Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President, Holy Cross Family Ministries
“Year of the Lord’s favor”
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we embrace this special Year of Prayer leading up to the Jubilee Year 2025, we unite with Pope Francis' call for a "symphony of prayer" for those most in need: prisoners, the sick, the displaced, and those weighed down by debt. We seek to bring them relief and hope through our prayers, fulfilling the promise of the "Year of the Lord's favor."
In this edition of the World at Prayer Newsletter, we are privileged to share compelling narratives and instances of grace that bind us in this noble cause. These stories serve as a powerful testament to the transformative power of prayer, which not only changes lives but also fortifies our global family of faith.
As we continue this journey together, let us build a community deeply rooted in faith, hope, and love. Through prayer, may we deepen our connection with God, strengthen one another, and carry forward our mission with unwavering trust in His providence.
May this Jubilee Year be a season of abundant blessings, bearing fruit in our world, our families, and in each of our lives!
In Christ,
Rev. Fred Jenga, C.S.C.
Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C., Ph.D.
International Director, Holy Cross Family Ministries
Deepening Faith Through the Year of Prayer
Dear Holy Cross Family,
As we compile this edition of our newsletter, themed "Deepening Faith through the Year of Prayer," I am profoundly moved by the rich mosaic of stories and insights that have poured in from across our global community. Each contribution reflects the vibrant spirit of our ministries and the transformative power of prayer in our lives.
Thank you for your heartfelt contributions – from the intimate moments of family prayer to the inspiring youth initiatives and the powerful testimonials. Your voices breathe life into our mission and demonstrate the strength and resilience that come from a shared life of prayer.
May this newsletter be a source of inspiration, encouraging us all to continue our journey, deepening our faith, and building a world rooted in love, compassion, and understanding.
With gratitude and prayers,
Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C.
Worldwide Community of Prayer
Father Fred Jenga invites all of us to join 1,000,000 children in praying the Rosary for Peace and Unity on October 18, 2024. It’s a wonderful opportunity to unite children worldwide in prayer and inspire the next generation to connect with prayer and faith.
To register for this event, please click on one of the following links:
For the USA: click here https://t2m.io/2024-rosary-acnusa-csc
For International Registrations: click here https://t2m.io/2024-rosary-acnintl-csc
Let's Share the Invitation!
At our Global Leadership Meeting, a few ministry centers shared their innovative approaches to engaging young people in prayer. Engaging Gen Z and Gen Alpha in prayer is both a rewarding and challenging task, as we aim to anchor them in faith and purpose. Through initiatives like face-to-face workshops in schools, we create spaces for students to engage in meaningful, purpose-driven conversations centered on values such as love, respect, loyalty, and leadership through prayer. READ MORE
"The Family That Prays Together Stays Together"
"A World at Prayer is a World at Peace"
- Venerable Patrick Peyton -
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
The art piece of Eliara, Age 15 from St. Paul University, Gilmore, Quezon City, Philippines. Eliara is one of First-Place Winners of Try-Prayer 2024.
Would you like to see more of the children's incredible artworks from Try-Prayer 2024? READ MORE
🚧 Construction Update 🚧
The Reimagined Father Peyton Center is well underway here in Easton, MA! We remain open for business, hosting visitors, events and of course offering daily Rosary at 11:30 and Mass at 12 noon in our Holy Rosary Chapel! READ MORE
3D rendering of our reimagined front entrance and courtyard
Praying Together: Strengthening Family Bond
Family prayer is a beautiful way to strengthen bonds and create a sense of unity. READ MORE
Peyton Guild in Tanzania
Praying Together: Strengthening Family Bond
Ugandan families have continued the family faith practices that began during COVID, supported by our ministry centers. READ MORE
Children Rosary Rally
Mothers around the world share a desire to nurture faith in their families and shepherd the hearts of their children. Catholic Mom offers free resources for mothers to plant seeds of faith in their families. READ MORE
Catholic Mom Contributor, Nicole Berlucchi, explains how using songs as prayers is a great alternative or addition to regularly recited prayers.
The process of deepening faith requires commitment, reflection, and an openness to exploring and expanding one's spiritual horizons. Through it, we can experience greater peace, purpose, and resilience as we face life's challenges and become closer to the divine. READ MORE
May 31, 2024, HCFM Bangladesh orchestrated a marvelous Seminar at the Porgona Bazer Bishop House Sylhet.
A two-day workshop for Holy Cross teachers was organized by the Peyton Institute for Families at its premises on July 12-13, 2024. A total of 51 teachers and principals participated in the workshop, titled “Nurturing Minds and Healing Hearts.” READ MORE
Teachers and principals who participate “Nurturing Minds and Healing Hearts.” Workshop
Harmonizing Hearts:
Engaging Young People Through Music in the Year of Prayer
“Singing is praying twice.” These timeless words, attributed to St. Augustine, resonate deeply with the Family Rosary Crusade (FRC) as they embark on a creative journey to engage the youth during this Year of Prayer. READ MORE
Fr. Wilson promotes the competition to the Cubao Vicariates of Holy Family, Sto. Nino and St. Joseph.
Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. with a family in Caracas, Venezuela in 1961. He is speaking to several small children as their parents look on, mother holding a smaller child.
Venerable Patrick Peyton constantly spoke of the benefits of praying the Rosary. In his excerpt from an article in the Family Rosary Crusade Handbook, he wrote of the increase in faith experienced by those praying the Rosary with the proper devotion and attention. READ MORE
Deepening Faith through the Year of Prayer.
