<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ix-UAi5J3iHPyPWKwYHwppGzQNGQD94I9VF80>Sainthood
probe starts in US for 'Rosary Priest'
By SARAH BRUMFIELD – 16 hours ago
BALTIMORE (AP) Recognized widely for his
catchphrase "the family that prays together
stays together" the late Rev. Patrick Peyton
spread his message to millions by radio and later
television, using Hollywood stars to emphasize prayer and moral values.
Now, the man known as the "Rosary Priest" for his
penchant to use rosary beads to say Roman
Catholic prayers for even activities like riding
in a car, Peyton is being considered for
sainthood. The Archdiocese of Baltimore will
celebrate a Mass on Thursday to mark the start of the investigating process.
Then, three priests from the archdiocese will
spend the coming years reviewing documents and
examining witnesses who say they were healed
after praying to Peyton. The results will be
reviewed by a commission at the Vatican.
Peyton, who died in 1992, used technology to
reach more people than he ever could by person,
founding Family Theater Productions in 1947 in
Hollywood, said the Rev. John Phalen, president
of Holy Cross Family Ministries, which carries on Peyton's work.
He bolstered his message with Hollywood elites,
including Loretta Young, Jimmy Stewart, Bing
Crosby and Lucille Ball, who appeared on his
shows. He ended many programs with his catchy
family message, now trademarked by his ministry.
As Peyton grew up in Ireland, his family prayed
the rosary daily and it brought them strength,
Phalen said. He thought the centuries-old
tradition linked to the Virgin Mary could help other families.
"He was always thinking of Mary and always
promoting the rosary," Phalen said. "If you ever
went in the car with him, you prayed the rosary with him."
Peyton's driving force in life was a belief that
he was healed of tuberculosis after praying to Mary.
"That story is the one he told wherever he went,"
Phalen said. Doctors said he'd better try prayer
because they couldn't do anything for him, and it
worked, Peyton would tell people.
Saints are often depicted with a halo over their
heads, and those who knew Peyton described him as glowing and holy.
"His saintliness came across in everything he
did," said Dorothy Halloran of Albany, N.Y., who
worked as his secretary. Even when he dictated a
letter, Peyton would start with a prayer, asking
God to help him move the reader to aid his ministry, she said.
Peyton emigrated with his brother from Ireland to
Scranton, Pa., in 1928 at the age of 19. Later
both entered the seminary and were ordained in
1941, following Peyton's recovery from
tuberculosis. The next year, Patrick Peyton
founded his rosary ministry in Albany, N.Y., and
later Family Theater Productions, which produced
600 radio and television shows and aired more than 10,000 broadcasts.
Since the Vatican allowed the canonization
process to begin in 2001, Peyton's writings,
documents and unofficial testimony have been
collected in the Fall River, Mass., diocese,
where he is buried. The case was moved to
Baltimore because it has the resources and
experience, said the Rev. George Lucas, who has
worked as a facilitator for the case.
Three priests from Baltimore's archdiocese will
spend much of their time reviewing the documents
and examining witnesses to prepare Peyton's
sainthood case for a three-step process in Rome
that requires evidence of two posthumous
miracles: a declaration of heroic values, then
beatification and canonization, or sainthood.
"Saints are heroes to those of us trying to live
our faith," said the Rev. Gilbert Seitz, one of
the priests who will review documents and examine
witnesses. "We want to know and learn about them and emulate them."
On the Net:
* Archdiocese of Baltimore:
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.archbalt.org&usg=AFQjCNFhctsRu0lTfb9r7HZWbqh4vVU4eg>http://www.archbalt.org
* Holy Cross Family Ministries:
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hcfm.org&usg=AFQjCNEey6ujZqnl23rEQD_rdACWCgMoWA>http://www.hcfm.org
<*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}><
<*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the Kingdom!<*}}}><
Prayer for Unborn Life:
O GOD OF LIFE AND LOVE, You have given us the
gift to participate with You to bring new life
into the world. But, all too often, the mother's
womb, which should be a nursery of life, becomes
instead a place of it's destruction.
Help us to remove this evil and ensure respect
for all life made in Your image and likeness,
called to fulfill its promise on this earth,
and destined to find a home with you for all eternity.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our God, Our Savior, and Our ALL.
Amen.
<*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}><
<*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the Kingdom!<*}}}><
Prayer for Unborn Life:
O GOD OF LIFE AND LOVE, You have given us the
gift to participate with You to bring new life
into the world. But, all too often, the mother's
womb, which should be a nursery of life, becomes
instead a place of it's destruction.
Help us to remove this evil and ensure respect
for all life made in Your image and likeness,
called to fulfill its promise on this earth,
and destined to find a home with you for all eternity.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our God, Our Savior, and Our ALL.
Amen.
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