2023 Winter Family Link

WINTER 2023

FAMILY LINK NEWS FOR THE FRIENDS OF HOLY CROSS FAMILY MINISTRIES

ANNUAL REVIEW

"I prayed and repeated the words of my favorite appeal to Mary."

Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.

The Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of thy Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me.

Amen.

Holy Cross Family Ministries Our Mission Holy Cross Family Ministries is a family of Catholic ministries that inspires, promotes, and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world.

Family Rosary A wealth a free digital resources to help you pray as a family.

FamilyRosary.org Family Theater Productions Serving families with media that entertains, inspires, and educates.

FamilyTheater.org Catholic Mom Online community connecting, encouraging, and supporting Catholic women.

CatholicMom.com

Father Peyton Prayer Guild A worldwide prayer group committed to praying for the canonization of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., a future "Saint for Family Prayer."

FatherPeyton.org The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life Ongoing contemporary research and development for Church leaders to help Catholic families live out their vocation.

PeytonFamilyInstitute.org

The family that prays together stays together.

-VENERABLE PATRICK PEYTON

HCFM.org FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

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Inside Page 2 – Letter from the President Page 4 – Family Rosary Page 6 – Family Theater Productions Page 8 – The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life Page 9 – Catholic Mom Page 10 – International Ministry Centers Page 12 – Message from the Vice Postulator & Guild Director Page 14 – Benefactor Spotlight Page 15 – Around Holy Cross Family Ministries Page 16 – 2023 Financial Highlights

Front Cover Image: Families gather to pray the Rosary at the Annual Rosary Festival on October 7, 2023, in North Easton, MA.

Children ages 4 to 5 learn to pray the Rosary with their families during an event at The Father Peyton Family Institute in Peru.

FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

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Letter from the President My Dear Friends in Mission, For 80 years, the Holy Cross Family Ministries has been committed to promoting prayer and the spiritual well-being of families around the world. Inspired by Venerable Patrick Peyton’s zeal for family life, especially the Rosary, we have impacted the lives of millions of individuals. While we celebrate every family that we can help, we are challenged by the millions more that can benefit from our ministries.

Thus, the success of our ministries makes it clear that there is a great need for our work.

We believe we are now at a watershed moment. The world has shifted in many ways. The belief in organized religion has gone down and social changes have impacted the nature of the family unit.

Contemporary families are struggling with challenges such as addictions, separations, absence of parents or spouses, infidelity, domestic violence, abandonment of faith, less openness to bearing children, long term sicknesses, and tough economic situations.

mothers are often the gatekeepers of faith, and so Catholic Mom provides dozens of resources and a support network for Catholic mothers. Through our Father Peyton Family Institutes, we are able to work deeply and directly in communities experiencing extreme poverty. Finally, our Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life has recently produced the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life, providing us with the framework to be used to help develop the Domestic Church. Through this comprehensive array of programs, we offer a complete and integrated approach to connect with families anywhere and at any time either in person, through media, or online.

In the words of Father Peyton, the family is “the greatest treasure the earth possesses,” and we use every resource we have to develop this treasure.

Our ministries provide a unique and comprehensive approach allowing us to meet families wherever they are in their faith journey.

In this environment, we hear the call from our founder, a call from families around the world, and a call from our Blessed Mother Mary to rise and help.

With our five ministries, we believe we are strongly positioned to lead in this work. With a global network of 28 Ministry Centers, we are best positioned to educate families in the universal church worldwide to nurture their prayer life and spiritual development on a global basis. Our ministries provide a unique and comprehensive approach allowing us to meet families wherever they are in their faith journey. Our films from Family Theater Productions can unlock the hearts of those just beginning their journey, while our Family Rosary fosters an ever-deeper commitment through prayer. Within families, we know that

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Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., blessing families at Family Rosary’s Vow Renewal Mass at St. Joseph Chapel on February 11, 2023 in North Easton, MA.

In this Annual Review edition of Family Link, we reflect on the year we have had. It has been one of transition and re-envisioning. In terms of transitioning, I was able to move firmly into the role of President.Thanks to Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C, our previous President, I was able to transition smoothly, and I thank him for remaining as part of the HCFM family as our Steering Committee Chairperson for our We Prayed! A Campaign for Family Prayer. This year we were able to restart our Mission Advancement program, and as you will read make substantial progress in each of our ministries.

