Venerable Patrick Peyton (Feast Day June 3)

January 9, 1901-June 3, 1992

Fr. Patrick Peyton was perhaps one of the earliest examples of a Catholic influencer. Known to millions around the world as "the Rosary priest," he made famous the motto, "The family that prays together stays together."

Patrick was born in Ireland in 1909, the sixth of nine children. Every evening, his whole family would pray the Rosary together. At the age of nine, Patrick felt the desire to join the priesthood when he served at Mass in his home parish. He and his brother came to Pennsylvania in 1927 to reunite with their sister, who was married and living there. He worked at the Catholic parish as a janitor; that parish helped solidify his call to the priesthood. Patrick became sick with advanced tuberculosis during his studies in the seminary. As his health continually declined, he was given the choice to undergo surgery or pray for a miracle. Patrick chose to pray. He asked Mary to intercede for him, and that same year, he recovered completely.

Fr. Patrick was ordained a priest in 1941. He made it his mission to bring the Rosary to 10 million families around the world. He wrote letters to bishops and church leaders, asking them to join his campaign. He knew that he would reach far more families if he could get his message out on the radio. So, he traveled to New York City, where he gained the support of the Mutual Broadcasting System and convinced Bing Crosby and a handful of other celebrities to join him on his radio show, where he led families in praying the Rosary.

Fr. Patrick's radio show was so well-received that he traveled to Hollywood, where his vision began to take shape. Fr. Patrick went on to create radio, television, and film productions, as well as hosting 540 Rosary Rallies all over the world, gathering millions of people in prayer. Fr. Patrick's organization, Holy Cross Family Ministries, continues his ministry today with rosary and prayer resources, family ministry, and multimedia productions that educate and inspire families around the world to grow in faith and pray together daily.

• In today's story, we learn that Jesus is taken up to heaven. Where is Jesus today? Is he near or is he far away? (This is a trick question!)

• What does it mean to be "clothed with the power from on high"?

• We are all called to be witnesses of Christ. What are some ways you can do that?

• Venerable Patrick Peyton used different forms of media to reach families about the faith. What forms of media are available to us today to share about God and the importance of prayer?

Pen Pals

Take the time to let someone know you care, even if they are not physically with you.

Write a letter to a relative, friend, neighbor, or someone from your parish asking how they are doing, letting them know how you are, and offering to pray for them. Before mailing it, you can add drawings, prayer cards, or pictures.

Haitian Stewed Chicken

You can complete the Family Fun activity in the time it takes this dish to stew.

1 lb chicken
½ onion diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp of lime juice
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 tsp black pepper
½ red pepper julienned
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tbsp of adobo seasoning
½ cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp tomato paste

Clean the chicken using the Haitian meat cleaning method. Clean the chicken with lemon or sour orange juice and vinegar. Rinse in hot water. Create a marinade with garlic, parsley, thyme, black pepper, chicken cube, and seasoning salt. Season the chicken with the marinade and let it marinade at least 15 min. Marinating the chicken overnight in the refrigerator will give the meat more time to take on the flavor. In a large saucepan, brown the chicken on both sides. Add a half cup of water to the saucepan along with the tomato paste, onions, and peppers. Stew the chick on medium high heat for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until it is ready to serve.

From haitiancooking.com

The Jubilee Prayer

The theme for the 2025 Jubilee is "Pilgrims of Hope." Pray the Jubilee Prayer together as a family of hope, meditating on what this means to you.

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.

Learn more about the Jubilee Year, visit this link. https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025.html*

In the Gospel, Jesus raises his hand and blesses people. Watch how many times the priest raises his hand to bless the congregation today.

Bless each other with the sign of the cross on the forehead or by praying a blessing over one another in your own words. 

Do this each day this week, either in the morning or before bedtime.

A Jubilee Year is a holy year, and we are celebrating one now in 2025. There are 7 main attributes to this Jubilee Year: 

• Holy Door (in Rome)
• Indulgences
• Liturgy
• Pilgrimage
• Prayer 
• Profession of Faith
• Reconciliation 

Whether you travel to Rome or celebrate locally, your family can still be part of this historic observation. To learn more about the Jubilee Year, visit this link: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html