The Cause
A Personal Miracle: amazing recovery
by Colleen Carpenter
I grew up in Montana, in a Catholic family devoted to the Faith. My mother was from Dublin, Ireland, and was especially fond of the Blessed Mother and the Rosary. My parents, my sisters and I prayed the Rosary together each evening.
In the mid-50s, Father Peyton came to Montana on one of his Rosary Crusades, and the whole family attended. He had an amazing presence. Even in the midst of so many people, you could feel the strength of his faith and his holiness and goodness. We came away from that Rosary Rally with a feeling of gratitude that we had met him. We never thought in a million years at that time that we would ever be working for him.
We moved to California when I was a teenager, and it happened that our family lived around the corner from the Family Theater Productions office. My mother was introduced to Father Peyton there, and they became good friends. As we got older, my sisters and I worked doing hospitality for Father Peyton at Family Theater Productions. We greeted visitors and helped out at events they held there. It was a wonderful experience and very exciting to meet famous visitors and celebrities.
Mother made beautiful Rosaries out of sterling silver, crystal, and other lovely materials. Father Peyton liked to give Rosaries to those who came to visit Family Theater. When he saw Mother's Rosaries, he asked her to make some especially for him to give away. He gave my mother's Rosaries to many famous people who visited, including John F. Kennedy and various Hollywood stars.
My mother often took my son, Kevin, on her visits to Family Theater from the time he was a baby, and he met Father Peyton many, many times. When Kevin was a student in college, he used his bicycle as a means of transportation around the campus. One day he was in a hurry to get to class and didn't put on a helmet. He was involved in a serious crash. They rushed him to the hospital, and when we got there, the doctors weren't too hopeful. He had a fractured skull and many other injuries. His brain was swelling, and they had to do emergency surgery to relieve the pressure inside his skull. The doctors told us they were reassessing him hour-by-hour. We were frantic with worry.
We contacted Family Theater and spoke with Dennis Roverato, Father Peyton's long-time assistant. He got in touch with Father Peyton right away, who sent us a telegram saying he was keeping Kevin in his prayers. I felt an immediate sense of relief. If Father Peyton was praying for Kevin, it couldn't get much better than that.
In answer to our prayer, Kevin made an amazing recovery. He spent one week in intensive care and was home within two. He needed physical therapy for several months, but the doctors were amazed at his complete recovery. It doesn't often end that happily for victims of a fractured skull. He continued in school and earned a PhD in botany/microbiology. He is now a teacher at a university in Canada.
I'm no expert, but I'm convinced it was our miracle. Father Peyton's prayers brought Kevin out of this terrible accident.
A number of years ago, my mother took a trip to Ireland with two of my sisters. They went to a church in a small town for Sunday Mass, and who should be there celebrating the Mass? Father Peyton! My mother spoke to him, and she was thrilled that he remembered her. "Mary, my dear!" he said in that lovely Irish brogue "How are you?" Their paths just kept crossing throughout mother's life.
Just to meet Father Peyton and to talk to him was a real blessing. He had such a special relationship with the Blessed Mother. When he talked to you about her, you could actually feel her presence. I know in my heart that he is a saint, and I pray that he'll soon be recognized as such by the world.
Faith rewarded, prayers answered
Through the broadcasts of films on the life of Father Peyton, he continues to influence and inspire with his message of faith. In this period of economic uncertainty, the following personal account presents a timely example.
In June 2007, Robert Alves lost his job with a major bank in Boston, Massachusetts, and was given a small severance package, only equivalent to four week's salary. "I was devastated because my wife had given birth to our son, our third child, just two months earlier," he said. "She was only working part time and we were already struggling to pay the mortgage on our small house, as well as keep my daughter in the local Catholic school." He became worried and depressed, not knowing how long it would take him to find another job.
Robert happened to turn on the television one night during this period and came across EWTN's broadcast of "A Most Unusual Man," the story of Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, and was moved and impressed by Father Peyton's intense faith and his message of reliance on the Blessed Mother and Jesus. "Although I previously had never heard anything about Father Peyton, I felt compelled shortly after this to pray for his intercession to help me out of this dire situation," he said. "I was still worried but began to feel confident that something good would come of this.
Robert began sending out résumés and answering ads for jobs. He was called for an interview almost immediately, and within two weeks of his lay-off, he received an offer for another job that paid a little more money and also allowed him to work fewer hours and spend more time with his family. "This new job also answered my wife's prayers," he said. "Since I started working at the new job before my severance pay from my previous employer ran out, we were able to use the extra money to visit her family in Georgia. It was the last time she saw her grandfather before he died a few months later."
Before viewing Father Peyton on television, Robert and his wife had not been in habit of praying the Rosary, but they are now trying to incorporate it into their family life. With children ages 8, 4 and 2, it can be a little difficult for them. "We gather everyone together a couple of times a week," he said. "The children are young, but we try to do at least a couple of decades with them. As they get a little older, hopefully we'll be able to increase it."
Mr. and Mrs. Alves look on this stressful period as a blessing, bringing them to an awakening of their faith.