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Regarding re-envisioning, I put forth 6 pillars: 1. Renew our Founding Innocence of Belief in the Power of Prayer 2. Re-Center the Rosary as our Organization's Principle.

3. Rekindle our Missionary Spirit to Families.

4. Give closer attention to the Contextual Realities of Families.

5. Carefully Steward our Resources.

6. Heighten the Closeness to Holy Cross and the wider Church.

It is my intention to renew and strengthen our founding principles while bringing us closer to the realities of the contemporary family. To do this, we must work as One Family through our multiple ministries. As you read about the work done through each ministry you should get a sense of the significant impact we are having, but more importantly that we are poised to make substantially greater impact going forward. Each ministry has made tremendous strides this past year, and we now look to next year to work closer together to provide an ever-stronger offering to families around the world.

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As I end the year, I think how blessed I am to be part of such a wonderful mission, with such dedicated staff, a supportive Board, and thousands of supporters like you. None of this work can happen without your support. Your generosity given in time, talent and treasure makes me realize how blessed we are, and how bright our future and the future of Catholic families can be. We have a very deep gratitude for all those who take part in our mission and only ask that your love for our work and the families we serve grows. I can assure you that we are unrelenting in the pursuit of our belief that “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.”

May God Bless you all,

Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. President Holy Cross Family Ministries

Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., with a family at one of our Ministry Centers in Asia.

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Family Rosary In 2020, COVID-19 had a substantial impact on the world, and we, like everyone, felt that impact. At that time, our Family Rosary ministry was primarily inperson. Drawing inspiration from our founder, who was always at the forefront of finding new ways to advance his mission. We embraced our circumstances and used it as an opportunity to push forward into the digital world to promote family prayer, especially the Rosary. Three years later, we are now seeing the benefits of these initiatives:

Blogs and eBooks Implementing a solid digital strategy means striking a balance between making our website discoverable through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and spiritually rich materials. By focusing on the power and purpose of prayer in the home, individually and as a family, this balance is kept seamlessly. Our blog contributors span generations and vocations, providing a variety of voices and points of view that we feel help welcome any visitor to our site.

Social Media Our primary social media platforms are Facebook and Instagram. We currently have 1.3 million followers on Facebook and 29.4k on Instagram.

While reach and engagement fluctuates throughout the year, we have seen a steady growth in both critical areas, with some of our content yielding 500 to 1,000% increases in the number of people our content blesses on both a weekly and monthly basis.

We utilize our social media to promote our online content and in-person events. We also follow the popular trend of sharing inspirational quotes, particularly the saints’ thoughts and writings on prayer, Marian spirituality, and the Rosary.

A family gathered for Rosary prayer at Family Rosary’s Annual Rosary Festival held on October 7, 2023.

Digital Mission After our research uncovered our Family Rosary website ranks exceptionally high in Google searches for “Praying the Rosary as (or with) family,” we initiated a digital media strategy to make family prayer content meet visitor expectations and needs.

Our online offerings include homilies and reflection blogs, free downloadable content, daily Rosary, Mass and prayer videos and our social media includes a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Themes for seasonal content not only relate to the Liturgical season, but also incorporate different aspects of prayer, introduction and support of family prayer, and of course, a variety of resources to support the praying of the Rosary.

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Our weekday livestream/video content includes the Daily Rosary and Mass shared on Facebook from the Father Peyton Center. These are distributed through our Facebook page each day at 11:30 and Noon, respectively, with a potential audience of 1.3 million-plus. After broadcast, the homily videos are uploaded to our YouTube channel, and the video along with the text from the homily are shared to the Family Rosary blog.

Our multipronged distribution of this quality and inspirational content helps us reach a wider audience. We have plans in 2024 to utilize this content even further to support family prayer and faith discussions.

