitable agencies in the world today.

In the Legion of Mary, Duff built an organisation that depended on each member playing his or her part, rather than on any individual leader. Describing responsibility as 'the biggest tonic on earth', he believed in sharing responsibility, and warned against thinking that others cannot do things as well as we can ourselves.

The Legion of Mary is an organisation of lay Catholics dedicated to every form of social service and Catholic action for the welfare of the Church and of society. Duff's vision of a lay movement was revolutionary in its time and as recounted in this book explains why he faced so much opposition from Church authorities, especially in Ireland.

But Duff, who is on the path towards canonisation, exemplified the Catholic tradition of charitable work at its best - that you do not preach by lecturing but by works of mercy, compassion and unselfish altruism. This is an inspiring tale.

Review Quotes

"This biography is an affectionate tribute to a friend and hero of the author, and a well-researched, if uncritical, piece of work about an interesting man who had far-reaching ideas and effects on Irish society." --The Irish Times

"...this is a fine biography and Duff has been fortunate in having such a sympathetic yet fair and meticulous biographer as Finola Kennedy." --The Irish Examiner

"A new biography of Frank Duff is something to be welcomed at a time when historical memory is under pressure from so many sources... this book should be a timely reference point for our attention and consideration." --The Furrow

"[Duff] exemplified the Catholic tradition of charitable work at its best- you do not preach by lecturing but by works of mercy, compassion and unselfish altruism... this is an inspiring book." --Maria Legionis

"Kennedy's biography is both expansive and detailed. It shows a truly busy man who contributed in an outstanding way to the Church to which he belonged, as well as playing a significant part as a civil servant in the building of the Republic of Ireland." --Church of Ireland Gazette

"... [a] well-researched and stimulating biography." --Times Education Supplement

"... an admirable biography... In giving us this excellent biography of Frank Duff, Finola Kennedy has reminded us of fierce conflicts which existed between the laity and the Church in this country and of the real resistance to it." --Irish Independent

"Finola Kennedy... has now turned her exceptional talents to providing a thorough, thoughtful, even-handed life of Frank Duff... [a] meticulously researched study." --The Irish Catholic

"... meticulously researched and yet very easy to read... [Kennedy] is very much an insider, an active legionary at various times in her life and god daughter of her subject. Not only does she bring Frank to life for the reader but she also recreates the social and political background and the prevailing Catholic culture against which the Legion was founded." --Africa Magazine

"[Kennedy] has made excellent use of a mass of archive material... providing a full and rounded portrait of Duff." --The Catholic Herald

About the Author

Finola Kennedy has been a Lecturer at University College Dublin and at the Institute of Public Administration, Ireland. She has served on a number of Boards, including the Housing Finance Agency (chairman), ACCBank and the Railway Procurement Agency. She was a member of the Review Group on the Constitution and the Commission on the Status of Women.

She is the author of the pioneering study, Cottage to Crèche: Family Change in Ireland (2001). She has contributed frequently to newspapers such as the Irish Times, the Sunday Business Post and the Sunday Independent.