Patrick Peyton

Rev. Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC, (January 9, 1909–June 3, 1992) also known as the Rosary Priest, was a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In the post-WWII years, Fr. Peyton worked tirelessly to promote the family recitation of the Rosary. He founded the Family Rosary Crusade, a global ministry to families and for prayer. A remarkable off-shoot of this organization was Family Theater Productions, a radio and film production studio based on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, and dedicated to the same message as the Crusade, '"The family that prays together, stays together."

Biography

Fr. Peyton was born on January 9, 1909 in the townland of Carracastle in Attymass parish, County Mayo, Ireland. He was a member of a family of nine children.

At the age of 19 he and his brother, Tom, emigrated to the United States to join with their sister, Nellie. His wish from boyhood was to be ordained a priest but his family in Ireland were unable to meet the cost of his education.

In the United States he returned to full-time education and studied for the priesthood in the Congregation of Holy Cross. During his final year in the seminary he was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At that time tuberculosis was incurable. Fr Patrick was very weak and was given little hope by the medical team of recovering to full health. He had great faith and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary for a recovery to health. His prayers were answered and his health began to improve to the amazement of the medical profession.

He was ordained to the priesthood at Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame on June 15, 1941.

Fr Peyton was so grateful to the Blessed Virgin Mary for his health that he, with the permission of his superiors, began the Prayer Crusade which took him all over the world preaching the importance of prayer, especially family prayer.

He staged hundreds of radio and television shows with many of the famous movie stars of Broadway and Hollywood taking part. He was the founder of the "Family Rosary Crusade" and "Family Theatre".

His famous slogan was: "The family that prays together, stays together."

Fr. Peyton died on the 3rd of June, 1992 and is buried in the grounds of the University of Notre Dame at Notre Dame, IN.

External links

* [http://www.museumsofmayo.com/peyton1.htm Museum of Mayo]
* [http://www.familyrosary.org/main/about-father.php Family Rosary]
* [http://www.familytheater.org/about-behind-archive.html?iContentId=1461 Family Theater Productions]
* [http://www.attymass.ie/peyton.htm Father Peyton Memorial Center]