2023 Family Rosary Highlights: 1.3 million followers on Facebook 29,000 followers on Instagram 90 groups hosted at Museum of Family Prayer

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For the October Global campaign, which focused on the mysteries of the Rosaries, we introduced a new online feature, “Praying with Images,” based on the prayer practice of Visio Divina (“sacred seeing”). This activity involves prayerfully looking at sacred art (in any medium), and discussing what one sees, how it makes them feel, and how it helps them experience things of faith. It was designed for multigenerational use — toddlers to octogenarians can not only participate but do so together, as a family!

attractive and ideal location for events. Early in the year, we hosted a “Date Night” for parents, a Marriage Renewal Mass titled “I Still Do,” and a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.

The Museum opened in 2019 just as COVID began.

It was opened with such great excitement and anticipation but was hampered by COVID. This year we saw a return to excitement and exuberance giving us confidence that this will become a place for people around the world to celebrate Prayer. Our Museum team developed an effective approach to host groups of 90 from parishes, schools and other groups.

In addition, we opened up a new Faith Gallery, an art gallery of rotating exhibits of inspirational and family-friendly works. The event was kicked off with a Wine and Cheese reception and was then opened to the public. The Inaugural Exhibit: “Behold Your Mother," was a vibrant yet contemplative exhibit of the Blessed Mother, a special collection by renowned artist, Jen Norton. The Faith Gallery is an art gallery of rotating exhibits of inspirational and familyfriendly works.

Family craft activity at The Faith Gallery grand opening at the Musuem of Family Prayer in September 2023.

In-person and beyond We saw a return to more normal operations with our ability to hold in-person events. What was most exciting was we were able to take advantage of our success in our digital mission and through live streaming reached a global audience. As Father Peyton took his mission to the airwave and television to expand his audience and forge ahead in our mission, we did the same with our Family Rosary events.

With a focus on fortifying the spiritual lives of Catholic families, we sought to develop more targeted events that would draw new visitors and participants.

Our Father Peyton Center featuring our Museum of Prayer, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel, a multimedia room, and meeting space provides an

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Visitors stop by the welcome table at Family Rosary’s Family Healing Mass & Anointing on September 30, 2023.

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Family Theater Productions When Jesus taught the crowds, he often used stories.

Some of these were overtly religious, but many of his parables dealt with everyday things (lost coins, leaven in bread, workers in fields) that spoke of spiritual values. Following his example, Family Theater Productions produces stories to unlock hearts to experiences of God and family.

Thanks to God, and to our content creators, support teams, leadership from Holy Cross Family Ministries, collaborators, benefactors and prayer partners, this past year, Family Theater Productions reached millions with impactful content through Internet, broadcast, streaming services, in-person screenings, and events.

Malia Kipp, member of the Blackfeet Nation who had her inspiring story featured in Native Ball.

Native Ball: The Legacy of a Trail Blazer, our awardwinning short documentary, began broadcast on November 1, 2023, so far on 219 PBS stations with 659 scheduled showtimes. This is the largest single Family Theater Productions broadcast reach since Father Peyton’s radio shows of the early 1950s.

Native Ball tells the inspiring story of Malia Kipp, a member of the Blackfeet Nation and in 1992 the only Native woman with a Division 1 scholarship, who led her team on and off the court to exemplify through

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sports how to develop character and build unity and trust with each other. The film will be part of the PBS system for three years and was featured as part of Native American History Month. Check out the website for ways to see the filmwww.NativeBall.com.

2023 Family Theater Productions Highlights: 219 PBS Stations with 659 scheduled showtimes of Native Ball Native Ball records largest single Family Theater Productions broadcast since Father Peyton’s radio shows in 1950’s 1 million YouTube viewers 25,600 subscribers for Catholic Central 4,100 subscribers to Lente Catolico 30 SCREENINGS OF PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON 800 students impacted at one PRAY screening

YouTube is the largest streaming service in the world, and Family Theater Productions is right there with digital content that reached over 1 million viewers in the last twelve months. In addition to seasonal and archive clips, we continue offering new episodes of the award winning Catholic Central (with over 25,600 subscribers) and Lente Católico (climbing to over 4,100 subscribers in its third year). The FTP Digital Team is also producing an insightful, limited series for YouTube on topics that open hearts to faith, family and understanding. October 31, 2023, the team released Special Abilities: Living Fully with Down Syndrome, celebrating the lives of people who show us how to live fully with challenges that become blessings. Look for more series in the months ahead.

