Detroit — Holy Cross Fr. Patrick Peyton’s principal message is remembered better than he is himself.
His slogan, “The family that prays together, stays together,” has achieved the kind of widespread acceptance we associate with time-honored aphorisms such as Benjamin Franklin’s “A stitch in time saves nine.”
But Fr. Peyton (1909-92) was not just a one-hit wonder; besides other sayings, such as “A world at prayer is a world at peace,” he founded an organization that is still promoting family prayer and he also set a sterling example of how the mass media can be used to promote Christian faith.
And it may be that, 18 years after his death, he is still affecting lives in yet another way. Mercy Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, reported recently that the Baltimore Archdiocese has sent the Vatican materials for Fr. Peyton’s sainthood cause.
“Materials from Baltimore included reports of healings through his intercession that, if accepted by the Vatican, would mean we’ll soon be speaking of Blessed Patrick Peyton,” she wrote.
Fr. Peyton was himself the recipient of an astonishing healing. As a youth in Ireland he contracted tuberculosis, and was told by doctors that nothing more could be done for him. But Fr. Peyton prayed to Mary, and was healed. He continued saying the rosary daily throughout his life.
After World War II, in the heyday of radio drama, Fr. Peyton enlisted some of Hollywood’s top stars to perform on his “Family Theater” program, which aired nationwide every week on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
With radio’s relatively low production costs and donated talent, the series was able to produce quality dramas featuring stars such as Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Loretta Young, Gene Kelly, Shirley Temple and Charlton Heston.
He also did some films and television specials, and those productions include James Dean’s first screen role and the last three films made by Grace Kelly before she became Princess Grace of Monaco.
Fr. Peyton’s organization, now called Holy Cross Family Ministries, is still involved in the production of television programs and is remastering its 20-some years worth of radio programs and issuing them on CDs.
Besides being involved in video production, just this summer it launched a new website with online resources to promote and enhance family prayer, www.FamilyRosary.org.
At the site, visitors can read inspiring stories of faith, pray with an interactive rosary, submit prayer intentions, read daily blog postings, and learn how to pray the rosary, among other things.
One of the most acclaimed of the Family Theater radio programs was the broadcast of Oct. 27, 1954, “The Hound of Heaven,” with Raymond Burr, Dan O’Herlihy and Loretta Yong in the cast. It tells the story of Francis Thompson, author of the famous poem of the same title.
Listen to "The Hounds of Heaven"
View "Hill Number One" (including the film debut of James Dean) on You Tube
View schedule of documentary "A World At Prayer" on CTND
