For immediate release Contact: Dan Pitre, (800) 874-0999

************ or 323-309-8203 (cell), or

December 18, 2008 Susan Wallace, 800-299-7729
508-982-1056 (cell)

100th anniversary of Father Peyton’s birth

to be celebrated with a novena of family Rosaries
and other events worldwide
As the 100th anniversary of the birth of the “Rosary priest,” nears on Jan. 9, 2009, many public
activities and events are already scheduled around the world to observe it, but individuals can
also celebrate the occasion and pray for the beatification of Servant of God Patrick Peyton, CSC,
in a novena in the privacy of their homes.

Holy Cross Family Ministries, Easton, Mass., furthering Father Peyton’s work and vision under
the sponsorship of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is conducting a year-long celebration of the
anniversary with the theme “Honor his memory. Continue his mission.”
It is urging families to kick off the celebration by praying the family Rosary in their homes
during a special novena January 1 to 9, 2009. Families and individuals can sign up on Holy
Cross Family Ministries’ website – www.hcfm.org – to pray this novena and also to list their
intentions and to pray for other intentions that have been posted by individuals on the site.

Holy Cross Family Ministries has offices in 17 countries and all of them will be observing the
Rosary Novena Jan. 1-9, as well as conducting many public activities during 2009 including
Holy Hours, Rosary rallies, Masses and gala celebrations with music, food and dance. In Ireland,
a statue of Father Peyton will be erected. In the Philippines, a Telethon will be conducted where
people will phone in their commitments to pray the family rosary. Other activities are planned in
Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay. Most of the international offices will conduct the
annual “Try Prayer! It Works!” contest on Fr. Peyton’s famous message “The Family That Prays
Together Stays Together.” K-12 graders submit artwork, poetry and essays to reflect the theme.

Also, chapters throughout the world of the Father Peyton Guild, promoting his cause for
beatification, will sponsor various Rosary activities.

Several Catholic television outlets will be scheduling biographical programs on Father Peyton
and selected programs that the Catholic media pioneer produced.

Father Peyton was born on January 9, 1909, in Caracastle, County Mayo, Ireland to a family that prayed
the family Rosary in their home nightly. He died June 3, 1992, and his cause for sainthood was
opened on June 1, 2001, bestowing on him the title “Servant of God.” His cause is being
continued by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

In his 51 years of ministry devoted to the Blessed Mother, her Rosary and to families, Father
Peyton conducted 40 Rosary rallies worldwide that drew 28 million people, including 2 million
in 1964 in Brazil and in 1985 in the Philippines. He also produced more than 600 radio and
television programs that featured hundreds of Hollywood stars. His famous slogans encapsulate
his mission, “The family that prays together stays together and “A world at prayer is a world at
peace.” - more -
100th anniversary – page 2 of 3

“Father Peyton’s most sacred insight, the goal toward which his whole fascinating life was
directed, was to encourage families to come together daily to pray the Rosary. He saw so many
benefits to this simple practice,” said Holy Cross Father John Phalen, CSC, president of Holy
Cross Family Ministries. “Let 2009 be a year of strengthening the family through the family
Rosary!” he added.

Father Phalen is inviting families to pray the novena of Rosaries for “world peace and any
particular petitions dear to the hearts of your family members,” and “to add this simple prayer for
Father Peyton’s beatification at the end of your Rosary:

“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.”

Holy Cross Family Ministries is comprised of Family Rosary, which Father Peyton founded in
1942 in Albany, N.Y., with locations in 17 countries; Family Theater Productions, which Father
Peyton founded in 1947 in Hollywood, Calif., and the Father Peyton Family Institute, Easton,
Mass., and Lima, Peru.

All of the projects and programs of these ministries in 2009 will observe the 100th anniversary of
Father Peyton’s birth. In addition to the Rosary novena Jan. 1-9, specific events include:

United States
Father Peyton Center, Easton, which houses Holy Cross Family Ministries’ international
headquarters
• An hour of prayer in its chapel at 9 a.m. on the 9th of every month during 2009
• An outdoor Rosary prayer rally on June 6 in the adjacent Stonehill College stadium

Family Rosary-Albany
• A Mass at 9 a.m., Jan. 9 at Christ the King Church, Albany.
• A public Rosary in June at the grotto at the Vincentian Institute where Father Peyton had his
first priestly assignment (chaplain) and where he began Family Rosary in 1942.

Family Theater Productions, Hollywood

• A Father Moreau/Father Peyton Day celebration on Jan. 11, in conjunction with the feast of
Blessed Basil Moreau, CSC, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The day will focus on
Father Peyton and how he reflected the charism of the congregation and its founder in his family
Rosary, Marian and media ministries.
• Family Theater Productions’ biographical programs on Father Peyton and some of the historic
programs he produced have been offered to Catholic TV outlets in the U.S. and Canada, with
several outlets, including Catholic TV, Boston, Catholic Television Network-Detroit; and
Instructional Television, New York, making commitments to broadcast these programs in the
anniversary year.
- more -
100th anniversary – page 3 of 3

Bangladesh
• A series of rallies in the six dioceses of the country. Also, the Bangladesh office is publishing a
magazine with a series of articles about Father Peyton and his mission.
• A calendar, prayer cards, leaflets and the publication of four books are planned as well as
presenting each bishop with a statue of Mary.

Chile
• A large public Mass in June at the Marian Chapel on San Cristobal Hill in Santiago, and local
celebrations in parishes through the year.

Brazil
• Mass on Jan. 9, in the Church of Our Lady of Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro.
• Presentations and the screening of films on Fr. Peyton’s life and mission in many parishes.

Ireland
• Televised Mass on Irish National Television on Jan. 4.
• Novena of Rosary prayer Jan. 1-9, and a preached Triduum Jan. 9-11.
• Gala on April 26, featuring Eucharistic liturgy at St. Joseph Church with Cardinal Sean Brady,
Primate of Ireland, presiding; unveiling of Father Peyton statue; testimonies by dignitaries; food,
music, dancing.
• All Ireland Rosary Rally at the Knock Shrine of the Most Holy Rosary on June 6.
• Mariological Reflection Day, tentatively scheduled for October.
• Other activities will include lectures and prayer events.

Perú
• Mass and various celebrations throughout 2009 at the Father Peyton Family Institute in Lima.

Philippines
• Mass at the Pius XII Center, Archdiocese of Manila, on Jan. 9, by Bishop Socrates
Buenaventura Villegas Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga.
• March – May, Family Rosary Crusade Units and Father Peyton Guild chapters throughout the
country will sponsor seminars, workshops, film screenings and lecture series on Father Peyton in
Manila, Visayas and parts of Mindanao.
• In June, a Telethon of Prayer on national and cable channels to invite people throughout the
Philippines to participate in a novena.
• Also in June, the 6th General Assembly of Family Rosary Crusade-Manila will highlight and
observe the anniversary.
• Photo exhibit for the Archdiocese of Manila on Father Peyton’s life and ministry.
• Launching of “Try Prayer! It Works” contest on Father Peyton’s slogan.
• In October, a large rosary Rally and awarding of the “Try Prayer” contest winners.

Uruguay
• Continual announcements and celebrations of the centenary throughout the year on Family
Rosary’s radio program that reaches three quarters of the country.

For more information about the 100th anniversary celebration of Father Peyton’s birth, go to
www.hcfm.org or call toll-free 1-800-299-PRAY (7729).
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518 Washington Street • North Easton, MA 02356 (508) 238-4095 • (800) 299-7729