Catholic school students participating in a PRAY film screening in New Jersey.

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As the year closes, we are shooting interviews for our upcoming project: Lasting Marriages: I do and I still do, coming to YouTube in early 2024. Our website project page has trailers and links to all our videoswww.FamilyTheater/projects.org.

Father Peyton personally engaged culture and people in Hollywood. Family Theater Productions continues that tradition by hosting on-site special screening events for friends and collaborators, holding monthly Prayer and Pasta gatherings for prayer, meal and discussion, and through project consulting. For example, for several years, Father David Guffey, C.S.C., National Director of Family Theater Productions, has served as a Catholic consultant for the hit series, The Chosen, about the life of the apostles of Jesus. In October, Father Guffey was part of two panel discussions at The Chosen Insiders Conference in Dallas, Texas with over 3,500 in person attendees and 7,000 on-line.

Thanks be to God, it was a fruitful year, but wait till you see what is coming in the near future. Visit our fresh and revised website, www.FamilyTheater.org, for more about our latest efforts and how to view all our projects. Sign up for our Blog, “News from the Heart of Hollywood,” and join our mission of producing great stories that unlock hearts to experiences of God and family.

Official poster for our new YouTube series, Special Abilities: Living Fully with Down Syndrome.

Screening events, digital download and broadcasts continue for PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton, the award-winning, inspirational documentary about Father Peyton’s message, “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together.” One of the 30 screening events for PRAY last year was with 800 students at the Donovan High School and St. Joseph School in Tom’s River, New Jersey. After seeing the film, one of the students shared, “I learned that praying, especially the Rosary, can be healing and essential to family life.”

For the latest news on the film, check out www.PrayTheFilm.com.

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Father David Guffey, C.S.C., National Director of Family Theater Productions (left) with Jonathan Roumie of The Chosen (center) and Rabbi Jason Sobel (right) at The Chosen Insiders Conference in Dallas, Texas.

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The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life continues to promote the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life, a new model of family spirituality and family ministry, through professional training, original research, and creative family resource development.

Research After two years, the results of the Future Faithful Families Project are in. The Peyton Institute, together with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown, identified families who successfully raised most, if not all, of their children to a faithful adulthood. We then interviewed the parents and the adult children to identify both the spiritual practices and family dynamics that lead to successful faith transmission across generations. This is the first study to show what specific family practices increase the likelihood that children will embrace their Catholic faith as adults. Dr. Mark Gray, the lead researcher at CARA said that this was one of the most exciting projects he has been involved with in 20 years. The Peyton Institute is planning a major press campaign to release the findings of this groundbreaking study beginning in January 2024.

Creative Family Resources

Dr. Greg Popčak and Lisa Popčak, Executive Directors of The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life.

Training Over the last year, we’ve taken well over 100 diocesan and parish leaders through our 5 week webinar training in the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life.

Likewise, dozens of graduates of this series regularly attend our monthly professional development calls where we explore different aspects of the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life and how to effectively implement the model in dioceses and parishes. It’s exciting to see the creative ways pastoral ministry professionals are using the framework to have a more significant impact on the families they serve.

The Peyton Institute had another opportunity to present the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life internationally (following last year’s keynote at the Vatican World Meeting of Families) when we spoke at Holy Cross Family Ministries’ Global Leadership Meeting in Knock, Ireland. Attendees from 4 continents gathered to learn how the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life could help them promote family well-being and spirituality.

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The Peyton Institute is working with the National Eucharistic Congress to reprise our successful CatholicHOM Immersive Experience that we hosted at last year’s Atlanta Eucharistic Congress.

The CatholicHOM Immersive Experience shows families how the Eucharist is the key to a loving, caring, and connected Catholic household.

Through a live puppet show, activity stations, games, and family Eucharistic adoration, families experience how the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life can transform their daily lives and help them become dynamic domestic churches. Additionally, the CatholicHOM App is continuing to grow as we are accompanying more and more families who are interested in learning how to live the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life. Having tested our ability to provide this level of service to families over the last year, we have developed a parish roll-out process and are beginning to have conversations with dioceses and parishes about bringing CatholicHOM to their families.

