Praying the Rosary
“Our purpose is to continuously encourage and promote the saying and the praying of the Most Holy Rosary.”
Message from Pope John Paul II
Today… I am handing you the Rosary beads. Through prayer and me
ditation on the mysteries, Mary leads you safely towards her Son! Do not be ashamed to recite the Rosary alone, while you walk along the streets to school, to the university or to work, or as you commute by public transport. Adopt the habit of reciting it among you, in your groups,n movements and associations. Do not hesitate to suggest that it be recited at home…because it rekindles and strengthens the bonds between family members. This prayer will help you to be strong in your faith, constant in charity, joyful and preserving in hope.
Pray the Rosary
One way to become more Catholic is to pray the Rosary. To do this is to pray with Jesus and Mary, meditating on the principal truths of faith which sustain us in hope, and on the events in the lives of Jesus and Mary which all Christians see reflected in their own lives. The effect of this effort is to enable us to model our lives on those of Jesus and Mary. This is the antidote to the danger of being overcome by the world, while attempting to be sacrament to the world.
Only those members of the Church who have the mind of Christ can overcome the darkness as He has done. Here is a thought on each mystery, following this method.
The Joy Mysteries
Meditating on the Annunciation of the angel to Mary, we realize that we must
respond as she did when the messenger of the Lord confides to us His call to service.
The Visitation reminds us that we too have the privilege of bringing 
Jesus to
others and telling them what great things the Lord has done for us. The Nativity
elicits the words of Jesus reminding us that when we do the will of God we are his
brother, sister, and mother. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by Mary and
Joseph inspires us to offer to God for his service everything that He has given to
us. The Finding in the Temple assures us that we will find what is most dear to us
in the house of God.
The Luminous Mysteries:
The Baptism of the Lord sanctifies the waters of baptism for each of us, His brothers
and sisters. At Cana we, too, are invited to accede to the wishes of our Mother
Mary, as Jesus did, to put our gifts to work for the salvation of the world. As we
contemplate Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom, we see ourselves walking in His
footsteps, making His voice heard by means of our own. At the Transfiguration,
we see the glory He has shared with us, hidden now, but to be revealed in due
time. As Jesus gives us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we reflect that we,
too, are to be consumed in the service of God.
The Sorrowful Mysteries:
Some part of Jesus’ Agony in the garden is repeated in each of His followers faced
with the necessity of repeating with Him, “Not my will but yours be done.” The
Scourging of Jesus continues in each of His members suffering the effects of sin.
The Crowning with thorns is Jesus’ bitter suffering assumed for our pride and
selfishness, reflected in each sinner. Carrying the Cross with Jesus is the only way
to glory with Him. Dying with Him, losing our lives with Him, we find eternal life
with Him.
The Glorious Mysteries:
The Resurrection of the Lord is our assurance that He who has conquered death
can share His victory with us. With Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, we have already
ascended with Him and begun our life of glory, though still hidden in faith. Jesus
sends His Holy Spirit on the world, and He bids us imitate Him by being channels
of grace to others. The Assumption of Mary, Mother of the Church, shows us
God’s plan for each of her spiritual children salvation of body and soul. Likewise,
her Coronation as Queen of Heaven shows us that we too may expect, having been
faithful in a few things, to be placed in charge of many.
The Rosary Priest
Patrick Pey
ton was known all over the world as “The Rosary Priest.” He had experienced Mary’s powerful intervention in his own life and he wanted to tell the families of the world what Mary would do for them if they would open their hearts and their homes to her by praying together the family Rosary. He spoke softly in his native lrish brogue.
He delivered his message with such humility, simplicity and earnestness that those who heard him were moved profoundly. Families committed themselves to pray the Rosary in their homes every day and remained faithful to those commitments for the rest of their lives. Nor did they forget him. They cherished the times when they were in his presence and heard him speak as precious moments of divine grace. Humble Beginnings Patrick Peyton was born January 9, 1909. He was the sixth of nine children born to John and Mary (Gillard) Peyton, who gathered the whole family together every night to pray the Rosary by the light of the turf fire. The family made a meager living on their small farm in Carracastle, County Mayo, Ireland. In 1928 he and his older brother Tom came to the United States to find work. After meeting a priest who invited them to join the Congregation of Holy Cross, they went to Notre Dame and began their studies for the priesthood. While still a student of theology, Patrick was stricken with tuberculosis. For almost a full year he languished in his hospital bed while his situation became increasingly grave. Father Hagerty, an old priest advisor, encouraged him to put his trust in the power of Mary’s intercession and the Holy Cross Community began a novena of Masses for his recovery. During that week he announced that he was better. The astonished doctors who examined him confirmed his cure and allowed him to return to his studies. He was ordained with his classmates on June 15, 1941. In gratitude to Our Lady he was determined to spend his life promoting devotion to her so everyone would come to know the blessings she is eager to bestow on those who turn to her with confidence and love. Father Peyton was faithful to that commitment to the end of his life.
His Mission: The Family Rosary
In 1942 with the approval of his superiors he officially founded The Family Rosary. His zeal was prodigious. He promoted family prayer, especially the family Rosary, in parish missions, on radio and later on television. He founded Family Theater of the Air, the longest running radio program in history, and for twenty – two years the great stars of Hollywood donated their talents to help him. In 1948 he began his famous Rosary Crusades, which took him all over the world and drew crowds estimated at two million in cities like Manila and Rio de Janeiro. Strengthened by prayer and his total commitment to Our Lady, he was able to overcome his natural shyness and in the most simple, artless, unaffected way he convinced millions of people all over the world to commit themselves to pray the Rosary every day with their families. No one ever said that he was a great orator, but all who heard him preach could sense that he was a holy man. He radiated the love of God and inspired everyone with his simple, tender, singleminded devotion to Our Lady.
