FAMILY LINK
Same Mission. New Methods.
WINTER ISSUE | 2025-2026 | HCFM.ORG
The Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone 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. "I prayed and repeated the words of my favorite appeal to Mary." —Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.
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
Father Peyton Prayer Guild
A wealth of free digital resources to help you pray as a family. FamilyRosary.org
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
Family Theater Productions Uplifting families with stories that unlock hearts to God’s promises of love, hope, and belonging. FamilyTheater.org
Catholic Mom Online community connecting, encouraging, and supporting Catholic women. CatholicMom.com
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, C.S.C.
HCFM.org
FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
FAMILY LINK WINTER ISSUE 2025-2026 | SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
Inside Letter from the President...................................................................... 2 Father Peyton Prayer Guild: Family Rosary Novena for Unity and Peace...................................3 Global Rosary Rally for Peace 2025: The Power of Prayer Without Borders...........................................4 In Memoriam: Anna Margarita Spiak...................................................5 Family Rosary USA, Broadening Mission Outreach...........................6 Holy Cross Family Ministries: Digital Resource Updates..................8 Prayer Changes Everything. How YOU are Transforming Families Worldwide........................10 Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story & In-Theater Rosary Rally...............................................................12 Family Theater Productions Now Streaming.....................................13
Check Catholic Mom’s latest book club read: The Grace of Yes (Ave Maria Press) by Catholic Mom Founder, Lisa M. Hendey! You can grab your copy at catholicmom.com/articles/tag/books And sign up for Book Club emails to join the fun at catholicmom.com/catholic-book-club
“God gave me the fire in 1942... In that year I prayed in a chapel in Albany, New York, that He would make 10 million Rosary homes on the earth.” – Venerable Patrick Peyton
SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
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Letter from the President
Same Mission. New Methods . It was January 1942, just over two years since The Blessed Mother miraculously interceded for the complete healing of Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., from tuberculosis – and just over two years since he committed his life to repaying Mary for this gift. As WWII was winding down, Father Peyton became determined, writing in his autobiography All For Her that...
In his October 28, 2025 address, Pope Leo XIV echoed Father Peyton’s sentiment when he said, “The world is thirsting for peace.” His Holiness asked the faithful to pray the Rosary for peace every day for the month of October, and we responded by holding a Global Rosary Rally for Peace, bringing 65,000 people across 18 countries together in prayer via livestream! Same mission. New methods.
“What was needed was not simply an end to the fighting but an atmosphere of true peace, peace in heart, peace in the home, peace in the family. ‘Yes,’ I told myself, ‘here was the key: family prayer, and in particular […] the Rosary.’” —Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.
In this edition of the Family Link, I am thrilled for you to see the advances your support has allowed us to make as we live out Father Peyton’s simple mission by modern means, just as he showed us to do! Every area of our ministry – Family Rosary USA, Family Rosary International, Catholic Mom, and Family Theater Productions – is using new methods to nurture prayer within homes and communities, both near and far. From all of us at Holy Cross Family Ministries, thank you!
Father Peyton decided he would repay his enormous debt to Mary by launching a global mission for family prayer, using every means at his disposal: hosting Rosary rallies across the world, collaborating with the Clergy and Lay Apostolates, and utilizing mass media to spread his message that “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.” His mission is alive today, and just as he would have it, our methods are ever new.
As you read through this issue, I invite you to join us with your support in building bridges of faith and bringing hope and peace to our families and, thus, to our world. Your one-time gift, or better yet, your monthly recurring gift will enable us to harness every modern means necessary in sustaining Father Peyton’s timeless mission: uniting families in prayer. As Venerable Patrick Peyton reminds us, “The world hasn’t got a prayer without yours.” Together in Mission,
Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. President Holy Cross Family Ministries
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FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
Father Peyton Prayer Guild Family Rosary Novena for Unity and Peace Using the Power of Podcast I’m also excited to announce that recently I have been doing radio and podcast interviews, most notably an interview with Deacon Harold Burke- Sivers on EWTN’s radio/podcast, "Beacon of Truth."
