January 13, 2022

Postulator appointed for sainthood cause of Father Patrick Peyton

REGIONAL
Staff report

(iObserve photo/courtesy of Holy Cross Family Ministries)

EASTON, Mass. – The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has granted Valentina Culurgioni a mandate to serve as the postulator for the cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton as he moves closer to beatification and sainthood.

Father Patrick Peyton, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, served families worldwide by inspiring them to pray together daily. He is well known for his famous messages, “The family that prays together stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

“We are so pleased with the appointment of Valentina Culurgioni as postulator of Father Peyton’s Cause,” said Holy Cross Father Wilfred Raymond, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the ministry that continues the mission of Father Peyton. “Valentina is a woman of intelligence, talent and devout faith. She brings much to this important role.”

Valentina Culurgioni has worked in various capacities on causes for sainthood, including the causes for Servant of God Theotonius Ganguly, the late Holy Cross archbishop of Dhaka, Bangladesh, also a religious of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and Servant of God Dott. F.J. Haas, as well as other works for the Catholic Church. 

The postulator is responsible for managing a cause for beatification through the process of the Catholic Church. The postulator must have experience with the process as set out by the Holy See and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The dimensions that are examined are theological, historical, and medical.

“Her admiration for Father Peyton’s life and works will bring great energy and enthusiasm to the cause process,” said Father David Marcham, vice postulator of Father Peyton’s cause. “We look forward to working with Valentina in the days ahead.” 

Culurgioni’s predecessor, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, began his service as postulator during the early pivotal years of Father Peyton’s cause. Dr. Ambrosi recently retired and recommended Culurgioni for the role.

“We are so grateful to Dr. Ambrosi for his many years of service and his good work to bring us this far in the process,” said Father Marcham. “We wish him well in his well-deserved retirement.”

(iObserve photo/courtesy of Holy Cross Family Ministries)

The key to Father Patrick Peyton’s ministry, which spanned half a century, is found in his family home. Father Peyton was born Jan. 9, 1909, in Carracastle, County Mayo, Ireland. His parents, John and Mary Peyton, gathered their family to pray the rosary every evening. After emigrating from Ireland to the United States, Patrick Peyton became gravely ill as a seminarian and doctors offered no hope of recovery. But he followed his parents’ example and turned to rosary prayer.

“Father Peyton was a seminarian, studying for the priesthood, when he was stricken with tuberculosis,” said Father Raymond. “He prayed his rosary to the Blessed Mother and made a miraculous recovery. From that moment, he promised to spend the rest of his life on a special mission for Mary, bringing millions of families around the world together to pray the rosary just as his family did every evening.”

Father Peyton began Family Rosary, in Albany, N.Y., in 1942, with the goal of building family unity through daily prayer of the rosary. He went on to lead 28 million persons in prayer at 40 Family Rosary Rallies, including 2 million each at events in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Manila, the Philippines.

Father Peyton, a Catholic media pioneer, spent the 51 years of his priesthood serving the spiritual needs of families. In 1947, he founded Family Theater Productions in Hollywood, which produced 900 radio and TV programs that featured hundreds of star actors and other celebrities and had more than 10,000 broadcasts. Father Patrick Peyton is the subject of a recent documentary film that was in theaters in 2020, ‘PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON’.

Father Peyton’s mission continues today through 26 mission centers in 17 countries. Each mission center provides digital complimentary prayer resources on a variety of platforms for families as well as face-to-face events, including rosary rallies, days of reflection, seminars, and other fun, faith-filled events.

Holy Cross Family Ministries is a family of Catholic ministries that inspires, promotes, and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world. The HCFM organization includes Family Rosary, Family Theater Productions, Catholic Mom, the Museum of Family Prayer, Father Peyton Family Institutes, and the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life. For more information go to www.HCFM.org.