"Father Peyton had a calling to spread family prayer. Despite many obstacles, his faith and trust in Jesus and the Blessed Mother inspired him to accomplish great things," Robert said. "We all need to imitate his complete faith and to put our lives in God's hands. Father Peyton's message gave me the inspiration to put my trust in God, and He answered my prayer."
A retirement plan
Ann Corl has been a dedicated friend to Holy Cross Family Ministries for many years. "Father Peyton has always been near and dear to me," she said.
Her parents were members of the Carmelite lay order and were devoted to the Blessed Mother and to the Rosary. "They were faithful listeners to Father Peyton's radio Rosary," she said. "We prayed together as a family, if Dad could keep us quiet and still long enough. There were six of us children, and we were a lively group."
Ann supports Holy Cross Family Ministries in a number of different ways. "I like to buy the joyful hour tapes that Father Peyton produced and give them as gifts," she said. "I also have the CD of Father Peyton praying the Rosary." In addition, she has been a generous donor, sending gifts several times a year.
When she retired as a nurse two years ago, she wasn't ready to completely give up her vocation. "I continue to work per diem," she said. "I only go in when they need me, which can be a few or several days a week, or none at all."
Her generous nature prompted her to wonder what she should do with her new earnings. "When I retired, I wondered what I should do with my paycheck, and Father Peyton immediately came to mind," she said. "I had a chat with him, and we decided I should donate them to the mission he began and loved – The Family Rosary."
Her giving provides her with a sense of being a part of Father Peyton's mission. "Since I can't be the one out there doing the work, this is a wonderful way for me to help promote Rosary prayer," she said. "My donations began as something I wanted to do, and before I realized it, it became something I needed to do. It's a wonderful cause. We all need the Rosary." Perhaps some of our readers would consider doing the same!
Prayers Answered
If you have had a prayer answered due to Fr. Peyton's intercession, we'd love to hear about it. Write to Fr. David Marcham, Holy Cross Family Ministries, 518 Washington St, North Easton, MA, 02356, or call 508-238-4095. You can also list your prayer on our website. We will take great care to respect your privacy. Remember, no favor is too small.
Praying the Rosary
Barbara writes that although she is a Catholic and attends Mass regularly, she didn't have a devotion to the Rosary. She knew of Father Peyton and prayed to him for a love of the Rosary. A friend from her church invited her to a prayer group. When she arrived at the other woman's home, there were Rosaries, statues and pictures everywhere. She was given a booklet with instructions on how to pray the Rosary and scripture readings. The booklet was written by the Holy Cross fathers of South Bend, Indiana. "Father Peyton led me right to the Rosary of Mary," she writes, "just where I asked him to." She is now praying for her husband's return to the Church.
Safe birth
When the success of the pregnancy was in danger, Rachel and her family prayed for a safe birth of a grandchild. The child was born prematurely, but in good health. They are grateful to Father Peyton for his intercession.
Rare form of cancer
Robert's introduction to Father Peyton was the prayer for his intercession that he was given. He prayed for Father Peyton's intercession with God for a young boy with a rare form of cancer, who is now in remission. He prayed for another boy with cancer who is also now in remission. After reading the book A Man of Faith, Robert was inspired to pray the Rosary completely, all twenty decades every day. "Father Peyton has been such an inspiration to me," he writes. "I pray that with his help, I can become a giant for Mary and her Son, just like he was."
Serious health issue
Maria reports that she was experiencing a serious health issue, with a high creatine level in her blood, which can indicate kidney problems. After she and her sister prayed to Father Peyton for his intercession, her latest test results are very positive. "My sister and I met and heard Father Peyton speak when we were still in school," she writes. "His advocacy about praying together as a family has been ingrained ever since."
A positive CAT scan
A woman was battling a serious lung issue, and doctors feared the worst. Jaime, her daughter, prayed to Father Peyton for his intercession. "My mom got the results of her CAT scan, and they were good! Thank you Father Peyton and thank God," she writes.
Pilgrimage to Ireland
The Holy Cross Family Ministries annual Pilgrimage tour to Ireland will take place from October 5-13, 2009. We have a wonderful trip planned for you so we hope you will consider joining us. County Donegal will be the focus of our trip this year with visits to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth Castle, Grand Atlantic Drive and the Glenveagh Castle. Towards the end of our trip, we will visit Ballintubber Abbey, Westport House and enjoy a medieval banquet at Knappogue Castle.
This pilgrimage is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC. Father Peyton worked tirelessly to encourage the strengthening of families through the daily praying of the family Rosary, since that was his experience in his home in County Mayo. The Shrine of Our Lady of Knock will be our final visit in Mayo. We will once again visit Father Peyton's parish and the Father Peyton Centre, which memorializes him with a special day of recollection after Sunday Mass.
Mass will be celebrated each day in a different Irish church, and the Rosary will be prayed on the bus. Bring along your special intentions, because we will complete a novena of Rosaries asking Father Peyton's intercession. Invite some friends who might like to get familiar with Father Peyton's story, and the continuation of Father Peyton's ministry in Holy Cross Family Ministries.
For additional information please call 800-299-7729 ext 2023 or email amelanson@hcfm.org