Praying Together Digitally In 2009, Holy Cross Family Ministries and the Father Peyton Prayer Guild began celebrating the centennial anniversary of the birth of then- Servant of God Patrick Peyton with a Family Rosary Novena for unity and peace in our families and in the world. Over the following 15 years, we have celebrated and given thanks to God for the life of Venerable Patrick Peyton by picking up the Rosary and uniting in prayer with and for our families and families around the world each January. This year, we were pleased to offer our Family Rosary Novena booklet online in two languages: English and Spanish. Please visit fatherpeyton.org/Novena to download and share copies with family and friends. Day 1 of the Novena was January 9th, the Anniversary of Father Peyton's birth. By the time you read this, the Novena will be complete. However, I want to invite you to join us by praying the Novena whenever you receive this. My brothers and sisters, please make the investment of your time and prayer to join us by coming together as one family to pray for unity and peace in our homes and communities around the world for nine days. Our Novena can be prayed at any time throughout the year. I would welcome hearing about how you experienced praying this Novena in your Ministry Center, Father Peyton Prayer Guild, or family. Rosary prayer is transformative! We want to hear your stories - photos are also welcome. You can reach me at Vicepostulator@hcfm.org.
SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
In this episode, we talked about all things Father Peyton, the Family Rosary Novena for Family Unity and Peace, and I even got to share a bit about my own faith and family background as a Catholic in Boston that eventually led to me entering the priesthood! I had a lively and fun conversation with Deacon Harold, and we took some great call-in questions – what a great way to spread the story of our ministry and who we are on a very human level with a wider audience! I hope you can check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you stream podcasts. Just search for the Beacon of Truth episode entitled “Family Rosary Novena for Family Unity and Peace.” In Jesus and Mary,
Father David S. Marcham Vice Postulator and Guild Director
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Global Rosary Rally for Peace 2025: The Power of Prayer Without Borders So, how did the Global Rosary go? 65,000 People joined together in Prayer!
Wow! A World at Prayer really is a World at Peace.
The Holy Father called us to unite in prayer for peace, and we answered in a big way. This past October, the Congregation of Holy Cross and Holy Cross Family Ministries reinvigorated the Rosary rallies of our founder, Venerable Patrick Peyton, the Rosary Priest, with new methods, hosting a Global Rosary Rally for Peace via Livestream. 65,000 people across 18 countries joined together, unified with the same intention: healing for our suffering world. Pope Leo XIV implored us to unite with the saints who knew the power of the Rosary, like Saint Carlo Acutis, who called it "the shortest ladder to heaven." Through Mary’s intercession, peace is not only possible but promised. Father Peyton believed in the power of the Rosary and that “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.” Thank you to everyone who participated in this wonderful moment of prayer and hope in Christ, the Prince of Peace! If you would like to watch the replay of our livestream or pray along one more time, visit prayforpeace.hcfm.org
When families pray together, God changes the world. "Prayer is the key that opens the heart of God." —Venerable Patrick Peyton #PrayerBeyondBorders #RosaryForPeace #FamilyPrayer 4
FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
Make the
Rosary
Prayer Pledge Today!
In Memoriam Anna Margarita Spiak October 1937 – December 7, 2025 Beloved ministry friend and supporter Anna Spiak passed into eternal life last December. Anna and her husband, Joe Spiak, have been unwavering in their commitment to HCFM with their support of the INFAM mission in Peru and Joe’s service as a HCFM Board Member for over 28 years.
Grab your Rosary beads, and come join those who have already made the pledge. In 1942, Father Peyton prayed that the Lord would make 10 million Rosary homes on earth; let’s make this goal a reality! As Father Peyton once said, “If families give Our Lady fifteen minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God’s grace, peaceful places.” Scan the QR Code, or visit https://tinyurl.com/RosaryPrayerPledge
Grandson, Theordore Charles Lawson; Joe Spiak; Father John Phalen, C.S.C.; Anna Spiak; Mr. Reilly, HCFM Peru team member
With their generous support of the “Father David E. Farrell, C.S.C. – INFAM – Endowment,” INFAM Peru serves vulnerable families with social and spiritual assistance, including family counseling services, entrepreneurship programs for youth, spiritual workshops, and outreach through collaborations with schools, chapels, and the Patrick Peyton Center. In 2024, Joe and Anna travelled to Lima with their grandson to be honored for their commitment and dedication to HCFM INFAM. SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
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Family Rosary USA,
Broadening Mission Outreach
By Craig Dyke, Director of Programs & Mission Outreach - Family Rosary USA
Expanded Feast Day Celebrations Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., has been hosting luncheon receptions with special reflections following our Noon Masses for special feast days, most notably all Marian feast days. Our daily Masses are Monday through Friday at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel, which is almost full with over 40 communicants and more joining online at youtube.com/@FamilyRosaryVideo/streams. Rosary is also available beforehand at 11:30 AM in the chapel and online.
