2021 Spring Family Link

Spring 2021 Volume 28 Number 2

Family Link News for the friends of Holy Cross Family Ministries

Unleashing the Power and Promise of Family Prayer.

The Family That Prays Together Stays Together

Family Link The Family Link newsletter is published by Holy Cross Family Ministries for friends and donors of our ministry.

Thank you for being a part of our family.

Our Mission

A family of Catholic ministries that inspires, promotes and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world.

Our Vision

Holy Cross Family Ministries strives to be a respected and reliable catalyst for inspiration, support and dynamic content on family life through a focus on spirituality and prayer, especially the Rosary.

Ways to Give

Online Please visit www.HCFM.org

By Mail Please use the enclosed envelope and make your check payable to “Holy Cross Family Ministries.”

By Phone Please call 508.238.4095, x2023 Gifts of Stock or IRAs Please call 508.930.7882

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Planned Giving Please call 508.930.7882

518 Washington St. North Easton, MA 02356-1200 800-299-PRAY (7729) www.HCFM.org Cover Photo: Children’s Rosary Prayer event hosted by Holy Cross Family Ministries East Africa.

Letter from the President A message from Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., President, Holy Cross Family Ministries.

Dear Friend, As you know, prayer and faith-based experiences enable the family to grow spiritually, resulting in strength within the home and much-needed peace across our globe.

Like so many of us, Father Peyton’s life was transformed and inspired by the power and promise of family prayer Father Willy and spiritual Raymond, support.

C.S.C.

Venerable Patrick Peyton knew from his earliest days the power of the Rosary to unite the family. Father Peyton, in his autobiography, All For Her, said of the Rosary, “From it, I derive the entire pattern and purpose of my existence…Because of the daily family Rosary, my home was for me a cradle, a school, a university, a library, and most of all, a little church.”

This past year, we have been working tirelessly to improve all our programs’ effectiveness to change lives by helping families pray. Everything we do at Holy Cross Family Ministries seeks to strengthen families’ spiritual and prayer lives around the world.

Faithful to the charism of Venerable Patrick Peyton, we are using the latest digital

technology to reach families where they are and promote the good news that “The family that prays together stays together.”

At Holy Cross Family Ministries, we are privileged to serve the family in the spirit of Father Peyton and with the support and encouragement of thousands of generous collaborators like you. This Family Link is our way of thanking you for your support, informing you of your impact on families, and encouraging you to keep on doing so.

In this spring edition of the newsletter, you will discover how your prayers and generosity are strengthening the next generation of Catholics, how 800 children in East Africa inspired a new faith curriculum, exciting updates about PRAY the film, and more.

Thank you for your commitment to our mission and for recognizing that family prayer and spiritual health leads to stronger families and peace! May our Blessed Mother Mary keep you and your loved ones close to her Divine Son Jesus.

Sincerely,

Try Prayer! It Works!

You help us build up the faith of children around the world.

The “Try Prayer! It Works!”

Contest derives its name from an experience of Father Peyton’s during his time as a seminarian when he was stricken with severe tuberculosis. At one point, a frustrated physician said, “Try prayer! We have done all we can for you.” Father Peyton prayed his Rosary to the Blessed Mother, and he made a miraculous recovery, which he attributed entirely to Mary’s intercession.

For years now, we have held our international “Try Prayer! It Works!” Contest to encourage youth and their entire family to participate in an inspiring faith experience as they express their belief through art and poetry.

The goal is to bring the Church’s teachings to life around the dinner table with discussion prompts,

reflection questions, prayer ideas, and creativity.

This Contest is open to students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Each year, hundreds of children and teens from Catholic schools, parishes, and other Catholic organizations across the globe utilize their artistic skills to illustrate a different faith-based theme and submit their creation.

This year’s theme, “Do Whatever He Tells You” ( John 2:5), helped students and their families explore how Mother Mary’s example and intercession help us to follow God’s will. From Mary, especially through the prayer of the Rosary, we learn to listen to Jesus so that we can be His faithful disciples.

The Contest continues to be a fun and inspiring way to engage the next generation in prayer and our faith!

The ‘Try Prayer! It Works!’ Contest taught me how to read the Bible and pray. I also discovered that I am a good poet.