2023 Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life Highlights: Over 100 Diocesan and Parish Leaders Trained Over 300 families using CatholicHOM App in first year Dozens of LDCL graduates attending Liturgy of Domestic Church Life professional development

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Catholic Mom At Catholic Mom, our mission is to support and encourage every woman in the vocation of Catholic motherhood. With more than 145 contributors from all walks of life, Catholic Mom is a community where you will find voices of women from all backgrounds and all ages and stages of life. We are so grateful for the time and talent our contributors share with Catholic Mom. Our team and contributors create a wealth of resources for moms in all areas of their daily life. Here we share but a few.

personal prayer, these reflections support all in praying daily—with the Church.

2023 Catholic Mom Highlights: 145 Contributors 10,000 followers on Instagram 8,000 subscribers to Our Daily Gospel Reflections

Catholic Momcast is a weekly podcast from Catholic Mom. Our hosts, Lisa Hendey, Allison Gingras, and Maria Morera Johnson take on topics related to the liturgical year, practical spirituality, and relationships.

We also interview Catholic authors, leaders in ministry, and other Catholics doing great things in the Church. In August 2023, a new monthly feature was added to the podcast, the Catholic Mom Prayercast. These Prayercasts focus on ways to pray, sharing prayer intentions and prayer experiences. The first podcast was launched with a discussion with Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., chaplain for the Catholic Mom community.

Our Sunday Gospel Activities are free, downloadable Catholic coloring pages, lesson plans, Mass worksheets, crossword and word search puzzles, and more to help parents and educators prepare for Sunday Mass at home or in the classroom.

Social media quote that accompanied our “Rosary Reflections for Pregnant Mothers" series on Catholic Mom.

Our daily blog posts cover topics that are important to our community - marriage, faith, home, work, friendship, parenting, books, and media. From inspiring reflections to practical tips, we offer women support in all aspects of daily Catholic living. These blog posts reach a vast audience which includes Catholic Mom’s over 10,000 followers on Instagram — a milestone our social media team reached this past summer.

We encourage all mothers to be part of our community. Whether you have two minutes in your day or two hours, you will find many inspiring and informative materials on many topics. Go to CatholicMom.com and roam around. We encourage you to subscribe to the resources to they come right to you every day. Motherhood is a vocation and we want to support you in yours.

Our Daily Gospel Reflections support our more than 8,000 subscribers in their daily prayer life. These brief reflections on the daily Gospel readings take just a few minutes to read through and pray with each day. With questions for further reflection and prompts toward Catholic Mom Lenten Retreat hosted at The Father Peyton Center.

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International Ministry Centers We are proud to reflect on the remarkable year of 2023 for Holy Cross Family Ministries. Since October 2022, our reports show that we have reached an impressive 1,086,113 individuals. Attendees of various events have shared their personal experiences, underlining the lasting impact of our programs and initiatives on their lives, and we are pleased with the impact we have had this year. Below are a few highlights from our Ministry Centers around the globe.

Africa The success of our team in Africa is evident given the high attendance at their events. Tanzania held a large family conference in Arusha attended by more than 6,000 people. This event emphasized the transformative power of family prayer. Uganda successfully conducted a program titled “Healing of Families,” attended by 700 people, alongside a recent Rosary Rally with over 7,000 participants. Ghana is seeing growing demands in their prison ministry and special needs children’s care. Their work is a testament to what Christ has called each of us to do— to see Jesus in all people. Through continued support and prayer, they can strive to meet the needs of the people they serve.

Asia

Family in Tanzania receives Rosaries thanks to our Rosaries for the World program.

Our Ministry Center in Bengaluru, India organized several programs addressing mental health. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 15% of Indian adults need active intervention for mental health. This Ministry Center has been training professionals in mental health counseling to help with this epidemic. A few of the counseling programs they have conducted are for couples, adolescents, families of autistic children, and those struggling with substance abuse. One participant who attended a trauma healing program wrote, “For months, I used to feel I am alone. Now, I feel I am loved.” This is a testimony of the transformational impact of counseling programs; however, we need more programs like this worldwide to help every person who struggles with mental health.