New Pilot Programs at the Father Peyton Center In 2025, Family Rosary USA piloted three distinct programs with a promotional plan for parish ministries in 2026. Art of Prayer Retreat: Piloted for four Confirmation and two OCIA retreats in 2025. Participant workbook ready for 2026. Brothers of the Carpenter: Piloted a monthly holy hour for men in 2025 with an aim to publish a “Guardian of the Redeemer Discussion Guide” resource in 2026. Marriage Illuminated Date Nights: Piloted a marriage enrichment program in 2025 with outreach for parish implementation in 2026.
Programs & Mission Outreach We’ve increased our mission outreach efforts in 2025, bringing Father Peyton’s inspiring message of Family Rosary on the road. This past September, we celebrated a key milestone with a grand Rosary Rally at the University of Notre Dame, marking the 75th anniversary of Father Peyton’s Rosary Rally on the same campus. Below is a snapshot of our programs and mission outreach in 2025.
Audiences Served
50+ Mission Events
3000 Adults 1600 Catholic School Students 800 Parish Youths 750 Parish, School, and Diocesan Leaders 250 College Students
2 Rosary Rallies
Presentations at.. 12 Schools 6 Universities 19 Parishes 10 Apostolates 9 Leader Events
Partner Collaborations Catholic Family Life Association Congregation of Holy Cross (US) Archdiocese of Atlanta Archdiocese of Boston Diocese of Fall River Diocese of Scranton St. Edward’s Institute Convocation Boston Men’s Convocation
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FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
Father Peyton Center Events: Serving More Families January Anniversary of Father Peyton’s Birth Mass and Reception
April
February
March
Saint Valentine Date Night
Feast Day Celebrations on March 19 & 25
May
June Anniversary of Father Peyton’s Death Mass and Reception
Mercy Night Family Rosary USA is reinvigorating Father Peyton’s mission to inspire and promote family prayer. At the Father Peyton Center, we are serving more families with an expanded events calendar. Here is a snapshot of our annual events and programs we hosted in 2025. >>>
SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
May Crowing Catholic Family Pilgrimage to Montreal and Quebec City
September
October
December Family Advent Day
Faith & Family Day
Rosary Festival
Italian Heritage Day
Global Rosary for Peace
Feast Day Celebrations on December 8 & 12
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Holy Cross Family Ministries Digital Resource Updates
By Allison Gingras, Director of Digital Evangelization and Barb Szyszkiewicz, Catholic Mom Senior Editor
Catholic Mom Book Clubs Include Free Downloadable Resources Family Rosary Companion Introducing the Family Rosary Companion, an interactive, helpful, and adorable guide designed to bring families together in prayer. Family Rosary and Catholic Mom have created a unique resource perfect for children of all ages! Additionally, all of the Mysteries are available as separate downloadable coloring pages! This free Rosary prayer resource for you and your family can be found on FamilyRosary.org Children learn the Rosary prayers and practice remaining focused during prayer as they trace the names of the Mysteries, reflect on the colorful images depicting the life of Christ and His Blessed Mother, and color the beads while they pray. The back of the companion has simple, step-by-step instructions on how to pray the Rosary, complete with all the prayers. Make the Family Rosary Companion a part of your daily family prayer. Designed to introduce the Rosary to your youngest family members, this resource helps build your family's faith and create special memories together through the power of prayer.
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Bring Catholic Mom's Book Clubs to your book club or women's group or simply share it with a few friends! Participate online with Catholic Mom during our quarterly virtual book sharing or use these free resources at your home or parish. For each book club listed, you'll find videos, podcasts, and a printable study guide to jump-start your discussion.
Annual Advent & Christmas Paper Chain Calendar One side is a fun interactive Advent calendar children can color, cut out, and form a paper chain to either count up or down to Christmas! On the other side of each loop are prayers, reflections, or activities for the whole family to come together during these festive seasons. *Available in English and Spanish. FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
2025 Catholic Mom Impact:
200,000 Audio Digest views
1.9 Million Lenten Family Calendar Our team has created a Lenten calendar with activities for every day to help families observe the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This evergreen design can be lamented and used year after year! Choose from three available sizes then download your free printable calendar.