Before this exercise, I didn’t know I had the gift, but now many people have appreciated my poem and have encouraged me to continue, thanks be to God. – ‘Try Prayer! It Works!’ contestant from East Africa

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Left: Artwork by Lillian from Sarasota, Florida. “Try Prayer, It Works!” Contest Third grade winner. Above: Winning artwork submitted from East Africa.

New Statue Serves as Beacon of Hope and Prayer

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., blesses the new Venerable Patrick Peyton statue at the Museum of Family Prayer.

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On January 9, 2021, Father Peyton’s birthday, the Museum of Family Prayer and Father Peyton Center in Massachusetts received a statue from Milan, Italy of our beloved founder.

In his lifetime, Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., known as “The Rosary Priest,” was one of the most influential Catholic priests in American history. He boldly reached millions of people with his message of peace and prayer through radio and television. He led 40 massive prayer events reaching 28 million people worldwide, preaching family unity through praying the Rosary.

For almost 80 years, Holy Cross Family Ministries, which now includes the Museum of Family Prayer, continues Father Peyton’s mission and honors his legacy. At the Museum, we’ve inspired more than 1,000 visitors and plan to reach more families when it is safe for our doors to open. While the Museum is temporarily closed, our team is still hard at work bringing the Museum’s mission to families in this time of spiritual need through our digital platforms.

With your bold partnership, we reawaken to the call to prayer and faith!

Today, 112 years after Father Peyton’s birth, 29 years after he entered eternity, the world remains inspired by the saint-to-be, Father Peyton. This newly installed statue stands as a beacon of hope and ready to welcome a new generation of families into the Museum to experience what Father Peyton so famously stated, “The family that prays together stays together.”

The breathtaking statue serves as a symbol of our renewed and bold commitment to spreading the power of prayer, just as Father Peyton did. Now, more than ever, it is time to reawaken to the call to prayer and faith!

Our ability to bring the inspiration and magic of the Museum online during the pandemic and to prepare for our future re-opening would not be possible without your generous and gracious support. Your partnership indeed blesses us, and together we will boldly reshape the way people grow in prayer and faith, and in return, we will see our families, communities, and the Church thrive.

Celebrating Catholic Motherhood: Allison’s Story Thank you for investing in Catholic moms and strong Catholic families.

Allison first found HCFM’s ministry Catholic Mom in 2012 while scrolling through her Twitter feed. There, she came across a request that Catholic Mom was looking for bloggers who would be interested in writing for them.

Allison submitted a piece and was notified that day she was chosen to help write for Catholic Mom. Allison explains, “Having used the site’s offerings as a Catholic mother, I knew the value of the content on this website (CatholicMom.com). When I saw a way to be even the smallest piece of this vital resource, I jumped on the chance.” Since then, Allison has been volunteering her time writing and helping support other Catholic mothers.

Allison’s favorite service Catholic Mom has to offer are the Daily Gospel Reflection emails because, “The beauty of this feature comes from the inspiration found through the many different voices contributing to the reflections and knowing the power of spending time in God’s word, even when I am at my busiest,

Catholic Mom’s community is, “Welcoming, inspiring, and helpful,” says Allison. Early in Allison’s motherhood, she relied on the wisdom of the other moms. “It was so comforting to know I wasn’t alone, or the only one, experiencing the triumphs and trials of Catholic motherhood,” explains Allison.

Allison knows how important the Catholic Mom community is to not only herself and her family but to all the other mothers who rely on this resource. To her, it has been amazing to watch Catholic Mom flourish, and the successful utilization of social media continues to connect and support not only women but families, especially in these times.

If you would like to learn more about ways to get involved with Catholic Mom like Allison or are looking for a faith-filled resource for you and your family, visit CatholicMom.com.

Allison and her family.

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Allison (second from left) with members of the CatholicMom.com team at the Father Peyton Center in 2019.

makes me very grateful to know I can rely on this wonderful daily inbox reminder!”

Students United for Father Peyton’s Cause Students in Uganda gather family members for Rosary prayer at home during the pandemic.

By Father David S. Marcham Vice Postulator and Guild Director I want to share with you some hope-filled news.

Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C., International Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries, and his team are developing a prayer program for our young people who are members of the Father Peyton Prayer Guild. I had the opportunity to speak with Father Pinto about this exciting venture.