South America The Father Peyton Family Institute in Peru (INFAM) continues to support the spiritual well-being of families along with entrepreneurship by training individuals based on their skills to create a small business to provide for their families. According to the World Food Programme, 51% of Peru’s population continues to suffer from moderate or severe food insecurity. To address this need, INFAM also delivers food to vulnerable families. Our Ministry Center is working tirelessly to help families rise above poverty, however, there is more work to be done to ensure no one suffers from food insecurity.

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2023 Ministry Center Highlights: Over 1 million individuals reached globally.

7,000 attendees at Ugandan Rosary Rally.

6,000 people attended family conference in Tanzania.

11,000 reached in Mexico.

49 HCFM leaders from 5 continents attend Global Leadership Meeting in Ireland.

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North America In North America, we inaugurated a Ministry Center in Montreal, Canada. The local Director, Father Arul Jayaraj, C.S.C, is leading the charge with the support of the National Director Father Wilson Andrade, C.S.C. Our dedicated team in Mexico reached an impressive 11,000 people by collaborating with other organizations. A pastor from Mexico wrote, “Praying and having a special Mass for the families makes me feel hopeful, since the pandemic left us all very quiet.

Today that they are coming back I feel that what we are doing to keep the families together is worth it.”

This testimony highlights the positive impact of our mission and the transformative power of prayer.

Members of HCFM’s Global Leadership Team gather for a prayerful moment at the Peyton family grave in Ireland.

Europe

Our Ministry Center in Mexico distributes Rosaries to pilgrims.

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In Europe, we convened the Global Leadership Meeting (GLM) in Ireland, uniting 49 HCFM leaders from five continents. The meeting reinforced our commitment to “Inspiring Families to Live with Purpose and Hope Through Family Prayer” and inspired participants. One participant wrote, “[GLM] remains in my heart and serves as a stimulus and inspiration to continue in the Mission. Having known and shared this Meeting with HCFM members from all over the world has been something that has marked my life.” We are pleased with the broad successes and impact we have had in 2023, and remain dedicated to Venerable Patrick Peyton’s vision that “A world at prayer, is a world at peace.” Our ministry is working hard to feed families, educate children, counsel individuals, and teach adult innovative ways to create a successful small business to provide for their families. We are transforming lives through our ministry, however, there are more people who need our help. Through Mary’s intercession and your contributions, we will continue to shape a brighter future for families, one prayer at a time.

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Message from the Vice Postulator & Guild Director Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’d like to begin this message by reflecting upon the last two months of the year. A time when we remember and pray for our loved ones and all who have gone home to God, and a time when we give thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us.

Here at the Father Peyton Center in North Easton, MA, we offer our Rosary prayers and daily Mass for the souls of our loved ones, especially during the month of November. Likewise, we conclude the year in preparation in the month of December for the Incarnation of our Savior Jesus Christ and our sharing this great holy time with our families and friends.

to Albany, NY, for the Irish Gala, which is in its 55th year. This annual gathering of families and friends of Venerable Patrick Peyton represents the integration of faith, family, friends, and fun. The Leonard family and other friends of Venerable Patrick Peyton, in conjunction with Holy Cross Family Ministries Mission Advancement Team, led by Dr. Andrew Macdonald along with Cathy Downes provides an opportunity to share our commitment to Venerable Patrick Peyton’s ministry of family prayer; especially the Rosary and his Cause for Beatification and Canonization. This joy-filled gathering combined prayer, a reflection on Father Peyton’s life and ministry, the hopes for the future, and Irish music and dance.

The Cause for Venerable Patrick Peyton has progressed in 2023 with the completion of a formal document, the Positio, describing a proposed medical miracle attributed to Venerable Patrick Peyton’s intercessory prayer. The Positio will next be reviewed by two physicians at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and, if approved, would then move to a complete medical team review. This is a crucial and usually most significant step for a proposed medical healing to be decreed a miracle. Please pray that if it is God’s will, it will be approved.

The Cause for Venerable Patrick Peyton has progressed in 2023 with the completion of a formal document, the Positio, describing a proposed medical miracle attributed to Venerable Patrick Peyton’s intercessory prayer.