I am indeed glad that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has designated 2025 as a special Year of Prayer. This decision has been pivotal for Holy Cross Family Ministries in advancing our mission of fostering prayer life and strengthening the spiritual well-being of families around the world. READ MORE
Fr. Georges Pageet and Fr. Richard led the Good Samaritan group in praying the Holy Rosary after Mass at Garaison.
Family Corner: Praying together: Strengthening Family Bonds
Irish tradition places a high value on family celebrations, and the Father Peyton Centre embraces this by welcoming families to hold weekly family masses. These gatherings provide a special time for families to come together around the altar, connect, and pray. READ MORE
Together the children forms a Rosary.
The Family That Prays Together Stays Together: Embracing the Power of the Rosary (Family Rosary USA)
Distractions abound in our daily lives and busy schedules tend to pull families in every direction. Yet, hope for strengthening family bonds and building habits of faith can be found through the powerful and timeless practice of the Rosary. READ MORE
18,000 handmade or donated rosaries, packed with colorful instructions by our wonderful volunteers, left our world headquarters to fulfill requests around the globe.
Linked in Christ- One Body in Christ: Rom: 12:5
The Canada Jesus Youth National Convention, held at McMaster University in Hamilton, Toronto, from August 9th to 11th, 2024, was a momentous occasion that brought together around 1,000 young Catholics, along with numerous families and their children, from across Canada. The event was filled with intense energy and enthusiasm as youth from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages united under the shared banner of faith in Jesus Christ. READ MORE
A. - Holy Cross Family Ministries, Haiti
Praying Together: Strengthening Family Bonds
When we think of the Virgin Mary, we think of Our Mother. One Sunday morning at Mass, where my wife, my daughter, my son, and I were attending together as we regularly go-to Mass, something special happened. READ MORE
A picture of the Genera Bermea Family in the church where the family used to go for Mass on Sundays.
Father Patrick Peyton addresses a crowd at a Rosary Rally in Minneapolis in Oct. 1958.
The long-wed Catholic couples who appear in LASTING MARRIAGES: I DO…AND I STILL DO.
Since its founding in 1947 by Venerable Patrick Peyton, Family Theater Productions has always promoted prayer. Most recently, that’s been on the big screen – and the small one.
Our Gabriel and Christopher Award-winning documentary READ MORE
This YouTube series features long-term married couples who share their advice and encouragement on honoring their vows and staying committed “until death do us part.”
To watch the series, click here
On May 25th, we organized a Rosary prayer for peace at the San Francisco de Asis chapel in Canto Grande. This was the second of four Rosary prayer sessions planned for this Year of Prayer.
For this Rosary prayer, approximately 300 intense energy and enthusiasm as youth from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages united under the shared banner of faith in Jesus Christ. READ MORE
Students pray for peace at the Rosary event
Praying Together: Strengthening Family Bonds
In this Year of Prayer, let us remember Pope Francis, whose words spoken in the catechesis on "Prayer in Daily Life" emphasize the presence of the Lord in our everyday lives: "Jesus comes to meet us today, in this very moment we are living. And it is prayer that transforms this moment into grace, or rather, transforms us: it appeases anger, sustains love, multiplies joy, and infuses the strength to forgive. READ MORE
Teen Workshop- helping teens rediscover their potential
When the pandemic closed Family Theater Productions offices in March 2020, I jumped in the car with my sister, brother-in-law, and four-month-old nephew and headed for Missoula, MT to be with my mom, who had been widowed less than a year.
Not long after arriving in Montana, we decided to start a nightly family Rosary utilizing a free conference line. READ MORE
The article author, Megan Harrington, and her family. December 8, 2018
The Catholic Daughters' 75 years of steadfast support of Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM) has been foundational to the mission of the spiritual well-being of families through Rosary prayer. In 1948 when Father Peyton sought their support for his Crusade for Family Prayer, CDA answered his call to promote the Family Rosary in homes and parishes throughout their courts. READ MORE
Catholic Daughters of the Americas National Board December 2023 visit to Holy Cross Family Ministries headquarters at The Father Peyton Center in North Easton, MA.
The theme for our Try-Prayer 2025 is "Prayer: My Pathway to Peace". In addition to traditional artwork, we are offering high school and college students the option to use media platforms to showcase their creativity. Each Ministry Center is allowed one entry. Videos should be 10 to 20 minutes in length. The first prize winner will receive $3,000, second place will be awarded $2,000, and third place will receive $1,000. This exciting contest is called the Global Flourishing Family Video Contest. The deadline for all submissions is May 31, 2025. We prefer live action (telling a story with characters)! READ MORE
Testimonies from around the world reflect our mission to inspire, promote, and foster the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world. We help families pray.
"A World at Prayer is a World at Peace."
~ Venerable Patrick Peyton
READ MORE for inspiring testimonies.
Please pray for the speedy beatification and canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton, founder, Holy Cross Family Ministries.
Dear Jesus,
Father Peyton devoted his priestly life to strengthening the families of the world by calling them to pray together every day, especially the Rosary. His message is as important for us now as it was during his life on earth.
We beg you, therefore, to hasten the day of his beatification, so that Your faithful people everywhere will remember his message that The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, will imitate him in his devotion to Your Mother and ours, and will be inspired by His holy life to draw ever closer to You with childlike confidence and love.
Amen.