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Father Pinto, how did you come up with the idea to teach young Father Peyton Prayer Guild members about Father Peyton, the Rosary, and the Catholic Faith?

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., and I visited some of our Family Rosary ministry centers in East Africa in 2018. While in Fort Portal, Uganda, we were privileged to join a spirited gathering of more than 800 student members of the Father Peyton Prayer Guild. These student chapters are both well known and popular in many of our ministry centers worldwide. However, we learned that these youth didn’t have many prayer resources. So, we thought it would be great to develop a prayer program to help them pray based on the Rosary’s Mysteries in conjunction with Venerable Patrick Peyton’s life.

What are the key goals of this program?

The purpose of the student chapters of Father Peyton Prayer Guild is to grow a worldwide community of children ages 5 to 17 to pray for

the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Father Peyton and help them integrate his values into their families to further the spiritual growth of families around the world.

The children’s chapters of the Guild focus on preparing students to discover their identity, develop their relationship with God and one another and find their vocation in the Church.

What stage has this prayer program reached, and what lies ahead?

We have created themes drawn from the Mysteries of the Rosary and compiled craft activities and games related to the Mysteries.

We thought it would be great to have a curriculum for all the student Guild chapters worldwide based on the Mysteries of the Rosary that would complement the existing Catechism. We plan to have a small-scale version of the program ready in June 2021.

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., and Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C., greet student members of Father Peyton Prayer Guild during 2018 visit to Fort Portal, Uganda.

Father Peyton Prayer Guild Member Prayer Requests Please pray for my wife Alicia as she prepares for surgery…James, Australia

Please pray that my brother will return home safely…Leonida, Kenya

Please pray for my grandson, who was recently diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome.…Minnie, United States

Please pray for my wife and me.

We are newlyweds…Andy, United States

Prayers requested for God’s blessings on my children…Erin, United States Prayers for healing relationships within my family…Sean, United States Prayers requested for my daughter and son-in-law’s marriage…

Nancy, India

Prayer for the Beatification of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.

Please pray that my grandmother and father will remain cancerfree…Natasia, Canada

Please pray that God will help our family overcome financial challenges…Romana, Spain Prayers requested for my sister Cathy…Phil, Canada Please pray with me that all four of my children will return to the faith…Margaret, South Africa Please pray that I can overcome addiction…Ron, United States

DETACH HERE AND MAIL TODAY

Please include the following special intention through the intercession of Father Peyton in Holy Cross Family Ministries’ daily Rosary and Mass.

Name Street City/State Zip Email Phone

Complete and return in the enclosed envelope.

SPRING 2021 Family Link PAGE SEVEN

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 now as it was during his life on earth. We beg you, therefore, to hasten the day of his beatification so that your faithful people everywhere will remember his message that The Family That 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.

Please pray for me as I consider a vocation to the priesthood…Felix, United States

Prayers requested for all working in hospitals during the pandemic…

Susie, Singapore

518 Washington St. North Easton, MA 02356-1200

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PRAY for Your Parish, Group, and School PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON is an award-winning documentary film about Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. This is the story of a tireless missionary, an unlikely hero, and one of history’s greatest advocates for family prayer. The film also depicts the powerful stories of four families whose lives were transformed through prayer and Father Peyton’s inspiration.

Holy Cross Family Ministries is excited to share that PRAY is now available to parishes, schools, and groups to host their own virtual or in-person film screening event. A PRAY screening license can be used to show the

movie at a parish, school, ministry, drive-in event, or fundraiser. It’s the ideal movie for events hosted by parishes and organizations, especially those devoted to Our Lady, and prayer and Bible study groups.

Let’s work together to inspire prayer and continue Father Peyton’s mission summed up in his simple phrase, “The family that prays together stays together.” Host a digital or in-person screening of PRAY for your group today!

Visit www.praythefilm.com/grouplicense to learn more.

2020 has been a unique year, as I’m sure we can all attest to. PRAY could not have come at a better time. I not only enjoyed watching Fr. Peyton’s inspiring message, but it helped elicit the need to start saying the Rosary again on a daily basis. For that, I am grateful. I highly recommend all to see it.

–Karen, PRAY Screening Attendee

A scene from PRAY. The Sweeney family, inspired

by Father Peyton, gathers for Rosary prayer.