In this past year, I have been inspired by members of the Father Peyton Prayer Guild’s faith and works.

Your letters, phone calls, prayer requests, and visits have been a source of knowledge and encouragement as we pray for the Beatification and Canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton. Most recently, I’ve traveled

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Supporters of Venerable Patrick Peyton gathered for the 55th Annual Irish Gala that took place on Sunday, September 24, 2023, in Albany, NY.

I’d like to conclude by sharing my visit to Scranton, PA, and the Cathedral of St. Peter’s. Dr. Andrew Macdonald and I traveled to this beautiful cathedral that has great importance in young Patrick Peyton’s life story. For it was there that as he worked as a janitor, cleaning and painting, he prayed before a statue of our Blessed Mother and in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord and had his call to the priesthood renewed. In God’s Providence, it was in this very cathedral that he met the Congregation of Holy Cross Mission Band priests who invited him and his brother Tom to join their Congregation.

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Prayer for the Beatification of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. 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, will imitate him in his devotion to your Mother and ours, and will be inspired by his holy life to draw ever closer to you with childlike confidence and love. Amen.

I was honored to concelebrate a monthly Mass offered for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton and lead a Rosary after Mass for this intention. This initiative was begun by two good friends, Anne and David Hawk, who are both Father Peyton Prayer Guild members and benefactors of Holy Cross Family Ministries.

Later that evening, Andrew and I were invited to join the Hawks, Bishop Joseph Bambera, Father Joseph G. Marina, S.J., the president of the University of Scranton, PA, as well as other diocesan and university members to watch the film Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton.

As we look forward to the celebration of Christmas and the New Year, I wish to thank you for your prayerful and generous support in many ways. Please continue to pray for Venerable Patrick Peyton’s Cause and the fruitfulness of his ministry, encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary.

In Jesus and Mary,

Father David S. Marcham Vice Postulator and Guild Director Interim Co-Director of Family Rosary USA

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Father David S. Marcham in the Cathedral of St. Peter’s of Scranton, PA with Ann and David Hawk and Dr. Andrew Macdonald.

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Benefactor Spotlight Harold Ziegler, Jr. Owner of family-run Ziegler Tire in Canton, OH, retired Colonel of the U.S. Army, Harold Ziegler, Jr. is a longtime friend and benefactor of Holy Cross Family Ministries. He is a man of great faith, whose generosity has helped families around the world flourish in their Catholic faith through his support of HCFM ministry programs, Ministry Centers, and faith-based media over the last 31 years. He supports many Catholic charities in addition to HCFM. He does all to honor God and His Blessed Mother in the faith he received from his dear parents.

With a steadfast devotion to The Blessed Mother’s Most Holy Rosary, Harold was an early supporter of our Rosary Distribution program which was instrumental in ensuring Rosaries were in the hands of the youth gathered at the 2011 World Youth Day.

Father David Guffey, C.S.C., and St. Monica Parish Group from California at World Youth Day 2011 in Spain where Harold Ziegler, Jr. generously provided Rosaries for pilgrims.

As the ministry has grown over the years to 28 Ministry Centers in 17 countries, Harold’s leadership support made possible the development of our Ministry Center in Lourdes France, and most recently has made a transformational gift and bequest in support of We Prayed! The Campaign for Family Prayer. With Harold’s generosity and that of others, through the Campaign, The Father Peyton Center will be transformed into a center for family spiritual

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Harold Ziegler, Jr.

renewal and pilgrimage with a Rosary Path, Lourdes Grotto, and Sacred resting place for Venerable Patrick Peyton, where visitors can venerate this Sainthood Candidate.

With a zeal for sharing and spreading the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith, Harold is an ardent supporter of Family Theater Productions, the Hollywood media company founded by Father Peyton, whose stories unlock hearts to God’s promise of love, hope, and belonging. His support of the inspiring documentary PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton has helped renew Father Peyton’s famous message “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together” to families today. Keenly aware of the need to cultivate faith in the next generation, Harold is an early supporter of a future feature project of Family Theater Productions, Chime Travelers, a children’s animation adventure series where 11-year-old twins are mythically transported back in time and learn from the wisdom of the saints.

