Venerable Patrick Peyton's remains were relocated to a newly renovated center in hopes that pilgrims will be able to encounter the priest that has changed so many lives.
On June 6, Holy Cross Family Ministries held a grand re-opening of their center, called the Father Peyton Center. It is the world headquarters for Holy Cross Family Ministries, as well the Museum of Family Prayer.
One of the major parts of the event was the transfer of Venerable Patrick Peyton's remains from the Cemetery of the Congregation of Holy Cross Religious to the Queen of Families Veneration Chapel in the Father Peyton Center.
Fr. Charlie McCoy, vice president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, explained to OSV News their hopes for the new center:
"I really do hope that families who come and visit here — and learn more about Father Peyton’s story and … get the chance to actually pray in his presence — that they will walk away inspired to really cultivate a relationship and a friendship with Father Peyton. And see him as a kind of advocate for them before the Lord, as someone who’s praying for them and for their families."
Venerable Peyton's cause for canonization is still underway and his cause requires at least one miracle verified before he can be proclaimed "blessed."
Who was the "Rosary Priest"?
In the midst of World War II, Fr. Patrick Peyton, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, believed that there was only one thing families across the nation needed to do to ensure peace at home and abroad.
Pray the Rosary.
His parents had taught him the importance of the Rosary back in Ireland, kneeling together as a family every day to pray the Rosary. Additionally Father Peyton believed the Blessed Mother miraculously healed him from tuberculosis while studying as a seminarian and made a vow to spread her love to all the world.
Without having any background or influence in mass media, Fr. Peyton went to New York and convinced a woman from the Mutual Broadcasting System that the nation needed a Catholic radio program. The non-Christian woman decided to give Father Peyton a chance on one condition: he needed to enlist the help of Hollywood stars.
Fr. Peyton nervously called Bing Crosby and somehow, with the help of Our Lady, was able to win him over for the cause. The radio show hit airwaves on May 13, 1945, and featured “Archbishop Spellman of New York, President Harry Truman, Bing Crosby and the parents and sister of the Sullivan family of Iowa leading the Rosary... Fr. Peyton finished the program with an impassioned plea for families to pray the Rosary together for peace.”
The rest is history, as Fr. Peyton quickly became a recognized figure in the United States as the "Rosary Priest," hosting a radio program and eventually producing short films with Hollywood actors.
He then took his influence around the world, traveling and speaking, enlisting the world to pray the Rosary, especially with their families.
One of his best known legacies was the phrase, "The family that prays together, stays together."
It is hoped that someday he will be proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church, and that his life will inspire many more families to pray together, transforming society.
