The Family Rosary

Patrick Peyton grew up in a poor rural area of Ireland but with great zeal, he brought millions of people closer to Jesus and Mary through the Family Rosary. Born on January 9, 1909, in Caracastle, County Mayo, Ireland, Patrick was the sixth of nine children in a family where often there were more people than potatoes to feed them but every night without fail his father would lead the family in praying the Holy Rosary. This kept them spiritually nourished and united in difficult times.

One moving encounter with his father was later recounted by Father Peyton when speaking to huge gatherings. In Ireland there was what was known as an "American Wake", when a member of the family set out for America to find work. Pat and his brother Tom found themselves in this situation in 1928. The last words his father shared with him on this occasion were: "Be faithful to Our Lord in America." Pat would strive to do just that. He and Tom were never saw their parents again.

The brothers arrived in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where some of their sisters already lived. Tom worked in the coal mines while Pat accepted a job with the cathedral parish as a "sexton" or janitor. This gave him time to pray before the Eucharist, which revived his feeling of being called to the priesthood.

Pat and Tom presented themselves to the Holy Cross priests who came to preach a mission in the parish. Each proclaimed that he had a vocation to the priesthood. They entered the seminary at the University of Notre Dame, where Pat was delighted to study much harder at an institution named for Our Lady. Pat was an excellent theology student, once he received the remedial help he needed completing high school. They were studying at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., when disaster struck.

Pat became deathly ill with tuberculosis. He was throwing up blood and getting weaker daily. He was transferred back to the Notre Dame infirmary. The illness had developed for nearly a year when doctors told Pat: "You had better try prayer. All that we have tried is not working!" Pat was at his worst when a fellow Irishman, Fr. Cornelius Haggerty, C.S.C, came to give him a real challenge. "Mary is alive right here and now, Pat. You know how dedicated the Irish are to the Rosary. Well, pray it yourself, believing that Mary is alive and able to give you 100 percent of what you ask".

Pat prayed his Rosary more fervently than ever and the impossible happened. After a novena of Rosaries, Pat declared himself cured! It was December 8, 1939, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The doctors needed persuading to give him the tests that would prove him right: there was no trace of tuberculosis! Pat was thrilled as he returned to his studies, determined that if he was ordained a priest, he would dedicate his priesthood to the work of the one who saved his life: Mary.

The blessed day came in June 1940 when he was ordained with his class. His illness had set him back, While praying, it came to Father Peyton how he would repay Our Lady for this miraculous healing. He would promote the Family Rosary all around the U.S.A. Father Peyton saw much to do as "Mary's donkey", as he referred to himself. He was persuasive and focused. His energy was boundless. He wrote to Bishops and anyone he could think of to help him promote the "Family Rosary", which he founded in 1942, always speaking with great affection of Mary's intercessory power and giving the story of his own healing as an example. Father Peyton started leading the Rosary on radio, trusting that Mary would guide him. He became known as the "Rosary priest" encouraging people to strengthen their family by praying the rosary.

He opened Family Theater Productions in Hollywood. He knew Bing Crosby and Loretta Young, who said of him, "I never met a man so in love with a woman as Father Peyton was in love with the Blessed Mother". He promoted family prayer, and the famous slogan, "The family that prays together stays together", was written in 1947 for the program. In 1948 he began to organize huge Rosary rallies, called Family Rosary Crusades.

The mission of the Servant of God, Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. was drawing people closer to Jesus and Mary through the Family Rosary and his gratitude to Our Lady for preserving his life and priesthood. He spoke of nothing but the Blessed Mother, her Rosary, and the work of the Family Rosary and Family Theater Productions.

Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton,C.S.C., pray for us.