Catholic Mom page views
40 Countries Where people are using Sunday Gospel Activities
130 Catholic Mom volunteer writers
10,500 x Weekly Sunday Gospel Activities Downloads
Advent Family Storybook – Best. Gift. Ever. A heartwarming family storybook that journeys through the birth of Jesus from four unique perspectives: *A little angel (Malak) *A young shepherd (Roy) *A humble donkey (Patrick) *And Mary and Joseph’s Guardian Angels Each video invites reflection, prayer, and conversation, helping you prepare your hearts for Christmas in a meaningful way. Perfect for any time of the year, the series includes engaging storytelling for all ages, faith-filled lessons for the Advent season, and a creative way to teach children about the Nativity. Bring the whole family, class, or parish together to start a tradition that welcomes Jesus into your heart this Christmas! SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
We’ve Added Substack! Substack is a platform for publishing newsletters and building direct relationships with readers. Family Rosary and Catholic Mom adopted it to share faith-based content more personally and engage with their online subscriber community. We’ll use Substack for sharing summary of our monthly inspirational content and events.
Learn more and subscribe here: https://familyrosary.substack.com
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Prayer Changes Everything. How You are Transforming Families Worldwide
By Hongphuc Grace Nguyen, Executive Assistant to the International Director
discovering their leadership through altar server training, young adults forming prayer circles that ripple out into their communities.
Multiplying Your Impact
Through your support, families across the globe are discovering the peace and unity that come from praying together.
One of the most powerful ways you're transforming family life is through our commitment to "influencing the influencers." This year, we formed 45 diocesan leaders, trained more than 1,000 teachers, and equipped hundreds of youth leaders through national trainings and workshops. By investing in bishops, family commission directors, educators, and lay leaders, we're ensuring that the culture of family prayer takes root and flourishes long after our teams move on—multiplying your impact across entire dioceses and regions.
Your Partnership, Their Transformation In living rooms across Haiti, classrooms throughout the Philippines, parish halls in East Africa, and homes from Brazil to Ireland, something extraordinary is happening. Families are rediscovering the power of prayer—and you made it possible. Thanks to your faithful support, Holy Cross Family Ministries has brought the timeless vision of Venerable Patrick Peyton, to life in remarkable ways this past year. Through 27 global ministry centers spanning more than seventeen countries, we've walked alongside families as they've discovered that prayer truly can bring peace and hope into daily life.
The Reach of Your Generosity Between November 2024 and September 2025, your partnership enabled us to directly engage more than 540,000 people worldwide—including over 90,000 children and young people. We accompanied more than 50,000 families through programs designed to strengthen their bonds and deepen their faith. Behind each statistic is a real family: parents learning to communicate with love during marriage seminars, children leading Rosary prayers in their homes, teens
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Over 90,000 children and young people encountered the beauty of the Rosary this year at the Children’s Rosary Rally in Uganda, October 2025.
Meeting Families Where They Are Through nearly 850 events and workshops held worldwide, we met families exactly where they are. Marriage seminars strengthened struggling relationships. Parenting workshops gave practical tools for nurturing faith at home. Home visits brought personal accompaniment to families facing hardship. We distributed nearly 110,000 Rosaries, placing this powerful prayer tool directly into hands discovering its beauty for the first time. Your support also helped us reach families in digital spaces where they increasingly live. More than 200
FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
Your Impact in Every Home
radio programs and 95 YouTube videos brought prayer into homes and cars. Social media efforts reached over 373,000 people—many who may never walk into a parish—and added 5,000+ new followers across platforms.
Each time you support Holy Cross Family Ministries, you're helping a struggling marriage find hope, giving a child the gift of prayer, equipping teachers to form hundreds in faith, and building a global movement of families who know that prayer changes everything. Thank you for making this year of extraordinary impact possible. Together, we are building a future in which more families, in more places, discover what you already know: prayer truly changes everything.
Youth Convention Day—HCFM North East India, June 2025.