Holy Cross Family Ministries is immensely grateful for Harold’s decades-long humble generosity and dedication to the mission of helping families flourish in the Catholic faith through our ministry programs, Ministry Centers, and faith-based media.

FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

Around Holy Cross Family Ministries Luz Torres, HCFM Digital Strategist

2023 Snapshot of Our Ministry Events

When did you join HCFM? I joined in 2000 when The Father Peyton Center first opened in North Easton, MA.

January 2023 New Mission Advancement Team Begins February 2023 “I Still Do” Marriage Vow Renewal Mass in North Easton, MA March 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Pray Screening Event at the Museum of Family Prayer April 2023 Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., Attends Annual Leadership Meeting in East Africa May 2023 The Father Peyton Family Institute in India Celebrates Family Therapist Graduates June 2023 Father Peyton Family Field Day at The Father Peyton Center July 2023 Ministry Center in Haiti Celebrates Second Anniversary August 2023 Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C, visits Portugal for World Youth Day September 2023 HCFM Global Leadership Meeting in Ireland October 2023 New Ministry Center Opens in Montreal, Canada November 2023 Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer airs nationwide on PBS and YouTube December 2023 Annual Advent Family Day at the Musuem of Family Prayer

What is an HCFM Digital Strategist? A Digital Strategist at HCFM is responsible for supporting our internal teams with digital initiatives from websites, social platforms, Google Analytics, eblasts, forms, apps, and Cloud services.

What does the HCFM Digital Strategist do? I manage and maintain our organization's HubSpot enterprise account, which supports all our digital initiatives and ensures that our digital strategies remain relevant and impactful.

Can you tell us a bit about HCFM’s digital efforts?

We are constantly leveraging the latest technology to promote our Founder's mission and make it known to a wider audience.

Why is it important? Father Peyton always envisioned promoting the mission through various media channels and reaching families all around the globe. When I see the latest trends in digital tools, I always envision how we can spread our message and connect with families globally.

What do you think the future holds for digital strategy and your work? As technology continues to evolve and new digital tools emerge, it is crucial for us to stay relevant and adapt our strategies.

This will enable us to effectively spread Father Peyton’s message and continue making a positive impact.

What do you enjoy most about the work? I enjoy supporting our teams with their projects and exploring the functionality of different tools that can help us grow our mission.

Luz Torres, HCFM Digital Strategist

FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

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Financial Highlights Investing donations and endowment funds wisely.

Just as you are generously committed to furthering our mission, we are committed to fiscal prudence to ensure sustainability and growth.

Through your donations, we were able to raise $1,142,685 through 1,526 gifts in Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023).

Investment returns from past generous endowment gifts and bequests covered the balance of our expenses.

Fiscal Year 2023 expenses were in keeping with charity rating acceptable standards and measures, demonstrating a strong, responsible organization.

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Of a total budget of $12.6M, 79% or $9.9M went directly to support the mission programs of the ministry including Family Rosary USA, Family Rosary International, the Father Peyton Family Institutes, and Family Theater Productions.

We invested 21% or $2.7M in operations using returns from endowment gifts. Our past private endowment donors allow us to keep our 100% promise that every dollar you donate goes directly to mission activities.

FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

Our 100% Promise Due to past generous endowment gifts that cover our operating costs, we can guarantee that every dollar donated goes directly to promoting prayer and providing spiritual support to families in need.

Family Rosary USA

Mission Activities How your 2022-2023 support was distributed.

Family Rosary International Family Rosary USA

31%

31%

Family Theater Productions Father Peyton Family Institutes

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6% 32%

Non Profit U.S. Postage PAID Brockton, MA Permit #601

518 Washington St., North Easton, MA 02356

The Family Link magazine 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.

Children’s Rosary prayer event at our Ministry Center in the Philippines.

The Future of Family Prayer Venerable Patrick Peyton’s mission lives on and flourishes today because of friends like you.

Together our efforts have healed broken marriages, brought hope to the sick, strengthened family bonds, and helped many rediscover their faith in confronting life's challenges throughout our 28 Ministry Centers in 17 countries.

FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2023

Ways to Give ONLINE Please visit 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