April 15, 2021

Film about Father Patrick Peyton wins Christopher Award

NATIONAL
Staff report

Father Peyton is pictured with Bing Crosby in Hollywood, Calif. (iObserve photo/courtesy of Family Theater Productions)

NEW YORK, N.Y. — “PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton” has won a prestigious Christopher Award, for the story of a Catholic priest, Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, whose gratitude for a miraculous healing led him to create a media ministry that popularized the life-changing idea, “The family that prays together stays together.”

The Christopher Awards were announced April 13 for 22 films, TV programs and books for adults and young people in the award program’s 72nd year, highlighting the life-changing power of facing hardships with hope, courage, determination and faith. There will be no physical award ceremony this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate writers, producers, directors, authors, and illustrators whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christophers’ motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

“The stories we are honoring introduce us to people and experiences that may not be a part of our everyday lives,” said Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ director of communications. “They remind us that we are all children of the same God, that we are all worthy of compassion and respect, and that the power of love and faith can change the world for the better.”

“On behalf of all the people who worked on the film, I want to express our gratitude to the Christophers, for recognizing ‘PRAY’ with this prestigious award,” said Holy Cross Father David Guffey, national director of Family Theater Productions (FTP) in Hollywood, Calif., which produced “PRAY.”

“We made the film in the hope that audiences find in it a way to deepen their prayer lives and bring them closer to God and others,” Father Guffey said.

“PRAY” is available for digital rental or purchase on Amazon Video, iTunes and Google Play.

The film is offered to Catholic parishes for screening events or fundraisers. Licensing information can be found at https://www.praythefilm.com/grouplicense.

A “PRAY” screening license can be used to show the movie at a parish, school, ministry, drive-in event or fundraiser. It’s the ideal movie for events hosted by Catholic organizations, especially those devoted to Our Lady, prayer and Bible study groups, and Knights of Columbus councils.

Watch the “PRAY” trailer here: https://youtu.be/zt_r5GWpQqs.

Further information can be found at PrayTheFilm.com and on Facebook and Instagram.