Venerable Fr. Patrick Peyton was born in Ireland near the Ox Mountains on January 9, 1909, to a devout Catholic family with nine children who prayed the rosary together every single day. Despite his early interest in a priestly vocation, Patrick’s rebellious side prevailed and he dropped out of school at an early age, shifting his focus to working on his family’s farm. He worked hard on the farm during his youth and teenage years until two of his sisters, who had already immigrated to the states, sent for him and his older brother, Thomas, to join them. The young men immigrated to Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1928 when Patrick was 19 years old. They moved in with their sister Beatrice and her husband. 

Originally hoping to embody the American dream and find a job to bring him and his family wealth, Patrick eventually landed as the sexton, or as he referred to the job — “a janitor” — in St. Peter’s Cathedral under the guidance of Monsignor Paul Kelly. This job, which had Patrick in the Cathedral and among other religious daily, reignited Patrick’s interest in a vocation. As he was lacking his high school education, Monsignor Kelly instructed him to pursue his education first and then investigate joining a novitiate. Soon after this directive, both Patrick and hisbrother entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in Notre Dame where they finished their high school education and went on to study at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

During his second year at the university, Patrick was diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to leave school to be transferred back to Notre Dame for more intense long-term care. During his time in their infirmary, he dedicated himself to constant prayer, seeking the help and intercession of Mary, Mother of God. It was this devotion to Mary that he credits for the miraculous healing of the disease. His lungs eventually cleared and healed completely so he returned to the university to finish his studies and take his vows as soon as he could. He was ordained on June 15, 1941, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, along with his brother Thomas, as priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

For his first priestly assignment he was sent to Albany, New York, as a chaplain of the Holy Cross Brothers of the Vincentian Institute. While there, Peyton began the Crusade for Family Prayer. He wrote letters to bishops, Catholic laity leaders, and other Catholic groups promoting the importance of praying the rosary together. Due to his life-long dedication to the Holy Mother and the rosary, he became known as “The Rosary Priest.” He coined the now popular phrases — “The family that prays together stays together” as well as “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

Father Patrick’s hope was to inspire 10 million Americans to pray the rosary together in their homes — a goal he would eventually meet and exceed many times over. As his efforts were being made during a time when the world was at war and anxiety was high among American families, he continually preached that prayer would lead to peace and safety saying, “The rosary is the offensive weapon that will destroy Communism — the great evil that seeks to destroy the faith.”

His efforts with the Rosary Crusades were duplicated around the world and promoted in countries from Brussels to Brazil! As post World War II peace felt continually threatened by the Cold War, the Holy See recognized Patrick’s efforts and spread his message even further across the world. In 1947, Father Patrick founded Family Theater Productions, which still exists today, and made himself a major pioneer of mass-media evangelism often rubbing elbows with celebrities, artists, and famous leaders. This mastery of media caused his Rosary Crusade to attract millions of people as he traveled around the world with his message of peaceful prayer. In fact, anyone on the planet who has access to the internet can still participate in a daily recording of the rosary that is livestreamed by an organization called Family Rosary. Founded by Fr. Patrick, Family Rosary livestreams a Mass and rosary on the Family Rosary Facebook page every single day to over 1,325,000 followers! 

Father Patrick Peyton died peacefully in 1992 at age 83 while holding a rosary in his hands. Pope Francis declared that Father Patrick Peyton lived a life of heroic virtue on December 18, 2017, and gave him the title of venerable.