Our Lady’s Donkey
He offered Mass and prayed his breviary daily with great devotion. He spent long hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and prayed the Rosary whenever he could free his mind from the burdens of his work. ln fact, the more troublesome his problems the more earnestly he prayed. He had committed himself to work wholeheartedly for Our Lady, not for himself and he knew she would come to his aid. His confidence in her was unbounded and she did not disappoint him. No matter how complex the problems of organizing huge Rosary Rallies, financing the production of movies and radio shows, traveling to distant cities and countries, or corresponding with the hundreds of people who wrote to ask for his prayers or to offer their contributions he never lost his peace of mind or gentle manner. He never let the burdens he had to carry extinguish the love in his heart for the people he was trying to help. One lady expressed so well the experience of so many who knew him: “When he spoke to you, you felt to be embraced by his love.” ln fact, he manifested not only love, but also joy, peace, patience and all the other fruits of the Spirit (cf Gal 5:22). He was truly a man of God. He spoke of himself as “Our Lady’s donkey.”
Cause of Canonization
His health had never been strong and the strains of his ceaseless labors took a heavy toll on his heart. Yet even after undergoing heart surgery he continued his labors until he was too ill to leave his room and died under the loving care of the Little Sisters of the Poor in San Pedro California on
June 3, 1992. At the urging of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Bishop of Fall River initiated Father Peyton’s Cause of Canonization on June 1, 2001. Father Peyton is now called “Servant of God.” Although Father Peyton died in 1992 his work continues as Holy Cross Family Ministries carries on his mission in 14 countries around the world. To be in heaven is to have entered into eternal glory. The Church does not canonize a person, therefore, to add to that person’s glory but to present him or her to the faithful on earth as a model of the Christian life and as a powerful intercessor in heaven. Before declaring anyone a saint, therefore, the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints requires evidence of that person’s holiness of life and of widespread confidence in the power of the person’s intercession. Many testimonies of Father Peyton’s holiness have been collected and prayers for a favor through his intercession circulated. Many favors have been reported: not only dramatic healings – eyesight restored, cancers cured, broken bones suddenly healed, noises in the ears stilled, etc.- but jobs have been found, financial problems resolved, and peace restored to troubled families. By praying for favors through the intercession of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, many have found that their own devotion to Our Lady has been rekindled. They have rediscovered the power of the Rosary to bring them inner peace and inspiration and quiet confidence in Our Lady’s motherly protection. They have realized the truth contained in the slogans that Father Peyton popularized:” The family that prays together stays together,” and a world at prayer is a world at peace.”
Prayer for a Favor through the lntercession of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC
God, Our Father, your wisdom is displayed in all creation and the power of your grace is revealed in the lives of holy people, who inspire us to trust you more fully and to serve others more generously, ln a unique way, you blessed the life and work of Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, your servant and a fervent apostle of Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary and Mother of us all.
Through his intercession, we ask for this favor _______________ for your honor and glory through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Father Peyton Prayers
Prayer for the Canonization of
Servant of God Father Patrick
Peyton, CSC
Dear Jesus, Father Peyton
devoted his priestly life to
strengthening the families
of the world by calling
them to pray together
every day, especially the
Rosary. His message is as
important for us today as
it was during his life on
earth. We beg you, therefore,
to hasten the day of his
canonization so that your
faithful people everywhere will
remember his message that the family
prays together stays together, imitate
him in his devotion to your
Mother and ours, and be inspired by
his holy life to draw ever closer to you
with childlike confidence and love.
Amen.
He Prayed the Rosary
Over a hundred years ago a University student found himself in a train by the side of a person who seemed to be well-to do peasant. He was praying the Rosary and moving the beads with his fingers. “Sir, do you still believe in such out-dated things?” asked the student of the old man. “Yes, I do. Do you not?”asked the man. The student burst our into laughter and said, “I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice, throw the Rosary out through this window, and learn what science has to say about it.
“Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me.” The man said humbly with some tears in his eyes. The student saw the man was deeply moved, so to avoid further hurting the feelings of the man, he said: “Please give me your address and I will send you some literature to help you on the matter.” The man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and gave the boy his visiting card. On glancing at the card, the student bowed his head in shame and became silent. On the card read:
“LOUIS PASTEUR, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, PARIS”
Why Pray the Rosary?
“There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the
family…than the daily recitation of the Rosary.”
– Pope Pius XII
“Say the Rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world.”
– Our Lady of Fatima, 1917
“The Rosary is the glory of the Roman Church. As an exercise of
Christian piety, it takes its place among the faithful after the Mass
and the Sacraments.” – Pope John XXIII
“We esteem the Rosary to be the most suitable and efficacious
means to obtain the help of God.” – Pope Pius XII
“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the
world.” – Pope Pius IX
“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most
efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all
our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent
way of praying.” – Pope Leo XIII
Would you like me to tell you a secret? It is simple, and after all,
is no secret: “Pray, pray much. Say the Rosary every day.”
– Pope John Paul II