President
Holy Cross Family Ministries
Father John Phalen, CSC, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, has served as President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, Easton, Mass., since 1996, furthering the work begun in 1942 by Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, the “Rosary Priest” and Catholic media pioneer. Father Peyton spent 51 years of his priesthood (1941-1992) serving the spiritual needs of families, particularly encouraging them to pray together daily, especially the Rosary. Father Peyton’s vision is reflected in his famous mottos: "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together™" and "A World at Prayer is a World at Peace®."
Father John leads and oversees all member ministries of this international organization ministering in 17 countries: Family Rosary, Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, Calif., and the Father Peyton Family Institute.
Father John conducts parish missions and national, regional and local retreats. He is a frequent public speaker on the power of prayer, especially the Rosary, and on the life and ministry of Father Peyton at Rosary rallies, Catholic conferences and other venues worldwide.
He is a past president of the Mariological Society of America and current member of its Administrative Council. He is also a member of the Hispanic Ministry Committee of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Father John is Faithful Friar of Council 1462 and the Fourth Degree Cardinal O'Connell Assembly of the Knights of Colombus.
Ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross on April 20, 1974, he earned a master's of theology degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1973 and a bachelor's of arts degree from Stonehill college in 1970.
Father John was born in Waterbury, Conn., October 8, 1947, to John and Betty Phalen, and he has five sisters. He enjoys basketball, jogging, playing guitar, singing, reading and rooting for Boston's sports teams.
To stay in touch with Father John, watch for his blog entries at http://blog.familyrosary.org.