Building for Tomorrow Your generosity isn't just funding today's programs— it's strengthening foundations for tomorrow. This year we opened new ministry centers in Burkina Faso, Tamil Nadu, Toronto, and Brazil, and proposed the Peyton Institute for Families in Africa to form pastoral leaders across an entire continent. Through your support, digital platforms are brought to parish halls; we’re meeting families wherever they are— bringing the message of family prayer to over 540,000 people this year.
We carried out this work amid political instability, resource constraints, and rising family mental health needs. Yet because of your partnership, our mission remains vibrant, renewing our methods while staying faithful to Father Peyton's conviction: "The family that prays together stays together."
2025 Impact at a Glance:
373,000+
540,000+
people reached digitally
1,000+
people directly engaged worldwide
90,000+
teachers equipped
children and youth reached
850 50,000+ families accompanied
SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
110,000 Rosaries distributed
events and workshops held globally
200 radio programs produced
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Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story
&
In-Theater Rosary Rally
This past October, Family Theater Productions released Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story in over 700 theaters across the United States as a oneday-only Fathom Entertainment event, and it was a smash hit! The film reached #5 in Box Office and garnered 98% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter.
After the film, audience members were invited to stay and pray the Rosary along with Kevin Matthews in a way that echoes the mission of our founder, Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., to unabashedly bring the Rosary to the masses via mainstream media. “A World at Prayer Is a World at Peace.”
Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story tells the inspiring, true story of Kevin Matthews’ powerful transformation. Through his divine encounter with a broken statue of Mary, his life takes an unexpected turn. In this moment of spiritual awakening, Kevin finds his true purpose and calling, discovering what matters most. Calling himself “Mary’s Roadie,” he offers his fans something deeper: inspiration and hope.
We are all broken, but we are loved by God . - Kevin Matthews
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FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026
Family Theater Productions
Now Streaming
Producers Father David Guffey, C.S.C., and Megan Harrington appeared on the Jan. 7 edition of EWTN Live with Father Mitch Pacwa, to discuss the EWTN premiere of the Family Theater Productions documentary PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON.
PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton is now streaming on EWTN On Demand, in addition to Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Credo+.
Minno Launches Guillermo & Will, Firstof-Its-Kind DualLanguage Puppet Series Bringing God’s Love to Kids in English and Spanish. Minno, the global leader in Christian kids’ media, is proud to announce its newest original series, Guillermo & Will, which debuted on its streaming platform October of 2025. Guillermo & Will is a groundbreaking dual-language puppet show designed to help children engage with God’s world in both English and Spanish. Created by Emmy-nominated puppeteer Donna Kimball, co-written by Dan Garza, and co-produced with the award-winning Family Theater Productions, Guillermo & Will introduces two lovable puppet friends whose adventures reflect the joy and beauty of cross-cultural friendship. The series combines creative storytelling, a Biblical world view, and developmental expertise to help kids see themselves reflected on screen — while learning about God in a personal and relatable way.
Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story is now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, and Credo+.
“At Minno, we’re honored to create a platform for world-class creators like Donna and Dan — talented artists who bring heart, humor, and deep meaning to children’s storytelling. Guillermo & Will is a joyful expression of God’s love and friendship across cultures, and it reflects our broader vision to raise the bar in Christian children’s media. We’re especially grateful to partner with Family Theater Productions, whose legacy of redemptive storytelling aligns beautifully with our mission to help kids and families experience Jesus every day,” said Erick Goss, CEO and Co-Founder of Minno.
Find the film on your platform of choice at www.BrokenMaryFilm.com -- and share it with your family and friends! From Family Theater Productions and ODB Films in association with Windrider and Dynamic Catholic.
This show was designed with input from early childhood development specialists and language education experts, and the series delivers creativity and production quality on par with mainstream children’s programming while staying faithful to its biblical foundation.
SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
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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.
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 18 countries.
Family eLink Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter by using this link: www.hcfm.org/subscribe or by scanning the QR code ->
FAMILY LINK | WINTER 2025-2026 | SAME MISSION. NEW METHODS.
Our Vision We aspire to be a pre-eminent international Catholic apostolate focused on family life, especially family spirituality. We aim to be a leading resource for pastoral leaders and professionals on family ministry, particularly in the areas of family prayer, family spirituality, and family catechesis. Ways to Give ONLINE Please visit donate.hcfm.org/prayer BY MAIL Please use the enclosed envelope and make your check payable to “Holy Cross Family Ministries.”