Current Status
Saints — Why?
Once a person is in heaven, enjoying the vision of God, nothing can add to his or her eternal glory. The Church canonizes holy people, therefore, not for their sakes, but to present them to the faithful as models of the Christian life and as powerful intercessors.
For this reason the Church studies the life and works of those who are being proposed for canonization for evidence of holiness and of heroism in the practice of virtue. They look for evidence of the theological virtues: faith, hope and charity; of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit; of humility and prudence and prayerfulness. The Church also wants evidence that after their deaths the memory of those persons continued to inspire the faithful to pursue holiness and to seek their intercession, so reports of favors requested and received must be kept. Extraordinary healings must have medical records, doctor’s assessments and proof that the healing is attributable to the person being proposed for Canonization.
What About Father Peyton’s Cause for Canonization?
The Making of a Real Hero
a student activity sheet (pdf)
Bishop Sean O’Malley, then bishop of the Fall River, Mass., Diocese announced this formal declaration on June 1, 2001, a few days after receiving approval from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.
The announcement was published in the Fall River diocesan newspaper, The Anchor. The good news also was shared by Father Thomas Feeley, CSC, then Vice Postulator of the Cause, during a Rosary Rally at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland, Father Peyton’s homeland.
With the opening of the diocesan phase of the canonization process, Father Peyton now has the title, "Servant of God," which will be used on all prayer cards, pamphlets and articles that refer to him.
The Bishop has invited all who have any substantial information about Father Peyton to share it with the Vice Postulator. His task is to gather testimonies, whether good or bad, along with evidence from the many people who asked for and received favors through Father Peyton's intercession.
Hundreds of testimonies to Father Peyton’s holiness of life have been recorded. Tens of thousands of prayer cards containing a prayer for a favor through Father Peyton's intercession are in circulation. Hundreds of favors have been reported.
Some of these favors are remarkable healings for which there is no medical explanation. Father Peyton still inspires people all over the world by his holiness of life and his strong and tender devotion to Our Blessed Mother. He is known the world over as "The Rosary Priest," and for the slogans he popularized: "The family that prays together stays together ™" and "A world at prayer is a world at peace ®."
To report favors received through the intercession of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC, or if you have any questions about the Cause for Canonization, please email the Office of the Vice Postulator.