Catholic Heroes for Today: Part 3
U.S. sainthood causes flourish in 2011
It’s “American Saints Week” at the Register.
This week, the Register is featuring a miniseries on sainthood causes introduced in the United States that continue to be investigated by Rome.
We continue to look at these causes and the miracles that Rome and diocesan tribunals have examined, with a popular Irish priest who made America his home.
Father Patrick Peyton
June 28 was the closing liturgy in Albany, N.Y., for the tribunal reviewing the possible medical miracle for the beatification of Father Patrick Peyton of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The miracle — the cure of a man hospitalized with multiple-organ failure — is now in Rome.
Father John Phalen, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, believes the cause of Father Peyton
— a champion for families — is especially important in contemporary America.
“The United States is very much in need of strengthening family life,” Father Phalen pointed out. “The United States needs a saint for families.”
Father Peyton cared deeply about families. During his 51 years as a priest (he died in 1992), he encouraged families to pray together, especially the Rosary. The Irish-born priest hosted worldwide crusades and came to be known as the “Rosary Priest.”
His two mottos were also internationally recognized: “The family that prays together stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”
Father Phalen explains that with his family and Rosary messages, Father Peyton used one to strengthen the other: “That was the center of his ministry — his immediate message all the time. To have his intercession for that as a saint would be just wonderful.”
He also noted Father Peyton’s media work: he founded Family Theater Productions, which produced 600 radio and TV programs with leading actors and celebrities.
“His emphasis on the media,” observed Father Phalen, “is also an important message for the Church today: to make good use of the media to make sure the Gospel is getting out there.”
Tomorrow: New Causes. Register staff writer Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
