Pope Francis has advanced the Cause of “rosary priest” Fr Patrick Peyton.
The Pope approved a decree recognising his heroic virtues during an audience on December 18 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.
Fr Peyton was a Catholic media pioneer in the 1940s, using radio and later television to produce popular programmes featuring Hollywood stars including Grace Kelly and Lucille Ball to promote family prayer.
His ministry produced more than 600 radio and television programmes and 10,000 broadcasts. The priest also conducted rosary crusades for millions of people in dozens of countries. He had two especially famous mottos: “The family that prays together stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”
Raised in Ireland, Fr Peyton applied to a seminary in his teens, but was turned down for a scholarship award. He emigrated to theUnited States in 1928 when he was 19, with his heart set on becoming a millionaire.
However, the idea of priesthood returned after he found a job as a sexton in the cathedral of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He and his brother joined the seminary and were ordained in the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1941.
Fr Peyton’s first assignment was as a chaplain in Albany, New York, where he launched a project to promote praying the rosary and family life.
He had a special devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary after attributing his recovery from tuberculosis to her intercession.
He once cold-called Bing Crosby after he was told that he could only broadcast on America’s largest network if he could recruit a big star. He asked the operator to put him through to “Bing Crosby in Hollywood”. He managed to get through to the singer and persuade him to appear on his show.
Fr Peyton died in 1992. After the Pope’s decree recognising his heroic virtues, a miracle will be needed for his beatification and a second one for his canonisation.
Pope Francis also approved the heroic virtues of the anti-communist Polish Primate Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.
At the same time he recognised the miracles needed for the beatification of Jesuit Fr Tiburcio Arnáiz Muñoz of Spain; Fr Jean-Baptiste Fouque of France; and Sister Maria Carmen Rendiles Martínez of Venezuela. He also recognised the martyrdom of Fr Teodoro Illera del Olmo, a member of the Congregation of St Peter in Chains, and 15 companions, who were killed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and 1937.
Mob beats priests trying to release arrested carol singers
Hindu extremists have beaten eight priests and burned their vehicle outside a police station.
Ucanews.com reported that the victims had been trying to help 30 seminarians and two priests arrested on December 14 after they were accused of trying to convert non-Christians.
Trouble started when the seminarians from St Ephrem’s Theological College in Satna went to a local village to sing Christmas carols. Fr George Mangalappally said that as they were singing an angry mob started shouting slogans against what they regarded as an attempt to convert locals.
“One of them called police and demanded action against us,” Fr Mangalappally said.
A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that after the carolers were arrested and charged, they were kept in protective custody because of fears they would be attacked if released immediately.
Fr Anish Emmanuel was among those who went to the police station to aid the carolers.
But about 100 Hindus attacked them in the police compound, Fr Emmanuel said.
“We were beaten up in front of the police, but they did nothing,” he said. “They set our vehicle on fire, forcing us to take shelter inside the police station.”
Topless protester targets Nativity
A topless protester from the feminist group Femen tried to steal the baby Jesus from the Vatican’s Nativity last week.
The protester was reportedly shouting “God is woman” as she grabbed the statue. She was then wrestled to the ground by police.
The incident occurred on Christmas Day, about two hours before the Pope delivered his Urbi et Orbi address. A Ukrainian activist, Alisa Vinogradova, was arrested. Femen says its goal is “complete victory over patriarchy”.
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